Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : C-Cube -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Rieman who wrote (33820)	6/12/1998 3:39:00 PM
From: DiViT	Respond to of 50808

Divi in Baltimore... SINCLAIR PLANS SIDE-BY-SIDE DIGITAL DEMO: BALTIMORE WILL SEE 1080I, 480P JON LAFAYETTE NEW YORK BUREAU CHIEF 06/08/98 Electronic Media Page 39 Copyright (C) 1998 Crain Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. While other broadcasters are touting the glories of high-definition television, Sinclair Broadcast Group this week will unveil the first over-the-air demonstration of digital multicasting. With control of two stations in Baltimore-its own WBFF-TV and local marketing agreement outlet WNUV-TV-Sinclair will be able to use their digital channels to show programming in HDTV and standard-definition digital multicasting side by side. For HDTV, the demonstration will use the 1080-interlaced scanning format selected by NBC and CBS simultaneously. For multicasting, it will use the 480-progressive format, which uses a smaller amount of bandwidth, allowing five programs to be squeezed into one channel. Nat Ostroff, vice president, new technology, at Sinclair, said most viewers won't see much difference between the pictures. "It will speak for itself. If you go for 480p, you get all these extra programs," he said. At the demonstration, using monitors and set-top boxes from Panasonic, viewers will be able to use a remote control with a new button: In addition to one that changes channels, there's a program button that chooses among multiple programs on a single channel. "This is really a tour de force of digital television," he said. Mr. Ostroff said the multiplex setup being demonstrated is more compelling than a single HDTV signal and will help move people to buy digital sets. It could work as either a commercial supported or subscription service, he said. Multicasting has been an almost taboo subject among broadcasters because legislators in Washington feel they were promised HDTV in exchange for a new slice of free spectrum. When ABC Television Network President Preston Padden last year floated a trial balloon about multicasting, he and the heads of other broadcasters were summoned to Capitol Hill to promise to deliver HDTV. Sinclair has been nearly alone declaring its intention to broadcast multiple standard-definition program streams and has invited members of Congress and the Federal Communications Commission to see its demonstration. It has also invited the heads of some major broadcast groups to the event in the Library Building at the Boys Latin School of Maryland. The company originally planned to demonstrate multicasting earlier this year, but has been handcuffed by a shortage of digital television receiving equipment. In addition to the monitors and converter boxes from Panasonic, Sinclair will be using an encoder from Divicom and broadcast support from Comark Digital Services. The programming Sinclair will be transmitting as part of its display will include Bloomberg Television. Mr. Ostroff said Sinclair's demonstration is not designed to address the problem of indoor reception of the digital signal. Sinclair Chairman David Smith has been urging the industry to study more carefully whether or not viewers will be able to receive digital pictures over the air with indoor antennas. The tests he's seen have had disappointing results, which means that despite spending millions on new transmission equipment, broadcasters will be dependent on cable to deliver digital programming to most households. For the purposes of next week's test, Sinclair is using an outdoor antenna in direct sight of the stations' transmitters, Mr. Ostroff said. Sinclair is one of the nation's largest station owners, with 57, and controls the largest number of Fox affiliates other than Fox itself.