[opendtv] Re: 2VSB Status? (was Lawmakers Establish 2009 Deadline for Analog TV Phaseout)
- From: John Willkie <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 24 Dec 2005 21:37:51 +0000 (GMT+00:00)
Never ever? That would have to be in the constitution, and even then the c=
onstitution can be re-written, amended, revoked or supplanted, albeit throu=
gh non-violent means.
Broadcasters have NO LAWFUL ABILITY to use their channels for non-broadcast=
purposes, except as provided by law, and that law mandates that they remit=
5% of non-broadcast revenues to the government.=20
So, just why don't you think the 1996 omnibus budget reconciliation act tha=
t deals with the remainder is antagonistic to your goals? All laws are mut=
able.
This was settled more than nine years ago. Those who forget the past are c=
ondemned to repeat it. And, on OpenDTV, with a few posters, repeat it agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai=
n and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and=
again and again and again.
Merry Christmas to all
John Willkie
> -----Original Message-----
> From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
> [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Tom Barry
> Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2005 7:39 PM
> To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [opendtv] Re: 2VSB Status? (was Lawmakers Establish=20
> 2009 Deadline for Analog TV Phaseout)
>=20
> Stephen W. Long wrote:
>=20
> > At the time, several people told me I did not understand=20
> what was really > going on - ATSC was a perfect solution if=20
> you wanted OTA television to > fail, which means everyone=20
> would switch to cable and satellite, then all of > that UHF=20
> spectrum could be sold off to cell phone companies. I told=20
> such > folk they were too cynical.
> >
>=20
> That is maybe too paranoid to even consider.
>=20
> But, just to prove you wrong and make us all feel better, I'm=20
> sure the broadcasters would have no objection to Congress=20
> passing a law that said the broadcasters could NEVER EVER=20
> sell their spectrum or use it for other purposes than OTA TV. ;-)
>=20
> This would be a condition of continuing to use that spectrum=20
> now, acknowledging the spectrum remains the property of the=20
> American people and used at their sufferance.
>=20
> - Tom
>=20
>=20
> > Does any one know the status of 2VSB in the chips /=20
> specification for ATSC?
> >=20
> > When my small group dared to say publicly that ATSC had no=20
> clothes, in=20
> > a now classic story, the lawyers on the ATSC side of the table=20
> > insisted that robust and mobile reception was going to be delivered=20
> > via 2VSB. All of the 8VSB receivers would have 2VSB modes=20
> and everyone would be happy.
> >=20
> > I have not heard a peep about 2VSB since that time. Is it possible=20
> > that the 20 lawyers on the other side of the table that day that=20
> > threatened to sue me personally for delaying the DTV=20
> transition were=20
> > not telling the entire truth? Did they know 8VSB reception was=20
> > problematic and that only 2VSB could provide robust reception?
> >=20
> > The most incredible "truth" I ever heard an ATSC proponent=20
> say was the=20
> > remark - "Oh, ATSC works great - in our tests it worked 75%=20
> of the time..."
> > In the stunned silence at this remark, an advisor to my=20
> boss's boss=20
> > made the reply comment that "in our business, we are use to=20
> > communications working at least 98% of the time." My boss=20
> slipped me=20
> > a note under the table, saying, ..."you were right after=20
> all." I could only nod.
> >=20
> > Some of us tried to tell the truth. We lost the battle, and I was=20
> > threatened by one lawyer with personal financial ruin if I=20
> continued=20
> > to fight - the other side had too much money to buy lawyers=20
> instead of=20
> > engineers. ATSC is here, probably to stay. It still does not work=20
> > well enough to warrant the investment made by the broadcasters and=20
> > since there is no mass market rush to buy ATSC receivers, free OTA=20
> > television is a lost cause in the USA.
> >=20
> > At the time, several people told me I did not understand what was=20
> > really going on - ATSC was a perfect solution if you wanted OTA=20
> > television to fail, which means everyone would switch to cable and=20
> > satellite, then all of that UHF spectrum could be sold off to cell=20
> > phone companies. I told such folk they were too cynical.
> >=20
> > Now, I am not so sure they were wrong - I believe that is=20
> exactly the=20
> > path we are on - OTA will cease to exist, or at least no=20
> significant=20
> > number of people will ever rely on it. And that is a=20
> problem for the=20
> > Nation. When extraordinary weather or even worse events happen, I=20
> > still believe we need OTA television to get information to=20
> the public. =20
> > When a tornado passed within a mile of my house, I was watching my=20
> > local TV weatherman and his Dopplar radar to see the path. =20
> I wanted=20
> > to SEE the path, not hear about it on the radio. My family=20
> was hiding=20
> > in the basement, using rabbit ears on an old basement TV. =20
> The picture=20
> > worked! The DirecTV dish quit working - clouds too thick. =20
> The cable=20
> > company here is a joke - service drops out frequently (when=20
> it rains), so I threw them out of the house years ago.
> >=20
> > I recently bought the Accurian ATSC DTV box. I can only reliably=20
> > receive three digital stations, in a market of ~10 transmitters. =20
> > Using the SAME coaxial cable, I can get beautiful analog=20
> reception on=20
> > 10 out of 12 stations on my TV/VCR, etc., and the two marginal=20
> > stations are viewable, just noisy (low band VHF sucks in my=20
> > neighborhood). On the basis of my superb analog UHF=20
> reception, I do=20
> > not believe it is my antenna that is at fault. Since the UHF DTV=20
> > transmitters are collocated (most of the time) with the analog UHF=20
> > transmitters, it is not an antenna pointing problem that is=20
> causing the bad DTV reception.
> >=20
> > So, I will repeat the question I first asked in ~1999 - what is the=20
> > plan to use 8VSB transmission to provide emergency=20
> communications to=20
> > the American public? In public testimony years ago by the=20
> then head=20
> > of ATSC to Congress, the claim was made that ATSC/8VSB was=20
> important=20
> > to the national defense - ATSC would be a vital tool for public=20
> > communications. Will 8VSB provide at least the same performance as=20
> > NTSC in this vital role? No, 8VSB will never work properly as a=20
> > reliable communications system in adverse echo environments=20
> (the real=20
> > world of cities and suburbs, where most of the people=20
> live). So, can=20
> > we trust the promised use of 2VSB to provide this service? =20
> I don't know - I just want to see delivered what was promised.
> >=20
> > Stephen
> >=20
> > At 11:40 AM 12/22/2005 -0500, John Golitsis wrote:
> >=20
> >>Oh good, you're just as confused as I am over John's last comment.
> >>
> >>Smart is to Mercedes Benz (who offers SUVs) as DVB-H is to ATSC. =20
> >>Related, but catering to completely different markets.
> >>
> >>Even if there was an ATSC mobile "mode", do you really think the=20
> >>networks would allow you to broadcast their material that way? How=20
> >>much does Verizon and Apple (for example) pay them to address the=20
> >>mobile market? How much do you? How much would you?
> >>
> >>On 22-Dec-05, at 11:33 AM, Mark Aitken wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>What do I and smart cars have in common? Did I miss something?
> >>><http://www.thesmart.co.uk/>
> >>>
> >>><http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3D6605730767077503480>
> >>>
> >>><http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/>
> >>>
> >>>And, oh, by the way, Smart Cars are safer than most SUV's...
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