HDTV? Don't waste our time. It's DTV.......................
ijumpstart.com
Don't Waste Our Time on HDTV: Hindery, Sie Blast Broadcast's Baby
<Picture><Picture><Picture>
Denver - HDTV will never materialize, TCI [TCOMA] pres Leo Hindery told a CTAM conference yesterday. The technology lacks enough opportunities for cable ops, programmers or broadcasters. Avoid the hype, he urged attendees. Digital TV is the way to go, he said, but, "If the customers ask for [HDTV], we'll give it to them." Never missing a chance to slam Uncle Sam, Hindery called Washington "rude, undemocratic and unfriendly" in imposing HDTV standards. Encore Media Group pres John Sie agreed: "This situation is the sad consequence of 10 years of government meddling in an attempt to formulate industrial policy." Higher quality TV is possible now by combining NTSC digital signals with receiver enhancements, a much cheaper solution that takes up less bandwidth, Sie said. The upshot of the HDTV debate is cable ops are in a "reactive mode," waiting for broadcasters to make decisions about the spectrum, MediaOne vp of comm Rob Stoddard said afterward. "It creates additional uncertainty." |
