EDN Blog: Digital TV Disaster Coming

By Doug Lung
published

Wednesday, EDN Technical Editor Paul Rako posted comments from Ricardo Salaverry and Robert Getsla on the “Digital TV disaster” on his blog.

The comments discuss how patent issues affected the ATSC standard and some of the problems broadcasters face with the DTV transition, including interference from white space devices and tuner performance. Longtime TV Technology writer Charlie Rhodes’ articles are mentioned. You may or may not agree with all the comments, but it is interesting reading.

You may also find Digital Dan's diatribe on the potential delay in the DTV transition interesting or at least amusing! Thanks to Frank Torbert and Sterling Davis for forwarding this YouTube link.

Your comments and story leads are always appreciated! Drop me a note at dlung@transmitter.com.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.