February 09, 2006, 10:02 AM PST
Bush signs DTV bill; analog cutoff February 17, 2009
Posted by: David Katzmaier

In the final step required to make the phase-out of analog TV broadcasts official, President Bush yesterday signed the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which contains legislation stating that on February 17, 2009, all TV broadcasters nationwide must switch off their analog broadcasts. After that date, televisions that rely solely on analog over-the-air television--typically delivered via rabbit-ear antennas--will go dark.

Anticipating mass hysteria that would arise from millions of Americans losing their free TV, the Act allocates $1.5 billion toward a subsidy for new DTV converter boxes. A converter box would allow televisions that lack a DTV tuner--still the majority of those sold in the United States--to display the new digital broadcasts. When the amount set aside for the subsidy was debated in Congress, many Democrats raised concerns that it wasn't enough to account for the estimated 45 million televisions among 20 million households that rely on analog broadcasts. Details regarding the subsidy still remain vague, such as who would be eligible and how much of the estimated $50 cost for the boxes it would actually cover.

The analog cutoff will likely not affect televisions that rely on cable or satellite programming. All satellite transmissions from DirecTV and Dish Network are digital to begin with and require a set-top box anyway, and cable operators Comcast and Time Warner have announced that they will continue to carry analog and digital feeds of the major networks. According to Multichannel News, cable providers will likely negotiate further measures that will allow customers to continue using their analog TVs after the deadline.

Consumer confusion still reigns regarding the transition to digital. According to a survey of 500 people conducted in December 2005 by Points North Group and Horowitz Associates, just 13 percent of respondents knew that U.S. analog broadcasts would end in three years, and just 23 percent of those surveyed knew that analog TVs would go dark unless connected to a converter box. It's also worth noting that the segment of the population likely to be most affected by the cutoff--the poor and the elderly who don't subscribe to pay TV services--will be the least informed about it. If the government doesn't start educating Americans about the impending switch to digital, it may face serious backlash, and everyone knows that elections are won and lost on TV.

Source: Multichannel News, UPI, EE Times via Mark Schubin

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February 09, 2006, 8:50 AM PST
NBC's HD winter Olympics go live
Posted by: David Katzmaier

The people over at the Peacock got the cold shoulder from many observers for not airing the HD version of their Summer Olympics 2004 coverage until 24 hours after the events took place. I remember having to decide on more than one evening whether to watch the live, standard-definition telecast--with its real-time updates, first-string announcers such as Bob Costas, and universal coverage of different venues--or the high-def version, with its tape delay, amateurish graphics, no-name announcers, and seemingly endless coverage of gymnastics. More often than not, I would choose SD, reserving the HD version for times when I just wanted to fill the screen with a nice-looking picture.

For the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, the network is simulcasting its coverage in HD, meaning that the HD broadcasts are as live as the standard-def broadcasts and will use the same cameras, graphics, and announcers (the SD coverage will actually be downconverted from HD cameras). NBC specified that it plans a total of 416 hours of coverage, much of which will be available in HD, including hockey, figure skating, and speed skating, as well as most skiing events, such as ski jumping. Events that won't receive the HD treatment, due to lack of HD cameras and production equipment at the event facilities, include some skiing events, curling, and luge (too bad--the luge helmet cam in HD would be sweet).

According to the Los Angeles Times, the east coast will receive most of the coverage live, while the west coast will have to deal with the standard three-hour time delay for NBC's prime-time coverage. Per a release on broadcastbuyer.tv by way of Phil Swann's new blog, the HD broadcasts will be available in Dolby Digital 5.1 on NBC's local high-def affiliate stations and also on UniversalHD, NBC's sister network that's available from satcasters DirecTV and Dish Network as well as from select cable providers. The opening ceremony will be broadcast in high-def on NBC at 8 p.m., Friday, February 10.

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October 13, 2005, 11:39 AM PDT
PocketDish first impressions
Posted by: David Katzmaier

I've been playing with the PocketDish AV700E portable video player that Dish Network announced a couple weeks ago, and it has its strengths and weaknesses. The $599 list device is basically an Archos AV700 (40GB) with the added ability to download and play back TV programs from Dish satellite DVRs. That part works fine: I loved being able to fill the device with a bunch of shows from my Dish Player-DVR 942. The AV700E's hard disk can store a massive amount of programming--40 hours--and during my couple of weeks with the unit, I've used it primarily to watch Dish TV. The convenience of being able to hook the device directly to my satellite receiver and record shows faster than real time (with the standard Archos, you have to record video in real time or download it from a PC) can't be overstated.

On the other hand, I wasn't thrilled with transfer speed via USB 2.0: it took 6 minutes, 24 seconds to transfer an hour-long show. Transferring the same file from my PC to the Archos took 1 minute, 12 seconds. Dish's rep blamed the slow transfer on the 942's processor speed compared to a PC's. Video quality was fine, about as good as real-time analog recordings, but the AV700E's screen appeared soft and somewhat washed out (the Archos review had similar complaints). I expect the screen on the smaller AV500E to look better. Look for the full review of the PocketDish in the next few days.

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October 03, 2005, 8:40 AM PDT
Americans watch more TV than ever
Posted by: David Katzmaier

According to the latest research from Nielsen, Americans devote more time than ever to watching television. The TV ratings service attributes the all-time high in TV viewership per household per day--a whopping 8 hours, 11 minutes for the 2004-2005 season--to the increase in available channels and number of TVs per household. A couple of more nuggets from the report:   

• The average individual watched 4 hours, 32 minutes of TV per day last season, the highest level in 15 years.
• The average U.S. home now receives more than 100 channels of programming.
• The average household watches 1 hour, 53 minutes of prime-time TV per day.
• During 2005's premiere week for prime-time programming, an average of 62 percent of American households were watching TV.

The press release and an Excel sheet documenting TV viewership from 1949 to the present is available on Nielsen's Web site. If you find these kinds of numbers as disturbing as I do, you may want to check out some TV alternatives at tvturnoff.org.

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September 28, 2005, 10:38 AM PDT
Analog TV cutoff as early as 2007?
Posted by: David Katzmaier

If John McCain has his way, the government will require television stations to stop broadcasting analog TV by January 1, 2007. The senator and other lawmakers in both the House and the Senate are supporting amendments to a budget bill that will, if passed, enforce a turn-off date that's a full two years earlier than was originally indicated. They cite the necessity to free up spectrum for use by emergency services and use the large-scale breakdown of communications after Hurricane Katrina as an example. The sped-up transition would leave millions of people who watch only over-the-air analog TV--namely those who can't afford cable or satellite--without any recourse but to purchase a special adapter that would allow their TVs to receive digital broadcasts. Congress is expected to vote on the amendments within the next couple of weeks.

Trade journalist Mark Schubin, for one, challenged the legislation on the grounds that shutting down analog broadcasts would endanger lives rather than protect them. He also encourages everyone to contact their local senators to voice their opinions. I think Schubin makes a pretty good point.

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September 09, 2005, 1:15 PM PDT
HP (net) works over its 2006 televisions
Posted by: David Katzmaier

Details are still vague, but yesterday I sat down with the people at HP for a demo of their new home-networking-infused televisions, which rely on (surprise!) an incarnation of Microsoft's Windows Media Center Edition. The prototype 32-inch LCD I saw was connected via Ethernet to a PC in the next room. The company alluded to wireless compatibility, saying that a, b, and g standards may be onboard when the product(s) launch in "mid-2006," along with another mystery wireless solution (at that point they claimed they'd "said too much" and moved on to the demo).

The set I saw employed a slick all-new interface that was able to browse to video, audio, and still picture files stored on the PC and play them back on the TV. Any PC on the network can deliver content to the television and even stream Windows Media 9.0 high-def files. The company stipulated support for just about every file format except for secure AAC (that is, songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store). The system will also have the MCE-like ability to get "push" media center content and to download content over the Web.

HP also mentioned the possibility of a built-in DVR, as well as the option to connect additional storage (USB or network-attached hard drives), but wasn't clear on details. I'm guessing that if HP goes DVR, it will use the subscription-based EPG found on Media Center PCs and devices such as LG's new LG LRM-519 recorder. Although HP only talked about networked LCD TVs in its demo, its press release left open the possibility of seeing the system in other types of TVs, including its new DLP-based microdisplays and plasmas. More-specific timing and pricing for HP's networked TV's was left unspecified.

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September 08, 2005, 2:43 PM PDT
Sony's SXRD Grand Wegas: Qualia comes to the middle class?
Posted by: David Katzmaier

Sony earned high marks for its Qualia 006 when the 70-inch rear-projection HDTV bowed earlier this year. The 006 utilizes SXRD--Silicon X-tal (pronounced crystal) Reflective Display--projection technology, a Sony variant of LCoS. Unfortunately, the $13,000 price tag put the Qualia as far from most people's living rooms as a Ferrari is from their driveways. What a difference a few months makes: Sony is highlighting its new "budget" SXRD models at CEDIA. Announced last month, the 50-inch KDS-R50XBR1 ($4,000) and 60-inch KDS-R60XBR1 ($5,000) utilizes the same basic technology as its Qualia predecessor but is much more competitively priced vs. similarly sized plasma, DLP, and LCoS rear-projection models. Yes, you can get a better price on a 1080p DLP, such as the Samsung HL-R5078W or the Mitsubishi WD-52627, but the spread is much closer; if the Qualia 006 is any indication, these Sonys should perform very well. Both are loaded to the gills with features: 1080p resolution, HDMI inputs, CableCard, and built-in ATSC tuners. It remains to be seen whether these middle-class Qualias will energize Sony's slouching TV sales, but delivering cutting-edge technology at a more reasonable price is certainly a step in the right direction.

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September 08, 2005, 1:50 PM PDT
Texas Instruments pushes 1080p DLP
Posted by: David Katzmaier

Update: I went by the DLP booth and stayed for the demo, and as expected, it looked fabulous. They showed 1080p front-projection in both one- and three-chip configurations, and the Sin City sequence in particular looked as sharp as I've ever seen. Afterward. I found out that TI isn't using the same "wobulated" 960x1,080 1080p chip found in its 1080p rear-projection sets; the front-projection chips will have all 1,920x1,080 discrete micromirrors. The company's reps were mum on whether these "full" 1080p chips will be available in rear-projection models anytime soon, but I have no doubt they will.

A couple of announcements at CEDIA were designed to alert the media to the company's 1080p DLP offerings. Texas Instruments manufactures the DLP chips found inside so many front- and rear-projection televisions, and the first announcement trumpeted the widespread availability of 1080p rear-projection sets from manufacturers such as Samsung, Mitsubishi, HP, and Toshiba. More interestingly, it noted that the entire microdisplay rear-projection category, since the first quarter of this year, has surpassed traditional CRT-based RPTVs in sales. The company also announced the availability of 1080p chips for front-projectors--currently these models top out at 720p resolution. The 1080p front-projection chipset will be available in single-chip (with a color wheel) and more expensive three-chip configurations. Current three-chip DLP projectors cost $20,000 and up, so we can only imagine what they'll charge for 1080p.

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September 08, 2005, 1:44 PM PDT
Epson's 3LCD home projectors
Posted by: David Katzmaier

Epson announced four new, LCD-based front projectors at CEDIA, and between them, they hit practically every price point. On the "family" end is the Epson MovieMate 25, an all-in-one front-projection solution that includes a built-in DVD player, an external subwoofer, and an 80-inch pull-up screen. The projector itself is capable of DVD-level 480p output, with native 16:9 support and an adjustable pitch on the X- and Y-axes for easy fine-tuning. The whole package retails for $1,199, and while that's not bad for what you're getting, the unit itself is quite large; it has the white coloring that distinguishes "classy" products of the iPod generation, but the bulky cube shape may not appeal to style-conscious buyers. This model compares with other all-in-one projector/DVD players such as the RadioShack Cinego D-1000.

Epson also announced the step-down PowerLite Home 20; it has a more familiar projector-only form factor, and the lack of a DVD player and included screen brings its cost down to a compelling $999. There's also the 1,000:1 contrast ratio and the 1,200-lumens bulb to consider, both of which vie with competitors in the sub-$1,000 price area. For consumers who already have a DVD player or who like their projectors slim, the PowerLite Home 20 becomes a steal over the MovieMate 25.

Last but not least, Epson unveiled two high-definition projectors with 1,280x720 native resolution (the two models above are 852x480). Priced at $2,499 and $4,499, respectively, the PowerLite Cinema 550 and 800 both offer HDMI connectivity and user-controlled gamma and color-adjustment settings. The only difference lies in the PowerLite 800's superior 5,000:1 contrast ratio and its 1,600-lumens bulb, which trump the 550's 3,000:1 ratio and 1,400-lumens bulb. The Cinema 550 is a compelling option for home-theater aspirants who want high-def resolution and don't want to spend the extra cash for a DLP-based unit such as the Sharp XV-Z2000.

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July 13, 2005, 11:59 AM PDT
Three more years of analog TV
Posted by: David Katzmaier

Nobody really thought that Congress would end up enforcing the 2006 turn-off deadline for analog television broadcasts, but now it's semiofficial: the new blackout date will be 2009, according to proposed legislation. At the end of 2008, so the story goes, all TV broadcasters will turn off their over-the-air analog transmissions and leave the spectrum free to be auctioned off--although a good portion will supposedly be used for emergency broadcasts and homeland security. The head of the National Association of Broadcasters is happy about the date, but issues remain. The biggest is that current analog TV receivers will require special converter boxes to receive the new digital broadcasts, and consumer groups are urging Uncle Sam to subsidize the boxes. Seeing that the government will net an estimated $10 billion from the spectrum auction, I don't think that's too much to ask.

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