Video May Kill Satellite's Star

[John Corn]

ANAHEIM, California -- Broadband Plus, formerly the Western Cable Show, opened this week with a call to arms from the chairman of the California Cable and Telecommunications Association: Cable companies must "stop the bleeding that's going to DBS (satellite)."

The CCTA chairman, William Rosenthal, introduced Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, who made clear that he viewed video on demand, or VOD, to be the industry's weapon of choice in this battle.

http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,56729,00.html

[xavier]

Well if satellite companies wasn't also working a VOD for PVR units he might have a point. In words of a Homer Simpson "DOH"

[belsokar]

i think this attitude by cable companies is great...and by that, I mean the attitude that cable companies start trying to be innovative, and reclaim the technology edge over satellite...this means that cable companies are in essence "competing" with DBS technologies...lets hope that HDTV becomes one of their fighting points in becoming the dominant technology...while i hate cable, direct competition between DBS and Cable should only make our lives better...

[Scott Greczkowski]

HDTV is one application that can beat the pants off of DBS ANY DAY!

When all your local channels go Digital and HD the only way you will be able to get them is off the air or via cable. There is not the bandwidth available for DBS to carry all markets Digitial / HD Signals.

At the moment cable has the lead on VOD however DBS Can catch up here, they have the technology available now, they just need to piece everything together.

[Chris Freeland]

If the local stations ever get their act together and put up a strong DTV signal, then most people could receive great pq ota. Satellite can still compete in HD by having the handful of National HD channels plus one national feed of broadcast networks for those that qulify, those that do not qulify should be able to get HD locals ota for free and SD DTV locals from E* and or D*, where available. DT should work better ota then analog tv because with digital one will either receive a great picture or not at all, which should make it simpler for qualification purposes. When it comes to HD, it will be like the old days with satellite provideing the national channels, ota for locals.

I also beleive that D*DVR and E*PVR will hold their own against cable provided VOD, personaly I prefer the satellite PVR rout. With D*DVR and E*PVR we the consumer have some control of content instead of some cable company, and at one low or no monthly fee to boot. ;)

[Jacob S]

That is great and not so great. It would be easier to prove that you cant get a good enough signal for any picture, but isnt it better to get something than nothing? They may still do it the same way in the future as they do now on determining if some can get distant locals or not. This digital OTA reminds me of how satellite works. Would a digital signal be stronger than our current analog signals and make it more likely for those that have problems turning in channels with analog be able to receive this digital signal? Maybe one could go all around the yard or on the top of the hill to tune in this signal like some did to get analog channels in by putting their antenna's way up on the hill. Would it be like satellite in which its all or nothing or be like the FTA (Ku) in which it can have static?