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Brian Mitchell | HDTV - Surmounting the HDTV Summit I recently attended a conference in Washington DC, about the transition to HDTV, called Surmounting the HDTV Summit. Industry leaders, HDTV pioneers, and government officials debated the current and future state of the HDTV industry. Making the transition A lot has been accomplished in the HDTV transition, yet there is still much to achieve. A complete transition to HDTV hinges on the coordination of manufacturers, broadcasters, content providers, signal carriers, and the government with consumers. Industry leaders speak out Notable panelists included:
Consumer HDTV considerations Before investing in a HDTV, here are the first things you need to know:
Current state of the HDTV industry Here is what we know now. $10 billion has been invested in HDTV over the last 4 years. Approximately 5 million HDTV or HDTV-compatible sets have been sold, achieving an 8% market penetration. HDTV is mainly available in the top 30 US markets. About 50% of all local TV stations are broadcasting a HDTV feed. Unfortunately half of those stations are broadcasting at less than full power, which makes it harder for consumers to pickup a clean signal via antenna. The goal is to get 85% of local broadcasts in HDTV by the end of 2006. At that time the FCC wants to turn off the analog transmissions and completely switch to a digital HDTV format. The question still remains, what happens to the remaining 15% or about 200 stations. More than likely, extensions will be granted, and nobody will end up with a dark TV. Hopefully the cable and satellite industry will likely provide backward compatibility for years after a final transition is made. HDTV issues Some of the biggest issues plaguing the HDTV rollout of programming are copyright infringement, interpretation of fair use, and piracy over the internet. Understandably copyright holders want to protect their works, but consumer's don't want to give up their rights. For every proposed solution, additional problems are created. No perfect solution will please everyone. The broadcast flag option One proposal backed by the MPAA and CBS would introduce a broadcast flag on HDTV content. An embedded message in the signal would indicate whether a program can be copied, how many times it can be viewed or re-transmitted. A broadcast flag would theoretically prevent internet piracy and unauthorized copying of HDTV programs. It is an attempt to avoid the similar problems the music industry faces with file sharing and downloading of MP3 music for free. Should the government get involved? Currently a broadcast flag has not been enacted. The technology requires broadcasters, copyright holders, and manufacturers to work together and agree on a standard. Manufacturers would have to include the technology in all HDTV decoders. The industry hasn't come to an agreement and consumer advocates believe a broadcast flag limits consumers fair use. Viacom, parent of CBS, has asked the FCC to mandate a broadcast flag by this summer. CBS has threatened to pull the plug on HDTV programming for the 2003-2004 season if the government does not mandate a broadcast flag. Side affects of a broadcast flag Should the government, a broadcaster, or copyright holder be able to dictate how and what you can record for personal use? Consumers were awarded the right to record and time shift programming with the introduction of the VCR. A broadcast flag would inevitably limit the rights of consumers while providing added protection to copyright holders. Shouldn't consumers be afforded all the rights they currently have to watch and record TV? Should consumers give up their fair use rights just to watch HDTV? Will people steal HDTV? Video piracy is not a HDTV problem. Video piracy will likely exist with or without HDTV. The issue comes to the forefront when people realize digital data can be copied numerous times without degradation. Does HDTV make piracy easier? At today's internet broadband speeds, it would take almost two days to download a HDTV movie over the internet. Although it is conceivable internet speeds will increase, will people spend countless hours downloading HDTV content? MP3-like problems I foresee, a compressed digital video format to be the biggest threat to video copyright holders. Just as consumers have flocked to MP3 despite its lower than CD-quality sound, consumers may flock to a compressed video format. Is HDTV profitless? What did the conference achieve? It got issues out on the table, yet the many panelist agreed to disagree. Each industry wants to profit the most from HDTV. In the meantime, HDTV investment cost is escalating with no foreseeable return to investors. HDTV is good for consumers The race to HDTV by satellite, cable, and local broadcasters is good for consumers. Satellite has more HDTV options, so cable is playing catch-up with infrastructure and equipment upgrades. However, cable holds the all-important local HDTV channel trump card, which satellite will seemingly never have. Maybe consumers will go back to their antennas. Remember local HDTV channels are FREE! I want my HDTV HDTV is here now. It will be even better and easier in the future, yet there is still a much to be accomplished. Consumers will have more programming choices and get better picture and sound than ever before. Once you see and own a HDTV it is hard to believe you have lived with analog TV for so long. Brian Mitchell Founder & CEO eCoustics.com |
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New member Username: RevanLos angeles, Ca Usa Post Number: 8 Registered: Apr-04 | amen, almost wish i didn't get an HDTV. Now its really hard to watch regular tv. |