[LINK] digital TV conversion - psychology of the consumer

[David Goldstein]

If our government had the foresight of the Brits on digital television, then maybe more people would be keen, but then they have their problems too. When you compare Freeview - http://freeview.co.uk/ - with what Howard outlined below, then it's no wonder so few Australians take up digital television...

David

----- Original Message ----
From: Howard Lowndes <lannet at lannet.com.au>
Cc: link at anu.edu.au
Sent: Monday, 6 August, 2007 2:52:02 PM
Subject: Re: [LINK] digital TV conversion - psychology of the consumer



Jan Whitaker wrote:
> Interesting article in the Age today:
> http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/hard-to-get-analog-aussies-over-digital-divide/2007/08/05/1186252543127.html 
> 
> 
> Hard to get analog Aussies over TV digital divide
> Ross Honeywill
> August 6, 2007
> 
> Basic point: it's a digital barrier, not a divide, and moving the 
> turn-off date doesn't solve it. It's a different perspective than we 
> normally take on Link.

I guess that I am one who has jumped the digital hurdle, or am at least 
still airborne and landing on the far side.

I have a very old TV that has been in the repair shop twice in its life 
already and I guess that its next trip will bypass to the tip, and 
having just had to replace a geriatric refrigerator and about to do the 
same with a washing machine, I decided that I needed to look at a TV 
options and at least see what digital TV offered.  That was amplified by 
being a Linux bigot and wanting to play with MythTV.

At this stage I have got digital TV working fine with the frontend 
being, either the same box as the backend, or wifi to my laptop. (Yes, I 
have got an ugly tower sitting in the lounge room, but then I don't have 
anyone to nag me about it, except the cat - I'm planning on building a 
more acceptable box for it down the line).

I also went to the steps of replacing my antenna.  My old one was a 
VHF/UHF antenna pointing south to Mt Baranduda at about 20km; now I have 
a 13db UHF antenna pointing north-east to North Albury at about 4km.

So, what do I get with digital TV?

I get good pictures, including HDTV, though my current processor (AMD 
1GHz) is not man enough to decode a wide screen 16:9 HD signal and 
stream it cleanly to a frontend; it will handle a standard 4:3 HD signal 
and stream it.  Actually MythTV does a better job of getting the video 
and audio streams than the Winders software that came with the capture card.

What about content?

ABC offers:
ABC SD            }
ABC TV Victoria        } all the same content
ABC HD            }
ABC 2        some time shifted content from ABC and some new
ABC DiG Radio
ABC DiG Jazz

SBS offers:
SBS SD            }
SBS 2            } all the same content
SBS HD            }
SBS NEWS
SBS Radio 1
SBS Radio 2

Prime offers:
Prime Albury        }
Prime HD        }
Prime View 1        } all the same content
Prime View 2        }
Prime View 3        }

WIN offers:
WIN Upper Murray    }
WIN HD            } all the same content

SC10 offers:
SC10            }
SC10 HD            } all the same content
MyTalk

To I get additionally ABC 2 as a new channel, SBS News which is 
non-English, 2 radio channels mostly non-English and 2 music channels.

I understand that current legislation does not allow the commercial 
channels to multi-channel.  If the government wants to promote the move 
from analogue to digital then it has to facilitate more content and 
quality content, not just more channels of cheap to produce "reality" shows.

One other thing that has to be got right is for the channels to ensure 
that their EITs are:
1. Correct, esp at the end and start of programs
2. Appropriate to the region - Prime Albury EIT is not what is broadcast
3. Forward looking - WIN is currently looking forward 3 days, Prime is 
looking forward 1.5 days but is incorrect for the local region, ABC 
about .5 days and SBS and SC10, you're lucky if they tell you what the 
current program is let alone the next one due up.  The forward schedules 
are available for the analogue channels
The Winders software has no provision for accessing the EIT stream.

So, my recommendations are:
1. more quality content that are not just advert fillers
2. a more reliable EIT stream

-- 
Howard.
LANNet Computing Associates - Your Linux people <http://lannetlinux.com>
When you want a computer system that works, just choose Linux;
When you want a computer system that works, just, choose Microsoft.
--
Flatter government, not fatter government; abolish the Australian states.

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