2002-07-11 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Markus Kuhn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, 2002-07-10 09:18 Subject: [USMA:20915] Broadcasting standards (DVB)
> For those of you interested in TV broadcast standards a few > bullet-points: > > - It can be expected that the analog broadcasting systems NTSC/PAL/SECAM > will be deactivated worldwide within the next two decades. The UK in > particular has already specific plans to shut down PAL broadcasting > by 2010. Markus, I don't think you really understand the american way of doing things. The NTSC will NEVER be deactivated. At least not officially. There never will be a cut-off day, at least not in the US. NTSC used in other countries might have cut-off days, but not here. There are many reasons for this: 1.) Once a standard is established and in use, it is never shut down. To do so would have negative psychological value. It would be like saying that the method was wrong and poor in design and function. Americans can not accept that their standards are ever or have ever been less than superior to all others. Things are allowed to fade away from dis-use gradually over time, but never are they ever just cut-off. It just isn't done here. 2.) There will always be those who will fight such a change based on economics. There are zillions of TV sets in the US, some very old, and to cut-off the signals that feed them just becasue a more modern standard is available will not be accepted by the masses. The masses are perfectly happy with their sets and would freak out if all of a sudden their sets no longer functioned and they had to run out and buy all new sets. also, many American households have more than 1 set. Many might even have a set in each room of the house. There would have to be a lot of sets replaced and that will cost the economy beaucoup bucks and that just is not going to happen. > > Only the US and Japan have decided to use incombatible systems. Why am I not surprised at this? I remember back in the 1980's when Japan and the uS were strongly competing to be the first to set the standard for HDTV. the Japanese came out with a analog system which the US considered inferior to the digital one they were developing. I'm sure both the US and Japan are upset that they wasted money on developing a system that is inferior to the new European one. Out of pride, don't expect either to concede and adapt the European standard. The US will go it alone. In fact the US is already producing and selling HDTV sets (At about 5000 $ (?). I see these in the stores, and except for the superiority of the 16:9 ratio, the quality of the picture is not that great. I don't see much of an improvement of conventional TV, at least not to warrant shelling out 5000 big ones. I don't know much about the standard the new system uses or at which frequency band they use. They may be using the same at standard TV with extra encoding for the HDTV, stereo, surround sound, and other options. Or, they may only work when connected to a cable system or sattelite system. I'm pretty sure that any TV signal broadcast over the air must be compatible with the NTSC signal standard. Part of the US concept of adapting to what exists and assuring that the new never replaces the old en masse. This is why you will never see a government mandated or timed metrication in the US. It risks the possibility of making a perfectly good machine obsolete only because it can't be adapted to metric, and if there are millions of such machines, then we are talking zillions of dollars. At least that is the argrument of the critics and the argrument the government listens too. Our arrogance is a curse and will be our downfall. It will get in the way of future progress. John
