[opendtv] Re: White paper from CEA

  • From: Bob Miller <bob@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2005 12:57:39 -0500

First part is right, second part is all wrong. Nat followed up that 
statement with a blistering statement of clarification later. Never 
suggested that it would not be better to switch to COFDM even now.

Bob Miller

Tony Neece wrote:

>Thanks for the spelling correction.  Wasn't sure how he spelled his =
>name. =20
>Quoted from a New York Times article, June 24, 2004:=20
>
>"LG's new technology is a giant leap toward addressing the multipath
>reception problems," said Nat Ostroff, Sinclair vice president for new
>technology. Now that consumers will easily be able to receive digital
>broadcasts, "the incentive is there for us to go to full power."
>
>I also read a similar statement of his in TV Technology. From that
>I gather Mr. Ostroff's position is that with the improved receivers, =
>there
>is no longer sufficient compelling benefit to COFDM as to warrant an on
>going battle to revert back to square one with our DTV standards.  =20
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] =
>On
>Behalf Of John Willkie
>Sent: Sunday, October 30, 2005 11:17 PM
>To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: [opendtv] Re: White paper from CEA
>
>Another little missed item: it's Nat Ostroff, not Osteroff, and just =
>where
>did he say this? (Care to comment, Nat?)
>
>John Willkie
>
>  
>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx =
>>    
>>
>[mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
>  
>
>>On Behalf Of Tony Neece
>>Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 5:43 AM
>>To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>Subject: [opendtv] Re: White paper from CEA
>>=20
>>The simple fact is that the broadcasters did at first promote DTT.  =
>>    
>>
>Then
>  
>
>>along came the controversy over changing to COFDM.  That caused =3D
>>everything
>>to come to a halt.  STB R & D stopped.  Sony and others pulled back =
>>    
>>
>=3D
>  
>
>>product
>>in the pipeline as well as support for HD broadcast production.  It =
>>    
>>
>=3D
>  
>
>>looked
>>like VHS vs Beta again. With almost no receivers out there it would =
>>    
>>
>have
>  
>
>>been asinine for the broadcasters to heavily promote their Digital =3D
>>service.
>>=20
>>The next step came when the dust settled over the modulation standard, =
>>    
>>
>=3D
>  
>
>>and
>>even Nat Osteroff, the most ardent supporter of COFDM, agreed that the
>>improved equalizers for ATSC reception made COFDM a dead issue.=3D20
>>=20
>>What then happened was that the big retailers told the manufacturers =
>>    
>>
>=3D
>  
>
>>that
>>they would be wasting their time to expend R&D on STBs, because the
>>retailers had decided it was not in their interest to advertise and =
>>    
>>
>sell =3D
>  
>
>>an
>>item that reduced the incentive to buy new TV sets or sign for Cable =
>>    
>>
>or =3D
>  
>
>>DBS.
>>It was the retailers that killed the market.  I read of one retailer =
>>    
>>
>=3D
>  
>
>>that
>>actually told a TV station to STOP advising their viewers to get =3D
>>converters,
>>because they weren't selling them and didn't want people coming in =3D
>>looking
>>for them!!! =3D20
>>=20
>>Oh but how much more fun it is to blame the big bad broadcasters for =
>>    
>>
>the
>  
>
>>sluggish transition, despite that for 7 years now they have been =3D
>>spending
>>millions upon millions for new transmitters, new STL's, new terminal =
>>    
>>
>and
>  
>
>>studio equipment, even new towers in some cases, and a double or =
>>    
>>
>triple
>  
>
>>power bill at the transmitter sites.  The broadcasters did this =3D
>>willingly,
>>even eagerly in most cases.  The station personnel dug in to learn
>>completely new technology and measurement technique.  No small task =
>>    
>>
>=3D
>  
>
>>that.
>>=20
>>It is just too much to expect the broadcaster to carry all the load, =
>>    
>>
>=3D
>  
>
>>when
>>even now, DTT receivers are few and far between in the hands of =
>>    
>>
>viewers.
>  
>
>>Now, really, does anyone truly think the retailers would be eagerly =
>>    
>>
>=3D
>  
>
>>pushing
>>DVB-T STBs if we had somehow gone that route?=3D20
>>=20
>>=20
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx =
>>    
>>
>[mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] =3D
>  
>
>>On
>>Behalf Of Manfredi, Albert E
>>Sent: Sunday, October 30, 2005 4:29 PM
>>To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>Subject: [opendtv] Re: White paper from CEA
>>=20
>>Frank wrote:
>>=20
>>    
>>
>>>Does anyone think there is any real chance that the
>>>FCC could be convinced to reverse it's decision on
>>>allowing COFDM? How many corporate executives are
>>>foolish enough to bet their careers on a business
>>>model that assumes such a change of heart will happen
>>>at the FCC?
>>>      
>>>
>>=20
>>I agree completely. So what's stopping these corporate
>>executives from playing in the ATSC market?
>>=20
>>    
>>
>>>That RFP is a joke.
>>>      
>>>
>>=20
>>That RFP is only a joke if the NAB allows to become a
>>joke. In my opinion, it's a good way to kick start the
>>market, because it should convince the CE guys that
>>*broadcasters* are actually interested in DTT now, as
>>opposed to before. And by the way, if anything, the
>>NAB ought to include recording devices as well as
>>bargain basement simple STBs.
>>=20
>>    
>>
>>>assuming anyone even responded to the RFP
>>>      
>>>
>>=20
>>I don't understand this. Are you saying that the NAB
>>was just making it all up?
>>=20
>>=
>>    
>>
>http://www.nab.org/newsroom/pressrel/Releases/100505_Thomson_LG_Converte
>  
>
>>rBox.htm
>>=20
>>I thought they selected LG and Thomson.
>>=20
>>    
>>
>>>Most companies that are actually in the IC business
>>>and highly capitalized have given up on that idea for
>>>ATSC DTT. Good luck to any newcomers.
>>>      
>>>
>>=20
>>But the 5th gen LG chips exist, in quantity production,
>>do they not? I don't understand what you're saying here
>>either. And it looked like Micronas is also getting
>>into the chip market, and perhaps Samsung too.
>>=20
>>Leaving aside the conspiracy theory for why these DTT
>>products aren't coming to market, the only rational
>>explanation I can come up with is that the broadcasters
>>have been so uninterested in pushing this transition
>>that the CE guys saw no credible market out there. Maybe
>>the CE guys are expecting OTA to die. (Or maybe Dale is
>>correct, and the CE guys are *ensuring* that OTA will
>>die.) I'll accept that poor performance was a good
>>reason for broadcasters to be uininterested -- in the
>>past!
>>=20
>>Now that decent and low cost receivers have been demoed
>>and that some of these are being sold (in LG integrated
>>sets, anyway), the best way to get DTT going is for the
>>broadcasters to get in the thick of the action, JUST
>>LIKE their cable and DBS counterparts do.
>>=20
>>Bert
>>=20
>>=3D20
>>=3D20
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>
>=20
>=20
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