Brad on Broadcast

Tore Nordahl sent me a copy of his latest report, “Fighting for M/H & 3D dollars: Why 720p60 may rise again.” The entire paper is available at his website, www.coax.tv.

I can summarize his paper’s premise: If your station is transmitting in 1080i60, you may want to consider moving to 720p60 to maximize available bandwidth for new services such as M/H. more…

My electric toothbrush died. It must be time for NAB. Okay, there are lots of things that signify it’s time for NAB. Tax time is what I often think of. This trip, I discovered a new indication I was at good ‘ol NAB. My electric toothbrush is dead. more…

At the March 24 technology conference hosted by the New Democrat Network, Verizon executive vice president, Tom Tauke, suggested that the FCC’s claim to have power over the Internet was “at best murky.” He suggested steps that Congress might take to reign in the commission’s power grab in the agency’s National Broadband Plan (NBP).

Tauke urged lawmakers to refocus the FCC back into an regulation and enforcement bureau, rather than let Genachowski implement his current plans for a wide-ranging policy-making body. “In my view, the current statute is badly out of date. Now is the time to focus on updating the law affecting the Internet,” Tauke said. “To fulfill broadband’s potential, it’s time for Congress to take a fresh look at our nation’s communications policy framework.” In other words, he was telling the FCC to butt out of Internet control. more…

According to the blog site marcus-spectrum.com, the FCC is finally hiring some engineers. The FCC’s job site shows four openings for engineering positions. more…

As broadcasters look for new opportunities, could delivering mobile television become the next “pot-o-gold?” New research confirms that consumers are increasingly using smartphones, laptops and other portable devices to augment their entertainment consumption. And, when it comes to entertainment, broadcasters know how to deliver high-quality content well.

In late March, QuickPlay Media released the results of its third annual survey on consumers’ use of mobile TV and video. The study shows high interest from users in new TV and video entertainment delivery models, particularly multiscreen video services. In the survey, 53 percent of respondents voiced an interest in services that allow them to seamlessly switch between multiple devices, such as PCs and smartphones, when watching programs. more…

Over the past year, there’s probably been more coverage of the FCC’s proposed National Broadband Plan (NBP) than anything except healthcare. Now that the commission’s wide-ranging plan has been released, broadcasters are asking, “What does it mean to me?” Let’s examine that question. more…

When I first entered the television business, not so long ago, I worked at one of the three (total) TV stations in Wichita, KS. Shortly thereafter, a public station went on the air bringing the total number of OTA broadcasters to four. It remained a competition between those four stations for years. It wasn’t until cable entered the market in the late 1960s that Wichita viewers had more than these four stations to watch.

Today, Wichita viewers, and most around the country, can select from perhaps more than 200 channels of programming delivered by cable and satellite. Broadcasters who work in Wichita no longer have three competitors, they have hundreds. Soon there may be thousands of channels from which to choose. more…

The OMVC released its sponsored white paper, “Assessing the Mobile DTV Opportunity and its Role in the United States Communications Ecosystem,” written by Danielle Levitas, an employee of the IDC research firm last week. The white paper makes a supportive case for the launch of OTA mobile broadcasting. The white paper may be a useful resource as broadcasters begin implementing mobile transmission. more…

Does anyone recall the days when you could name a genuine engineer at the FCC? No, I don’t mean politicians like Adelstein, Reed, Kennard and Genachowski. I mean a real FCC engineer — someone who knew a few of Kirchhoff’s laws. Today, the term “law” at the FCC has nothing to do with physics.

In 1948, the FCC had 720 engineers on staff; today, it has fewer than 300. That represents a 62 percent reduction in technical staffing, even though the FCC is facing daunting technical issues. more…

By Don Markley

While big generator capability is pretty well known in the industry, a short-term power supply source in the UPS business is quietly becoming popular for broadcast stations. The temporary energy source is the flywheel. more…