(keitai-l) Re: Related - Mobile computing on a new level (but heading OT)

Paul,

I'm sorry but this is just wrong:

>Japan's HDTV service is analog-based, and
>it will be swept aside by the move to digital terrestrial broadcasting.

High definition digital satellite broadcasting, in the shape of BS Digital,
began two years ago and digital terrestrial television began in Tokyo,
Osaka and Nagoya in December. Of the BS Digital channels, 6 of th 8 are in
high-definition - NHK BS-Hi is full time HDTV and the others (BS Fuji,
BS-A, BS-i, BS Japan and BS-NTV) offer a good portional of their broadcasts
in HDTV (I don't have the precise count of hours).

Terrestrial digital is in high definition for a good deal of the
programming on NHK. The commercial networks have also started switching.
There isn't even full coverage of Tokyo yet and nationwide coverage is not
expected for 3 years.

>But let's not make the mistake in Japan that widescreen TV == HDTV

This is also wrong. HDTV sales are counted quite differently from
widescreen TV sales. Analog widescreen sets, on the most part, expand the
4:3 image to fill the screen whereas HDTV sets, which all possess
widescreens, show real 16:9.

If you're not convinced you can check the shipment figures here:

http://www.jeita.or.jp/english/stat/shipment/2003/ship_12.htm

399,000 HDTV (mixed analog and digital) CRT sets were shipped in 2003. An
additional 205,000 PDP sets with BS Digital tuners (almost all of which are
HDTV sets) were shipped and 1.2m LCD TV sets with 10-inch plus screens were
shipped. Its impossible to break down the LCD figure - many will be smaller
15-inch screens which are not HDTV.

HDTV may not be dominant in Japan but it is clearly more successful here
than anywhere else in the world. NHK produces the vast majority of its
programming in HD format and even its news crews carry HD equipment -- the
recent live reports from Iraq have been in HD. With the launch of
terrestrial digital and the continuing fall of prices for large-screen
sets, almost all of which support HDTV, it will only get more popular.

Martyn





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  |       To:       keitai-l@appelsiini.net                                                                                      |
  |       cc:       (bcc: Martyn Williams/NEWS SERVICE/IDG)                                                                      |
  |       Subject:  (keitai-l) Re: Related - Mobile computing on a new level (but heading OT)                                    |
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I can't follow the quoting here, so I don't think I'm actually replying to
Darren. But let's not make the mistake in Japan that widescreen TV == HDTV.
Most widescreen TVs are not HDTV. Japan's HDTV service is analog-based, and
it will be swept aside by the move to digital terrestrial broadcasting.
(Which is sad, in one sense, for the technology effort NHK made, but good
in
terms of the bandwidth soon to be available).

[ excessive quoting removed by moderator ]