Digital Tv by '03

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keymaker
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Digital Tv by '03

Post by keymaker »

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... /digital_5<p>
Soon regular Tv sets will be very cheap...<p>Hold off on all quantity buys...
keymaker
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Re: Digital Tv by '03

Post by keymaker »

PS: A question, <p> Are they still going to broadcast a regular signal until '06 like they said originally??<p>
I still think the regular tv sets will go down soon
HomeBrew
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Re: Digital Tv by '03

Post by HomeBrew »

Yes, i'm sure analog TV's will go down more. If you notice,they have gone down a lot in the last few years. According to what I have read, they will continue to broadcast in analog for some time . Then if you still want to use your older set you can buy a set-top converter to watch HD,but only in analog on your old set. Personally, i don't think most people care too much what format broadcasters use. They didn't ask for HD but there going to get it anyway. As for me, i don't see the big hype about HD. I have seen it compaired to standard NTSC and really don't see that great of a difference in picture quality. It's good, but not good enough to justify the cost. If i had a choice, i wouldn't pay for the difference .
Dean Huster
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Re: Digital Tv by '03

Post by Dean Huster »

Interestingly enough, I have heard virtually nothing about anyone making set-top digital-to-analog signal converters. A guy like me could care less about having HDTV if a set is going to cost in the four-figure category. I'd be perfectly happy with a converter for my 25+ inch set and looking at things in letterbox format after conversion.<p>Anybody have any links to converter manufacturers? They did it for UHF; they did it for closed-captioning. I really feel sorry for folks who have $2500 invested in a perfectly good, but incompatible big-screen TV. My prediction is that, despite the hype, digital/HDTV will spell the end of all terrestrial television broadcasting. It'll all be cable and DSS. I can't wait to see who's going to get THOSE major chunks of the spectrum!<p>Dean
Dean Huster, Electronics Curmudgeon
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bodgy
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Re: Digital Tv by '03

Post by bodgy »

Dean,<p>The main set top box converter manufacturers (for PAL anyhow) are Pace and Thompson. As Thompson are a French company I assume they provide converters for SECAM and by extension possibly for Never The Same Colour Twice systems :D .<p>bodgy
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HomeBrew
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Re: Digital Tv by '03

Post by HomeBrew »

I remember reading about the "set-top" converters in Popular Science some time ago. I don't remember who they said would mfg. the units, but they would be in the $100-$250 range at that time.
gadgeteer
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Re: Digital Tv by '03

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<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>I have seen it compared to standard NTSC and really don't see that great of a difference in picture quality.<hr></blockquote>There isn't ANY difference! You can SEE the difference if:
1. Your vision is 20/15 or better (NO ONE I KNOW has vision like this!).
2. You sit within three feet of the screen.
3. You have a four foot BIG SCREEN or larger.<p>This bill was railroaded through Congress in 1996, driven by BESTBUY and SAMSUNG and other manufacturers salivating over forced PURCHASES!!! The set-top converters will burn the black lines into your screen, your weak and distant stations (that you now enjoy watching) will be GONE, and free TV could well END. Initial cost per station is >$1,000,000; and most stations will pay this TWICE when changing from the new temp frequency to the new PERMANENT one. Stations will go bankrupt.<p>I own more than a dozen pocket TVs (each one has a different function; one is a B&W am/fm set; have you ever HEARD of a pocketable unit with AM, FM, vhf AND uhf??? All radios have only VHF!), and a Seiko TV watch; each and every one goes in the TRASH. The NEW pocket sets will have NO better resolution!<p>Senior Citizens on fixed incomes MUST BUY NEW EQUIPMENT (TV, VCR, etc)<p>Divorced mothers struggling to feed children MUST BUY NEW EQUIPMENT<p>College students on fixed income MUST BUY NEW EQUIPMENT<p>This bill needs to be REVERSED--- and NOW. Please write your congressmen and demand it. I'm not kidding! Technology should be driven by the MARKET, not by CONGRESS!!! If people WANT it, then in 30-50 years, maybe enough sets will have been bought (with optional cable channels and tapes/DVDs), to support the market. But in a free society it should not be FORCED.<p>I watched a PBS promotional show on HDTV; I submitted the above argument to the station manager, and mentioned that the CORPORATE SPONSORS for his show WERE Bestbuy and Samsung; I asked him, "Is it just me, or is this an OUTRAGE?" He agreed it was an outrage.<p>No station wants it.<p>The overwhelming majority of consumers do not want it.<p>If consumers are made aware of the FORCED REFIT, they will demand the repeal of the HDTV bill. Please call your senator AND congressman, and have all your friends and family call.
rshayes
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Re: Digital Tv by '03

Post by rshayes »

There may be several other problems with HDTV.<p>Most of the archives for TV programs are on some form of videotape. These systems were designed to barely record the present TV standard and the images will not apppear any better on HDTV. The additional information required for a higher quality picture just isn't there.<p>Those collections of VHS tapes that you have will be useless. There will not mecessarily be a mass market for converter boxes to convert NTSC to HDTV, and I would expect these boxes to be more expensive than $100 to $250, if they ever become available at all.<p>DVD's may not be much better off. They already depend on highly compressed formats, and the encoding probably does not match that used for HDTV. This will require two sets of signal processing, decoding the DVD format and then reencoding in HDTV format.<p>The HDTV system has to be using a fair amount of image processing to allow digital transmission in the same bandwidth as analog transmission. The receiver needs the processing as much as the transmitter. This will increase both the power consumption and cost of the receiver. It may be a long time before you will be able to but a portable, battery powered receiver with HDTV.<p>Video cameras will also become more expensive. They will need encoders to generate the signal required by the HDTV sets, and the quality may still be limited by the magnetic tape characteristics.<p>The commercial advertisers won't like it either, since commercials will have to be prepared on more expensive equipment. This cost of this equipment will not be spread over time. It will all have to be bought at the same time.<p>Most of these problems won't actually hit home until the analog signals are actually taken off the air. The cable TV companies might be in a very good position at that time, since they could convert the HDTV signals back to analog and continue to deliver them, as well as their normal programming, via their cable system.<p>This would put the broadcast industry in the position of investing large amounts of money to transmit signals to a smaller number of receivers. This will require them to raise their advertising rates. That might well end commercial broadcasting.<p>However, the laws have been passed, and I don't expect them to be changed until an actual catastrophe occurs.
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frhrwa
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Re: Digital Tv by '03

Post by frhrwa »

our cable prices are already close to double that of the satelite monthly charges.. I switched to ATT cable, lasted 4 months. they raised the rates again and the service was lousy with the volume going up and down all the time... so back to Dishnet, almost a 50% price difference for the same channels.. so the prices will go nuts when HD takes over and the "old" antenae's go away...
JESUS”…… don’t leave EARTH without HIM!
Dean Huster
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Re: Digital Tv by '03

Post by Dean Huster »

I've never understood why city-dwellers put up with expensive cable with ghosts and snow vs. getting a mini-dish system. They're a fiber optic system in our area, but still run metallic to the houses. And the cost is high and the available channels are limited.<p>If the HDTV vs. 525 TV is market driven, then companies like DirecTV could make a killing by keeping they system as they have it and waiting until HDTV takes over the rest of the world. As their subscribers' TVs die, they can offer new NTSC sets to them for a fair price. They could hold onto an expanding market in a reverse beta/VHS scheme and their users could be assured of continued use of DirecTV, DVDs and VHS tapes.<p>AM radio is facing the same dilemma. The FCC is supposedly phasing out AM radio and digitizing the band. There's a big hobby out there of antique radio restorers (http://www.antiqueradios.com) who would end up with no "feed" for their restored radios unless they built small transmitters and did their own programming. WSM and "Grand Ole Opry" would die. The hobby of BCB DXing would die. What a shame.<p>Dean
Dean Huster, Electronics Curmudgeon
Contributing Editor emeritus, "Q & A", of the former "Poptronics" magazine (formerly "Popular Electronics" and "Electronics Now" magazines).

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gadgeteer
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Re: Digital Tv by '03

Post by gadgeteer »

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>This would put the broadcast industry in the position of investing large amounts of money to transmit signals to a smaller number of receivers. This will require them to raise their advertising rates. That might well end commercial broadcasting.<p>However, the laws have been passed, and I don't expect them to be changed until an actual catastrophe occurs. <hr></blockquote>I hafta keep getting on my soapbox and reminding people of things! First, the 1st Ammendment has NEVER given ANYONE the right to not be offended; it rather gives us the right TO offend (you do not have the right to not-hear another's free speech, be it controversial, prayer, or anything that does not present "clear and present danger").<p>But the most fundamental thing I find myself reminding Americans, is that WE ARE THE GOVERNMENT!!! <p>TRANSLATE: We need to get off our backsides and hound, harrass, beleaguer our congressmen UNTIL THE BILL GETS REPEALED! This government is supposed to be "OF, BY, and FOR the people"; we are the people.<p>I'm certain if we could investigate the 1996 lobby FOR the HDTV bill, we will find graft, corruption, and bribes; by manufacterers, cable providers, and retailers. This is NOT HOW AMERICA IS SUPPOSED TO WORK!<p>I have seen HDTV formats; and I really really cannot see the difference; and also not on standard NTSC that has had its horizontal scan number doubled. I have a brand new 200mi VHF - 150mi UHF antenna and rotator; when I get it up I'll have essentially my own cable system.<p>Stephen, if you have any sources for your post, that would make very effective stats to send to our Congressmen. If we begin to barrage them, they will have no choice but to reconsider the bill. I've already contacted my state's senators/congressmen, a year or more ago; one actually responded, but not enthusiastically. They need to understand they ANSWER TO US, not to moneyed special interest groups...<p>Dean, I've never heard of the AM takeover --- that would severely suck (swampwater-through-a-STRAW). I've been trying to get a portable Stereo AM receiver; but not very hard, 'cause we seem to be down to one stereo station. It would be good, though, for travel. (Still tryin' to figure out how they sqeeze 40khz of info into 10khz of bandwidth...)<p>I have a 1936 three-band console radio, tuning eye, and frosted glass square; the frosted glass turns into a projected dial when you turn it on (with 1930s station call letters!) Planning on building an AM transmitter, so I can broadcast my library of 1930s-1950s radio programs. Anyone ever listen to "When Radio Was"? Or hear of "Radio Spirits"?
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frhrwa
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Re: Digital Tv by '03

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"I'm certain if we could investigate the 1996 lobby FOR the HDTV bill, we will find graft, corruption, and bribes; by manufacturers, cable providers, and retailers. This is NOT HOW AMERICA IS SUPPOSED TO WORK!"<p>Gadgeteer... I love it, but the ONLY way your ever going to get anywhere with Congress, Senate, or any other Political group in our government in the U.S. is to: First, get rid of them, clean them out! Second, term limits so all them old F*&KS can't get back in and make a nest! Three, drop the salary of those people back down to our atmosphere along with their benefits, make them have to use and pay social security, K401 accounts etc... no more "golden egg's"... No more retirement with full pay and full benefits... Four, Audit, have a neutral party AUDIT these people, they find graft or anything out of the ordinary, that position is vacated IMMEDIATELY! And ALL of us stand up to these knotheads... Yes, your right, it is the Government FOR the people, by the people!.. That's US... So, find someone that can get a proposition to put this in motion and you will eliminate all these bullshit laws they are throwing at us.. I've been on this bandwagon for years, your the first to say it before me... I love it...
JESUS”…… don’t leave EARTH without HIM!
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