[opendtv] Re: News: DIRECTV Sued Over HDTV Picture Quality
- From: Cliff Benham <cbenham@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:27:43 -0400
Frank Eory wrote:
Bert, I think you misunderstood me. The secondary TV sets will no
longer be able to receive free OTA signals after NTSC shut-off because
those sets only contain NTSC tuners. These are the sets that
potentially could benefit from an ATSC STB.
Why would manufacturers build STBs that could sell for $50? They
couldn't make any money selling them for that. And, if they are that
cheap, how much worse will
they work than the one's I have paid between $200 and $500 for today?
If a STB sells for $200 today and doesn't work reliably, why should I
think a $50 STB will work better in 2009?
If they work the same way those sold today do, consumers will be
demanding their money back in droves.
Today, a STB that costs $200 + only works well some of the time with a
30 ft high outside antenna, and not well at all with an inside antenna.
Stephen Long's recent post goes into some detail and explanation of this
fact.
Still you believe a consumer will think it perfectly natural and OK to
buy a STB for a $20 TV that sits on the kitchen counter?
A set that worked for it's intended purpose until NTSC was turned off,
but now will not work, not even with that new $50 STB?
That assumes, of course that (a) those sets are now actually being
used to watch NTSC OTA broadcasts and (b) the owners of those sets
would rather spend another $50 and accommodate another appliance just
to maintain the privilege of watching free OTA broadcasts on those
sets rather than connecting the old set to satellite or cable or some
other in-home distribution network, or rather than just buying a new
DTV set for the bedroom, kitchen or wherever. I'm not talking about
8-VSB reception, I'm talking about economics and consumer behaviour
and wondering what really is the TAM for ATSC STBs after NTSC shut-off.
What you are actually saying is that it has been decided that "Free TV"
will just go away and American consumers will have to accept that as a
fact of life.
The local stations do not promote their digital services at all, but
they ALL promote the fact they can be seen on cable.
My contention is that most of those sets are not used for watching
free OTA NTSC broadcasts today, and that among those that are, many
consumers will not even spend $50 (if that is in fact the price in
2009) for the ATSC STB.
If they are not watching them, why are they there? To act as
decorations? People have TVs in the kitchen for convenience, not to be
able to say 'I own 6 TVs.'
Consumers won't necessarily run out and buy a new DTV set to replace
every bedroom or kitchen TV set they own, but that doesn't mean
they're going to buy ATSC STBs either.
That's because historically they don't work reliably. I have a great
deal of experience with this fact.
Over the last 10 years I personally have spent about $6500 on ATSC set
top boxes, PC cards and TVs.
To wit,
two Panasonics, two RCAs, a Motorola, a Samsung, an Acurian, an EPVision
PHD-101, a DirecTV HD Rcvr that receives ATSC, and Hi-Pix, ATI and
AccessDTV cards, NONE OF WHICH WORKS RELIABLY. I can't watch a program
without experiencing several complete losses of picture and sound.
I can't tell you the number of times I have switched back to NTSC during
a football game because I missed a play when the picture froze.
Over the years, I have tested these at the homes of friends in other
cities, and also in other states. They do not work with the reliability
that NTSC does.
It's not the hardware, it's not one single box, its the system itself
that is flawed. I am fed up, indignant, appalled, incensed and outraged
at the lie that continues
to be told.
If you are a real optimist, the TAM for those STBs might be in the
10's of millions of units. But it might be much much lower than that.
We have no way to gauge that because the ones we have now don't work
without an outside antenna, so it's a crap shoot.
But the NTSC kitchen sets work fine today. Mine does.
The fact that all new TV sets have (or will by then have) DTT tuners
is a factor.
But will they work reliably? So far the consensus is that in many
situations they don't.
The fact that most consumers will never use those DTT tuners is an
even bigger factor.
Again, I ask why won't they be used? Because 'Free TV' is soon to be a
thing of the past?
-- Frank
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