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Technology Stocks : LAST MILE TECHNOLOGIES - Let's Discuss Them Here -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: MikeM54321 who wrote (7843)	8/1/2000 11:38:14 AM
From: Mark Oliver	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 12823

Mike, sounds like this product from ADCT is not aimed at the US market, or the home. It's a transmitter for sending UHF frequency broadcasts. Most people here in Australia still get TV from a tower on the hill. We have 5 channels, which are often dominated by sports, but that's another subject. People who live in less populated locations may not even have this service. They must get DBS service from Austar. I even have friends who don't get electric to the door because it's too far from the main service and costs too much to install the line. Seeing how Australia is a "first" world country, this seems hard to believe, but true. Regards, Mark

To: MikeM54321 who wrote (7843)	8/1/2000 12:09:56 PM
From: lml	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 12823

Mike: The article you post addresses the introduction of digital transmitters into the marketplace. The ADCT transmitter will transmit digital BROADCAST signals as opposed to analog signals that have been in place for as long as 60 years. I am sure the Visionary DT transmitter has the capability of transmitting both SD & HD digital formats. As I stated earlier SD & HD refer to digital format of a video frame, and not necessarily a unique mode of digital transmission. The Visionary DT transmitter, IMHO, is geared to the BROADCAST markets, and not necessarily the cable or DBS markets. I believe that both DBS & cable presently receive their content via satellite feeds and not necessarily local transmission, with the possible exception of local broadcasts which the cable or DBS folks may deliver via their local distribution facilities to local subscribers. In short, the primary market at issue here is over-the-air transmission, which as we have discussed as moving towards digital transmission. This movement is somewhat but not completely independent of the move toward digital content. One can easily see how digital content transmitted along a digital platform is more technical efficient than the present model where some video content is analog, some digital, but the primary means of broadcast today is via analog. Today, we see most data communication in digital format; and we are working delivering voice along the same platform, as the Internet (IP) and ATM have become the standard platforms for the transmission of digital communication for data, soon voice, and to some extent a limited supply of video bit streams. But not all video is transmitted via the Internet. Other modes exist (ie. satellite uplinks, over-the-air broadcast transmission (which also covers radio). However, the broadcast of video by local stations today remains analog for the most part. And the movement you see here, and the movement you question, is the effort by BROADCASTERS to evolve their transmission platform from analog to digital to be "in tune" with the rest of the multimedia platforms out there. Soon all content will be stored in digital format. The transition to digital progression, IMHO, is natural, but economics will always prohibit the natural migration to this platform. Hence, we see efforts by the FCC to foment this transition, which as you allude, will be painful for some at first.

To: MikeM54321 who wrote (7843)	8/1/2000 3:54:00 PM
From: MikeM54321	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 12823

Re: Digital TV Stats- STB Vendor Pioneer and MSO Time Warner Thread- Here's a sample PR of the type of digital services MSO's are rolling out today by the millions. There appears to be an explosion of demand for digital MSO services. So much so, I don't think there is a MSO out there who hasn't complained about not being able to get enough STBs delivered. As you can see, for now, it's a mixed system that does both analog and digital. IMVHO, the financial media still seems to be behind in understanding that digital TV marketplace is exploding. Probably because it's so hard to understand. And IMHO, they are also neglecting the rollouts of cable telephony. -MikeM(From Florida) ************************ Time Warner Orders 350,000 Pioneer Set-Top TV Boxes By Jonathan Make New York, Aug. 1-- Time Warner Inc., the No. 2 U.S. cable-television company, said it ordered 350,000 set-top boxes for digital TV from Pioneer Corp., a Japanese maker of consumer electronics. Terms weren't disclosed. Time Warner has an option to buy at least an additional 150,000 devices this year, and can use Pioneer's software on all its digital cable converters. Time Warner, with 12.7 million subscribers, previously purchased 400,000 Pioneer TV boxes. Time Warner will probably pay at least $200 for each set-top box, or $70 million for its Pioneer order, said Jefferies & Co. analyst Fred Moran, who has a ``buy'' rating on Time Warner. Cable operators such as New York-based Time Warner have been upgrading their networks for digital TV, which has hundreds of channels and improved sound and picture quality, to stay competitive with satellite broadcasters. Set-top boxes let standard sets connect to the Internet, send e-mail and receive digital broadcasts. With software from Pioneer, customers can get weather forecasts, news and stock quotes at any time, access pay-per-view movies and use interactive program guides, which sort programs by time, date and subject. The software is made by Pioneer's Cable and Communications division, based in Long Beach, California. _______________ The Voyager digital cable terminal allows traditional analog features and advanced digital applications to coexist**. Advanced features such as video decompression, superior picture quality, IP addressing, 32 bit processing and increased channel capacity enhance the overall viewing experience and provide a versatile portal for interactive entertainment such as video-on-demand training/education-on-demand, Web browsing, e-commerce and local information services. Pioneer's Passport software provides a navigation and applications software platform for digital set-top solution that includes a wide range of pay-per-view and other downloadable interactive applications, such as Web-browsing, VOD, email, chat, weather, sports, stocks and news.