[opendtv] Re: Cost of "good" vs. "bad" receivers
- From: "Dale Kelly" <dalekelly@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 16:30:09 -0700
CEA, NAB trade barbs over set-top converter box
Oct 19, 2005 12:21 PM
HD Technology Update e-newsletter
In a filing with the FCC regarding the status of competition in the video
delivery market, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) last week
expressed its concern that the digital-to-analog converter box being
developed at the direction of the NAB and Association of Maximum Service
Television (MSTV) would not fulfill Congress's desire for a low-cost
converter box.
According to the CEA, the box has features that most consumers don't want or
need.
The NAB and MSTV announced Oct. 5 that Thomson and LG Electronics had been
selected to produce prototype boxes conforming to the design requirements of
the trade groups. In its comments to the commission, the CEA said it was
puzzled by the need for the NAB/MSTV-sponsored box.
In response to the filing, NAB president and CEO Edward Fritts said the CEA
"is out of touch with the realities of the technical challenges of DTV
reception."
For more information, visit www.nab.org and www.ce.org.
-----Original Message-----
From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On
Behalf Of Manfredi, Albert E
Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 10:26 AM
To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [opendtv] Re: Cost of "good" vs. "bad" receivers
Mark Aitken wrote:
> Has anyone got public data that would quantify the
> cost difference between a "good" (H)DTV receiver
> versus a "bad" one? Our government representatives
> are being told that it is simply too expensive to
> expect that a well performing receiver will be in
> the hands of Americans anytime soon. More to the
> point, we should not expect that well performing
> receivers will be the norm in the population of FCC
> "mandated" receivers.
>
> What specifics are out there related to cost
> differentials?
I'm confused. Didn't LG and others just attend a
congressional hearing in which they demoed 5th gen
STBs and announce they could be manufactured for $50?
And didn't Radio Shack just sell a bunch of Accurian
STBs for $90?
Or is the problem that the Accurian box was on a
closeout sale and that it wasn't clear whether those
boxes demoed to Congress were really any good? I
suppose it's possible that the boxes demoed to
Congress were bad news. We still don't know why LG
had to use the window placement for the antenna. They
could have been demoing 2nd gen STBs, I suppose. But
I find that non-believable.
From what I've seen advertized and reported, the $90
Accurian, which originally listed for $250 I believe,
beats out last year's $300 Motorola, right? Cliff has
both.
Cost and performance do not seem to be directly
related. Cost is more a function of integration than
anything else.
Bert
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