[opendtv] Re: Bundling and competition
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2013 16:02:35 -0400
On Sep 10, 2013, at 4:53 PM, "Manfredi, Albert E"
<albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> That sounds too artsy for my taste. It's not an "accident of engineering
> history," …
Clearly the history of 20th Century communications technologies was heavily
influenced by advancements in analog technology, and the RF technology used
both for wired and wireless infrastructures. "Digital" started to transform our
preconceptions in the '80s, starting with professional and consumer audio.
Video and telephone were transformed in the '90s.
Negroponte was not criticizing the fact that the TV and telephony
infrastructures were backwards; he was just looking forward and stating the
obvious - things that are fixed, like the TV in the family room should use the
wires, while services you want anywhere, anytime should be wireless. Clearly he
was right, as we are well down that road.
What he did not take into account that day - but clearly understood when I
talked with him - is that the wireless devices of the future would be literate
in multiple media - voice, audio, and video, all delivered as packets of bits.
> Still now, wireless allows multiple different media to compete in a way that
> wired media cannot. So when you can add wireless telephony to the mix, that
> allows multiple telephone services to compete everywhere.
I can't believe you said that.
Your stated vision of the future of the TV in your family room is one that is
made possible by a WIRE that delivers streams of broadband data to your TV and
other devices in your home. The coax from the cable company delivers TV,
broadband and telephony. Wireless allow the media and other services to reach
people anywhere, anytime.
The only argument left, is whether we will need ANY wires, if spectrum is used
in an optimal manner in the future. For now, it is not even feasible to move
everyone to Internet TV because of wired broadband constraints; and wireless
data is still mostly a metered service, making it an expensive proposition to
watch much TV on your cell phone or (cellular) tablet.
> Wireless OTA TV is exactly the same thing still. It allows competition in a
> way that cabled TV doesn't. And digital OTA TV even takes away a lot of the
> bandwidth limitations of analog OTA TV.
You did it again. OTA TV is not even trying to compete. It is there primarily
to guarantee that lucrative second revenue stream from the MVPDs.
We tried to convince broadcasters that there was a market in data broadcasting
- not interested.
They tried to compete in a limited way with cable using digital multicast
capabilities - the public was not interested in a subscription package that
lacked the channels that are in the highest demand.
If OTA is wireless, and wireless allows new ways to compete, apparently the
broadcasters missed the announcement. Then again, a few, like Sinclair have a
clue, but are having a hard time convincing their broadcasting brethren to
actually think about competing in ways that cable cannot.
> Wireless two-way broadband is still a problem, though, in dense population
> centers especially. So there you have it. No accidents at all. Just
> technological evolution.
So bottom line, we win;t quite there yet.
Regards
Craig
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