Funai Says Its ‘Smart’ DTV Antenna Can Reverse ‘Phenomenal’ Retail Returns
DTV converter set-top boxes have been “a real problem child,” plagued by “phenomenal” retail return rates, a key Funai executive told Consumer Electronics Daily. The executive, Bob Cannistraro, sales engineer at Funai’s U.S. subsidiary, blamed the problem on “a total lack of knowledge out there” about what DTV set-tops and antennas “are and aren’t supposed to do.”
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With over-the-air digital, “you don’t necessarily get the best signal off line of sight with the transmitter,” Cannistraro said. With the “reflective nature” of digital, it’s likely the signal is bounced “off the building next door,” he said. “So people buy this box, they get it home, they don’t have an [properly pointed] antenna, they plug it in and nothing happens, so they bring it back.”
He said that was Funai’s motivation last fall for developing a CEA-909-compliant DTV set-top compatible with a “smart antenna.” Such antennas are omnidirectional and their directions are controlled and adjusted automatically for best reception. Cannistraro was among a party of top Funai executives to demonstrate the technology at the FCC’s Office of Technology & Engineering, it was disclosed in an ex parte filing at the Commission. Testifying to the importance of the meeting, Funai sent its chmn., Masayuki Tani, and CEO, Takeshi Ito, the filing said.
Funai’s set-top and smart antenna sell as a package for about $270 at retail, Cannistraro said. It was introduced last fall and has been a strong seller among satellite dealers and a popular item among mobile home owners, he said. Best Buy’s web site has begun merchandising the Funai set-top as a package with a manual amplified indoor antenna at $229. A similar product will be available in 100 Best Buy stores starting within about a month, he said.
The box itself has been built for CEA-909 compatibility and thus “will still scan and lock in available programming” in digital, “but it won’t start telling the antenna to do what it’s supposed to do,” Cannistraro said.