Firewire, a.k.a. IEEE-1394, is being resurrected as the sinew of HD home networks hoped to be easy for consumers to connect but hard to crack for content piracy. The proposal comes from a multi-industry group that introduced itself Wed. and will reveal other members and plans at the upcoming CES, with the goal having compliant products at the Las Vegas show in 2007.
Entravision bought Harris DTV transmitters for 17 of its stations, Harris said. It said Entravision chose Harris PowerCD high-power UHF ATSC transmitters for most of its stations, and DiamondCD UHF sold-state transmitters for its stations with a power output of less than 15kW.
Thomson and Zoran said they teamed to develop an ATSC-compliant reference design easily integrated into analog CRT TV sets or set-top converter boxes for DTV reception. The reference design is based on Zoran’s SupraHD 640 processor and Cascade 2 demodulator, plus the Thomson DTT 7602 DTV tuner device. They said the reference design’s compactness would enable set makers to incorporate it easily directly into an analog TV chassis or a set-top converter box. The reference design “offers a DVD-class video and audio experience far superior to what consumers are receiving today on their analog NTSC televisions,” said Dave Pederson, Zoran vp-corporate mktg. No costs were given, but Zoran has said converter boxes containing the SupraHD 640 processor could retail for $50 or less by a 2009 analog cutoff, assuming mass production volume. The companies said they plan to demonstrate the design at CES. Thomson LG, were picked by the NAB and MSTV to devise a low-cost DTV converter box.
A rulemaking on technology under which DTV broadcasters could use multiple cell-like transmitters (CD Dec 20 p5), rather than one big transmitter per station was launched by the FCC. The ATSC approved the standard more than a year ago. The FCC said the so-called Distributed Transmission Systems (DTS) would let broadcasters fill gaps in coverage areas. It also could let stations maximize their station coverage areas, the Commission said. The rulemaking seeks comments on how DTV receivers and converter boxes would work in a DTS environment. It proposes to apply existing DTV rules for effective radiated power, antenna height and emission mask, and would maintain protections against “cherry picking.”
In an effort to promote over-the-air DTV sets and LIN TV’s broadcast stations, the company formed a co-marketing arrangement with Bernie’s stores in Providence, R.I. in what one industry executive called an unusual marketing plan. Under the partnership, Bernie’s customers pay $219 and receive a discounted ATSC-equipped Samsung set and an indoor antenna. LIN TV Chmn. Gary Chapman said the deal will last through the Super Bowl. Broadcasters have been criticized for not marketing over-the-air DTV with large retailers. CBS TV Exec. VP Marty Franks said he has been working with major retailers 6 years on a co-marketing deal. “But I haven’t been able to get a single one to sign up.” LIN TV is negotiating similar arrangements with retailers in other markets, Chapman said, but wouldn’t provide details. Bernie’s is absorbing the costs of the discounted sets and displaying DTV in 3 Providence stores in exchange for promotions on LIN’s 2 stations in the market -- WNAC-TV (Fox) and WPRI-TV (CBS). The stations’ websites also provide links about how to obtain HD sets. LIN TV and Bernie’s also are promoting DTV over free TV. - - TP
CEA is “out of touch with the realities of the technical challenges of DTV reception as well as 2 of its largest members,” said NAB Pres. Eddie Fritts in response to CEA’s criticisms of NAB/MSTV’s program for a prototype of DTV converter boxes (CD Oct 13 p11). NAB hired CEA members LG Electronics and Thomson to develop the prototype, but CEA said NAB/MSTV’s plan would be costly and contain features most consumers don’t need or want. Fritts said NAB was “proud” to stand with CEA members in their effort to ensure consumers receive affordable and reliable access to local TV stations both during and after the DTV transition. Meanwhile, Thomson, which with LG bid successfully in the NAB/MSTV converter-box program, bristled at CEA’s criticism. Its video compression technology “is a key ingredient in the ATSC standard and we have been working since the beginning of the digital TV transition to develop and offer products to suit a wide variety of customer requirements,” the firm said. Vp David Arland said his company was “honored to be selected by MSTV and NAB to work on their project and believe that the market for digital-to-analog set-top boxes will require a selection of options for consumers.” Some consumers will opt for a “simple” DTV converter, as broadcasters envision, and others “will need more feature- rich devices that both decode and output high-definition TV,” Arland said. “We will be ready for the needs of our customers, whether they are network operators, retailers, consumers, or Congress itself.”
ATSC veterans LG and Thomson were tapped Wed. to develop prototype set-top converters for terrestrial DTV reception on legacy analog TVs. In announcing selection of the respective Zenith and RCA parents, the MSTV and NAB cited the CE firms’ role in developing the ATSC standard and their experience in building low-cost set tops. The LG/Thomson prototypes will be reference designs for other makers, to ensure the 70 million analog TVs in 21 million residences relying on terrestrial broadcast “will continue to receive free over-the-air TV service when all-digital broadcasting begins,” MSTV and NAB said. Selection of LG and Thomson came after evaluation of more than a dozen proposals by CE and chip makers worldwide in response to a June 20 quotation request by MSTV and NAB, the groups said. The effort, jointly funded by MSTV and NAB with assistance from LG and Thomson, “comports with Congressional efforts to subsidize quality converter boxes that provide an alternative for consumers that want to keep their current analog equipment,” MSTV Pres. David Donovan said. Neither a schedule for prototype delivery nor a per-unit was announced, but $50 is an attainable target, industry consensus maintains.
The Advanced TV Systems Committee (ATSC) approved the Advanced Common Application Platform (ACAP) standard. ACAP offers technical details to content creators, broadcasters, cable operators and consumer electronics makers developing interoperable services and products. ACAP harmonizes the ATSC digital TV application software environment DASE standard with CableLabs OCAP specifications. “This is important for content creators and consumer electronics manufacturers because an ubiquitous standard is necessary for consumer acceptance of enhanced and interactive services,” ATSC Pres. Mark Richer said.
“Contrary to what you may have heard otherwise,” the role of U.S. companies in the development and production of DTV products “is quite significant,” CEA Pres. Gary Shapiro told the Senate Commerce Committee in a letter Fri.
MSTV picked AGC Systems to manage MSTV/NAB’s digital converter box project. AGC will oversee development, evaluation and production of a complete digital-to-analog converter box that will allow analog receivers to play digital broadcast signals, MSTV said. Last week, MSTV and NAB, saying they had funds to help develop a prototype DTV converter box, began soliciting proposals from the consumer electronics industry and others (CD June 17 p6). AGC was tapped because of AGC principal Aldo Cugnini’s role in developing ATSC HDTV systems, knowledge of the CE industry and strong technical skills, MSTV said.