[opendtv] Re: Kennard and Powell to the rescue
- From: "John Willkie" <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:38:48 -0800
John;
Could you show me the language in the United States Code (which is what I so
badly alluded to) that mandates MPEG-2 transmissions of at least SDTV
quality?
I am familiar with the regulations; I was speaking of the legal, not
regulatory, requirements.
I note that the FCC has proven to defer heavily to the ATSC on technical
requirements. (I don't think that would happen with a move to M/H.)
Congress has made no such deference.
John Willkie
-----Mensaje original-----
De: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] En
nombre de John Shutt
Enviado el: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 4:05 AM
Para: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Asunto: [opendtv] Re: Kennard and Powell to the rescue
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Willkie" <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> You merely make an assumption that broadcasters need to transmit MPEG-2
> content in the clear (in at least SDTV quality); I think the wording isn't
> all that clear on this point, and MPEG-4 content could apply. However, it
> would be outside the spirit of the legislation.
John,
If I, or anyone else on this list, made such an ill-informed statement, you
would have jumped on their throat with both feet.
It is trivial to prove your statement "I think the wording isn't all that
clear on this point" wrong. 47CFR73, governing DTV transmissions, states in
part:
"73.624(b): DTV broadcast station permittees or licensees must transmit at
least one over-the-air video program signal at no direct charge to viewers
on the DTV channel."
And:
"73.682(d): Effective February 1, 2005, transmission of digital broadcast
television (DTV) signals shall comply with the standards for such
transmissions set forth in ... ATSC Doc. A/53B, Revision B with Amendment 1
and Amendment 2..."
The version of A/53 adopted by the FCC both by part 73.8000 and by
modification in the Federal Register can be found at:
http://www.atsc.org/standards/a_53-Part-1-6-2007.pdf
In the above document, which the ATSC acknowledges is the version adopted by
the FCC but not necessarily the most current version, there are 99
references to "MPEG-2" and exactly zero references "MPEG-4."
Since all ruling documentation spells out MPEG-2 compression constraints,
and doesn't even define MPEG-4 compression, I hardly think that any video
transmissions encoded in any format other than MPEG-2 would qualify as
satisfying 73.624(b), and would place the offending station in jeopardy of
FCC sanction.
John
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