The other day—well, a year ago or so—I was invited to visit CBC’s digital TV studios in Montréal by the SMPTE Montréal. We were shown around, even in the somewhat small control rooms. Amongst all the displays, dials, monitors, and misc. blinkenlights, I noticed a small LCD display showing an hexagonal projection of the current show’s color gamut in (or maybe ?), probably for quality assessment purposes. I thought it was pretty cool, actually.

Let’s see how we can realize this projection with as little CPU time as possible.

Let us take some image (sorry, don’t know the source):

It suffice to sample the image, as it is quite unnecessary to scan the whole picture to display a cloud of color as shown above. But that’s a detail because maybe you can adjust the density of the original image’s sampling depending on the size of your final display. Here, in the spectrum above, it’s pixels. The original source image, the camel, is so it was entirely scanned to produce the gamut.

Now, how do we map a point into the hexagon? Well, for starters, let’s stay in the RGB domain. Not that I do not like , but for what I’m trying to show here it’s an unnecessary complication. The desired projection is as if we’re looking at the RGB cube from the white corner down to the black corner.

We are therefore interested in finding two functions that maps a RGB point onto the plane:

Let us first look at the desired result and the corresponding original space:

We will try to find the point on the R-G plane where a pixel with color would land. That is:

If the projection is centered at We therefore find that:

The is added just to squish the hexagon a bit so that the projection looks somewhat isometric. We haven’t included the axis yet. But since it corresponds to elevation, it must be mapped somehow to .

Indeed, we get:

The two equations can be implemented in a C-like language as:

int x = cx - (r-g);
int y = cy + b - (r+g)/2; // or maybe >>1 if the compiler sucks

Scanning each of the camel image pixels and projecting them using the above transform, you get the projected gamut shown at the top of this post.

Now, how does it look when we scan a whole video sequence? Well, let’s use some of the time-honored standard video sequences such as “football” and “bus”. The football sequence is a short clip from some football game. This clip have been around for so long I think all the players died of old age. The bus sequence shows a pan following a bus in an urban setting. These are nothing exciting, but they’re standard and easily found.

A typical frame from the “football” sequence:

Resulting in the live gamut (a big fat animated gif—click on it if your browser doesn’t animate it already):

Similarly with “bus”:

with live gamut:

What if the video you’re looking at is somehow borked? Let’s say the green channel is off. For the “football” sequence, the live gamut is now rather weird:

…and so the defect is spotted right away—as long as someone looks at the display.

*
* *

Small mappings from, say, 3D to 2D or from 2D to 2D, bijective or not, are useful more often than we generally think. For example, in compact tree storage I presented one such bijective function, mapping a region of the plane (the tree) to a line. In other cases, like triangular matrices, for example, it may be convenient to devise a compact mapping from one arbitrary-shaped space to a linear space for storage purposes.

In this case, we mapped, using a surjection, a 3D space to a plane. It could have been that the mapping is bijective, but not in this case: all gray pixels end up along the black-white axis that is projected to in the hexagon.

Another example of such useful functions are folding and pairing functions. In the first case, a folding function is a bijective map between the integers, , and the naturals, . Pairing functions are bijective functions that map a tuple to a single natural number, something like . The really interesting ones aren’t all that trivial.

Two reports out today offer hope for our business in 2010. They also portend continued change and the clear message that we must manage that change if we are to survive as broadcasters.  Add your thoughts.

Even though Americans are pushing domestic boxoffice revenue to new highs, an increasing number of them are indicating they’d rather save money and watch television.
According to Deloitte’s fourth annual “State of the Media Democracy” report, due out today, 34 percent of Americans cite TV as their favorite medium, up from 27 percent last year. Second through fourth, respectively, were Internet, music and books, all of which are perceived by the average consumer as being less expensive than a night out at the movies.  Rest of this article

This is truly a golden age of anytime, anywhere media. And rather than Americans replacing TV with the Internet or a mobile device, they are just consuming more—often simultaneously. Despite the availability of video content on the Internet, TV viewing is up by about 20% over the last decade, and the average American watches 141 hours of programming each month. Online video consumption stands at more than three hours a month—up from virtually nothing ten years ago. Mobile viewing is growing, too, as devices and connectivity become more widespread. Smartphone usage is climbing and text messaging is through the roof. On average, teens use more than 3,500 text messages a month and adults about 500.

Top Cross Media Trends in 2010:

1. Convergence is in demand. As American consumers continue to outfit their “home bunkers,” they will invest in the next generation of TV’s that are Internet enabled giving universal access to content across screens combined with the devices in which they’ve already invested, such as HDTVs, DVRs and “over-the-top” systems. And 4G networks make it an all-Internet world.
2. Second and third screen initiatives grow. More content originally for the TV will be accessed on the Web, long-form video content for mobile phones will expand and efforts to make over-the-top systems will become more compelling for accessing Web content.
3. Audience fragmentation continues. The increasing variety and sophistication of media options will make it a challenge to keep viewers engaged and receptive. Evolutions to the media universe will need to follow the new laws of increasing portability and increasing content.
4. New and varied approaches to content are created. New, low-cost models are key (e.g., Jay Leno’s nightly 10 p.m. program on NBC). Low-performing networks will go extinct and free on demand online offerings will need reconsideration.
5. Multiple distribution opportunities are formed. Deals—including the Comcast/NBC deal—will create new outlets for programming, while studios replace the traditional executive brand builders responsible for a number of distribution channels.

Do you take frequent business trips? Are you willing to have something intereting to kill the boring time in the crowed passengers? This time you may have a try of portable digital TV.

Portable digital TV provides the clearest images of any portable television. Moreover, the portable digital televisions are designed into palm size. In addition, portable digital TVs come with multiple advanced features.

1. TFT LCD

Almost all the DTVs are equipped with TFT LCD display. As far as we known, as the latest main products, TFT LCD monitors enjoy good environmental characteristics, eye protection, no radiation, no damage to the user’s health etc. It is very great to enjoy good TV programmes without radiation, isn’t it?

2. Palm Size

All the DVB-T in our online store are designed into palm size. Obviously, they are small and convenient enough to carry in hand. It is very convenient and comfortable to enjoy wonderful TV programmes freely anywhere anytime. So, a palm size portable is very for you.

3. Music Player

Generally speaking, most digital TVs come with music player function such as MP4 and MP5. That is to say you can appreciate beautiful music while your eyes are tired.

4. Camera & Video Camera

Some DVB-Ts allow for multiple video devices, such as digital video camera & video camera function, to use the television for display.Use the camera you can take pictures like a digital camera. It means the function is able to meet your photographic interests when you come across beautiful scenery.

Furthermore, some DTVs’ camera can be used as video camera. No matter when you encounter wonderful and moving moments, you can record beautiful memories for future.

5. Cheap Popular Gifts

Christmas is on its way, portable digital TVs are very popular gifts for Christmas. As a big retailer and discount outlet, our website are willing to reduce the price considerably to appreciate the new and old cutomers.

Except for publishing quality DTVs, ePathChina online store also releases some other portable media players such as digital video glasses, portable DVD players and portable LCD monitors. All the products are cheap and fine. Welcome to online purchase portable media players from ePathChina online shop.

Funny how things can get around these days. Although the transition to DTV is over and done, with a few bumps. TV is one of the key areas for more change. And it has only begun. Another sign is today article in the New York Times headlined - Cable Freedom Is a Click Away.  Only weeks after the announcement of Comcasts bid to buy NBC, the story in Times  tells how to skip cable and make a significant financial gain. Not something to neglect these days.

Just as this blog posted over a year ago under the headline “Down with cable up with online and DTV“, cable TV is challenged by alternatives offered today. Even of you need some tech skills and patience while getting what you want to your set. But on the other hand – your new resources will offer you more time when you decide when and what to watch on your screen.

To stay tuned with your favorite shows on the set -  doesnt have to include a monthly payment to a cable giant. How bout that?

The goal is to get more for less and gain freedom from set monthly bills and cable companies that actually exclude the wealth of alternative and mainstream resources of content that are gaining in importance and quality.

This blog and the Times article has offered two ways of skipping cable – do you have any other to share?

Best / Anders

Though most of the solutions available to broadcasters today are either too expensive, or bandwidth hogs, the appetite for Live News and Weather appears high among those already using mobile devices.

According to a new Magid Media Labs study commissioned by the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), mobile consumers in the U.S. respond enthusiastically to the notion of watching live, local mobile DTV.

When asked what live video they want to see, nearly nine out of ten survey respondents say they are interested in watching live news and weather programming while on the go.

ION Media Network CEO Brandon Burgess, who also serves as OMVC’s president said, “We believe broadcast mobile DTV will drive overall mobile video consumption, and those surveyed point to the public benefit of live, local broadcasts – including immediate coverage and notification of weather emergencies and other high-interest breaking news stories that local stations are uniquely able to provide to viewers,” Burgess added that he anticipates seeing dozens of new products capable of receiving those signals on the market soon.

According to Magid Morning Facts™ , the national survey of 1,000 adults reveals that local news and information content will drive live mobile DTV, as 88% of respondents expressed interest in watching this content on mobile devices including laptops, netbooks, cellular handsets, and smartphones.

Online adults say that live broadcast TV programming is crucial, with more than half the respondents saying they want access to live, local broadcasts. And nearly half of those surveyed also say they are interested in buying a new portable device with the capability to receive mobile DTV from over-the-air local stations.”

Other key findings from the survey include:

• Mobile devices translate to mobile consumption, as respondents said they would watch DTV outside the home, including at work and while commuting. More than three-quarters (78%) of respondents said they would be most likely to watch live mobile DTV on a laptop, netbook, cell phone, or smartphone.
• Among those with children in the household, 31% would give the mobile device to their child to watch in the car.
• Live programming is critical in overall mobile DTV mix, with 51% saying that they want it to be part of the experience, compared with only 18% who prefer a strictly on-demand model.
• Advertising acceptance is high, with 49% saying they would watch commercials on their mobile device.
• Interest in paying for premium content is also strong, with 36% of respondents expressing interest in recent movies, premium sporting events, and other programming on a subscription or pay-per-view basis.

For a copy of the full report, please contact Dave Arland (Dave@ArlandCom.com).

The following entertainment article was written for Spreety TV Online by professional journalist Carolyn Giardina.

Mobile DTV On The Way

By Carolyn Giardina

In a move that underscores the shift toward viewing television content on non-traditional devices, the Advanced Television Systems Committee has approved a mobile digital television standard.

The standard defines the technical specifications necessary for U.S. broadcasters to provide TV content and new services to mobile and handheld devices — including mobile phones, small handheld DTVs, laptop computers and in-vehicle entertainment systems — using its digital television transmission system.

The mobile system was developed to support services including advertiser-supported television and interactive services delivered in real-time, subscription-based TV, and file-based content download for playback at a later time. The system might also enable transmission of data broadcasting services.

Additionally, the ATSC Mobile DTV Standard was developed to provide a framework to enable new receiver capabilities. Per the spec, receivers that make use of an optional Internet connection would enable interactive television services, such as audience measurement, viewer voting, and the integration of Internet-based applications and transactions with TV content.

Industry leaders in the consumer electronics and broadcasting fields applauded the new standard.

“This will introduce the power of local broadcasting to a new generation of viewers and provide all-important emergency alert, local news and other programming to consumers across the nation,” said Paul Karpowicz, National Association of Broadcasters television board chairman and president of Meredith Broadcast Group.

Added National Association of Broadcasters executive VP Dennis Wharton: “We strongly believe that all Americans will benefit from the advanced capabilities of mobile DTV and broadcasters’ innovative use of over-the-air spectrum.”

“The Consumer Electronics Association congratulates ATSC on achieving this new standard, which will help chipmakers and equipment manufacturers proceed with product development and deployment,” said CEA president and CEO Gary Shapiro. “The ATSC Mobile DTV standard gives broadcasters an opportunity to provide consumers with the next generation of compelling over-the-air content.”

The ATSC began formal development of the Mobile DTV spec in May 2007.

No matter how you get your TV signals, there are always ways to tweak the experience. Ten years ago I lived in a cabin in rural North Carolina where tweaking usually meant standing out on the porch to adjust the antenna on the low tin roof. For the most part, tweaking has grown more sophisticated, but as the NAB and CEA tell us, there’s still some antenna adjusting to do if you get over-the-air broadcasts. Since the digital transition, there are apparently still issues with VHF reception between channels two and thirteen. Ironically, one of the problems is interference with antennas from TV sets. A new industry/government tip sheet recommends that consumers place antennas far away from their actual sets and other electronic gadgets.

Meanwhile, if you’ve jumped into HD, getting the best picture gets a little more challenging. First you have to pick the right TV, then you have to pay attention to video source, resolution settings, etc. Once again a digital tip sheet created by the FCC and industry groups has some suggestions, but you can dive in a lot deeper by scouring expert sites. Find professional opinions at sites like CNET and PC Mag. Get the latest scoop at EngadgetHD. See quantitative analysis of mounds of data at Retrevo. Or go for the wisdom of the community over at gdgt.

Finally, if you think you’ve gotten a handle on HD, just wait, 3D and Ultra HD are on their way. The 3D concept is well-known, but if you’re curious about Ultra HD (not the Mark Cuban kind), it refers to image resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels or 7680 x 4320 pixels. A new In-Stat report suggests some Ultra HD content could start broadcasting as early as 2017, with 40% of North American homes having Ultra HD sets by 2025. Okay, that’s more than a few years down the road, but it pays to start looking ahead. The roaring twenties will be here again before we know it.

Since I moved from my one-bedroom micro apartment to this 3-level townhouse, which now seems too big for me, I have somehow managed to stave off my daily dose of TV. I have been reading more than usual, and unpacking at an abnormally slow rate.

After dilly-dallying for a fortnight, I finally set up my Samsung HDTV. For whatever reason, I almost expected to get at least some DTV signals without any antennas. I was wrong. The TV could not pick up the slightest signal. While I do plan on getting a satellite dish, I just didnt want to do it right away.
Amazed, I embarked on a little web research.

First stop: http://www.dtv.gov/
While this is a decent resource, to me, it was a bit unclear what was applicable to the new HDTVs. There are two links on the home page that could possibly provide some direction:
1. The FIX Reception Problem; and, the pdf file at the bottom of the page:
2. Can I Use My UHF/VHF Antenna to Receive DTV?

However, the first useful step was to visit the http://www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/ . Entering the zip code at the top left corner returns a list of channels, color coded according to reception strength. However, the list is quite different from what one gets from http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx. Clicking on the “antenna type” column, takes one to the page identifying typical antenna requirements for that channel. The types are very generic. If one clicks on the “Antenna info” link at the top, it opens a page with elaborate info on outdoor antennas, but little useful info on indoor ones. Roadblock. Since I am leasing, (and experimenting), I dont want the hassles of putting up an outdoor antenna.

Next step, the Radio Shack website. A search for indoor antennas, returns a list o many. I wanted an antenna with both UHF (ultra high frequency) and VHF (very high frequency) reception. On my way home from work, I stopped by at the corner Radio Shack store, and picked up this Radio Shack Budget TV Antenna with a fair degree of skepticism.

It took less than 30 seconds to hook up to the TV. After doing a quick scan, I found I have at least 6-7 channels with decent reception. The local PBS broadcast and 2 ION channels were HD quality. And then there were a few news channels from Europe and also an English Al Jazeera channel (go figure!). There was also a channel which seemed to be Chinese. If you are wondering where I am located, the zip code is 22315 (Alexandria, VA).

So, the experiment was successful. $12 dollars for international news is a small price to pay, at least to me.

Yesterday Soros Fund Management Filed a 13-F outlining the fund’s long portfolio as of September 30th, 2009.  The total value of the holdings reported in the filing is $6,198,089.  Twenty holdings represented roughly 50% of the value.  Soros Fund Management is a hedge fund management company that invests primarily based on macroeconomic analysis.  It should be noted that the fund’s equity portfolio likely contains significant short positions, which are not reported in 13-F filings.  Some of the positions in the filing may be in place as hedges or part of a multi-part trade, rather than a directional bet.  With that in mind, a glance at this firm’s major holdings provides clues to its macroeconomic outlook.  

Total stakes in Petroleo Brasileo Brasileiro (NYSE: PBR) represent 9.23% of the value of the positions reported in the filing, with just over 13 million shares held.  This is down from by 2.3 million from the fund’s last filing.

A stake in Hess Corp (NYSE: HES) represents 4.47% of the value of the protfolio reported in the filing.  Soros Fund managament held 5,886,40 shares, up by 1700 from the fund’s last filing.

Potash Corp (NYSE: POT) represents 4.3% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 2,948,421 shares as of September 30th, up 971,386 since the fund’s last filing.

LSI Corporation (NYSE: LSI) represents 4.05% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 249,687,000 shares as of September 30th, up 600,000 since the fund’s last filing.

SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD) represents 3.91% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 2,450,320 shares as of September 30th, up 2,445,420 since the fund’s last filing.

Linear Technology Corp (NASDAQ: LLTC) represents 3.68% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 277,978,000 shares as of September 30th, up 4,500,000 since the fund’s last filing.

Plains Exploration & Production Company (NYSE: PXP) represents 2.73% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 6,113,815 shares as of September 30th, down 412,585 since the fund’s last filing.

Flextronics International (NASDAQ: FLEX)) represents 2.47% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 157,805,000 shares as of September 30th, up 14,166,000 since the fund’s last filing.

Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE: VZ) represents 2.24% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 4,578,953 shares as of September 30th, up 3,984,100 since the fund’s last filing.

Lawson Software Inc (NASDAQ: LWSN) represents 2.2% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 143,028,000 shares as of September 30th, up 128,948,000 since the fund’s last filing.

AT&T Inc (NYSE: T) represents 1.83% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 4,209,497 shares as of September 30th, up 3,418,497 since the fund’s last filing.

InterOil Corp (NYSE: IOC) represents 1.79% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 2,817,650 shares as of September 30th, up 957,650 since the fund’s last filing.

DirectTV Group Inc (NASDAQ: DTV) represents 1.77% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 3,984,666 shares as of September 30th, up 3,797,66 since the fund’s last filing.

Best Buy Inc (NYSE: BBY) represents 1.75% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 2,892,800 shares as of September 30th, up 1,103,300 since the fund’s last filing.

Weatherford International Ltd (NYSE: WFT) represents 1.65% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 4,922,313 shares as of September 30th, up 3,180,970 since the fund’s last filing.

Suncor Energy Inc (NYSE: SU) represents 1.47% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 2,643,100 shares as of September 30th, up 1,958,700 since the fund’s last filing.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: GS) represents 1.23% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 415,100 shares as of September 30th, unchanged since the fund’s last filing.

Walgreen Co (NYSE: WAG) represents 1.03% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 1,699,600 shares as of September 30th, up 242,700 since the fund’s last filing.

Wal-Mart Store Inc (NYSE: WMT) represents 0.88% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 1,116,040 shares as of September 30th, up 1,026,330 since the fund’s last filing.

Yahoo! Inc (NASDAQ: YHOO) represents 0.21% of the fund’s reported portfolio.  The fund held 25,000 shares as of September 30th, down 105,800 since the fund’s last filing.

Garrett W. McIntyre

The website FTA-GODS.com focuses on all aspects of Free To Air satellite television. Today, administrator Ben Popken spoke openly, addressing the widely concerned issue of toll free number 800/888 confusion and the illegal practice of brokering and squatting “1-800″ telephone numbers

Popken is alleging that an independent “DirecTV Marketer Steals DISH Network Customers Via 800 Number Squatting.” Popken wrote on the FTA-GODS website to address his concerns over the confusion between the United States satellite TV company Dish Network’s toll free number 800-333-DISH vs, the number Ben Popken dialed 888-333-DISH. Popken claims the representative that answered his call misrepresented the company as Dish Network, rather than the independent DirectTV marketing company it is.

Popken’s Full Transcript from fta-gods.com below:

A sneaky DirecTV marketer has bought up toll-free numbers that end in “DISH.” When DISH Network customers call up, the operators make it sound like they’re from Dish and offering them a free service upgrade, but in reality, they’re switching the service and slamming the Dish Network customer into a DirecTV service contract.
The real number for DISH is 800-333-3474, but this company has bought 888-333-3474, and according to reports on 800 notes, several other 800, 888, 866 numbers that end with “DISH.”
We first heard about it in a message left on our Consumerist hotline:
TRANSCRIPT: “I had to authorize a new Dish receiver. The number on the screen said 1-800-333-DISH. I dialed 1-888-333-DISH. I got a guy that immediately asked for my name, phone number, address, email address, and talked about the new specials that he could give me for being such a loyal customer. I kind of just wanted my receiver authorized.
And he says, these are some great deals, and you should get rewarded for being such a loyal customer since you’ve been with Dish Network so long.
Then he says, “if I send you these new boxes out, keep in mind that these are direct Tv boxes…”
It turns out that it was a DirecTV franchise that was capitalizing on people mistaking 1-800-333-DISH for 1-888-333-DISH. They’re not telling people who they are upfront and they’re getting a bunch of information when you’re thinking that you’re talking to a company that you already trust and have an account with. So it really ticked me off. It’s totally uncool. Hopefully you can print this and people won’t get confused anymore.” :END TRANSCRIPT
Very clever. If you accidentally sign up for this, best thing to do is a charegback. Unsurprisingly, the folks on 800 notes say the sleazy DirecTV marketers are not that nice about giving refunds.

The full FTA-gods.com article by Ben Popken can be viewed here

Read 800notes comments about 888-333-3474

More info on toll free number squatting can be found here

CBS (NYSE:CBS) and Sirius XM (NYSE:SIRI) pose the greatest investment risks among media companies based on a forensic measure of their transparency and the statistical reliability of their financial reporting and governance practices, according to new data from Audit Integrity. The probability for bankruptcy for Sirius is 8.5% and 4.6% for CBS. Both numbers are remarkably low, but still high for major US companies. Audit Integrity’s bankruptcy model achieved 90.9% accuracy in 2008 and 93.8% in 2009.

The safest companies for investors, based on the same measurement are Disney (NYSE:DIS) and  DirecTV (NYSE:DTV). The rest of the firms in the analysis are Time Warner (NYSE:TWX), Viacom (NYSE:VIA), Comcast (NYSE:CMCSA), Cablevision, (NYSE:CVC), GE (NYSE:GE), and Time Warner Cable (NYSE:TWC).

The Audit integrity analysis.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Remember those dire predictions over the summer from folks saying we wouldn’t see a national roll-out of TV Everywhere until 2012 or 2014? Well, time for the experts to eat their hats. Several people are reporting on Twitter that Comcast just announced at the NewTeeVee Live conference that it will launch TV Everywhere for everyone next month. There will be no additional cost to Comcast subscribers, and apparently the on-demand content will be available on up to three devices.

A quick reminder of what’s behind the scenes with this news: Comcast has been bulking up on bandwidth over the last year, with more more than 34 million homes now passed with DOCSIS 3.0 service. The operator has also reclaimed spectrum by transitioning more analog channels over to digital. All of this was carefully planned just for the eventuality of TV Everywhere and other video demands. Welcome to the future.

2011 could be the end of analog broadcasting . All analog broadcasting will be converted to Digital Terrestial  Broadcasting . Nearly  70%  of  household in Japan already converted to Digital television ( DTV ) .Japan is set to switch all analog TV to digital TV  on July 24,2011. Many countries switch to Digital broadcasting already, because of this Japanese government offer an Economic Stimulus Package wherein you can earn an Eco Points for every purchase of Digital Television and other Eco friendly appliances like eco friendly air condition , microwave oven, refrigerator and many more.

DTT offers more digital channels in the same space with high definition television- HDTV service at the same time. beside television programs Digital Terrestial Broadcasting  can also offer services such as multimedia or interactivity.  DTV offers digital packets to transmit high- resolution pictures and sound quality.

Is my Analog TV obsolete?

Although analog TV is classified obsolete by the 2011, you can still use them. There are other alternative ways you can do to utilize it like installing an external digital tuner, or you can hook up with a cable TV oo other satellite  provider. There is still hope if  you are  tight on the budget and  can not afford to buy a new digital television.

sources:

www.en.wikepidia.or/wiki/Digital_television

www.solidsignal.com

www.fcc.com

Alljärgnevalt mõned soovitused ja märkused, mis tekkisid, kui olin ise LCD telerit otsimas.

Esiteks: paigalduskoht. Tee selgeks, milleks (mängimiseks, TV elutuppa, TV magamistuppa/lastetuppa, ..) ja kui tihti telerit kasutama hakkad. Selle punkti järgi otseselt ühtegi järeldust teha ei saa, kuid kindlasti aitab piiritleda valikusse jäävaid seadmeid.

Teiseks: diagonaali suurus. Mõõda ära toa suurus ja istekaugus telerist. Kui tuba on suhteliselt väike (näiteks tüüpilised paneelmajade elutoad), siis piisab täiesti 32 tollise ekraaniga telerist. Põhimõtteliselt võib jätta meelde reegli, et istumiskaugus telerist peaks olema 3-4-korda suurem kui teleri diagonaal (ehk sobilik istumiskaugus 32″ telerist võiks olla 96-128 tolli ehk ümmarguselt 2,5-3,5 meetrit). Liiga suur teler ei ole väikeses toas proportsioonis ning liiga väikesest telerist pole suures toas suurt kasu. Samuti on teleri ekraani suurenedes ka koormus rahakotile suurem – suurem telekas on kallim osta kui ka kasutada.

Kolmandaks: pikslite arv – resolution. Enamus hetkel müüdavaid telereid on ekraani küljesuhtega 19:6, mis muutub tulevikus ka de fato standardiks telekanalite saadete edastamisel. Siin on hetkel põhimõtteliselt 2 valikut:

1. 1080p
2. 720p

Aga FullHD, küsite? See on kõigest turustajate PR-mull. Tähele tuleb panna ainult seda, millise resolutsiooniga teleri ekraan on. Kui see on 1900×1080, siis sisuliselt ongi tegu FullHD telekaga, isegi kui seda pole kuskil reklaamitud. Lõppkokkuvõttes on tähtis ainult see, mis numbrid nende kirjade taga on!

Aga millist siis valida, kas 1080p(FullHD) või 720p? Esiteks sõltub see rahakotist. Hetkeseisuga on sama tootja sarnaste telerite, mis erinevad ainult resolutsiooni poolest, hinnavahe 15-20% (loomulikult suurema resolutsiooni kahjuks). Kui see pole probleem, siis tulevikku vaadates soovitan valida 1080p. Kui aga sama rahaga on midagi targemat teha, siis tänasel päeval TV vaatamiseks vahet pole (sest täna edastatakse Eestis nii analoog- kui ka digikanaleid veelgi madalama resolutsiooniga) – siis on odavam 720p eelistatud. Tuleb aga märkida, et mõne aasta perspektiivis jääb 720p ajale jalgu ja palju kanaleid läheb üle 1080p variandi peale. Edastatava pildi suuruse ja teleri ekraani suuruste vastavus annab kindlasti parima tulemuse.

Neljandaks: MPEG4, DVB-T? Kui kavatsete vaadata Eestis levivaid tasuta digikanaleid, siis oleks targem valida selline teler, milles on vastavad tüünerid juba sisse ehitatud – sellisel juhul pole vaja hankida eraldi nn. digibokse ehk digitüünereid. Õhu kaudu levivate tasuta kanalite vaatamiseks peate jälgima, et teleris oleks MPEG4 kodeeringu tugi ja DVB-T standardile vastav vastuvõtja. Hea uudis on see, et väga paljud, kui mitte enamus, meie elektroonikapoodides müüdavad telerid on juba sellise võimalusega, ent kindlasti tuleks ka müüjalt see info üle küsida.

Viiendaks: tehnilised näitajad – värskendussagedus (Hz), reageerimisaeg (ms), heledus (cd) ja kontrastsus. Nende näitajate seletust alustan tagantpoolt..

• Kontrastsus näitab tumedate ja heledate pildiosade suhet. Sisuliselt mida suurem suhe seda parem. Vanemate ja odavamate ekraanide konktrastsus on tavaliselt alla 20 000:1. See näitaja on aga nõrkade killast ja kui vähegi võimalik, siis võiks rohkem uurida telereid, mille kontrastsus on 30 000:1 ja üle. Ühe keskmisest korralikuma LCD-ekraani kontrastsus võiks tänasel päeval olla 50 000:1 või rohkem.
• Heledus – jällegi, mida suurem number seda parem. Keskmine näitaja on tänasel päeval 500cd.
• Reageerimisaeg näitab, kui kiiresti suudavad LCD-ekraani vedelkristallpikselid ümber lülituda. Täpsemaid tehnilisi põhjendusi ja seletusi võite otsida internetist (märksõnadeks näiteks “lcd response time” või Wikipedia artikkel), kuid reegel on, et väiksem reageerimisaeg on parem. Suur reageerimisaeg tekitab ekraanile pildi liikudes varjud, mis pole üldsegi meeldiv kogemus. Suureks võib pidada reageerimisajad üle 7ms. Täna valides peaks teleri reageerimisaeg olema 5ms ja vähem.
• Uus moodne näitaja, mida tootjad reklaamivad suure eelisena teiste ees on 100Hz või 200Hz värskendussagedused. Mida see tähendab ja kas sellest on kasu? Esiteks tuleb mainida, et keskmise tavalise LCD teleri vastav näitaja on 50Hz. Miks see nii on jäägu teie enda uurida. Antud lõigu kontekstis pole see tähtis. Tähtis on, et kui pildi värskendussagedus on 50Hz, siis teler kuvab ekraanile ühe sekundi jooksul 50 pilti. Rohkem justkui poleks vaja, sest reeglina ei erista inimese silm juba üle 24 kaadri sekundis. Reaalsus on aga selline, et mida rohkem pilte sekundis näidata, seda sujuvam pilt tundub. Kuidas saavutatakse 100Hz ja 200Hz? Edastatavas TV-signaalis pole kindlasti 200 ega ka 100 kaadrit sekundis. Selleks, et teleril oleks näidata 100 või 200 pilti sekundis, tuleb need genereerida ehk arvutada eelnevate ja järgnevate kaadrite järgi. Osad tootjad on oma tarkvara selles valas väga hästi arendanud, teised aga jällegi ebaõnnestunud (või vähem õnnestunud). Kindel on vaid see, et 100Hz tehnoloogiaga telerid on kallimad 50Hz omadest ja 200Hz omakorda kallimad kui 100Hz. Kuna “suurte sageduste” tehnoloogia suurt eelist ei anna, siis mina ei ole valmis selle eest rohkem maksma. Kuid ilu on vaataja silmades. Kahtlemata on korralike 100/200Hz telerite pilt sujuvam kui 50Hz omadel, mõne arvates isegi liiga sujuv. Kui selline pilt on meelt mööda ja rahakott kannatab, siis miks mitte! Kuid tegelikult tundub see pigem juuksekarva pooleks ajamisena.

Kuuendaks: ühilduvus. Jälgi, et teleril oleks sulle vajalikud ühenduspesad. Tänapäeval võiks mõistliku hinnaga teleris olla 3-4 HDMI, USB, D-SUB, DVI, 1-2 SCART ning RGB component ühendused. Tulevikku vaadates, siis on kõige tähtsamad ilmselt HDMI ja USB, kuid kindlasti kontrolli üle, kas olemasolevaid DVD ja muid AV-seadmeid õnnestuks teleriga ühendada.

Seitsmendaks: toote ülevaated ja arvustused. Parim allikas on taustinfo kogumiseks tõenäoliselt internet – trükkides otsingusse huvi pakkuva teleri tootja ja mudeli leiab kindlasti palju infot ja arvustusi ning ka hinnavõrdlusi. Selle kohta pole rohkem midagi lisada. Otsige ja uurige!

Kaheksandaks: elektritarve. Uuri tootja või müüja kodukalt, kui palju tarbib valitav teler elektrienergiat. Kuna suure ekraaniga LCD taustavalguseks kasutatakse täna reeglina veel lampe, siis kulutab telekas omajagu elektrit. Siin kindlat reeglit pole, kuid 32″ teleri maksimaalne voolutarve võiks jääda alla 150W/h (täisheledus jms). Kuni LED valgustusega LCD-d pole muutunud taskukohasemaks, seni tuleb arvestada, et suured LCD ekraanid tarbivad palju elektrit! Kui aga rahakott on piisavalt paks, siis on juba täna võimalik soetada LED tasutavalgusega LCD!

Üheksandaks: hind. Läbi terve artikli olen pidevalt vihjanud rahakoti võimekusele. Kui palju maksab üks tüüpiline 32″ teler? Hinnad algavad Eesti elektroonikapoodides 4000 kroonist – kindlasti pole see parim LCD, kuid kui raha vähe ja teler vajab uuendamist, siis tõenäoliselt kärab ka. Veidi parema eksemplari saab alates 6000 ja korralik 32″ LCD läheb maksma juba üle 8000 krooni. Hinna käärid on suured ja valik on lai. Kindlasti ei tasu sooduskampaania käigus ostma tormata esimest kõige odavamat varianti. Võib selguda, et kõrval poes võib saada oluliselt parema teleri vaid mõnesaja lisakrooni eest. Seega hoia silmad lahti ja küsi julgelt ka kampaaniaväliselt poest allahindlust!

Viimane aga kõige tähtsam: reaalne pilt! Kirjutagu ja soovitagu inimesed mis tahes, näidaku spetsifikatsioonid kui tahes häid numbreid – siis ikkagi ei tasu kõike seda tõena võtta! Oma silm on kuningas! Mine poodi ja vaata kuidas telerid üksteise kõrval tunduvad – millisel on parem pilt, heli, välimus.. – ja tee otsus alles siis. Kui pilt on meeldiv ja midagi häirivat ei leia ning hind sobib, siis pole ühelgi teisel numbril ega arvamusel tähtsust!

PS. Ise hankisin eelnevaid märkusi kasutades LG 32LH3000, mis oli Amazon.co.uk internetipoes oma kategoorias bestseller ja soodsa pakkumisena ka Euronicsis müügil. Siiamaani võib ostuga rahule jääda.

John Dean: Why Cheney pushed so hard to get a pardon for Libby

TOP 4

House passes resolution 344-36 calling Gaza war crimes report ‘unworthy’

EDITORIAL: Some sense on defense spending by NY Times

Elizabeth Warren wields plan in fight over credit rules

YIKES: Project Censored round-up of the British police state

POLICY

Pro-net neutrality professors say FCC’s proposal is ambiguous

Andy Schwartzman on the upcoming FCC ownership review

One Economy proposes Digital Literacy Initiative broadband plan

Future of Music Coalition wants FCC to become radio data central

Copyright Alliance & music publishers support IP czar Victoria Espinel

Victoria Espinel qualified, but likely powerless from Excess Copyright

MEDIA

EU eyes ‘digital divide’ after DTV transition by Matthew Lasar

Nielsen: Radio reaches 77% of adults daily (5 city study)

FCC lowers the plank for Florida pirate, $2500 settlement

HEALTH

Sit-in for single-payer at Rep. Pelosi’s office from Dollars and Sense

Rep. Kucinich: Not giving up on state single payer

28 male anti-choice Dems are stalling health reform

GOP bill would allow insurers to ignore consumer protections

Gore controversy, advocate & investor

Federal prosecutor: Medical marijuana raids won’t stop

Colorado health department changes ‘caregiver’ rule for marijuana

TECH & PRESS & OPINION

Shield law would protect student journalists from SPLC

Editorial: Pass shield law quickly from NY Times

Virginia’s elections are unconstitutional from Project Censored

Newsosaur: Pay walls mixed with free access

Pesticide industry rep. picked for trade post draws fire

Droid vs. iPhone really about Verizon vs. AT&T

O’Reilly to Hume: You don’t have a conservative viewpoint

Media Democracy Coalition’s Hannah Miller rallies against blocked political speech

Supreme Court likely to allow more corporate money in politics

Administration uses ‘State Secrets’ clause to block warrantless wiretap cases

Court rules victim of extraordinary rendition can’t sue from Raw Story

Pirate Cat Radio fined $10,000: East-Bay Express and SF Weekly

Is global warming a corporate fraud? from Project Censored

Real reason climate bill is going to suck from Grist

Palestinians criticize US u-turn on settlements

Detroit Free Press takes editorial cues from advertisers

Congress should not reject the Goldstone Report from Common Dreams

Where are the anti-war demonstrators? from Common Dreams

What Obama is up against from Truthout

MPAA piracy facts unchecked on 60 Minutes

MPAA press release urges FCC to protect content

Bit Torrent’s new peer-to-peer software throttles itself

Nielsen says DTV switch was successful

Paramount says National Broadband Plan should stop Star Trek pirates

Jerry Brown’s spokesman resigns after taping calls

AP admits Cheney equivocated to the FBI

We need a Son of Sam law for coporations from True/Slant

Comcast close to gaining NBC Universal

Brazil encourages competing hackers to crack e-voting terminals

Sen. Cantwell not sure why Geithner still has a job

Service providers in UK ’should have legal obligation on rural broadband’

Three’s company by Ross Douthat

It seems odd that wireless is the holy grail of all transmitted media except TV: Wireless broadband, wireless networks, wireless phones–as in, the demise of land lines. Television alone has migrated the other way. Very few domiciles lack a snake of coaxial cable, and because of that, many folks argue that wireless TV is no longer necessary.

It may not be, if only in the sense that TV’s not exactly “necessary” the way water and food are “necessary.” But relegating TV to wires so cell phone companies can charge people subscriptions for the public airwaves seems backward.

A massive, nationwide infrastructure already exists for wireless television. That infrastructure was completely retooled in the last few years at the behest of the federal government. It’s now been live for 140 days.

It’s the only television transmission system whereby high-definition programming isn’t crushed into foggy blur. It’s a shame broadcasters didn’t shout that fact from every one of their transmitters, but that train done left the station. It’s onward, into a future where bureaucrats and lobbyists are busy rolling up the tracks.

The medium is under siege, there’s no doubt. Yet another “study” was rolled out this week asserting the spectrum is worth more for broadband than broadcasting. It doesn’t say to whom, however. The government coffers argument is a joke. Whatever money the government might make from it at auction has already been spent 192 times.

The projected economic benefits assume ubiquity, and ubiquity requires infrastructure. There are millions of Claudville, Va.’s across the country skipped over by broadband providers now. That’s not going to change under a nationwide plan. Those communities will have to develop their own strategies, as Claudville did–one in which local broadcasters participate at some level.

There’s also that $62 billion that wireless providers supposedly would pay for the broadcast spectrum licenses. All cap ex ends up coming out of customers’ pockets. That’s just business. That’s just $201 for every man, woman and child in the country. Toss in construction costs, marketing, lobbying, bonuses and incidentals, and you probably have $1,000 per person.

Phone bills will skyrocket. That’ll be fun.

There’s also scads of WiFi pockets around the country already generating millions for carriers. It’s unlikely those will be jeopardized.

Nationwide wireless broadband is a good idea, but not dictated by the Pharaohic school of management, “so let it be written, so let it be done.” The very fact that communities like Claudville, Va., had no Internet provider into 2009 suggests nationwide access is more than a matter of spectrum. It’s economics. No service provider in business is there to make things cheaper for their customers. I am typically reminded here that long-distance calling is cheaper than it once was, but I pay the phone company five times what I did when long-distance calling cost so much per minute. My phone use is precisely the same.

This assault against broadcast television is just gathering momentum. There’s little being said about the competitive element it provides for cable TV, and what will happen to cable bills once it’s gone.

There’s a mantra in much of Washington, D.C. that no one would notice if broadcast TV went away. Meanwhile, nearly 35 million coupons were redeemed across the country for over-the-air digital TV receivers. Chances are, someone might notice if wireless TV goes away.

Hello Gordon Smith! You have your work cut out for you. The FCC is now fully engaged in killing off broadcast television, deploying its bureaucrats to get a feel for who might want to give up their spectrum license for a cut of auction proceeds. This might not wash with the guys on the NAB board, who are actual broadcasters (as if John McCain would ever let it happen).

Debt holders are another story. Broadcast bankers might like the idea of a cash payout for spectrum, and Washington clearly has no problem giving money to banks.

The spectrum reclamation movement is in full flush, and as such, rife with distortion.

The first and most persistent is that broadcasters get the spectrum for free. They receive licenses in return for fulfilling public obligations, and in turn, the public has access to free TV. The infrastructure to provide that service is by no means free, nor was the recent government-mandated upgrade to digital transmission. The billions just spent to create digital broadcasting was also intended to free up spectrum, which it did–Chs. 52-69. Most of it, as expected, went to Verizon and AT&T, and is not yet built out. Another 10 MHz hasn’t even been auctioned off.

Some of the pressure to give up spectrum is coming from the wireless giants, who started the gambit. Verizon’s lobby in Washington is one of the most powerful. It is second in influence only to Rupert Murdoch, who has to merely yawn and stretch to get an administration to sit up and roll over.

Then Motorola got into the game, blaming the 9/11 deaths of first responders on a dearth of spectrum. The loss of life was tragic, no doubt, but the spectrum argument was disingenuous. Emergency communications had long suffered from incompatible technology standards and disparate jargon. And on that fateful day, someone failed to switch on a transmitter.

Now Google, Microsoft, Dell, et al, have skin in the game, and they’ve made the Verizon team look like a bunch of geezers in seersucker slacks. Google did nothing but pretend to bid on spectrum and got nationwide access to it for free. Absolutely free. No strings attached. No public interest obligations. Nothing. White space. Free.

If white-space broadband networks work properly without taking out TV signals, most broadcasters are for it. Claudville, Va., is a perfect test bed. No carrier was going to string Claudville, Va., at the foot of the Blue Ridge. It will be interesting to see if people in the area experience TV interference, and if they have any idea what might be causing it. Chances are, since Claudville’s network just does backhaul in white space from fixed points, there won’t be much of a problem.

But the launch itself will be held up by proponents as proof positive that white-space devices work, bar none. The fox’s nose is in the door.

Broadcasters will have to be nimble in this environment. A head-on battle won’t do. They’ll lose. Too many people get cable and satellite. The notion of over-the-air television is a waste of spectrum to a generation that needs it for texting in traffic. What truly is a “waste” of spectrum is arguable, of course. If you’re a carrier or you have stock in one, not getting subscription fees from spectrum is one form of waste. If you’re a tech giant or a stockholder, it’s not having an operating system that rules the airwaves.

Why it is that Americans want to pay for something that ostensibly belongs to them, I’ll never quite now. But that’s just a reflection of the press and the blogosphere, which are one and the same these days. I’m not so sure that all of America is really fine with the cessation of free TV for all time. The public deserves to realize what’s really going on in Washington, D.C., and they deserve to know that if broadcast TV goes away, it’s never coming back.