[opendtv] Re: (No Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 10:30:37 -0400

  • From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2004 08:33:21 -0400

Bert may be getting it...

At 10:46 AM -0400 10/7/04, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
>I mean, let's quit the BS. Why is it okay to watch
>Without A Trace as a sub-SDTV quality program over DBS,
>just because DBS "is digital," vs watching it as an
>NTSC conversion over analog cable? These are silly
>arguments. And why should any of this dissuade viewers
>from buying HDTVs? That's nonsense. Most DBS viewers
>and most cable users will end up watching over an NTSC
>set regardless, until they buy their HDTV sets. It
>makes absolutely no difference where the conversion
>to NTSC is made, whether in a local STB or the head-end
>of the cable system.

Yup... for the masses, DTV means absolutely NOTHING. The reality is 
that any improvement in image quality over NTSC is only going to be 
enjoyed by those with new displays and components that are capable of 
delivering the higher quality. At typical screen sizes the difference 
is not that dramatic. It is only when screen size increases 
significantly that NTSC falls apart.

That being said, the real issues here have nothing to do with what 
people are watching. The REAL ISSUE is maintaining control over 
distribution, which is intimately linked to the regulatory and 
legislative advantages afforded to broadcasters.

>
>So the NAB stalls, using these arguments to confuse
>the technically challenged. It's their right to do so.
>But you don't have to buy into these arguments. All
>you to do is to understand where they're coming from.

Right. The MOST POWERFUL lobby in Washington, which represents the 
PRIMARY portal through which the politicians communicate with their 
constituents. It really does not matter whether you, or I , or Joe 
Six-pack buy into the broadcaster's arguments. What matters is 
whether a majority of 435 Congressional representatives and 100 
Senators buy into their arguments.

Talk about a niche audience!


>In Berlin, which in the past you touted as being such
>a success, they solved this problem by switching off
>analog. People went to buy STBs only when this switch
>off occurred. The same will work here. The obstacles
>are NOT the regulatory issues you keep claiming, but
>rather the guts of Congressmen.

No Bert. They solved a completely different problem. They were able 
to take the approach they did because they do not have a powerful 
media lobby to block it.

Regards
Craig
 
 
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