[opendtv] Re: New Thread: What becomes of Legacy Analog Equipment

  • From: Mark Schubin <tvmark@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:41:35 -0500

As the person whose name is often invoked here with regard to 8-VSB reception, I would like to reiterate two things:


1. The LG prototype tested in my Manhattan apartment performed flawlessly with rabbit ears atop my set. I, therefore, no longer have any concern about the technology of 8-VSB.

2. No receiver brought to my apartment before or since that LG-prototype, including receivers using the same demod chip, has worked in my apartment with a set-top antenna. If there are better receivers on the market, no one has yet proved it in my apartment.

TTFN,
Mark

Allen Le Roy Limberg wrote:
I had a Samsung prototype 8VSB receiver in our Washington, DC M Street
patent law office in 2000.  As long as someone did not walk behind the coat
hanger antenna reception was fine from the PBS station in Shirleyville.  The
signal was not received line-of-sight, but as principal echo from the
building across a small park.  I  invited Craig Tanner and Lynn Claudy over
to see it at the time that almost everyone was gloomy about the prospects of
OTA 8VSB ever being receivable in DC.

The current off-the-shelf equipment is superior to that original prototype
receiver, which I believe was the first to use digital synchrodyne
demodulation.

Al

----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Barry" <trbarry@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 9:38 PM
Subject: [opendtv] Re: New Thread: What becomes of Legacy Analog Equipment


Are we now assuming ATSC STB's or TV's will work indoors in urban
canyons?  I didn't know that was really proven yet with off the shelf
equipment.

- Tom


Craig Birkmaier wrote:
At 10:58 AM -0500 11/27/07, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:

John Shutt wrote:

 And Bert's insistence to the contrary, I know very well we
 could have done better.
Some people are just inconsolable.

The facts are, one by one all the oft-repeated objections to 8-VSB have
dropped by the wayside, as was predictable from fairly early on. The
dreaded cliff effect remains, of course, which affects all modulation
schemes. It would be great to do another comparison test now, but since
no one would benefit from it, it won't happen. Alas.
And some people are just blinded with optimism.

All you are able to relate is that the ATSC system has become usable by
a handful of laggards who are unwilling or unable to pay a monthly
subscriber fee for their TV fix.

For now the ATSC system will work as advertised for a the very small
percentage of the population that uses an antenna. Will this continue to
be true in a few years?

What will happen to the image quality of programming if and when
broadcasters decide that they want to reach portable and mobile
receivers?  New services will need to steal bits from existing services
- bits that will need even more bits to get delivered reliably using a
standard that is still being developed. In other words, ALL legacy
receivers WILL NOT be able to use these new services, but the quality of
the existing services is likely to be compromised.

There are SO MANY ways we could have done better:

- A modulation system that has the flexibility to be optimized for
different services on the fly, WITHOUT a hefty bit penalty for the more
demanding MPH modes.

- A spectrum allocation system that would have forced the broadcasters
to use SFNs to provide BETTER coverage of their markets WITHOUT
radiating into adjacent markets, with the net result of improved
spectral efficiency that would allow EVERY market to have at least twice
as many channels.

- A political/regulatory environment that would have removed the
anti-competitive perks that broadcasters are using to avoid competition
with multi-channel systems.

- A well defined platform that supports news services and the ability to
extend the capabilities of the system using software defined
functionality as is the case with web browsers.

We are all glad for you Bert. The ATSC has succeeded in its quest to
replicate the NTSC service. Hope you are enjoying the better pictures
and sound, and the same lame, old, dying programming.

Regards
Craig


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Tom Barry                  trbarry@xxxxxxxxxxx



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