IP: DIGITAL TV ERA STILL REMAINS OUT OF REACH Edupage, 7 August 2000

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

> DIGITAL TV ERA STILL REMAINS OUT OF REACH
> Consumers in the U.S. have purchased only 230,000 digital
> televisions in the last two years, frustrating the government's
> attempt to convert the nation's analog television channels to
> digital.  The government plans to auction all 1,600 of those
> analog channels in 2006, after which only digital channels will
> broadcast over the air.  Each existing analog channel has already
> received a digital channel for this purpose.  However, only
> digital televisions or those equipped with digital converter
> boxes will be able to receive the digital signals, which is why
> consumer interest is so vital to the plan's success.  The price
> of digital televisions and receivers is one factor in the slow
> sales, and there are few compelling reasons for consumers to make
> the switch.  Hardly any of the 150 stations now broadcasting a
> digital signal offer programming designed for digital
> televisions, while the cable industry, which services two-thirds
> of American viewers, has said they will not carry digital
> channels.  The movie industry has also objected to the new
> technology, arguing that it will make it easier for pirates to
> make high-quality copies of recent films.  In response,
> manufacturers such as Sony are delaying the introduction of new
> digital units, while analog channels are offering their digital
> channels for other uses. (New York Times, 7 Aug 2000)