Multicasting

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

In one of my last post I talked of multicasting. If any doubt the intent
of broadcasters, not what they say they are or will do but what they
actually intend on doing, read these.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/050120/11/sohs.html
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t [...] 1000769119
http://www.mediaweek.com/mediaweek [...] 1000768645
http://www.adweek.com/aw/national/ [...] 1000768727
http://today.reuters.com/news/news [...] 19406126:1
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=st [...] g_fcc_dc_1
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/a [...] aking+News
http://www.multichannel.com/articl [...] aking+News
http://www.multichannel.com/articl [...] op+Stories

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

jeremy@pdq.net wrote:
> So my question is why aren't the consumers being factored into this? I
> understand it's a private battle, but we're dealing with the FCC which
> is government/public regulated. I have heard that the way it currently
> works cable providers have to carry one digital "feed" and can charge
> the networks to carry additional digital feeds (e.g. HD). If that is
> the case I can see how this would be a problem, but this is all part of
> the growing pains of transitioning from one standard to the next.
>
> I can see both sides of the argument, from a capitalistic stand point I
> can route for the cable companies, but on the other side of the fence I
> think it would be good for the industry and ultimately the consumer if
> all cable providers were forced to cary High Definition broadcast.
>
If a legitimate broadcaster can deliver his HD signal to the headend of
a cable company over the air in his stations coverage area his HD signal
HAS TO BE CARRIED by the cable company. But first he has to turn off his
analog signal. The cable company does not have to carry both. NO
broadcaster wants to turn off his analog broadcast while less than ONE %
of the public has an HD set.

Broadcasters want the FCC to mandate or Congress to legislate and the
Courts to stay out of it a MUST CARRY of all content they can deliver to
the cable head end. That means that the broadcaster DOES NOT have to
deliver HD. He can deliver many channels of ED or SD.

At the moment the FCC and now former Chairman Powell was sticking to the
MUST CARRY of either ONE SD analog or digital program or the MUST CARRY
of ONE HD channel. In fact with the new codecs like MPEG4 a broadcaster
could fit two HD 720P programs in his channel.

IF broadcasters get must carry of all content expect mostly SD and ED.
That is where the economics says they will make the most money.

But at the present if a broadcaster wants to turn off their analog
broadcast and go digital with HD the cable company MUST CARRY the
signal. NO broadcaster wants to do that without getting paid however and
MUST CARRY doesn't come with a pay clause. The broadcaster must elect to
use the "retransmission consent" part of the regulation and that is
where we are with some broadcasters today denying HD to cable companies
unless they are paid for it.

I predict that if the broadcasters win at the FCC or in Congress MUST
CARRY of all content no matter what resolution that the cable companies
will win in the Supreme Court when they challenge it. The Supreme Court
originally ruled 5 to 4 for Must CARRY and the swing vote was an
arbitrary one not especially based on principle.

Broadcasters face the real possibility that MUST CARRY of ANY content
will be overturned by the Court. They may lose big time. They would then
have to depend on great content if cable and satellite is to carry their
content or they will have to depend on OTA broadcasting. They would have
to become broadcasters again. How quaint.

Bob Miller