[Nick]

A brief report on FOX News says the FCC has voted to require TV set mfrs to install digital tuners on all new TVs by 2007. TVs with screens 36" and larger are to have digital tunes by 2004.

 

[dlsnyder]

News travels fast on Nevele - you beat me to it! Here is a link to the story on the AP:

http://wire.ap.org/APnews/center_story.html?FRONTID=TECHNOLOGY&STORYID=APIS7L981KO0

 

[Nick]

or go to the Washington Times

 

[James_F]

How did I know that Nick would like the Washington Times....

 

[Phil Conger]

I can't see the justification for requiring digital tuners when only a small percentage of the public will receive digital programming over the air. According to a dissenting member of the FCC, 90 percent of TV owners are either hooked onto cable or satellite. Isn't that method what most of us will use to receive HDTV? Why require TV manufacturers to put digital tuners in new TVs manufactured after 2004 when most of us won't be using these devices? Some of the new satellite receivers already are HDTV-ready. In many places, only people living close enough to the transmitters and away from obstacles will be able to receive an acceptable HDTV signal OTA. Am I missing something here?

 

[James_F]

How do you net new transmitters installed? Have more sets out there. How do you get more sets out there? Require it...

 

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by James_F
How did I know that Nick would like the Washington Times....

Because the Unification Church owns Nevele?

 

[mnassour]

Originally posted by Phil Conger
I can't see the justification for requiring digital tuners when only a small percentage of the public will receive digital programming over the air.

We heard the same thing about UHF back in the 60s and cable-ready tuners in the 70s, Phil. Now, can you imagine a set with only channels 2-13?

 

[Nick]

...and B&W only????

 

[James_F]

Whats B&W? :lol:

 

[dlsnyder]

I suspect that by the time these sets start showing up in the stores they will also have the ability to tune 64 or 256QAM transmissions over cable. Since many of the chipsets coming to market now include that capability anyway why not design the tuner to accommodate it.

 

[James_F]

That makes sense.... Who knows, by that time PVRs will be built into the TVs... :shrug:

 

[lee635]

Originally posted by Phil Conger
I can't see the justification for requiring digital tuners when only a small percentage of the public will receive digital programming over the air.

You're missing free tv.

If you don't put tuners in, as the one dissenting FCC member urged, then you effectively force everyone to get digital TV through a method other than over-the-air. I'm sure all the cable companies, DBS companies and "independent technician" organizations are patently against that nasty over-the-air stuff.

 

[Mike500]

The FCC wants to free up the analog NTSC system for sale and revenue. By 2006, digital tuners on TV sets will be cheap. It's like when vga computer video cards cost $1000. Now, you can't even give them away. 83% of viewers watch with cable and satellite. When no ota ntsc analog signal will be transmitted, both current analog and digital TV signals, cable and dbs providers will just convert the hdtv signal to the current satellite or ntsc analog signal at the headend. No expenditure will need to be provided by the subscriber. For OTA users with old analog sets, local stations will sell them at cost. The poor and seniors will get theirs from charities.

THE IMPACT WILL BE VERY VERY LITTLE!

 

[Mark Holtz]

Check www.100000watts.com . There are stations with Digital Transmitters on-line or under constructions.

 

[Jacob S]

I believe the cost will dramatically be reduced just as the other things have in the past and since everyone will have to buy it then it will just be figured in as another compenent cost into the tv's and eventually will not be that much more if any more than now. We have to advance somehow.

 

[James_F]

Or it will be like broadband. Available, but no one uses it. Not a great analogy, but..... :shrug:

 

[bogi]

Originally posted by James_F
Or it will be like broadband. Available, but no one uses it. Not a great analogy, but..... :shrug:

Broadband is used I.E Kazaa Some greedy companies like ATT limit broadband though

I wish i had Optimum Online:shrug:

Looking at the 1000Watts website for NYC allot of the Broadcasters had their Antenna on One world Trade Center Some of them were digital too

 

[James_F]

Originally posted by bogi
Broadband is used I.E Kazaa Some greedy companies like ATT limit broadband though

I'd disagree with that statement. While I think penetration has occured, its not like we would have hoped. Kazaa isn't a reason to get on broadband and since RIAA will kill it soon can't be expected to sholder the load. CNN, ABC and others charge for video feeds, but no one buys them. Outside of the college environment, there isn't any application that has the ease of use Napster,to get people to pay for broadband. Until someone figures out how to make money with broadband, only a select few will have it or be willing to pay for it. Email is the killer app of the internet and doesn't need more than a dialup to support it.

 

[Jacob S]

I think that digital will be more openly used than that though.