Nat Ostroff and Sinclair Broadcast Group Declare 8-VSB ATSC Standard 'Good to Go'

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9 2004
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HISTORICAL NOTE...

Some while ago--1999 to be exact-- there arose a rebellion among larger broadcast groups--those with enough engineers to examine things--against the ATSC broadcast standard. That rebellion was led by Sinclair Broadcast Group of Baltimore, MD (who have 60+ stations) and more particularly by one fiesty Nat Ostroff, Sinclair's Vice President of Engineering. He ran informal test (some said the term "demonstration" should have been used since scant science was in strict use) in Baltimore and attracted enough press, yours truly included, to create a massive schism in broadcasting over the digital transmission standard. The conclusion that Ostroff was reaching for was that the COFDM transmission system by then refined in Europe (though with an American heritage) was better for America than the 8-VSB ATSC system, which was created by our own Zenith. I was the among first to break the story on the Internet after a diner with Ostroff at the NAB in Las Vegas in April of 1999. I was not convinced of his conclusions but felt that ignoring the story would be unwise for all concerned. You can see the coverage I did by going to http://www.ilovehdtv.com/hdtv/cofdmvs8vsb.html

You will see on those pages that it was a bitter contest with the consumer electronics industry demonizing Sinclair as the evil broadcaster who because of money woes wanted to delay moving forward with digital television. Delay they got, costing the movement at least a year, but they also triggered or spiked the motivation for a number of improvements to made for 8-VSB which are showing up in 4th, 5th and 6th generation boxes. The following story comes to us from TV Business Confidential and truly signals the absolute end to the long and contentious controversy as Nat Ostroff himself says ATSC is good to go. This battle was an important one during the critical lift off period of the launch for HDTV and many of the negative effects from that contest still linger. Those doubts and questions need to be put to their final rest in the marketplace.

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DTV RECEIVER TECHNOLOGY MAKES PROGRESS. The latest-generation digital television receiver
technology shows significant improvements that will result in better over-the-air reception of DTV signals with
the use of simple indoor antennas, according to Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair’s findings, culled from
informal field testing of fifth-generation prototype receivers, are noteworthy because the company has been
vocal in the past about earlier generations of DTV receivers. “We are pleased to see the progress made by Zenith
that will allow consumers to easily receive free digital television broadcasts in their homes. Broadcasters and
consumers can now look forward to a robust DTV service delivered over-the-air without having to subscribe to
cable or satellite,” noted Sinclair Broadcast Group Vice President of New Technology Nat Ostroff. “Our
concerns that poor indoor reception would hinder the DTV transition have now been addressed,” Ostroff said.
“With indoor reception now more viable, broadcasters need to examine their current transmitting power levels to
assure that they deliver an adequate signal inside the home, and consumer electronics manufacturers need to
ensure that breakthrough technologies such as this are available in the marketplace.”

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A Mighty Wind

PG13 Time: 91  
Christopher Guest's mockumentary-style of comedy skewers a reunion of '60s folk music acts in this hilarious ensemble film. Guest reunites with his This Is Spinal Tap cohorts Harry Shearer and Michael McKean to portray the Folksmen, one of three folk groups reuniting for a public television reunion concert. Joining them are the annoyingly upbeat New Main Street Singers led by Terry and Laurie Bohner (who follow a religion that worships colors), and Mitch & Mickey (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara), a duet whose longtime romance ended in a public breakup that left Mitch institutionalized--and definitely questionable to appear onstage with Mickey. With Bob Balaban, Ed Begley Jr., Parker Posey and Fred Willard in a priceless role.

6:00PM ET/5:00 C
Formula 51

R Time: 92  
Samuel L. Jackson concocts a formula for laughs in this comedy about a disgraced kilt-wearing chemist who creates a powerful drug that places him in the crosshairs of cops and criminals alike. More than 30 years after a pot bust cost him a pharmaceutical career, Elmo McElroy (Jackson) has honed his craft by designing drugs for a decrepit kingpin named Lizard. Elmo's valuable new creation--a drug 51 times more potent than crack--leads him to try selling the formula on his own, but Lizard has other ideas forcing the crafty chemist on the run from crazed skinheads, corrupt cops and a gorgeous assassin. Robert Carlyle, Emily Mortimer, Sean Pertwee and Ricky Tomlinson co-star. Directed by Ronny Yu.

8:00PM ET/7:00 C
Batman Forever

PG13 Time: 121  
Batman's back and he's got double trouble on his hands! Arch-villains Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and The Riddler (Jim Carrey) team up to terrorize Gotham City and uncover the Caped Crusader's identity. But Batman's part of a team, too...he's got Robin on his side! The action is swift, the sets are stunning, and Jim Carrey "is great fun here, channeling every ounce of malevolent energy into ruining Batman's day" (Ne

10:00PM ET/9:00 C
X2

PG13 Time: 133  
An uneasy co-existence between humans and mutants threatens to explode in this powerful sequel based on Stan Lee's popular Marvel Comics series. After battling one another in the first film, bitter mutant enemies Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and the imprisoned Magneto--who forever wants to destroy the humans--are forced to team up against a common human foe who has one simple plan: eradicate all mutants. Hugh Jackman returns as the formidable, volatile Wolverine, who discovers that his search for his past is irrevocably linked to the mutants' present enemy. Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Brian Cox and Alan Cumming co-star. Directed by Bryan Singer; screenplay by Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris; story by Singer, David Hayter, Zak Penn.

2:30AM ET/1:30 C
The Silence Of The Lambs

R Time: 118  
Jonathan Demme's 1991 Best Picture Oscar(R)-winner introduced the world to one of cinema's most terrifying villains: Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter. Played by Anthony Hopkins, Lecter is the imprisoned devil to Jodie Foster's angelic FBI trainee Clarice Starling, and their dramatic quid pro quo exchanges--him providing clues to a serial killer's identity, her providing details of her personal life--earned both much-deserved Oscars(R) for Best Actor and Actress. Based on Thomas Harris's acclaimed bestseller, the film follows Starling's hunt for a madman who skins his victims. When a senator's daughter is snared in his psychopathic web, it's up to Starling to indulge Lecter's whims in order to stop the killer. Liver and fava beans, anyone? Scott Glenn, Ted Levine and Anthony Heald co-star.




 

7:00AM ET/6:00 C
Farewell To The King

PG13 Time: 114
Nick Nolte stars as a US Army deserter who becomes king of a Borneo tribe trapped between Allied and Japanese forces during World War II. Nolte plays Learoyd, a shipwrecked American soldier who leaves the war behind and finds solace leading a Borneo headhunting tribe. The tribe makes him their King, but trouble arises when the Allies and Japanese bring the war into their jungle refuge. Written and directed by John Milius (Red Dawn) and based on the novel by Pierre Schoendoerffer. Starring Nigel Havers, James Fox, Marilyn Tokuda and Frank McRae.

9:00AM ET/8:00 C
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

PG Time: 103
In a magical 1940s Hollywood where humans and cartoons co-exist, a screwball rabbit is framed for a murder that a hard-boiled private eye is investigating. Bob Hoskins stars in this memorable live-action/animated hit as the gruff P.I. who is determined to find the killer while dealing with the rascally Roger Rabbit (voice of Charles Fleischer), his curvy animated girlfriend, and an assortment of other crazy (and often recognizable) toons. Also with Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Joanna Cassidy, and the voices of Kathleen Turner, Lou Hirsch and the great Mel Blanc. "Sheer, enchanted entertainment from the first frame to the last" (Roger Ebert). Directed by Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump).

10:45AM ET/9:45 C
The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A Mountain

PG Time: 95
Hugh Grant stars in this "infectious and surprisingly moving" (New York Daily News) comedy about a World War I Welsh village that gets up in arms when a pair of surveyors designate their mountain as merely a hill...because it comes up short by sixteen feet. While the townsfolk lead a charge to heighten their beloved landmark to the necessary one-thousand feet, another movement is afoot to keep the surveyors in town in order to conduct a remeasurement! Tara Fitzgerald, Colm Meaney, Ian McNeice, Ian Hart and Kenneth Griffith co-star in this comedy directed by Christopher Monger. "Four stars" (New York Post).

12:30PM ET/11:30 C
What About Bob?

PG Time: 99
Bill Murray is hilarious as a multi-phobic mental case who latches onto pompous psychiatrist Richard Dreyfuss in this uproarious comedy. Bob Wiley (Murray) is a typical psychiatric patient: obsessive, compulsive and generally neurotic. But when his new therapist, Dr. Leo Marvin (Dreyfuss), tells him he's taking a month's vacation, it's too much for Bob to handle...so he decides to join the doc and his family! Naturally, Bob's arrival drives the anal-retentive shrink insane, but it's not long before the patient wins over Marvin's family...and teaches the good doctor a lesson about himself in the process. Julie Hagerty (Airplane!), Charlie Korsmo and Kathryn Erbe co-star. Directed by Frank Oz (The Score).

2:30PM ET/1:30 C
Biker Boyz

PG13 Time: 110
Burning rubber is the name of the game in this "adrenaline spiked and action packed" (New York Daily News) thriller about a champion motorcycle racer who faces the challenge of a fearless young upstart. Laurence Fishburne stars as Smoke, the leader of an underground bike club whose upscale members participate in illegal races. Derek Luke, who shined in Denzel Washington's Antwone Fisher, plays Kid, a fiery youth who has racing in his blood and a desire to torch Smoke on the strip...despite a shocking secret that links the pair together. Orlando Jones, Djimon Hounsou, Lisa Bonet, Brendan Fehr, Larenz Tate and Kid Rock co-star. Directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood, written by Craig Fernandez and Reggie Rock Bythewood.

5:15PM ET/4:15 C
Still Breathing

PG13 Time: 109
A young Texas street musician leaves for L.A. to find the one who is literally the girl of his dreams in this sweet, enchanting love story. Brendan Fraser stars as the hopeless romantic whose psychic underpinnings lead him to follow his heart west to meet jaded con-artist Joanna Going. Also starring Celeste Holm, Ann Magnuson and Lou Rawls.

9:00PM ET/8:00 C
The Sopranos 65: All Due Respect

TVMA Time: 55
In the Season Five finale, Tony's crew circles the wagons as Johnny Sack turns up the heat. Meanwhile, Carmela counts her blessings; Christopher is freaked out by an unexpected visitor; Benny's connection to the plumber's union comes in handy; AJ demonstrates his business acumen; and Tony ponders whether to execute a "sacrifice bunt."

11:00PM ET/10:00 C
Deadwood 11: Jewel's Boot Is Made For Walking

TVMA Time: 58
Alma's father, Otis Russell, arrives from New York to "help" with her claim. Swearengen strikes a bargain with Adams to rid him of some legal baggage. Jewel journeys to Cochran's cabin for help with her leg; Utter hazards an opinion on the safety of Nuttal's saloon; Leon and Sawyer resume work at the Bella Union; Bullock is angered by the choice of a new sheriff; and Star winds up paying for a free service.

12:00AM ET/11:00 C
Biker Boyz

PG13 Time: 110
Burning rubber is the name of the game in this "adrenaline spiked and action packed" (New York Daily News) thriller about a champion motorcycle racer who faces the challenge of a fearless young upstart. Laurence Fishburne stars as Smoke, the leader of an underground bike club whose upscale members participate in illegal races. Derek Luke, who shined in Denzel Washington's Antwone Fisher, plays Kid, a fiery youth who has racing in his blood and a desire to torch Smoke on the strip...despite a shocking secret that links the pair together. Orlando Jones, Djimon Hounsou, Lisa Bonet, Brendan Fehr, Larenz Tate and Kid Rock co-star. Directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood, written by Craig Fernandez and Reggie Rock Bythewood.

1:55AM ET/12:55 C
Trapped

R Time: 105
A husband and wife fight back against the ruthless kidnappers who have abducted their daughter in a shrewdly planned ransom scheme. Will and Karen Jennings are the perfect couple whose lives are thrown into tumult when their six-year-old daughter Abby is snatched by cold-blooded criminal Joe Hickey, whose wife Cheryl and cousin Marvin assist him. Their bold plan--holding Abby for ransom, while simultaneously taking her parents hostage in separate locations--seems perfectly devised, but Will and Karen know a few tricks too, leading to a tension-packed finale. With Charlize Theron, Courtney Love and Kevin Bacon. Stuart Townsend and Pruitt Taylor Vince co-star. Directed by Luis Mandoki, based upon the novel 24 Hours by Greg Iles, screenplay by Greg Iles. "A stylishly filmed thriller" (Hollywood Reporter).
 

2:30PM ET/1:30 C
A Rumor of Angels

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
Dolby Digital 5.1 / CCAP
PG13 1h 35m
Haunted by the car accident that claimed his mother's life, a 12-year-old Maine boy (Trevor Morgan) befriends an eccentric local woman (Vanessa Redgrave), whose presence in his life galvanizes his fractured family. Ray Liotta, Catherine McCormack and Ron Livingston costar in this drama based on the book "Thy Son Liveth: Messages from a Soldier to His Mother" by Grace Duffie.

4:15PM ET/3:15 C
The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
Dolby Digital 5.1 / CCAP
PG 1h 30m
TV's hyperactive Aussie naturalist Steve Irwin stars as himself in this good-natured family adventure that finds the fearless critter wrangler trying to protect an endangered croc - one that has swallowed a top-secret satellite beacon that's being sought by the CIA. Believing the agents to be poachers, Irwin and his wife Terri try to evade their pursuers while getting the scaly reptile to safety in the Outback, adopting a baby kangaroo, and dodging poisonous spiders and snakes in the process. Crikey!

6:00PM ET/5:00 C
Eight Men Out

WIDESCREEN OAR UPCONV
PG 2h 0m
Just what was it that caused members of the Chicago White Sox to "throw" the 1919 World Series? Offering some possible answers while posing yet more questions, writer/director John Sayles' impeccably detailed examination of baseball's infamous "Black Sox" scandal is a cinematic home run. John Cusack, Clifton James, Michael Lerner, Christopher Lloyd, John Mahoney, Charlie Sheen, D.B. Sweeney, Michael Rooker, Kevin Tighe, Studs Terkel and Maggie Renzi costar. Based on a book by Eliot Asinof.

9:35PM ET/8:35 C
Orange County

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
Dolby Digital 5.1 / CCAP
PG13 1h 23m
The stressful rite of passage known as the college admissions process is gleefully lampooned in this comedy starring Colin Hanks as privileged teen Shaun Brumder, whose shoo-in application to Stanford is botched by his scrambled guidance counselor (Lily Tomlin), leaving him to repair the damage with his slacker brother Lance (Jack Black) and girlfriend Ashley (Schuyler Fisk). Catherine O'Hara, John Lithgow, and Harold Ramis costar in this hilarious farce from screenwriter Mike White ("Freaks and Geeks") and director Jake Kasdan ("Zero Effect").

4:45AM ET/3:45 C
Eight Men Out

WIDESCREEN OAR UPCONV
PG 2h 0m
Just what was it that caused members of the Chicago White Sox to "throw" the 1919 World Series? Offering some possible answers while posing yet more questions, writer/director John Sayles' impeccably detailed examination of baseball's infamous "Black Sox" scandal is a cinematic home run. John Cusack, Clifton James, Michael Lerner, Christopher Lloyd, John Mahoney, Charlie Sheen, D.B. Sweeney, Michael Rooker, Kevin Tighe, Studs Terkel and Maggie Renzi costar. Based on a book by Eliot Asinof.

 

10:35AM ET/9:35 C
Medicine Man

A scientist resents the young woman sent to check on his cancer research in the Amazon. Starring Sean Connery.

2:15PM ET/1:15 C
My Girl 2

An undertaker's teen-age daughter visits her uncle to learn about her mother in 1974 Los Angeles.

5:30PM ET/4:30 C
Miami Rhapsody

A young woman thinks twice about marriage after her family's infidelities are revealed.

10:35PM ET/9:35 C
Final Destination 2

After a horrifying premonition of a car accident, a young woman saves herself and others from their deaths. But has she really outcheated death?



 

 

 

10:15AM ET/9:15 C
Experiment in Terror

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
TVPG - V 2h 4m
The second film from director Blake Edwards (after "Days of Wine and Roses"), this thriller stars Glenn Ford as a government agent trying to save a pretty clerk (Lee Remick) from the deranged, asthmatic psychopath (Ross Martin) who has kidnapped her sister to force her into robbing the San Francisco bank where she works. Featuring a memorable Henry Mancini score and a stylish showdown at Candlestick Park, this minor noir classic costars Stefanie Powers and Clifton James.

12:20AM ET/11:20 C
Prisoner of Love

WIDESCREEN OAR UPCONV
Stereo / CCAP
R 1h 34m
Supermodel Naomi Campbell stars in this thriller as Traci, a bartender whose date with handsome patron Johnny (Eric Thal) goes awry when she witnesses him committing a violent crime. Ordered by his mob bosses to liquidate his beautiful new acquaintance, the smitten Johnny instead takes her captive in an abandoned building, keeping Traci under lock and key until she can find some way to escape.

6:25PM ET/5:25 C
Prisoner of Love

WIDESCREEN OAR UPCONV
Stereo / CCAP
R 1h 34m
Supermodel Naomi Campbell stars in this thriller as Traci, a bartender whose date with handsome patron Johnny (Eric Thal) goes awry when she witnesses him committing a violent crime. Ordered by his mob bosses to liquidate his beautiful new acquaintance, the smitten Johnny instead takes her captive in an abandoned building, keeping Traci under lock and key until she can find some way to escape.

8:00PM ET/7:00 C
Ready To Wear (Pret-a-Porter)

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
Stereo / CCAP
R 2h 13m
Director Robert Altman ("M*A*S*H," "The Player") brings his typically restless, inquisitive and archly satirical style to this serio-comic look at Paris's "Fashion Week," the nexus of global glamour that draws a diverse group of designers, reporters, models, and artists to the City of Light. Starring a panoply of the world's greatest acting talents including Julia Roberts, Sophia Loren, Robert Downey Jr., Lili Taylor, Forest Whitaker, Kim Basinger, Stephen Rea, Anouk Aimee, Rupert Everett, Tim Robbins and Lauren Bacall.

10:15PM ET/9:15 C
Wilder Napalm

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
Stereo / CCAP
PG13 1h 50m
Debra Winger is part of a family tree that's also a forest fire since her husband, a volunteer fireman (Arliss Howard), and her brother-in-law, a circus clown (Dennis Quaid), can start fires just by thinking about it. M. Emmet Walsh and Jim Varney costar in this wickedly offbeat satire.

1:35AM ET/12:35 C
An Officer And A Gentleman

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
CCAP
R 2h 5m
Richard Gere and Debra Winger star in this Oscar-winning romantic drama about a rebellious loser (Gere) who learns respect, discipline and honor when he takes on the brutally difficult tasks of completing a 13-week Navy pilot training course under the sharp-eyed watch of a no-nonsense drill instructor (Louis Gossett Jr.) and of winning the heart of a local girl (Debra Winger) with dreams of her own. David Keith, Grace Zabriskie, Lisa Blount, David Caruso and Robert Loggia costar in this modern-day classic.


 

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