HDTV and SDTV are moving much quicker than presently perceived. The local broadcasters, in each of the ten largest metropolitan areas in the US, are working out their digital implementation models as well as getting technically ready (new towers, etc.) to broadcast VSB transmissions.
Through the grapevine, I've learned that the Atlanta broadcasters (and most probably others including the local broadcasters in Dallas, Seattle, Los Angeles and NYC) plan to offer approximately 50 digital channels, spilting up the channel pie amongst each other. For example, the NBC affiliate goes with CNBC, the ABC affitlate with ESPN, etc. Premium channels (HBO, Showtime, etc.), most likely, will be auctioned off on a local basis. The only missing factor in all this is the lack of a sufficient number of HDTVs, SDTVs and coverter boxes available to their audiences, upon market introduction.
Broadcasters are looking for numbers....readily available and affordable HDTV and SDTV sets and digital converters.
Will Zenith respond? Can they afford to stick with their 1998 manufacturing strategy of producing low-margin analog TVs and a limited number of $6,000 HD receivers and $12,000 HDTVs (targeted to the high-end, early entrants) or should they pull out all the stops to manufacture 48" wide-model HDTVs (priced in the $5,000 to $7,000 range) and 32" wide-model SDTV sets (priced in the $2,500 range) and $500 converters? Questions that 2,400 broadcasters around the nation want answered and questions which Jeff and Bob quickly need to address. |
