Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

TV White Space & The Future of Wireless Broadband

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the something-to-think-about dept.

DeviceGuru writes "The unoccupied radio spectrum between broadcast TV channels may soon become a source of low-cost, ubiquitous broadband connectivity. Earlier this month, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission began Phase II testing of 'white space device' prototypes, to determine whether WSDs can operate without interfering with the other wireless devices commonly used in homes, offices, and public locations. A key advantage of white space wireless technology, compared to the combination of WiFI and WiMAX, is its TV-like ability to cover broad areas and penetrate walls and trees, using relatively low power levels."

4 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. Time Warner is going to just love this idea by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    With companies like Time Warner, who are both broadband providers and important content producers for broadcast TV, is there any doubt where the broadcast TV companies are going to come down on this "interference" issue?

    I can hear it now:

    Broadcast TV: Senator, this new scheme causes huge interference with our broadcast signal
    Senator: This wouldn't have anything to do with Time Warner giving you the broadcast rights to a bunch of their movies and TV shows for a song, would it?
    Broadcast TV: Don't be silly. We can answer any other questions you may have at the campaign fundraiser we're holding for you tonight.
    Senator: I think I'm beginning to appreciate your point of view.

    -Eric

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  2. Whitespace? by TimeTraveler1884 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think this is a bad idea. If we start transmitting data in whitespace, words will become very difficult to distinguish from each other in any given sentence. For example "The quick red fox jumped over the brown lazy dog." by itself, is very readable. But once you transmit extra data in the whitespace it becomes: "The1quick0red1fox0jumped1over0the0brown1lazy0dog." - An invariable piece of shit. It's only a matter of time before the greedy providers decide they need more bandwidth and bleed over in to the primary data stream.

    Now if we were to transmit in the margins or between the lines, that may just work!

  3. Practical value? by Firehed · · Score: 5, Funny

    TV, unlike the internet, is a one-way medium. My TV may be able to pick up signals from a giant transmitter thirty miles away, and that's great. How would this work for internet connections? Something tells me that putting an antenna powerful enough to reach back to that tower inside my laptop isn't going to be too friendly with my battery life, let alone my non-shielded nuts.

    --
    How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
    1. Re:Practical value? by TimeTraveler1884 · · Score: 5, Funny

      antenna powerful enough to reach back to that tower inside my laptop isn't going to be too friendly with my battery life, let alone my non-shielded nuts.
      It's nothing to worry about. From the FCC site: "Between January 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009, all U.S. households will be able to request up to two coupons, worth $40 each, to be used toward the future purchase of eligible testicle and ovary shields. Eligible testicle and ovary shields are for the conversion of non-shielded testicles and ovaries, and therefore are not intended for anuses connected to a paid provider such as cable or satellite TV service."