Early Adopters beware

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

If you are a pioneer you expect arrows in your back right?

Well I was just thinking of all the arrows early adopters have in their
back or soon will have or what at least is contemplated.

There is the potential for a new arrow in the back with E-VSB where your
receiver would be left receiving 9 or 10 Mbps on the non robust channel
and not be able to receive the robust channel that would have a 4 Mbps
datarate. What's funny about this is that with MPEG2 you won't be able
to get HDTV with those 9 or 10 Mbps while those with newer E-VSB
receivers could receive HDTV on the robust channel using a new
compression standard or group of standards. Wouldn't that be so ironic?
They steal the bandwidth from your side to do mobile or maybe just
portable reception on the robust channel. And they throw away around 5
Mbps of capacity in the bargain. Now how delicious can it get? It was
the threat of mobile stealing bandwidth with COFDM that stuck us with
8-VSB. At least it was one of the big lies. Now with E-VSB we get stuck
with the most ridiculous combo of all.

OK so no one uses E=VSB. The buzz with broadcasters right now is all
about USDTV and multicasting. Something else that was another big lie
about COFDM was that it would facilitate multicasting. Never mind that I
was saying all along that multicasting was something best regulated by
law not by picking a bad modulation. Anyway there never was any
difference in either modulations ability to do datacasting though the
big lie tried to make a distinction..

So now the big news is multicasting but with a little twist. BTW we were
at the FCC in 1999 working on ways to use an advanced codec with 8-VSB
opportunistically or on a separate fixed segment for datacasting. Now it
is all the talk because of USDTV and the other one (I forget the name)
but they are not all that is happening.

So broadcasters MUST , WILL, it is inevitable because it makes good
business sense though they may deny publicly, they will in the end
broadcast ONE NTSC quality program in MPEG2 and use the rest of the
spectrum for whatever with an advanced compression scheme. Could be IP
Data, all the PBS stations are talking about that. Or it could be HD and
SD programming and data.

The thing is all current HDTV MPEG2 receivers and all those receivers
mandated into new TV sets will only be able to receive ONE NTSC program.
Special receivers or add ons will be required for the rest of the
........subscription based ...... HD or IP data or SD programming using
the advanced codec.

This is by far the most efficient use of the spectrum, it is legal, the
FCC is even promoting it and it is the best way to maximize profits and
therefore it will happen. There may be a few detours and faints but
broadcasters smell blood or I should say a business plan that could make
money.

And early adopters will have one more arrow in their backs. As far as HD
is concerned this one will be fatal for all current receivers. What will
be interesting to see is what will happen with the mandated receivers.
What a waste this is going to be.

So we tried to cement in a bad modulation and an old codec MPEG2 so that
the gravy train would continue for MPEG2 and a new one could begin for
the rip off artist of 8-VSB. It has lasted 7 years. How much time do
with give this monstrous combo of the old order? Five more years of
agony and waste?