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

  • From: Bob Miller <bob@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2004 17:46:49 -0400

Eory Frank-p22212 wrote:

>From: "John Willkie" <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxx> 
>To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
>Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 19:02:07 -0700 
>
>
>  
>
>>So, were the decision made to adopt DVB in the U.S., there might be some
>>advantages in the modulation model.  Indeed, I was talking a few months back
>>with a high-ranking engineering executive at CBS, someone who is a lurker on
>>this list, and he admitted that there are some advantages in COFDM
>>modulation over 8-VSB.  He said that he would never say such a thing
>>publicly, but we were "among friends."
>>    
>>
>
>There are many such individuals who feel the same way but "would never say 
>such a thing publicly."
>
>  
>
>>However, adopting DVB in the U.S. would, absent a WHOLESALE revision of the
>>DVB-SI spec, result in U.S. television stations becoming passive
>>retransmitters of network programming.  That might work in Europe, but in
>>the U.S., Canada and Mexico, local stations are federal/state constructs:
>>most of the programming is created elsewhere, but localism is an important
>>component.
>>    
>>
>
>IIRC, nobody every seriously proposed "adopting DVB in the U.S." The debate 
>was strictly about the modulation. In principle, the DVB-T modulation scheme 
>or even a uniquely U.S. COFDM scheme could have been incorporated into the 
>ATSC standards in addition to or in place of the 8-VSB modulation scheme. 
>Nothing else (PSIP, Table 3, etc.) need have changed.
>
>  
>
>>And, what's really at play in the modulation wars -- even going back to the
>>1920's -- is patents, IP and licensing.   I know I'm not the only person on
>>this list who knows this, but I'm the only one who talks publicly about
>>THAT.
>>    
>>
>
>You are absolutely correct, and you are the only one on this list who has 
>talked publicly about THAT. The IP licensing cost of an ATSC receiver/decoder 
>will soon exceed the silicon + software cost, and a chunk of that will go to 
>LGE for the 8-VSB patents. We have discussed this on OpenDTV many times in the 
>past, including some news articles that put a dollar figure on the IP windfall 
>that LGE expects from the ATSC tuner mandate.
>
>-- Frank  
>
And the question now becomes do they use this IP licensing cost and 5th 
gen technology to drive market share or to make money. They have a deal 
with Hisense and Toshiba so far. Anyone know of other.

They don't have to pay themselves so they could use this dual monopoly 
to drive market share.

Expect a very inexpensive 5th gen receiver LG announcement with advanced 
codecs by mid 2005.
 
 
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