[opendtv] Re: Spectrum is too valuable

  • From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2015 01:04:44 +0000

Craig Birkmaier wrote:

It is true because the cable industry is doing this today.

The cable industry is also cutting back on analog streams these days, guess why
Craig. And more to the point, you have often bemoaned the amount of money cable
companies invest in improving their cable plants, to offer more broadband
speeds. Well, this is one way to offer more broadband speed while reducing the
amount of costly labor-intensive work they have to do. Repurpose the broadcast
spectrum. What applies to OTA spectrum also applies to walled-in cable
spectrum. The only way you can weasel out of that is to say that the cable
issue is different, because all the cable companies can simply charge the
Craigs of the world more per month for subscriptions. Okay, say that and I'll
agree.

You claimed three HD streams in 18 Mbps.

H.264 requires about 5-6 Mb/s for realistic HD. Even H.262 does not require 19
Mb/s for HD.

You can pre filter and compress the hell out of anything, but
that completely misses the point.

Our PBS station does a very credible job at one HD and three simultaneous SD
streams. Our ION station does one HD and five SD. This is not to say that you
won't get compression artifacts if you overdo it (although with H.264, these
blocking effects are masked fairly effectively). This is to say that you
overstate your case, trying to make a point that might have been credible 10 or
more years ago.

That's nowhere near what you need for a PON with 500 customers,

First, you DO NOT need to feed each home with the same bandwidth, Craig. These
numbers are meant to be guides, not absolutes. Yes, if every home insists on
this amount of bandwidth, then 300 homes would be served by each PON. But 3 or
4 Mb/s is enough, as long as the CDNs continue to provide streaming options at
these lower rates.

Did you not state that the number now is between 25 homes and 2000 homes? And
that the average is 500? So I'm saying that you can stick with that 500 homes
average, while providing a very credible Internet TV service to every home. Not
decades from now, Craig. In the near future, or in some cases right now.

Doesn't matter what the FCC considers to be minimum for "broadband." You can
call whatever the FCC decides "broadband," and anything less than that
"wideband." The FCC does not need to force everyone to have the same minimum,
with the possible exception of the lifeline service households the taxpayer
will be graciously paying for.

Bert



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