[opendtv] Re: Electronic Design: The end of TV as we know it
- From: Albert Manfredi <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2013 18:53:53 -0400
Craig Birkmaier wrote:
But there is a great deal of FACT in the reality that most OTT TV viewing
involves a relatively small number of sites.
In a way, I agree. On the other hand, the sites these articles mention are
always and only the sites those crippled boxes designed by companies on the
take allow people to browse. It's hardly surprising, when people are made to
think that Roku or AppleTV are the only ways to get Internet content on TV
sets, that they will only use that handful of OTT sites. (Duh, right?)
Again, I use Internet TV all the time. Daily, basically. I too watch popular
US TV network shows, VOD (but, of course, HARDLY those exclusively). And
yet, I never use the sites mentioned in these articles. Strange, huh? I must
have some sort of inside knowledge.
You have a short memory Bert. The NAB has ALWAYS been overly
optimistic about the number of homes that use Free OTA TV.
That's actually beside the point. The article starts by printing a stat that
has been accepted as factual for many years: OTA usage ~15 percent of TV
households. Then it quotes two very different current survey results - one
that claims OTA usage at 7 percent, another at 19.3 percent. Then it boldly
asserts that whatever the case may be, OTA usage is disappearing fast.
That's just plain ignoramus. And I'm not even saying their summary of
"facts" is necessarily wrong. They may be correct, but to prove their point,
they first need to discredit the 19.3 result. Which they didn't do.
Then again, the 7% number from the CEA is probably a bit on the low
side. Who knows, the NAB (GfK) may be measuring homes that still have
analog receivers tuned to LPTV signals…
On your first point, who knows why CEA has apparent this long term interest
in promoting the demise of OTA TV? I've never been able to figure that out.
Right from the time when they vehemently opposed the incorporation of
digital tuners in TV sets, which makes less than zero sense from an
organization supposedly on the side of CE manufacturers (not on the side of
MVPDs). Remember how the CEA railed about how ATSC tuners would add $200 to
TV sets? How ridiculous was that? First, it was obviously BS only for the
high drama impact. And secondly, even if it make a lick of sense, why would
the CE companies care? More money in their pockets, no?
On your second point, so? Are you discounting LPTV for some obscure reason?
Given the fact that it was primarily CEA members who financed the
development of the DTV standard and forced the DTV transition,
Short memory there, Craig? As far as I could tell, always to my utter
amazement, the CEA was only interested in making everyone beholden and
addicted to MVPDs.
Then again, in recent years they have been very vocal about
reclaiming spectrum from broadcasting to expand wireless broadband.
There you go. That too. Even though wireless broadband benefits telcos more
than CE companies.
Did the VHS standard help broadcasters?
YES! Because it made it easier for people to watch content transmitted by
broadcasters. It made more effective use of the broadcasters' signals. And,
radio and CD sales go hand in hand (or went, actually).
As to DVDs, they help the content owners, obviously, not the local
broadcasters. Ditto with the Internet. Because just like DVDs, the Internet
allows bypassing the broadcaster, to get that high value content. So
broadcasters have to find a way of using the Internet to their advantage, as
we discussed on here many times now.
Bert
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