FCC Wading Into Digital TV Quagmire

Carnage4Life writes "The FCC is beginning to get impatient with the cable TV industry and television manufacturers for not getting digital TV out to consumers more quickly. In an interesting speech delivered at the CES on Friday the FCC chairman explains that the FCC is reluctant to dictate standards to the industry but will do so if no consensus on standards is reached by April."

Comments

Thank goodness most people saw through this post.

[Wakko Warner]

As everyone else has said: black and white TVs can still understand color signals. Nobody had to buy new ones when broadcasters switched. To contrast that, in 2006, none of your NTSC-broadcast TVs will work anymore.

YOU WILL BE FORCED TO BUY NEW TELEVISIONS!!!

That's the big difference, and it's why your argument is terrible (and sure as hell isn't worth a 4 score.)

- A.P.
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"One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad

DTV, HDTV, NTSC, and the Bandwidth Swindle

[DragonHawk]

Wired has an excellent article on this subject. It is a little old (Feb 1997) at this point, but as far as I know, still valid. Everyone should read this: The Great HDTV Swindle.

Here is a quick summary:

Conventional NTSC signals are analog. Frames are broadcast more or less as they are, and the timing signal is embedded in the carrier. DTV is Digital Television. By digitizing the signal, you can do things like compress it to save bandwidth, include program information, add additional data services, etc. HDTV is High Definition Television. It roughly doubles the number of vertical scan lines being broadcast, yielded a significantly better picture. It also allows different aspect ratios, so you don't have to clip or letterbox a movie to broadcast it.

Sounds real neat, right?

Not exactly. DTV compression allows HDTV to be broadcast in the roughly the same bandwidth as current TV channels. It also allows compression of NTSC signals. Rather then broadcasting HDTV in a full channel, a broadcaster can compress the NTSC signal, broadcast that using only one sixth of the channel, and lease the remaining bandwidth to wireless communications providers.

Given the limited initial demand for HDTV, what do you think the broadcasters are going to do? Waste all that bandwidth on a signal most are not going to use, or give us what we currently have and lots of extra money leasing their bandwidth? I know which one I would bet on.

So, if you think you are going to be seeing a better TV picture any time soon, think again. Except to spend lots of money to upgrade your equipment, but with zero reward.