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But Dale, what is it that Broadcasters want cable to do:
1) Only carry digital HD signal (as the quotes from NAB would indicate).
1a) Carry ALL digital signals (be they HD, or SD or some combination of
HD & SD) BUT NO ANALOG.
2) Carry BOTH HD signal AND downconverted HD signal (as I would think
would be logical)
2a) (Like 1a) Carry ALL digital signals in digital form PLUS analog
versions of these.
3) Something else - that is not clear (except for my suggestions).
At least at the levels that I read, I've always thought that the idea
that after the transition cable would carry SD versions (in addition to
the HD) for a minum of 5 years. Where did that go?
Dale Cripps wrote:
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>
>
>Neither of your conclusions match my understanding of the situation. Why
>broadcasters insisted on full carriage of their signal is so they get
>something out of the mandated expense they have had in outfitting for
>DTV/HDTV. Whether you think broadcasting has gone fast enough or not fast
>enough in the transition is immaterial to the fact that they were mandated
>to spend billions of dollars on HDTV transmission equipment. You might even
>think that it was the broadcasters themselves who voluntarily created the
>H/DTV movement and quite appropriately ask why don't they then finish it
>without delay or bellyaching? But the truth of the matter is that HDTV was
>driven by a small corps of enthusiast and visionaries and the broadcasters
>were used by that corps of enthusiasts (include in that the Japanese
>government)-- manipulated as it were into position because they were the
>only signal providers under the thumb of a government agency (the FCC) who
>could force the markets, just as they have. Broadcasters fail to see how the
>public is benefited from these expensive new signals mandated by the
>government if they are down-converted by their less-regulated transmission
>carriage partners back into the same technical level available prior to
>those huge investments being made. Considering that 80% of the broadcast
>viewers come by way of cable the potential was, prior to the stripping away
>of this clause, that 80% of the broadcasters' effort in creating or
>distributing H/DTV could go to waste. OK, we know that 25% + of cable subs
>now have digital and cable could pass through a digital representation of
>the broadcaster's signal, but there was no guarantee that HDTV would be
>passed through, though that was given lip service by cable. The cable
>industry has resented carrying a signal from broadcasters that could be
>broken into sub-channels with each sub-channel being a competitive threat to
>the cable industry's own commercial offerings.
>
>
>Dale
>
>
>
>I am really confused about one aspect of this: The ability of cable
>systems to downconvert HD programs to analog SD. According to Dale's
>article, and the NAB web site the House bill:
>
>
>
>>stripping out of the bill's provision that would have permitted cable
>>operators to down-convert HDTV signals into a "standard definition"
>>signal.
>>
>>
>
>The NY Times article discusses the need for legislation here:
>
>
>
>>The conversion to digital signals will not affect consumers who own
>>digital television sets or subscribe to satellite services or digital
>>cable services. But analysts and cable company executives said
>>additional legislation might be required to enable cable companies to
>>alter their broadcasting feeds so that the more than 50 million
>>customers who subscribe to analog cable services would be unaffected.
>>
>>The cable companies have sought legislation that would allow them to
>>convert digital signals back into analog signals before transmitting
>>them into homes, which would be far less expensive than replacing
>>set-top boxes in each residence.
>>
>>
>>
>Note that this NY Times article does not discuss is that cable
>legislation WAS stripped out of this bill.
>
>What I really don't understand is why would the broadcasters be against
>cable companies downconverting their HD digital signals into NTSC analog
>so that people can continue to receive TV without having to have a
>converter? Is this a scheme to force cable to pay them money? Or is it
>a backdoor attempt to scuttle the transition? I assume that any such
>legislation would have the cable system carry the HD signal as well as
>the downconverted version.
>
>Dave Hancock
>
>PS: Shane, One of the links in Dale's piece does not work as you have to
>have a (paid) subscription to access the article.
>
>
>
>M. Shane Sturgeon wrote:
>
>
>
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>>
>>
>>And one from us as well, for those that might not be subscribed to the
>>email notifications (shame on you
>>
>>http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2005/12/house_passed_a.php
>>
>>Happy Holidays,
>>
>>-- M. Shane Sturgeon
>>
>>
>>
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>>----- HDTV Magazine Tips List -----
>>
>>Here is an article from the NY Times regarding a compromise cut off date:
>>
>>http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/20/technology/20digital.html
>>
>>Hugh
>>
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