The Beginning Of The Beginning, The Beginning Of The End? — 8-VSB vs. COFDM and the ATSC Modulation Task Force

000"We can observe that the disadvantages shown by the COFDM modulation systems are solvable, even though it implies additional cost to the broadcasters. However, the mentioned disadvantages shown by the systems with 8-VSB modulation picture the boundaries inherent to the modulation itself. Only the consumer, who will need reception systems-–antenna and receivee--more sophisticated, in the same proportion that his location may require, shoulders the onus of the flaws in the 8-VSB modulation. On the other hand, only the broadcaster who, in certain situations, will have to implement transmission systems more powerful or sophisticated shoulders the onus of the difficulties in the COFDM modulation, all solvable."

__From Report To Brazil's Government From ALBERT/SET.

his statement (above) is drawn from a recent report produced by ALBERT/SET and directed to the Brazilian equivalent of the FCC. It was regarding the DTV modulation schemes recently tested by ALBERT/SET in Brazil. It may sum up the global DTV story as it stands. It clearly reflects the challenge to the 8-VSB modulation standard as first made by Nat Ostroff, vice-president of the Sincair Broadcast Group a year ago. Once characterized as an impoverished maverick by the ATSC's supporters, Sinclair's whistle blowing has been heard, and lately appreciated, around the world, Using what became a divide-and-conquer and perservering strategy Sinclair single-handedly created a historical schism between US broadcasters and receiver manufacturers that could only lead to a new industry-wide forum that would redress the issue of digital broadcast modulation for US digital television. But the story is far from over. More chapters are being written as you read this. They will begin where this one leaves off.

Sinclair became decidedly unpopular as they began their long march towards fixing something they called broken--the US standard for digital television transmission modulation--the famous 8-VSB ATSC standard. Determination to trash Sinclair's work went unrewared and most recently has turned to forgiving praise and compliments, and an invitation to participate in the Advanced Television System Committee (Modulation Task Force where "a serious inquiry" into the RF modulation concerns raised by them will take place. After careful deliberation by the Executive Committee a unanimously vote was cast to establish this new industry-wide task force that will have as it mission to "openly, fairly and scientifically" determine the broadcast needs for today and "determine the technology best fitted to comply with those needs." There is no requirement to become a member of the ATSC to participate. All bonafide players are welcome.

The Task Force was conceived by ATSC's Executive Director Mark Richer and ATSC Chairman, Robert Graves. Richer will chair it. "I can't think of anyone better to try and mediate it than Mark Richer." said Lynn Claudy, vice-president of Engineering for the National Association of Broadcasters in Washington, DC."He is the guy to do it, and he will do it in a fair way,"

"The ATSC has now thrown the door wide-open," said Sinclair's Nat Ostroff in an interview with HDTV News. On a touchy panel in Los Angeles last week Ostroff declared that broadcasters need to take back their technical destiny. "If broadcasters don't attend the organizational meeting of the ATSC Modulation Task Force on March 31st said Ostroff, "and abdicate that once again to whoever shows up, then we deserve what we get." Under Sinclair CEO David Smith's signature a letter went out Friday from Ostroff urging broadcasters to show up. And to do what? "We are going to organize this modulation task force along the lines that serve broadcasters--that don't serve Zenith or Panasonic, or Dolby, or Microsoft...they serve broadcasters." informs the feisty Ostroff.

"We tried to get broadcasters interested during the standardization period," reflected the NAB's Claudy in a recent interview. "But they just weren't." MSTV Vice-President, Victor Tawill also recalls, "In the old days when we were working on the standard we had a very hard time getting them interested. Now that they are implementing, they are learning about what it is."

What is the mission of the Task Force to Ostroff? "The mission statement needs to be clear and concise, and uncomplicated. The people who rise to the top...to govern (should be) broadcast oriented and focused on getting to a solution--not simply a diversion to continue to delay the inevitable."

"There is no stone tablet that says how broadcasters feel about whether their destiny is in their hands of manufacturers or not." responds Claudy, "Not everyone is in favor of revolution and total revamping as Sinclair Broadcasting is. We (NAB) certainly intend to participate." Claudy added, "We all need to see that the final report from that task force is not being written before the fact."

Ostroff has a little of that in mind. "What is hard for me to rationalize...is that this is not a zero sum gain. It is not that 8-VSB loses and COFDM wins. The issue put forth in our position is still the Paramount one on the table, which is to add COFDM as an approved modulation system for the ATSC standard in conjunction of 8-VSB."

Manufacturers have grumbled that this is an inappropriate solution since added cost is never trivial when it comes to highly competitive consumer electronics, especially if that costs is founded in political indecision. This challenge would have been less divisive if the two demodulation schemes were of the same family and could share the same silicon. But they are different mathematical constructions, which means that the sharing of silicon is impossible. It's basically two demodulators as well as part of a two turners. Manufacturers want one or the other just like they would like to have less options in the formats.

Ostroff scoffs: "That's a totally bogus argument--empty words. The chip to provide this is $20 going into a $5000 receiver! The economies of scale on COFDM are already taking advantage of 500,000 chips (number reportedly sold). Finally, the whole 8-VSB/COFDM argument doesn't make sense from an economic point of view because the chip improvement that has to be created to make 8-VSB work will add cost to the receiver as well. The R & D cost--its payback...plus the chip sophistication, which is now almost beyond the technology's capability of fabricating, is not going to be a $2 chip."

But his point is challenged by the considerable price pressure descending on the HDTV sets. Bob Stokes of Motorola informs us that there will be $1000 integrated DTV sets on the market this fall. If a chip has an OEM value of $20, it must retail nearer to three times that, or in this case $60. That is more significant in relationship to the products that must become mass produced where pennies determine the breadth and width of the market.

But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Like Ostroff, Claudy characterizes the Task Force as an "opening up of the dialog between various industries and various players within those industry to take an introspective look to see if what we have is adequate, or needs to be improved, or needs to be revamped." Claudy expects to see attitudes ranging from the diabolical to the philanthropic making their presence felt.

It was about time. CEA president Gary Shapiro had blasted broadcasters just three weeks ago saying they were dragging their feet and using bogus issues to delay the process. CEA members began to say that it was a regrettable strategy. Indeed, broadcasters had come to feel that manufacturers were forcing things down their throats, and manufacturers were complaining that broadcasters were paying too little attention to delivering programs in HDTV. Some said that CEA's attack on broadcasters showed how distant and alienated they had become from their old partners. All informal polling we and others have done finds broadcasters eager to enter the digital age before they are left out of the digital race completely. They are just fearful to do so until these fundamental issues are fully resolved. Shapiro gave himself room for reconciliation when commenting last week on the Task Force, saying, "It is a result of 'business model changes by broadcasters."
 

__Continued