Inside the Digital Den
December 2000
Improved forecast?
Broadcasters stabilize DTV signals
Maury Wright, Editor-in-Chief
Back in May, we covered the digital TV (DTV) world with a look at the state of the industry ("Bleak forecast") and a hands-on examination on the DTV experience here in the Digital Den ("Finely tuned, or finally tuned?"). We didn't paint a pretty picture.
Today the situation hasn't greatly improved. As In-Stat analyst Gerry Kaufhold points out in an opinion column in this issue ("Turn it on"), the broadcasters have done little to spur consumers to purchase terrestrial DTVs. Plus, the debate between 8-VSB and COFDM modulation continues to rage, with no definitive resolution in sight. On a positive note, however, my own experience indicates that broadcasters are working the kinks out of their DTV signals.
Unlike with analog TV, where poor reception results in a poor picture, problems with DTV reception yield a blank screen. And a blank screen is all I received within my home when I tested DTV earlier this year. I could receive the audio portion of the DTV programming from the local CBS affiliate—and that meant I was receiving a stable signal. But I got no picture.
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My experience indicates that broadcasters are working the kinks out of their DTV signals. |
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An engineer at the affiliate assigned the blame for this lack of video to the way the TeraLogic PC-based HDTV receiver I was using handled PSIP (program and system information protocol) data. Well guess what? The TeraLogic receiver now gets stable signals—with video—from both the CBS and ABC affiliates. You see, the receivers do need to get better, but the broadcasters are improving their signals as well.
The two HDTV streams I can receive still aren't perfect. The audio and video aren't always perfectly synchronized, but it's not noticeable except during close-ups, when the lack of lip-sync becomes evident. This could be a TeraLogic software problem. I hope to test a software upgrade and will report progress in the online version of this article on our Web site. Moreover the first TeraLogic-based consumer product is about to ship for under $400 from Telemann (see this month's GEAR section).
On another note, I also purchased an indoor amplified antenna from Radio Shack after repeated reports that weird orientations could improve reception of DTV signals (see Mark Schubin's notes at www.digitaltelevision.com). I had no luck with the antenna, and I'm guessing that it will take an outdoor, directional, amplified antenna for me to receive Fox, NBC, or other DTV broadcasts.
Author information
Maury Wright is the editor-in-chief of CommVerge. You can reach him at maury-wright@home.com.
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