Interesting People mailing list archives
IP: 8VSB: You are the weakest link
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 07:57:08 -0400
To: OpenDTV Mail List <openDTV () topica com> Subject: [OpenDTV] 8VSB: You are the weakest link Sender: <openDTV () topica com> I received this rather scathing assessment of the NAB conference cutting through the usual spin and hype from a well known journalist. Enjoy. As our Annie, now adopted by NBC, would say.... DN *************************************************************************** ************************************************************************ 8-VSB - YOU ARE THE WEAKEST LINK I am sitting on the plane having endured another NAB full of promise, and very much full of hype! However much I have tried to feel enthusiastic about this major broadcast event, I leave with a hollow feeling and a great deal of disappointment. Perhaps I was expecting too much! Had I more closely analysed the recent 'state of affairs' in the USA and the state of the economy I would have realised that I should have been more prepared. Big issues are all about the spin and nothing to do with the actual reality of any given scenario. But who cares? Are we all just a little jaded with it all to care too much anymore? Just to give you a flavour of this year's event and the spin-doctors: Sunday kicked-off with a press conference at the 'DTV Store' (The CEA and NAB + ATSC created a Digital TV Store). A press conference invite with the tantalising phrase, "An important announcement concerning digital television"; definitely not to be missed. As it turned out it was merely a publicity stunt by the aforementioned 'gang-of-three' as an attempt to repair the damaged reputation of the DTV in the USA. Timed very neatly, no doubt, to mask the recent bad press concerning the debacle of testing carried out by the MSTV. Very much a self-appreciation gathering for the purveyors of the hype in this DTV broadcast market, the roll call of speakers publicly announced, and not for the first time I might add, that America was the 'world leader' in digital television? . The announcement. Ah! Yes! It was the announcement concerning this collaboration between NAB, ATSC and the CEA for a publicity campaign to drive the sales of DTV forward (This follows a recent UK and Australia initiative it just so happens). Gary Shapiro Chairman of the CEA tried to engender enthusiasm but seemed only to be convincing himself! Once again he re-iterated that to date the consumer electronic market showed a boom in digital sales. These were announced as 648,000 devices sold so far. Don't forget 'Digital Devices'? Not DTV Receivers of which 22% was finally offered as containing a DTV receiver. Not mentioned either is that some of these devices were for DVB services (HDTV on Dish Network with an 8-VSB tuner that is probably redundant). Lynn Claudy of the NAB in a sidebar with a journalist was heard to say that it depended how you were counting and that the figure was closer to 100,000...others still discussed the more realistic 25-28,000...therefore an extremely unclear scenario was laid out before us, once again!. Apparently the "Time for finger pointing is over", furthered Shapiro! We shall see! Unfortunately this whole back slapping, public relations moment failed to address the honest fact that whilst a campaign to sell equipment of a DTV nature is now being undertaken at a consumer level the system that delivers the signals to these unsuspecting purchasers is subject to a myriad of RFP's in order to repair it. (It is broken! And no matter all the hype, this is fact!). Further on the trail of DTV at NAB Robert Graves the Chairman of the ATSC was very low-key at the 'Brazilian Breakfast'; choosing not to represent the ATSC along side the DVB and ISDB (Maybe due to last years embarrassing attacks by SET/ABERT). This gathering of the 3 system proponents for the SET/ABERT breakfast also included ANATEL (Government Regulator in Brazil). The invitation had invited us to witness a 'debate' for the best terrestrial system for Brazil. Who took the line of fire for the USA? As I said, not Mr. Graves but Bob Seidel of CBS who had; announced with no embarrassment, participated in the MSTV trials. He admitted that the tests ended up being about equipment and not systems and therefore not scientific at all. And most damning was that the USA would definitely forget mobile. The disappointing element was in fact that this breakfast turned out to be a one-way traffic of information and more misrepresentation of the COFDM v 8-VSB tests. Charts from the ridiculous MSTV tests were shown, thus further stretching credibility. There was no time for questions and answers or rebuttal, in fact there was no debate. ANATEL eloquently highlighted the extent of the study that had gone into the field trials and evaluation of tests in Brazil. They indicated that it was time for the public consultation in Brazil and responses from each party (DVB, ISDB & ATSC). It appeared as if the ATSC had managed to get the 8-VSB back into the equation as I will explain below...it is a confused affair. Confused: we all were! This is because in a strange twist the SET/ABERT group who mediated this breakfast, having recently rejected and very publicly rejected the ATSC system in favour of an COFDM solution, made a point of thanking Robert Graves for his presence (in the audience) and asked the inimitable Joe Flaherty of CBS, also present, to give the wrap-up speech; despite the fact that there were many high level Brazilian ministers in the audience. It is a strange world of hidden agendas and egos that presently engulfs the DTV in the USA and Brazil too it would now appear! Mr. Flaherty went on to cite an earlier mentor of his who had given him something that he always lives by, "The first thing should be the first thing first". This was in reference to the USA's decision on selecting HDTV as the 'raison d'etre' for the future of digital TV in the USA. Once again he conveniently and publicly announced that Europe did not do HDTV! However he corrected himself to say they were capable, this only after pronounced sighs of disbelief from the pro DVB portion of the audience. It was perhaps a wise move as the DVB stand on the trade show floor showed a fantastic 'off the shelf' demo of DVB HDTV that is actually in many homes across the USA. Ironically it appears that DVB is beating ATSC at its own game in the HDTV domain. He also criticised the attempt at offering 'new services' in DTV (referring to mobile TV & portable) and that giving up traditional broadcasting and adding new technologies just because we can is not the way forward. This appeared to be the attitude of the 'old school' giving credence (and thus supporting Mr. Seidel) for the selection of the 8-VSB-modulation system that cannot offer anything other than 'old fashioned' broadcasting and that as we know, is questionable! So we had it, the old guard standing firm in a blinkered view of what the USA broadcasters want and need in order to move forward in these new and exciting times. Zenith, one of the strongest VSB proponents would only give 'private' and 'exclusive' demonstrations of their Enhanced VSB receivers. Such a public debate and resolute decision to reject COFDM apparently still requires closed doors? So as the trade show meandered (lost for direction) around promising technologies and promising enhancements and promising new businesses built on emerging technologies the USA DTV machine buried its head in old values and old technology. I passed by the DVB stand to ask them why they had not attacked the MSTV and had allowed this type of 'politics' to belittle their technology. Their response was simple and succinct. "Had the USA exposed 8-VSB for what it is in comparison to DVB-T it would have embarrassed the ATSC and others who have lauded the technology for so long. It was convenient to have this result and it suited the politics." So as the halls of NAB were ripped apart to make way for the next convention, the heart of the DTV was ripped out of the USA and the band played on.
For archives see: http://www.interesting-people.org/
Current thread:
- IP: 8VSB: You are the weakest link David Farber (May 14)