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War and HDTV: Reader Debate on Whether the Iraq War Impacts the HDTV Market

Dale Cripps · 2003

Mentioned: Dale Cripps, Rod Hewitt, Lee Parmeter

Summary

Dale Cripps defends polling readers on whether the Iraq War would help or hinder HDTV adoption, arguing that any major influence on the nation's primary consumer market demands journalistic scrutiny. Readers respond with a mix of criticism over the question's relevance and observations that NBC had suspended HD transmissions to free satellite capacity for war news feeds.

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MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2003

In This Issue

WAR AND HDTV

"NBC has reportedly suspended HD transmissions as a result of the attack on Iraq, presumably to use the satellite capacity for more news feeds."

Four days ago I asked you what the war might mean to the HDTV markets and movement. In other words, will it be an influence for or against HDTV? But the war carries such an emotional charge that the mere mention of it sends people to answering the question they thought I had asked rather than the simple one that was asked. In some cases I was taken to task for having the insensativity to even ask anything related to it. Some questioned how I could be so stupid as to have HDTV and the war mentioned in the same breath? "There is no connection!" Your comments below are noteworthy and I include them here along with my own thoughts. Keep in mind that no matter what arises there are those who must make billion dollar decisions in order to keep HDTV rolling.There will be many things here after the war...but only if they are supported during it. Any major influence must be evaluated to see where it may apply pressure for or against any movement, and, indeed, things like a prolonged war could produce conditions which either favor or discourage HDTV. With this in mind I had asked the question.

I think your questioning us about HDTV at this time of war is irresponsible. I just can’t get over the fact that you even asked this . What are you thinking? _Reader

Dear Reader:

I think you may be reacting to the politics of the war. I am not focused upon that. I am asking only about the impact of what the actual influence is upon HDTV. If I had asked how a devestating tidal wave influences the public attitude about surf boards I doubt anyone would have trouble with the question. The fact is that things are changing domestically and globally. The reason they are changing it out of my hands. But when things change questions arise as to what that change means. Our nation is the critical market for HDTV. The attitude of this market will impact that product one way or the other around the globe. Maybe it will be for the better; maybe it will mean nothing; maybe it will discourage it. I certainly don't know, and for that reason a question is posed. I think your criticism is leveled at the timing of the question. When would be a better time? Right now is when opinions are being formed by the the first results of this conflict. If my poll is irresponsible then at least let us be absolutely consistent and say that all other polls about this subject are equally labeled as irresponsible. Than I would embrace this criticism. But as an a journalist recognized by my peers for leadership in this field of DTV I have not only the duty, but the responsibility, to investigate anything that may impact the DTV marketplace just as soon as ANY new influence is present. I take no political position on any of those influences. This war is out of my field of expertise and I have no inside knowledge or insights nor personal position to further. I only want to know what impact, if any, is coming from the new influence that is arising. Polling is the only means for learning that. That is what I am thinking. _Dale

Please consider that I paid for what was originally billed as an HD programming guide and not your polling of political views. Please poll about related stories about HD but not his rubbish polling - it has zero to do with HD and I'm amazed that you
would take such an abrupt stance in response to my email. I purchased a lifetime subscription to this publication and I've been subscribed for about 2 years. Given the median life expectancy in the USA of around 75 years, I figure I've used about 1% of my subscription, so I'd be happy to receive a 99% refund of my dues. Feel free to send a check for the outstanding balance to:

Rod Hewitt
Bowie MD 20721

Dale:

Considering this message list is devoted to HDTV, I wonder why you're even asking people to chip in their comments when there are
zillions of other forums on the 'net devoted to this subject.

I signed up for HDTV programming info - I expect nothing else.

Sincerely,
Rod

Dale:

Q. "We are now into our fifth or sixth day of war with Iraq. Casualties are beginning to be mount. What is your attitude towards the war now,"

A. Still against this effort. The only reason our leaders would not wait another 30 or 45 days for the inspections is the weather is warming up in IRAQ! So massive human lifes will be lost for our troops comfort! The repercussions of our nations actions will come back to destroy us and rightly so! I would rather be the defender of the world than the hypocrital judge, bully and insistance that it's "our way or death" The only nations that are with us in this effort are the ones we could buy! Japan for one gets 80% of it's oil from the mideast and needs us to "get rid of the problem" in Korea!.

Q. "and how does that impact your perception of HDTV and its relative importance to your life and to the nation?"

I have seen no HDTV war broadcasting; instead HD.NET has opted to show "Spring Break" in Florida; how pathetic! The only thing that may happen is that the towers that broadcast HDTV may be destroyed if terrorist strike our country again; which is assured now with our attach on IRAQ!

Regards, Lee Parmeter Texas

It's on CNN (the war) 24 hours a day. Like most people I am glued to the coverage. It would definitely seem more realistic if the coverage was in HD.

That's like asking how has the war in Iraq changed your life - it has not, other than my favorite shows are pre-empted all the time.

Regards

- Bruce

Hello Dale,

I am interested in keeping abreast of the progress of the war and since I prefer to watch programing in high-definition, of course I wish the war was
being covered in hi-def as well.

After a while, when I believe that I am caught up on the war, I still look to see what is playing in high definition.

Thanks,
Paul

I think that we are engaged in a difficult but entirely honorable effort to liberate the Iraqi people, and insure that Saddam cannot act in a way that destabilzes the Middle East or support terrorist groups that could threaten us. All you have to do is listen to the testimony of Iraqi exiles that were interviewed by Barbara Walters on 20/20 on Friday night, to understand that we are involved in a courageous and just effort. They described the regime lowering people alive into acid baths, and industrial shredders, of young women being raped in front of their fathers, and having tapes of the rapes sent to family members and regime leadership for their enjoyment. Utter cruelty. If the allies, oh that's right that would have been the French, had shown this kind of resolve in the mid 30's we might have been spared the loss of 55 million lives. Pretty much puts worrying about whether the basketball game is being broadcast in HD into perspective though.

Chris Dugger
Prospect, KY

Under ordinary circumstances, I would have tuned in to Monsters Ball on HBO-HD the night of the start of hostilities and the President's speech.But the president took priority.

I think the best example to put HD is perspective is the real-time videophone images from the front lines. In spite of the low-res, I still get the feeling of "being there." Sure, it's great to have hi-res when possible, but ultimately it's what I will see, not how well I will see it, that brings me to the TV.

Joe Austin

I find it amusing to hear the reporters exclaiming how remarkable it is to be getting live video from the battlefield while those images are videophone quality. Yes, it's amazing to get those images live, but videophone pictures sure looks cruddy on a 60" screen. And we're trying to enter the HDTV era? Regardless of such trivial matters as video quality, I pray for a quick liberation of Iraq with as few casualties as possible on both sides.

Kim Fremont, CA

The people that say "avoid war at all costs" should ask themselves what they would have been saying in 1942 if Japan had not forced us into the war. Would they have been saying 'no blood for France'?

Now, what does all that have to do with HDTV? Pretty much nothing. I can see no impact on HDTV, per se, though I had heard initially that some of the military coverage might be in Hi-Def.

Tom B.

As for HDTV, I recently bought a Sony HDTV monitor. I am not yet impressed. As a matter of fact. I am thinking about returning the set and using my old Big screen TV. When the networks say a program is broadcast in HDTV, I am not getting the 16:9 format. Only on HBO. The rest is distorted and not worth it.

Thanks,
rwl59

The war has nothing to do with HDTV. You seem to be coming dangerously close to voicing your obvious anti-war sentiments. Let me guess you are anti-Bush too, right? Don't pull a Dixie chick because I'll ask for my $35 back.

Jeff Dearborn

Jeff, Eating meat was a big luxury in World War II. At that time this nation had a larger industrial base (MAN/FACTORY RATIO) than we have today. It, and the educational system, was all converted in 12 months following Pearl Harbor to armnaments. David Sarnoff introduced TV at the 1939 World's Fair in New York with factories at RCA ready to build them (which was the Microsoft of its day) along with cameras and transmission gear. But television was withdrawn from the market until after the war requirements for RCA's capacity was over and plants could be converted back to peacetime usage (around 1946). Then television didn't blossom for nearly 20 years. You could not buy a new car from 1940 to 1946 because ALL of the automotive industrial capacity of the nation was devoted to making tanks, airplanes, and bombs.

There is absolutely no way to know where this war is going. Secretary Rumsfeld said that many times. Some people who remember past economic dislocations will quickly close their wallets (even if only from fear) to many things. Just from the standpoint of raising capital there has been a severe compromise since 9/11. Well over a trillion dollars of value has evaporated from the capital markets.

I am sure you know how the economic system works in detail so I won't bore you with my interpretation. But further erosions of the capital markets could be far more humbling to this nation than it has ever been and the capital for producing HDTV sets and programs could dry up entirely for years.

You do realize that every HDTV produced is done so with borrowed money. It sits in the store paying interest on that borrowed money. While a depression may not come about, what is the human attitude and feeling about it? That question lies at the heart of my question. So, to say that the economy has nothing to do with the war is inconsistent with the facts, and to say the economy won't have something to do with the sale of sets would already be old news. I have reports back from retailers telling me that it is the case already.

There is also the well-documented thing called "survivor guilt." Every responsible marketing major understands and factors that in. If we were to suffer great losses of our armed forces than a malaise--survivors' guilt--could leave people with faded motives to treat themselves as they once did in a times of less stress.

The other side of the coin is that we may also have a great victory in a short order and the relief of tensions from terrorism accumulated since 9/11 could propel a great deal of money into such things as HDTV as people rush back into the practices of "the good life." That would certainly be an affect.

If things go the other way and war escalates, the Homeland Security will seek and be granted some of the digital spectrum. Increased alert from new dangers would easily be a reason to seek from the broadcasters better performing but underused spectrum in order to insure security. That position was already staked out in the last Congressional hearings on HDTV. They want spectrum and will get it the more dangerous things appear to be. That could very dramatically impact HDTV. I can go on and on.

So, to say that a war breaking out in a volatile spot may not have any impact on HDTV is to overlook the interarticulation of things. I completely understand how that view could first be assumed as perfect, but it is not. Now, here is something you may not expect me to say because you think I have a bias in my question: I don't say, suggest, or imply that the war, or its expansion, means something bad to HDTV. It could be that people retreat into the security of their homes and put money that has been spent elsewhere (look at the money NOT being spent on air travel). That travel budget, for instance, could be directed to a home entertainment. In times of depression the movies always did well. It could be forecast that HDTV will then do well for exactly the same reasons.

I am 20 years ahead of the mainstream. To illustrate this point I chose HDTV 20 years ago--20 years before the mainstream. In looking ahead I had to came to grips with my view of a freightful social destruction caused by fundamental cultural differences drawn into closer interplay by the modern technologies of the 20th century--transportation, communications, and global commerce. I chose HDTV as a means for illustrating a potential for life when conflict subsides. Conflict always comes goes.

Out of the results of our present conflict is going to come a new view of our world. Giving illustration to that view is what I work for with HDTV. I am too old to fight in this present conflict and so in service to our society I put my mind to work on what is possible following it. New technology facilitates change and I put HDTV at the head of the class for that, at least until something better comes along.

_Dale

Yes, casualties are "beginning to mount," but at last count they were 20! Compare that to the thousands that died on D'Day.

Modern war is such that each casualty can be reported individually. We get to know them. The impact is, as it should be, much larger.

I am proud that we are finishing the war that Saddam started over 10 years ago. We've been in a cease-fire since then, and he did not abide by its
terms.

The possibilities for great good from this war far exceed the possibilities for bad.

Bob Champion

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