[BC] TV Set/Converter

[Rich Wood]

------ At 07:15 PM 1/2/2008, Scott Fybush wrote: -------

>Note that the converters Bruce references are NOT ones that will be 
>eligible for the $40 coupon discount. That program comes with some 
>very stringent (and restrictive) technical standards, courtesy of 
>NTIA. In particular, boxes with HD outputs (like that Samsung) don't qualify.

I assume you mean the Samsung 451 and earlier and the H260F which are 
actual tuners rather than converters. I recently replaced a 451 that 
was having audio problems with one station. The H260F is 
disappointing, being much less sensitive than the 451. I lost three 
stations when I installed the H260F with the same antenna 
configuration. I'm curious how sensitive these converters will be.

>The boxes that will meet the coupon standards aren't in stores yet, 
>and my understanding is that that's deliberate - no point making 
>them available before people have coupons in hand. The coupons 
>distribution is supposed to start mid-February, and there are 
>something like a dozen models of converter that have been approved 
>for sale then. Retail price is expected to be in the $50-90 range, 
>from what I hear.

The good news is a recently released study by the Consumer 
Electronics Association. It claims 50% of US households already own a 
digital TV. They also predict 32 million sets will be sold in 2008. 
79% of those will be HDTV.

The web site is incomplete. I wonder if those with digital capability 
on one set will be eligible for a converter for a second or is the 
two per household limited to OTA households only.

For radio, the IBUZ folks have agreed to drop their opposition to the 
XM/SIRIUS merger if IBUZ is included in new receivers. If the 
estimated royalty is $40 per receiver, how can a manufacturer sell a 
receiver for the current average of $49? I'm about to buy a SIRIUS 
tuner for my new AV receiver for $39. At that price I'll deal with 
the artifacts.

Maybe the conversion from analog TV won't be as gutwrenching as we expect.

Rich