[MacDV] Re:O-T--So called "doomsday" plan for analog and other comments-- MacDV Digest, Vol 12, Issue 11

[Ted Langdell]

Ted Langdell
Ted Langdell Creative Broadcast Services
Marysville, CA
Main:  	(530) 741-1212

  I think it's a moot point. Analog IS going to go away, even if it 
provides better picture quality compared off the air to much of what's 
squeezed into the analog cable systems or digital pipes of cable and 
sattelite providers.

The main thing to remember is that Over the Air television will still 
exist, and that people who can't afford or don't want cable or 
sattelite will still be able to watch TV, much as they do now.

By the tine 2009 rolls around, I think you'll find that there are more 
standalone digital tuners on the market, and more sets with digital 
tuners in them... with affordable prices.  Keep an eye on Wal-Mart.

That's despite some manufacturers that have pulled ANY kind of tuner 
out of certain models of their sets in order to get around a law 
that--much like the old  ALL Channel VHF/UHFTuner rule from the late 
50s/early 60's--required digital tuning if analog tuning was present.

Regarding Over the Air viewing... the number of people opting for an 
antenna may be on the rise since many cable and satellite providers 
either don't now carry the analog stations' DTV signals, or carry only 
the "main" channel of the DTV.

The options available from a specific broadcast channel received over 
the air are far greater than if you don't have one or subscribe to none 
of the digital services.

More telling for some folks is that the quality of the broadcast OTA 
signal(s) may be better than that of the broadcast channels as funneled 
by cable or satellite.

I'm not a big fan of what MPEG-2 does to video, frankly, and I've not 
been impressed with the results of aggegators (cable and satellite 
providers) digital offerings. The artifacts are often aggravating.

In some ways MPEG-2 and what's done to squeeze 300-500 channels into 
the aggregators' pipes is akin to forcing a 6-11 basketball player into 
the back seat of an old Chevy Geo with no air conditioning on a blazing 
hot day.

BUT... that's the way things are going... and why I'll opt for an 
antenna and other reception accessories when I decide to add broadcast 
DTV to the media mix in my home and business.

Ted.


On Jul 18, 2005, at 5:28 PM, 
macdv-request at listserver.themacintoshguy.com wrote:

> Message: 3
> Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2005 17:02:38 -0700
> From: Elliott Frank <esfrank at hotmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [MacDV] January 1, 2009 Doomsday Plan
> To: "A place to discuss digital video on Macintosh."
> 	<macdv at listserver.themacintoshguy.com>
> Message-ID: <BAY107-DAV202C07C5473AA618BF2801A9D40 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
>
> on 7/18/05 4:42 PM, Kunga at Kunga at FutureMedia.org spake thusly:
>
>> Great. I am thinking of the underclass that doesn't have enough
>> income to support cable or satellite. They are millions. You think
>> it's right for congress to take away analog broadcasting from these
>> downtrodden?
>
> Get a grip. The "underclass" (betraying your bourgeois mindset) can 
> afford
> basic cable. It's not a luxury, it's a necessity. Not that the 
> broadcasters
> care about that particular demographic: if you can't afford to buy
> Oldsmobiles and Marlboros, the broadcasters could care less about your
> demographic.
>
> The number of folks watching over-the-air broadcast TV is dropping 
> year by
> year. By 1/1/09, all that will be left watching o-t-a analog will be 
> folks
> who have long been marginalized.
>
> There will be a trillion dollars sitting on the table by 11/1/09, 
> money to
> pay for the frequencies the analog o-t-a broadcasters will be giving 
> up. Get
> the TV broadcasters off, hold the auction, and the adventure in Iraq 
> is paid
> for in full.
>
> So do we get cash to pay for Iraq (and/or pay down the national debt 
> and/or
> fix Social Security) or do we let a few thousand folks watch "Golden 
> Girl"
> reruns in analog?
>
>
>