[opendtv] Re: STB hunting
- From: Mark Schubin <tvmark@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 11:26:54 -0500
Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
>The FCC receiver mandate still holds,
>
To whatever extent it is holding. There are clear violations of the
mandate, but there are no penalties. As best I can tell, there are not
even wrist-slapping letters.
>has been set at March
>2007 for all TV sets and recording devices, and these built
>in receivers are reportedly of good quality.
>
The ones in the 36-inch-and-up category.
This past weekend, I noted the following ads for TVs and recording
devices, all under $100:
- Radio Shack 2.3-inch LCD TV @ Radio Shack $59.99
- Mystery brand GTV5055 5-inch TV @ Conn's $14.97
- PocketVision LCD-511 5-inch LCD TV @ Radio Shack $99.99
- Konka 13-inch TV @ Universal $45
- Mystery brand CTGV4563TCT 13-inch TV @ Conn's $59.99
- Toshiba 13A25 13-inch TV @ Conn's $79.97
- Advent Q1435A 14-inch flat-tube TV @ Circuit City $87.99
- Konka 19-inch TV @ Universal $59
- Sansui TWM1916 19-inch TV @ Royal $68
- Toshiba 19A24/25 19-inch TV @ Best Buy $99.99
- RCA 25-inch TV @ Royal $98
- Sansui VCR @ Universal $22
- Sansui S35EV VCR @ Royal $29.99
- Sansui DVD/VCR combo @ Universal $44
- GoVideo DV2150 DVD/VCR combo @ Royal $59
- Insignia IS-DVD040924 DVD/VCR combo @ Best Buy $75.99
- Philips DVP3050V DVD/VCR combo @ Target $78
- Samsung DVDV5500 DVD/VCR combo @ Circuit City $79.99
- Samsung DVDV5500 DVD/VCR combo @ Conn's $94.97
I wonder how much they will cost on March 2, 2007 -- or if they'll
simply stop being sold.
TTFN,
Mark
> So that would
>certainly contradict any notion the government is secretly
>trying to kill off OTA. They could have said "let the market
>decide," which is what they do when truly not interested
>(e.g. analog stereo AM radio). *That's* the kiss of death.
>
>
>
>>Why else have none of the manufacturers spent much effort
>>developing and *marketing* OTA STBs like they are in the
>>rest of the world?
>>
>>
>
>I think there are more credible reasons. For example, since
>broadcasters are spending no effort to make their digital
>tier particularly attractive, e.g. by offering some added
>programs that would encourage people to buy into DTT, the
>vendors are waiting for the analog cutoff date to make STBs.
>After all, they do have to build in receivers into 100
>percent of their TV sets anyway, well before any analog
>cutoff date, so what's the rush?
>
>Imagine what would happen if broadcasters made it so people
>would rush to stores to get DTT reception. You know, offer
>something interesting over their new subchannels. There are
>so many possibilities.
>
>
>
>>Why is DTV mostly advertised as available over satellite
>>and cable? Why don't any of the sales people at the
>>consumer electronics stores know you can receive DTV OTA?
>>
>>
>
>Because they're stupid? The guy I talked to at Circuit City
>seemed to know. So while this is the impression one gets,
>it's not necessarily 100 percent true. Retail clerks in all
>industries have a special way of being clueless.
>
>
>
>>And why [aside from trying to save it's inventor/patent
>>owner Zenith, the last U.S. consumer electronics mfgr. at
>>the time] was 8VSB chosen over what the rest of the world
>>is using, COFDM,
>>
>>
>
>Or Ibiquity over DAB/DRM, or NTSC over PAL, or MediaFlo
>over DVB-H, or 115 V 60 Hz over 220 V 50 Hz, or English
>measuring standards over the metric system, or CDMA over
>GSM, or .....
>
>The US likes to do its own thing. This one is not a big deal.
>A simple change of *one* component, the demod, makes a DVB-T
>box into an ATSC box. Big whoop. Besides which, it's not all
>bad. I've already reported that I seem to get solid
>reception whenever the SNR stays above 15.1 dB or so. This is
>very, very repeatable. Compare that with COFDM. Not all bad.
>
>Bert
>
>
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