Technology360

Intel: Spectrum is the New Frontier

Intel's vision of an always-connected planet is coming up against finite wireless spectrum, and enterprise had better hope it breaks through or risk spending ten times as much for WiMAX. ¶ The ... chip-making giant ... is helping the industry find a suitable home for wireless Metro Area Networks, which use the IEEE 802.16 or WiMAX standard. The goal is to use the technology as a last-mile alternative for broadband connections to enterprise and consumer markets. ¶ ... "It's slightly chaotic, because it differs from country to country to country," Maloney said during a press and analyst briefing here. "Four years ago, there was a similar battle over Wi-Fi and, as you know, spectrum can get very political. But if you ask me if WiMAX is going to replace Wi-Fi, the reality is that all of these networks [read Wi-Fi, WiMAX, WCDMA, and 3G] will overlap." ¶ Maloney said Intel has been lobbying the Federal Communications Commission and its Chinese and U.K. counterparts to allow the wireless industry access to the 700MHz frequencies. That part of the spectrum is currently used for UHF television stations that will eventually vacate the space as part of a government-induced transition to digital. ... Internetnews.com link

FCC Takes Up DTV Transition Review, Part Two

Scores of trees will have been sacrificed next week when the FCC issues its Report and Order on the Second Periodic Review of the DTV transition. The commission will issue the review at its regularly scheduled monthly meeting Aug. 4. ¶ The resulting document is ..., covering everything from simulcasting, PSIP, signal replication, V-chips, closed captioning, channel election, translators, satellite stations and what to do with those pesky stations in the 700 MHz beachfront band. ¶ There are indications that the FCC may abandon all or part of the simulcasting provision that requires stations to simultaneously transmit their analog programming in digital format. Stations are currently required to simulcast 75 percent of their schedule in both analog and digital formats; with a 100-percent quota kicking in April 1, 2005. Full-schedule simulcasting is antithetical to the development of the type of alternative services that just may induce people to watch over-the-air television. ¶ The end of simulcasting may, however, mark the beginning of cranking up the amps. ... TVTechnology link

How To Buy A TV

Bruce Jacobs is Chief Technologist for Twin Cities Public Television in Minnesota. He's a real leader and communicator within the public television engineering community. Bruce wrote this guide (click Continue reading "How To Buy A TV" below) after making a similar presentation to the TPT staff. Very useful.  --Dennis

8/3/04 update:
Also see Digital Television 101 01010101 by Henry Ruhwiedel of WYIN.

11/27/2005 update:
This posting has been by far the most popular ever added to this weblog.  One common response has been a request to define the acronyms used.  For this, I suggest consulting the excellent Crutchfield Advisor TV and HDTV glossary. 

9/10/2006 update:
Also check out Bruce's HDTV vs. DTV vs. NTSC page Digital Television "Stills" and  Digital Television - FAQ on the TPT web site. 

And on the subject of how to properly view HD, see HDTV viewing distance, screen height.  Link:  Technology360.com.  --Dennis

Satellite multimedia broadcasts set for launch in Japan, South Korea

A new satellite TV service to be launched here and in South Korea in October promises to deliver programming along with radio and data broadcasting to mobile terminals. ¶ Both countries will use the same satellite to provide national coverage. Using new, compact receivers, backers of the mobile TV scheme are touting it as a new lifestyle of ubiquitous TV reception. ... EETimes link.

Will DVR Rivals Outrun TiVo?

After years of losing money, TiVo can see the land of milk and honey. DVRs are poised to emerge as a hot item this holiday shopping season. By 2008 more than 20% of all households will have one, up from 3% at the end of 2003, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. ... Technology News link

Forecast Predicts Nearly 60 Million U.S. Homes with HDTV by 2008

HD capability is now a key demanded feature for consumers in the selection of new televisions. ¶ After initial sluggish growth for the 4 years following market introduction, high-definition television (HDTV) sales increased 66 percent in 2003. Through the coordinated efforts of programmers, broadcasters, cable and satellite operators, and consumer electronics (CE) manufacturers, consumer awareness and purchase intent for HDTVs have reached 78 percent and 20 percent of U.S. households, respectively. HD capability is now a key demanded feature for consumers in the selection of new televisions, opting for the promise of higher quality viewing. ... Yankee Group link

Sprint lands more broadcasters for streaming TV

Signing up to offer TV shows for a potential audience of more than one billion cell phone users are NBC Universal, Fox Interactive Media, and Comedy Time. ¶ MobiTV currently offers a live TV service from MSNBC, CNBC, the Discovery Channel, TLC, ABC News, Fox Sports, and Major League Baseball (MLB), among others. ¶ The difference now is that NBC, for example, will produce shows targeted to the very small screen, according to Jeff Bartee, a vice president at Idetic, the developer of MobiTV technology. ... InfoWorld link

Northwestern University beta testing Ruckus

Ruckus is the brainchild of two graduate students at MIT who were frustrated by the lack of legal methods for obtaining digital media. Knowing first-hand how important music and movies are in college life, the founders set out to create a solution that recognizes that many students will continue to download files from illegal peer-to-peer (P2P) sites unless presented with a robust, legal option. ... The Future of Television link

We're Losing Our Audience, But We Don't Have To

We're Losing Our Audience. This was a topic that caught my eye on the main TVSpy Watercooler a couple of days ago. There doesn't seem to be a day that goes by without a new post from someone in our industry expressing their unhappiness with their career or their frustration with the direction of our industry. Studies show that more people watch more television than ever before, yet broadcast audiences continue their long-term decline, threatening the very core of the broadcast business model. ¶ Many people posted messages to the topic "We're losing our audience," offering their thoughts as to why broadcast television is in decline:

"It's too much breaking news."
"There's too much entertainment."
"It's the consultants."
"There's too much competition."
"It's all about packaging news now."

Is there one simple answer? No. It's a combination of a variety of social and economic forces beyond our control and our industry's lack of vision and reluctance to adapt to these changes. ... TVSpy link

Cable Companies Profit From Demand for High-Speed Internet

Cable companies, which have been weighed down for years by heavy investments and sagging subscriber growth, are starting to turn the corner. ¶ Comcast Corporation, the nation's biggest cable operator, said today that it earned $262 million in the second quarter, after losing $22 million in the same period last year, thanks to an increase in the number of customers signing up for high-speed Internet and digital video services. ... The New York Times link