[opendtv] Re: How important are new Codecs wrt OTA Broadcasting?
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 16:10:20 -0500
William Smith wrote:
> So far the only portable and mobile receiver (if you want
> to call them that) are the Mini ITX PC systems we are
> building as datacast units with BBTI cards. (The Tuner
> App will decode and display HD). They do run on 12V..
> Batteries not included..
(The least they should do is include batteries!)
There are a few LG 5th Gen-based USB cards available, that we discussed
a few weeks ago. One of the journal scribes tested one in Northern VA,
and he says he could straightforwardly receive all Baltimore stations
with a simple indoor antenna.
From a post of mine on 8 February (no longer available at that site, and
even that makes me wonder why it was yanked away):
<http://www.tvtechnology.com/dlrf/one.php?id=3D3D1082>
------------Quoting---------------
New ATSC USB Tuner Includes LG 5G Chip
...
The tuner includes the new LG/Zenith 5th generation VSB decoder chip.
This is the one that convinced VSB skeptics that 8-VSB might work after
all.
...
Wallace reported the box is great at pulling in signals. From his
location south of Washington D.C., he was able to pull in Baltimore DTV
stations using a Silver Sensor antenna indoors. Unfortunately, he
experienced problems with the receiver and its software crashing his
computer on certain channels. ... "Can you just imagine the angry people
calling in to the station and sputtering about how 'your TV channel
crashes my computer!!'"
------------end quote-------------
Given that the closest you can come to Baltimore stations in Northern VA
is just under 40 miles as the crow flies, and that's only if you're
hugging the Potomac River banks, I'd say that makes for a pretty
respectable "portable" capability. And who knows, he was probably closer
to 50 or more miles from Baltimore, in fact.
But I agree that a PC solution is not necessarily the simplest form of
"portable." We were watching some of the Olympics in the kitchen last
night, on a tiny screen, lousy grainy picture. The goal is a similar
set, not necessarily the lousy grainy picture(!).
Bert
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways:
- Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at
FreeLists.org
- By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word
unsubscribe in the subject line.
Other related posts: