IP: hdtv, yet again

[David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

ABC has done precisely what many realists expected them to do.  The other
broadcasters will follow shortly. Fox  has always said that hdtv was a bad
idea. The whole exercise was a scheme to "steal" the 80% of unused UHF
spectrum which they succeeded in doing. Anyone expect the feds to force
them to return the spetrum?


Dave






Title:  High-Definition TV Is Dealt a Setback
Source: Wall Street Journal (B5)
<http://www.wsj.com/>
Author: Kyle Pope
Issue:  Digital TV
Description: ABC and Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that they will not
use digital television capacity to air high-definition television (HDTV)
that provides better pictures and cd-quality sound. Instead they will use
the technology to provide multiple channels. "Our share of viewing will
continue to erode as long as we remain a single channel in an expanding
multichannel marketplace," said the president of Disney's ABC. The network
hopes to tap into the $30 billion annual subscription fee market that is now
dominated by cable and satellite TV. It is also considering marrying the
television to the Internet: "With a click of the remote-control button,
customers will be able to tell us if they want a free sample of a new
headache remedy or wish to test-drive a new car." [For more on the
conversion to digital TV see Picture This: Digital TV and the Future of
Television <http://www.benton.org/Policy/TV/digital.html>]