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PaulHikeS2
join:2003-03-06
Merrimack, NH
 ·Comcast
| reply to vatorman
Re: 'Does HD Matter Yet?'
The FCC deadline is for the switch from analog to digital, not a switch to HD. Digital comes in other forms, such as multicasting: it's not just HD.
None of this, however, affects the cable companies. The FCC deadline is only for broadcast television. Cable companies can continue to send an analog signal as long as feasible for them to do so, because CATV is a closed system.
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Jay: What the @#$% is the internet??? | |
rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO
·Charter Pipeline
| Don't you find it amazing that an industry veteran with 32 years of experience doesn't recognize the deadline is digital, not HD.
In my opinion, there is a lot of confusion around what HD is (720i or p vs 1080i or p).and as long as that confusion exists, content providers can snow the general public. I recall when my local cable provider was only "half" digital. The satellite providers bashed this and said they were "pure digital" even though their local feeds originated in analog just like the cable companies. Now my local cable company is all digital and even sources their digital local channels from the broadcaster's digital feed. Gone are the satellite company's claims of pure digital.
Even now, FOX and ABC use 720p and PBS, NBC and CBS use 1080i. One would think that 1080i would be better but even I'm confused since 1080i is interlaced and 720p is not. The 720 might actually have a more flicker free picture than 1080i.
I think along with the digital conversion, the FCC should step in and define a single HD standard and force content providers to adhere to 1080p -- currently the best resolution. Even if the program's content doesn't fill 1080p's resolution potential, it should be black boxed. With this type of parity, the "we're pure digital" snow jobs will be gone and TV manufacturers won't have the wiggle room to produce a low end "HD ready" set that is really a piece of crap if the public understood it was only capable of 480p. | |
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