Obama urges delay in digital TV transition, page 1

Ok here is the deal from a 25 year veteran in the television broadcast engineering industry.....me.

HDTV began its humble begining in 1983, being demonstrated to the late former president Ronald Reagan. Impressed by the image clarity and sound quality he initiated a US HDTV development program headed by the Grand Alliance, a consortium of American broadcast transmitter development and manufacturing companies. The Grand Alliance developed the first generation HDTV digital transmitter system in 1988, sending a 720p 1.35.1 picture with 5.1 surround sound. This system was so cumbersome and expensive, the Grand Alliance continued development and came up with the current FCC accepted standard, 8VSB 1080P 5.1, 6Mhz system. This system was demonstrated at the National Association of Broadcasters Convention in Las Vegas in 1996 with a side by side comparision of a standard NTSC signal from a test facility located just outside of Las Vegas. Special frequencies were allocated by the FCC for this first industry demonstration.

In 1999, the FCC began allocating HDTV frequency assignments, but left out translator and LPTV frequency allotments, causing a huge uproar in the industry because many LPTV and translator frequencies were being assigned to full power stations without regard to those relying on the translator service and LPTV service. In 2001, the FCC re-assigned the frequency allotment table and also launched the forthcomming Feb 17th 2009 mandate cut off of all analog transmission.

From 2001 to now, the FCC, nor the government, has done anything to educate the public about HDTV or the Feb 17th deadline for analog service to cease. Dispite the fact that digital televisions could be bought in many major electronic stores and chain stores like Circut City and Best Buy and Wall Mart, there was no public education program to prepare everyone for the shutdown of analog service.

It was only less than a year ago, that the FCC began a public service announcement program on radio and television, mentioning the Feb 17th deadline for analog service to be shut down. Cleary not enough time or effort for an adequate public information campaign. Basically, too little too late. But that always seems to be the government way with anything.

Another problem is that in 2001, when the FCC adopted the 8VSB digital HDTV standard, the system allows for various format transmission possibilities. This means that one station might be sending a digital signal at 720p with 2 channels audio, and another sending out 1080I at 5.1 channles of audio, and another may be sending out a measly 420p signal with 2 channels audio and 5 piggyback analog 525 line channels on the same carrier.

So what you got here is a scramble...too many stations not following a set standard..such as a full blown 1080P 5.1 surround sound signal. So with all these different formats being sent over the air, there is no way that even with government coupons, that the converter you buy to make your analog tv continue to work, may not work at all with every channel you can get, because the converters would be even more expensive to be able to decode all of the various formats being sent.

To better understand this format thing, here is an audio analogy example.

128kps mp3 audio file vs a 56kps mp3 audio file vs a 320kps mp3 audio file vs 32 kps mp3 audio file.

Or another in video file analogy.

320x240 15fps flv vs 640x480 30fps avi vs 720x640 60fps mov.

The converter box would have to have decoding circuitry to be able to decode every and any of the various formats that the FCC allowed the tv stations to choose to transmit.

Back in 1997, I had warned the NAB convention floor during the first day FCC board and industry presentations, that by having this free for all format instead of a standard, there would be huge problems across the board with tv manufacturers having to integrate a type of "universal decoder" to be able to decode all these variables, and even then there would be no guarantee that a specific format might even be in the decoder's capability, thus causing further expense to the manufacturing of tv receivers, and expense on the consumer end.

But nooooooo. Did they listen to me, hell no. Now here we are, exactly what I had warned them about. No one is ready, no one has a super duper decoder to be able to decode every and any format that could be transmitted, and those converter boxes dont even come anywhere near the complexity of being able to decode the huge variable format signals that are in exsistance.

Its not a matter of lack of funds for these converters. The problem is that they see that those who did get coverter boxes to pick up the digital signals already being transmitted, the boxes cannot decode all those variable formats out there...huge problem...huge error...huge goof up and they could have avoided that had they listened to me back in 1997 when I said "You are the FCC, why dont you rule a specific standard for HDTV and stick with that across the board?".

Well it will be a huge mess for sure. The delay wont solve anything. And since thousands of broadcast stations have already spent billions of dollars on their digital transmitting equipment and studio equipment, they are not going to dump all that investment to replace it with equipment that follows a set format standard. HUGE problem on both broadcast end and consumer end.

What they will have to do is come out with a format standard converter for the broadcasting end. No matter what format the studio is putting out, the converter will either upscale or downscale to a format standard, preferably a 1080P 5.1 standard and all television receivers and converter boxes will be made to decode that format standard.

Its as simple as black and white. At least...it could have been.

Cheers!!!!

[edit on 9-1-2009 by RFBurns]