Nick
12-28-05, 01:53 AM
This is going to be a long one, so settle in. Now that both the House and Senate have passed the bill mandating the end of analog television in February 2009, it's too late to start worrying about what this really means. The coverage of this story so far has focused on the many uses that can be made of the analog spectrum, once broadcasters give back their analog channels.
But, wait a minute -- those same first responders and third-generation wireless users could use the spectrum given to broadcasters for their digital channels, and they could have been using them ever since the original giveaway of those channels in the mid-1990s.
But, goes the reply, much like the one about Iraq, we're here now, all we can do is stay the course. Fine, but at least understand the course we're on. Most reporting on the digital changeover repeats the mantra that digital television "promises" "crystal-clear pictures" and "CD-quality sound." That's like saying that political candidates offer more government services for lower taxes. Of course, that's what's being promised. But journalists have been woefully inept/lazy/ignorant in peering behind the promises to look at the reality of digital television.
That reality is this: unlike analog, which adheres to one transmission standard, digital TV occurs in a variety of formats and flavors -- which one is chosen determines the quality of picture transmitted. Then, what happens to that picture on the way -- through your satellite or cable provider -- determines the quality of picture received...
More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harry-shearer/crystal-clear-press-relea_b_12747.html)
www.TheHuffingtonPost.com
But, wait a minute -- those same first responders and third-generation wireless users could use the spectrum given to broadcasters for their digital channels, and they could have been using them ever since the original giveaway of those channels in the mid-1990s.
But, goes the reply, much like the one about Iraq, we're here now, all we can do is stay the course. Fine, but at least understand the course we're on. Most reporting on the digital changeover repeats the mantra that digital television "promises" "crystal-clear pictures" and "CD-quality sound." That's like saying that political candidates offer more government services for lower taxes. Of course, that's what's being promised. But journalists have been woefully inept/lazy/ignorant in peering behind the promises to look at the reality of digital television.
That reality is this: unlike analog, which adheres to one transmission standard, digital TV occurs in a variety of formats and flavors -- which one is chosen determines the quality of picture transmitted. Then, what happens to that picture on the way -- through your satellite or cable provider -- determines the quality of picture received...
More... (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harry-shearer/crystal-clear-press-relea_b_12747.html)
www.TheHuffingtonPost.com