[opendtv] Re: Twenty comments; Re: Re: Obama Asks Congress to Delay DTV
- From: Albert Manfredi <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:09:00 -0500
Barry Wilkins wrote:
> I wonder why your antennas are so expensive?
They aren't. What might be expensive is to hire someone to install them. The
antennas I'm using only cost $34.99 each, and I use two.
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=AD-DB4
And installation was trivially easy, since they are both sitting inside my
fireplace.
> I have to say that I peruse the local DTV forums
> fairly regularly but I have yet to hear of any serious
> grumblings with regard to reception quality and NZ is
> full of hills and mountain ranges!
The only issue here is where are the TV towers you rely on? For example, I
already pointed out the situation in Rome, Paris, UK, and Berlin, compared to
here in the US. In Rome, Paris, and parts of the UK, where power levels are
low, they have repeater towers every 30 miles or so, and sometimes even less
than that (West Country, for instance, or in the Italian mountainous regions).
Rome gets two sets of towers dedicated to Rome. One of these location is high
up in the Alban hills. *And* people get professional installation of their
antennas as a matter of course.
In the US, the OTA plants are entirely the responsibility of the broadcasters,
and MUCH greater reception ranges are expected of them. As Craig keeps saying,
broadcasters would just as soon have their audiences use the infrastructure of
cable and DBS companies, especially the difficult cases, rather than spend a
lot of effort on their own OTA performance. Furthermore, if you ask for antenna
installation, here is what you get in the US:
"Sure, we can send someone out, but if you're going to spends $x * 100 to have
the antenna installed, you should instead consider free installation of cable
or DBS. Let me give you these brochures. We have a special deal this month on
DBS HD packages."
> Now, if you are going to the trouble of transmitting in
> full HD and with all that power you use over there,
> surely it would behove those that organized your DTV
> system to make it not only possible, but to the users
> very great advantage, to buy an HD version STB.
Not much point in that anymore. As of March 2007, all TV devices with built-in
tuners must have ATSC reception too. So HD STBs don't have a whole lot of
market anymore. Only market would be those who are still using older HDTV
monitors and suddenly want to pick up OTA stations now.
> Incidentally, I still notice a difference between the
> quality of HD content from the UK as compared to the
> US. Things such as "Nigela Bites", a cooking
> programme from the UK, is perfecto indeed. CSI and
> other dramas from the US although HD, are slightly
> less sharp.
I noticed the same thing, comparing HD dramas like CSI (specifically) with live
shows like American Idol. Are the dramas still shot on film? Maybe that has
something to do with it, I don't know.
Bert
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