ATSC 3.0 - Oh boy

[colorfixer]

I guess I won't need to worry about how long my flat panel lasts...


http://www.c2meworld.com/distributio...-3-0-advances/

"The most differentiating characteristic of ATSC 3.0 is that it will not be backward-compatible with 1.0 or even 2.0, which is now in development. In other words, televisions now capable of processing over-the-air TV signals will not be able to decode ATSC 3.0 signals. "

[Username1]

I doubt there will be converter boxes available to go from atsc 3 back to atsc 2, or 1. And I guarantee there will not be one to go back to ntsc. I think the only reason they did it for the ntsc this time around was that there were sets from the 50's theoretically still in use.... I guess tv's will go the way of cell phones, every few years they will come up with something else.... The only good thing I see in that story is the distributed transmission thing... But I would imagine if they can't get people to pay for it, and general tv viewership continues to decline, both adoption, a partially implemented distributed transmission scheme will mean the end of OTA tv of any kind, and it will further splinter into today's broadcast channels, cable channels, and internet providers like netflix and their tv shows. I think this system will take quite a while to sell to broadcasters, I don't think it will fly with the public all that well, and more people will just give up tv.

Thanks for posting the story.

[Chip Chester]

Betcha dollars to donuts that a 3.0 set won't even power up without a persistent internet connection back to the tracking/ad insertion server.

Chip

[Username1]

Originally Posted by Chip Chester

Betcha dollars to donuts that a 3.0 set won't even power up without a persistent internet connection back to the tracking/ad insertion server.

Chip

Or it won't do anything if you don't have a active contract on it.... like a cell phone.

[Jon A.]

And the money grab goes on...

[Geoff Bourquin]

Active connection? Contract? I don't think so!!! Looks like I'll go back to reading books

[colorfixer]

The little independent stations here have fallen to companies like OTA, who will likely migrate the spectrum they occupy toward wireless data like CDMA 450 or whatever replaces it.

TV is living on borrowed time. I'm starting to think about a world run by a "Raymond Cockteau" from Demolition Man and a screen telling me to "Be Well". Just about time to go get a broccoli banana shake and sing "I wanna be an Oscar Meyer weiner".

[Jon A.]

Sounds like it's time to start from scratch and band together to start our own ANALOG OTA and cable networks. Stick it to the suit dummies.

[Username1]

Time to expand my OTA DVD and VHS recordings of the good stuff available on This TV and Antenna TV while it lasts..... I really thought this system was not going to be changed for quite a while if ever in the rest of my lifetime.....

[W3XWT]

This time, the junk might actually work!

[jr_tech]

Originally Posted by Username1

I doubt there will be converter boxes available to go from atsc 3 back to atsc 2, or 1. And I guarantee there will not be one to go back to ntsc.

Why? I suspect that the early ATSC 3 sets will be quite expensive and in short supply. Therefore, there *will* be a demand for converter boxes... If a consumer demand exists, there will be a product to meet the demand.

jr

[Nick_the_'Nole]

Therefore, there *will* be a demand for converter boxes...

...to go from ATSC3 to HDMI, and which will inevitably come complete with whatever DRM du jour. How many do you think are going to have analog RF out, or even composite?

And there almost certainly will never be anything going from ATSC3 to ATSC1, simply due to the licensing crap surrounding ATSC. Ever seen a consumer device of any sort that had ATSC output?

[W3XWT]

The ATSC 1.0 format was supposed to be "forward-compatable" so upgrades could be downloaded "invisibly"...

[colorfixer]

The operative word is "supposed to be". The people who are in control learned that they could migrate from technology to technology holus-bolus from the cellular/PCS business. It also forces you buy new gear, so the manufacturers can keep into the adopter profit zone.

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by colorfixer

It also forces you buy new gear, so the manufacturers can keep into the adopter profit zone.

Or drive themselves out of business. It would look good on them.