Digital Journal: Bill Hayes
Sizing Up the Transition
Iowa DTV Symposium looks to the positive
Welcome to the last Digital Journal of 2002. I generally
like to take a look back at some of the topics that I covered in
the previous year and update on progress and changes since the articles
were published. I'll also spend a little time talking about the
Eighth Annual Iowa DTV Symposium that is hosted by Iowa Public TV.
This year's symposium was our most successful yet, with over 400
people from 22 states. On the first half-day we had panels that
examined the state of the DTV rollout to the consumers. Everyone
involved in the conversion recognizes that consumer acceptance is
the most crucial element. Without the audience, the quality and
expanded service capabilities offered by DTV technology are meaningless.
The general view from the panel was one of guarded optimism. This
year's keynote speaker, Ralph Justus of the CEA, presented some
encouraging figures and projections for overall DTV consumer product
sales. I heard a few remarks that the consumer figures are actually
the number of sets purchased by vendors and not the numbers in homes;
however, I don't think the vendors are buying DTV sets to hold on
to them. It appears to me they are trying to find ways to sell the
product to the consumer.
PROMOTING DTV
One idea I have championed within our organization is to look for
cooperative promotional opportunities with consumer electronics
dealers to promote DTV to consumers. We have met with limited success
with this idea. The smaller dealers that cater to the high-end purchaser
have been very open and I have done presentations at a number of
their facilities throughout the state. Donn Kelley, consumer marketing
director for Best Buy, suggested this course of action during the
panel discussion, but our experience has been that the larger retailers
and chain stores are the least responsive to this idea. In many
ways they almost appear to be working against it.
A few months ago, we were set up at a local mall for a weekend
and I happened to be out shopping at an Ultimate Electronics store.
Whenever I am in these places I like to go over to the TV display
and play consumer. I was amazed to find a salesman at this store
that told me that there were no DTV stations on the air. When I
introduced myself and informed him that there were no less than
four DTV stations operational at that very moment he then complained
that they would have to put up an antenna. I pointed out that they
had an antenna up for the satellite services they sell; he just
walked away.
Why do I point this out? Ultimate Electronics, Best Buy and the
other chain stores are where most of consumers go for information
about this technology. If we leave the rollout of DTV consumer products
to these people, I'm afraid we may never see the fulfillment of
the promise that is digital television. If you happen to be thinking
that this isn't your job, shame on you. Communicating to everyone
the value and capabilities of DTV is the only thing that will keep
our industry alive and vibrant, so it is not only your job but also
your future.
THE BASICS
In August, I wrote an article on cabling for a DTV facility and
I encouraged engineers to rethink how they viewed wiring in a studio
in light of the bandwidths required for the high data rates associated
with HD content. At the symposium, Steve Lampen of Belden presented
a detailed overview of the topic and provided some practical suggestions
on the do's and don'ts of studio wiring.
It was interesting to me that this year I found the most compelling
presentation to be on material that over the last 15 or 20 years
has been virtually an afterthought. However, as more and more DTV
facilities are constructed, it is often the very basic and unglamorous
cables and sync signals that corrupt our DTV signals.
Possibly the oddest event that we had at the symposium was the
"DTV Smack Down." The Symposium has two separate tracks:
one for technical types and one for content creators. As we push
forward with DTV and economies and working models change, the line
that delineates between technical and creative blurs to the point
of invisibility. Yet, in operations through out the U.S. and the
world there continues to be this troubled relationship between these
two groups, who absolutely must work together to make the conversion
a success.
After two-and-a-half days of seminars and panel discussions, many
of which overloaded the synapses of the attendees, we put them all
together in a room and asked some simple questions like, "How
come you engineers never can give me what I want?" or, "Why
can't you creative types ever plan ahead?" Much merriment ensued
and there were some good exchanges that will be valuable as we try
to create the content that is compelling to the viewer receiving
the digital signal on the widescreen TV in the house that Jack built.
The presentations from the DTV Symposium are available at the IPTV
Web site at www.iptv.org/dtv.
Have a great new year and I'll see you in 2003.
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