[opendtv] Re: Scrap OTA?
- From: Cliff Benham <cbenham@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 01 Nov 2005 12:38:09 -0500
Editorial Comment:
There Ain't No Free Lunch and It's Getting Worse...
I think the general trend these days is 'AWAY ' from anything that is
"FREE" and toward all things
that can be charged $$$ for. The record and movie industries are trying
to completely eliminate all
"fair use" copying and cable and satellite would love to see the end of
ALL free over the air broadcasting
including digital.
And of course pay radio is now available in several noise free but
expensive flavors.
Can the internet be far behind? No.
Many of the sites I used to access techincal information from freely
now want me to register and become a 'member' to be able to get at their
pages.
As reported here in another recent post, the CE retailers may be trying
to push free DTV as far to the back
of the stove as possible so it won't be successful and will leave more
of the pie to the sales of cable and satellite
receivers which apparently have a higher volume driven profit mrgin.
I can't even take a sandwich and an un-opened plastic bottle of water
into the ball park to watch a Phillies game
because it might compromise my "safety". (A thinly veiled attempt to
protect the sales of the extremely high priced
food vendors who monopolize major sports venues.)
Have you bought buttered popcorn and soda at a movie theater lately?
This trend of 'nothing free ever at any time' will only end when
consumers vote by staying away in droves.
However, I think it will get lots worse before it gets any better.
dan.grimes@xxxxxxxx wrote:
>So if most people get their media over CATV or DBS, why not just scrap OTA?
>(yes, this is coming from someone who only uses OTA and physical formats
>for media!)
>
>If free TV is important to provide to the public, why not just make CATV
>and DBS provide any local news and not-for-profit channels (or whatever
>content is deemed as important to provide to all citizens) for free
>(especially cable since they have franchise fees, reduce to offset service
>cost)?
>
>If we need an OTA broadcast for emergencies, why not just make an emergency
>broadcast channel, requiring only one frequency to cover the entire country
>(big or small SFN)?
>
>If there are good reasons for an OTA media distribution platform, why not
>make it like CATV where one entity (in a given market) provides multiplexed
>digital service just like CATV, but offers local news and not-for-profit
>channels for free, and must pay a franchise fee?
>
>Yeah, I know, I'm nuts.
>
>Dan Grimes
>
>
No, you're not.
Cliff
>
>
>
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