[opendtv] Re: ATSC and Lip Sync
- From: "Leonard Caillouet" <lcaillo@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 30 May 2009 09:18:17 -0400
Cliff, the refrain that problems are due to deregulation, and the comments
that you don't care about why they problems occur make it hard to take you
seriously. At what level and in what form should regulation be applied?
For someone who has worked as an engineer for as long as you say you have, I
find your perspective curious. Regulation needs to be careful and smart,
not applied in a shotgun approach. We should have learned that lesson
really well in the last few years from the financial markets. It is very
easy to assign blame to government for letting the industry run carelessly.
It is harder to do your job as part of that industry to contribute to an
understanding of the problem and to its solution. Several posters here
have taken the latter approach, and have contributed to an understanding of
the problem and where solutions may be found, and I thank them. Your
comments below don't make much of a useful contribution at all, IMO.
In those ten years that you mention, what have you done to contribute to a
solution? Frankly, on the consumer end, I don't get as many complaints as
we did a couple of years ago about lip sync issues, and don't see as much of
it myself. It may be increasing as a problem as you suggest, but my
experience does not indicate that it is such a problem that we need to
approach regulation as a solution. The industry continues to work on
solutions, and (some) engineers are becoming more educated on the various
contributing factors, so what would you suggest be done, exactly?
The idea that the industry has continually degraded since before the
transition is also hard to understand. While I have a bit of an outside
view, it seems that we have a much larger choice of content and improved
quality for most consumers. While there are problems, like there have
always been, there is also some astounding quality out there. Along the
way, the level of understanding of the problems seems to be increasing as
the transition proceeds. I would not suggest that there are not problems,
but your pessimistic view reminds me of many of the "old dogs" in my field
(repair and calibration) who simply lament the loss of things more familiar
and simple.
Also, please be more careful to define where your quotes end and your
comments start. The lack of punctuation and the content of the following
sentence made it seem obvious where Mark Schubin's remarks started and yours
begin, but those less familiar with both of your postings might not get the
break point. I am sure that he would not like to have your comments
confused as being his.
Leonard Caillouet
Gainesville, FL
From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Cliff Benham
Sent: Friday, May 29, 2009 5:49 PM
To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [opendtv] Re: ATSC and Lip Sync
Mark Schubin wrote:
I suggest that those commenting on this process who haven't done so go visit
a real broadcast TV station and watch what they do -- and with what
equipment. Then you may continue to comment but with perhaps a somewhat
greater understanding
[-] Then, apparently, Cliff Benham wrote:
I've worked as an engineer in commercial TV since 1965. I understand why lip
sync in digital TV is a problem but I don't care.
I just expect it to work right like all the other consumers.
What I've seen happen is a continual degrading of the industry since before
the beginning of the digital transition.
This is the result of deregulation caused by industry wide lobbying of the
FCC leading to its almost complete loss of regulatory
control of broadcasting. An earlier comment in this thread makes me think
the FCC is not even acknowledging the problem.
When I wrote the original lip sync email *10 years ago* I thought then
surely the problem would be resolved. When I wrote the follow up two weeks
ago it was to call attention to the fact that *10 years has passed* and the
problem is still growing, not getting better.
The point that really matters here is not about understanding why lip sync
is difficult to achieve but that the consumers don't care or want to
understand the why of it. All the technical explanations in the world about
'why' are irrelevant to consumers.
They have the reasonable expectation that with the new pristine images the
sound will be perfect too.
Consumers [the ultimate customer] don't give a damn about why it doesn't
work except that it does not work.
There is just no excuse for the FCC or the equipment manufacturers not to
have solved whatever the technical issues are by this point in time. They've
had at least 10 years to fix it.
Cliff Benham
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