Posted by Ty Ford on 05/18/06 13:43

On Wed, 17 May 2006 18:22:21 -0400, Steve Guidry wrote
(in article <xmNag.1621$921.416@newsread4.news.pas.earthlink.net>):

>> In the audio field, people were in denial about the coming of ProTools
>> and the other programs. In video, it was denial about NLEs. This stuff
>> is coming. Over the air analog dies on February 18, 2009. In HD, the
>> big networks will make the jump, followed by the lesser networks. Then
>> HD TV prices will drop, and the cable companies will go all HD. Then
>> the affiliates and LPTV/Access centers/college stations. Maybe this
>> process will take 10 years, maybe less. As Sony goes, so goes the
>> industry.
>
>
> You're making a common mistake. The death of analog does _NOT_ mean that
> all these TV stations will be doing HD. It means that they will be doing
> DIGITAL. For a very few, that may mean an all-HD schedule. But for
> most - - large markets and small, it will mean STANDARD DEFINITION
> digital.
>
> The reason is pure and simple economics : an HD TV channel takes all the
> bandwidth allocated to the station. An SD digital channel takes 1/4th of
> this bandwidth. That means the broadcaster can either transmit one really
> good-looking HD signal or 4 good, but not HD-quality SD signals. This
> means that he will have not one, but FOUR revenue streams. To be sure,
> there are some things that will demand HD quality - - sports and movies come
> to mind immediately. But there are a LOT of things that will most
> certainly be deemed NOT worthy of HD - - like news, daily talk shows,
> reruns of Hogan's Heroes, and all that legacy programming that no one wants
> to talk about.
>
> I agree that HD is coming. For some, it's here now. But it's just foolish
> to junk perfectly good SD gear when it has lots of life in it.
>
> And hey - - I might buy an HDV rig in a few months just so I can deceive
> clients into thinking that they're "getting HD". But I'll only be kidding
> them.
>
> More later . . .
>
> Steve

The Utah Winter Olympics had the best broadcast HD of any olympic broadcast
since then. Multicasting, bad satellite hops, bad cameras? Dunno, but so far,
HD as broadcast here in MD is getting worse, not better.

Channel 11 (Hearst) is squishing its 4:3 to fit 16:9 on the 11.1 channel and
they are doing it so you can't adjust it at the receiver. Every one of their
news staff instantly gained 20 pounds (and everything is pretty smeary) due
to the aspect ratio squish.

When I emailed the GM and asked why the options had been taken away, he
replied that viewers were getting confused. What a maroon!

No other station in Baltimore is "helping" the viewer in this way.

There should be an HDTV police to stop that sort of stupidity. (Oops. Did I
say that out loud?)

Regards,

Ty Ford






-- Ty Ford's equipment reviews, audio samples, rates and other audiocentric
stuff are at www.tyford.com

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