[opendtv] Re: News: CEA FORECASTS CONSUMER ELECTRONICS REVENUE WILL SURPASS $155 BILLION IN 2007
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2007 11:03:13 -0500
Craig Birkmaier wrote:
> Bert, you retro holdout, THIS WAS about forcing the HDTV issue
> when the Advanced Television process started in the late '80s.
> Do you seriously believe that the CE industry could have forced
> this issue without help from the content community? (note i did
> not say broadcasters).
But it was always understood that consumers would buy as much TV as they
could afford. No one would force anyone to buy HDTV. Just like, since
the late 1940s, no one was forcing consumers to buy the ultimate hifi
systems just because they could receive FM radio.
It was, however, more than overdue that TV signals be of high quality.
TV was stuck in the equivalent of an AM radio time warp.
> The real barrier to HD was the CRT display; it simply could not
> be made large enough to deliver the HD viewing experience,
I have absolutely no problem, from my normal sitting position,
distinguishing between an SDTV program and an HDTV program, on a 26"
set. I agree that what I'm seeing is hardly as much as I *could* get out
of HDTV, but there is still a useful difference compared with SDTV, and
a very obvious improvement over digitized NTSC.
Same as a sound system can be of various levels of quality, from tinny
sounding to sublime. Having HDTV available does not mean you must have a
60" 1080p set. Standard NTSC was simply unacceptable, for any screen
size above 19" at typical viewing distances, and even on a 19" set NTSC
is bad.
> By the early '90s, it was becoming clear that emerging
> technologies (driven by the computer industry) would overtake
> the CRT.
Even CRTs could be improved. Even at 25" sizes common back then, NTSC
was simply unacceptably poor. Just because the unwashed masses got used
to unacceptably poor did not mean they couldn't notice the difference
when it was shown to them. Until the early 1960s, the same unwashed
masses were often happy with AM sound that rolled off above 3 KHz. So
what? They soon were made to appreciate decent sound.
> I agree with Bert that HD has not be forced on consumers, except
> for one important caveat. Consumers ARE being forced to buy ATSC
> receivers that they will never use.
Even those who cave in to umbillical media can make use of the
ATSC/digital cable receiver. As a matter of fact, Verizon FiOS users
should also be able to use these receivers, because Verizon FiOS does
not use IPTV for the broadcast channels. This was Michael Powell's very
smart move. Make the built-in ATSC receiver usable by the majority of TV
users, just like the NTSC tuner was in the past. And I doubt anyone can
complain about added cost anymore, at least in the sets people are
buying in big quantities.
> But local broadcasters are mostly sitting on the sidelines with HD.
> There is little value added with HD news, although consumers do
> like to have the entire screen of their new HD capable displays
> filled, even if it is only plants on the side of the news set.
You can make the same argument that radial tires didn't help auto
manufacturers. In some narrow ways, this might be true. But the fact is,
radial tires and many other innovations improved the whole product
category for all consumers. And it would be foolish for any auto maker
to stick with the old bias ply tires and leaf-sprung rear axles. As
people get used to HD quality, and buy larger screens, they will
prefernetially go to HDTV whenever they have the option.
Bert
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