[opendtv] Re: --FCC OKs WiFi between TV channels
- From: "Dale Kelly" <res0xtey@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 27 May 2004 14:48:53 -0700
You've completely lost me.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2004 2:13 PM
Subject: [opendtv] Re: --FCC OKs WiFi between TV channels
> Not sure what I'm mistaken about, Dale? I thought I was
> being sarcastic in the post below, and was certainly NOT
> presenting you *my* views on ATSC. I was instead
> presenting a dogma with which I think by now we are all
> quite familiar?
>
> I don't think there's any question that DBS has trouble
> fitting local into local HD programming into their
> spectrum allocation, and that at least DirecTV and Voom
> use ATSC to solve that problem. What I am explaining to
> you is the response you are likely to get, to "explain"
> how ATSC continues to be irrelevant in spite of this
> function it provides to DBS (and never mind OTA
> households after NTSC shutdown).
>
> A few years ago, it was all HD that was supposed to be
> irrelevant. Since ATSC and HDTV were almost synonimous,
> this was an easy way to demonize the whole thing in one
> fell swoop.
>
> Faced with the realities of a changing marketplace, now
> maybe we're forced to accept that all HD is not
> irrelevant. But "we" must continue to insist that
> broadcasting and ATSC are irrelevant, so we propose the
> notion that there is zero demand for any HD transmitted
> by broadcasters, over ATSC. Ipso facto, ATSC remains
> irrelevant. That was easy.
>
> I don't doubt for a second that Skip's "spin" has
> validity, though. Obviously, if ATSC reception is too
> problematic, DBS users won't bother to ever exercise
> their ATSC tuners. But as ATSC reception improves, they
> will bother. Especially now that virtually *all* prime
> time programming is in HD. It's really silly to believe
> that DBS subscribers with HD facilities never watch
> prime time TV, or would prefer to view prime time TV in
> SD, or are only interested in prime time HD from CBS,
> and *only* in those markets where CBS owns the
> local OTA station. I mean, it takes real mental
> contortions to keep up such a belief structure, no?
>
> Bert
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Dale Kelly [mailto:res0xtey@xxxxxxxxxxx]
> >
> > Bert, you are mistaken. Skip and I have completely opposing
> > views on this subject.
> > My original mail was a rebuttal of Craig's reply to John
> > Golitis in which
> > Graig once again railed against the relevance of broadcasting.
> > Skip simply agreed with one of my suppositions and used that
> > to post his "spin" on the subject.
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
> >
> > > Dale and Skip,
> > >
> > > In order to stick with the position that DTT and ATSC are
> > > and will continue to be inconsequential, one must continue
> > > to preach that no one with HD reception and display
> > > capabilities has any interest in watching the HD content
> > > available OTA, from the major networks. This belief is a
> > > prerequisite.
> > >
> > > The fact that DirecTV integrates the DTT channels into its
> > > system now for network HD content doesn't matter, because
> > > no HD customer worth his salt would ever care to watch
> > > network fare, HD or otherwise, and certainly wouldn't dare
> > > own up to it. Don't you know. So ATSC continues not to
> > > matter.
> > >
> > > Bert
> > >
> > >
> > > Skip Pizzi wrote:
> > >
> > > > Dale is correct. At least for now, DBS provides only the=20
> > NTSC channels
> > > > for its local-into-local services. The only exception I'm
> > > > familiar with
> > > > is that DirecTV carries the CBS-E and CBS-W feeds in HD, and
> > > > if you are
> > > > market where the CBS station is an O&O, you can receive the
> > > > national HD
> > > > feed (E or W, as appropriate for your location). (Not=20
> > sure, but Dish
> > > > probably has the same deal.)
> > > >
> > > > AFAIK, all HD STBs for DBS include an ATSC tuner, and most (all?)
> > > > integrate the two tuners' into a single EPG. This is not=20
> > hard for the
> > > > STBs to do, because I believe they receive all EPG data=20
> > -- including
> > > > that for the local DTV channels -- from the sat provider, not
> > > > from PSIP.
> > > >
> > > > Note also that the new HD PVR from DirecTV/TiVo includes=20
> > not one but
> > > > *two* ATSC tuners (along with two sat tuners), so all PVR
> > > > functionality
> > > > is the same for both sat and local channels. (The=20
> > original design had
> > > > two sat tuners but only one ATSC tuner, and DirecTV elected
> > > > to miss the
> > > > Xmas 2003 retail window to retool the unit with a second ATSC
> > > > tuner. It
> > > > started shipping last month, with a price tag of around $1k.)
> > > >
> > > > Finally, my $.02 on the reason why some consumers might
> > > > ignore the ATSC
> > > > feature: 1) The sat channels are always there (except for brief
> > > > rain-fade outages), while the terrestrial channels might=20
> > come and go
> > > > depending on your location and other variables (that
> > > > certainly has been
> > > > my experience, anyway); 2) The HD sat channels are ALWAYS=20
> > running HD
> > > > content (ESPN-HD is the one exception, and it's soon going to be
> > > > "mostly" HD), while the terrestrial channels still run=20
> > more SD than HD
> > > > content. (The latter is also changing for the better as=20
> > time goes on,
> > > > but still a long ways from all-HD-all-the-time, or even
> > > > -most-of-the-time).
> > > >
> > > > --SP
> > > >=3D20
> > > > Skip Pizzi=3D3D20
> > > > Manager, Technical Policy
> > > > Windows Client Strategic Relations
> > > > Microsoft Corp.
>
>
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