Late to the Game, China Sets Digital Standard

June 18, 2009

IEEE Spectrum has a great article about China's digital tv standard. The standard delivers a high-definition picture in bad weather and on the go.

China just finalized its digital television standard in late 2006, beginning transmission with last summer’s Beijing Olympics. Being late in this particular game is not necessarily a bad thing. It allowed China to take advantage of advances in information-coding technologies that make digital television in China—unlike that in the rest of the world—work well even in bad weather. These technologies mean that China’s digital television can be viewed on the go; it won’t break up even at 200 kilometers per hour—you can watch a broadcast on a cellphone while sitting on a high-speed train. (The United States is only now trying to retrofit its digital-television standard for mobile reception.)

End of Analog Takes Everyone to the Edge

June 09, 2009

There's been quite a bit of hullabaloo over the impending switch television is getting from analog to digital. The government has spent $2 billion to ensure that people are informed, will get the right converter boxes (if needed) and will be prepared for the conversion.

Newspaper headlines this week are issuing frantic warnings, counting down the days to doom. Just do a quick search on Google and you'll get millions of links to news stories from around the country proclaiming analog's death and the fact that millions are totally clueless. Cases in point:

For San Diego, Massive TV Channel Change This Week May Be Confusing

Thousands in region still not ready for digital TV

Viewer anger likely with Friday TV signal switch

Millions Face Blank Screens in TV Switch

I ask you, Is this such a bad thing? So what if a few million people go without their precious television for a couple of days? How horrible will it be for them to actually find something else to do? To read or go outside or listen to the radio? Is it really going the end of the world?

Is not having the television on such a big problem? Perhaps not for the individual. My guess is that the powers-that-be are worried more about the fact that fewer people will be absorbing important, money-generating advertisements. After all, without television, how will we know what to buy?

Do we really need to make such a big deal about the fact that a few million people won't have reception for a few days. Should we really be in crisis mode over this? Don't we have other things to worry about it? Stay tuned.