SINCLAIR SAYS LATEST DTV TESTS BLAST VSB, WITH MORE TESTS NEEDED
Most recent round of DTV standard tests was flawed, COFDM backer Sinclair Bcst. said in memo we obtained Wed., day before start of closed-door DTV summit in Washington. Sinclair said COFDM tests inadvertently were conducted with receiver that lacked front-end filter, causing set to be overloaded in many situations. At very least, mistake and test results indicated that NAB and MSTV should go ahead with 2nd round of testing on DTV systems, Sinclair Vp-New Technology Nat Ostroff said in memo. Other broadcast officials didn’t immediately comment on memo.
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“Major flaw” in COFDM receiver “was not recognized early and thus all field data was taken without full knowledge of the impact of this defect,” Ostroff said. He said lack of filter could explain why COFDM outperformed VSB when simple indoor antenna was used but failed at same sites when 30-ft. outdoor antenna was used. COFDM also was hurt by use of higher data rate for COFDM than for VSB, Ostroff said.
One clear result of tests was that “neither transmission standard as tested can be the basis for a free over-the-air broadcast transmission standard,” Ostroff said. He said chip makers who said they could solve VSB’s multipath problems hadn’t delivered on promises: “The question for broadcasters is this: Should we rely on an [consumer electronics] industry that is not focused on our needs, but has made a commitment to the cable and satellite delivery of television, for our future survival?”
Despite being “inconclusive” on COFDM, tests provided some “very conclusive results for VSB,” memo said, including claiming that: (1) VSB would require outdoor antennas for 45-88% of broadcast audience. (2) VSB provided less than 40% coverage for close-in indoor antennas. (3) VSB didn’t provide “ease of use” even when indoor reception was possible. (4) VSB didn’t replicate NTSC coverage.
Only solution is to continue looking for improved DTV standard, memo said: “To abandon the broadcast industry’s future to a reliance on empty promises of improvements to VSB in the face of clear evidence of that standard’s failure would be irresponsible to our companies and our shareholders.”