How's It Going? The Truth About the H/DTV Transition and Things to Bear in Mind at NAB Mark Schubin, Consultant

How's It Going? The Truth About the H/DTV

Transition and Things to Bear in Mind at

NABMark Schubin,

Consultant

Mark Schubin, 2005 April 15

Which transition?

> not the digital video transition:>character generators since 1967> timebase correctors since 1972> frame synchronizers since 1973

so virtually all TV seen since then has been digital>digital TVs on sale in the U.S. since

1984 ?!?!?

1974 - 6 Presidents ago


What’s “Digital Television” (“DTV”)?

> TV sets using all-digital processing (1984)?> broadcasts that were at some point digital (1972/3)?> DBS (1994)? digital cable (1996)? DVD (1997)?> digital terrestrial TV transmission (1996)? “DTT”> home screens capable of at least 480p or DTT (CEA)?


Which transition? – Part II

> mandatory from NTSC broadcasting to ATSC DTT> It’s the law!

> inevitable from NTSC/601 video to HDTV> 8 lines to 12, 30, 60, 120, 240, 480, 720/1080,…

>…oversampled cameras, D-cinema, SHDTV, UHDTV (16x!)

> voluntary from NTSC/BTSC audio to 5.1 surround> 21 years after MTS, many shows & TVs mono (27% HH)


U.S. NTSC to ATSC DTT transition - I> began as FCC HDTV-broadcasting inquiry in

1987> switched to digital in 1990

> perfect reception (if any reception)> spectrum efficiency (closer channel packing)> 19.4 Mbps payload vs. NTSC+ (4.5 Mbps) analog

> HDTV requirement dropped in 1997> MPEG-2 mandatory for primary video (sigh)


U.S. NTSC to ATSC DTT transition - II> 7/96 - first stations on-air

>(very first had no encoders)> 11/98 - 40 “volunteer” stations on-air> 5/99 - top-10-market ABC, CBS, Fox,

NBC> 11/99 – markets 11-30> 5/02 - all commercial, 5/03 all


Number of U.S. TV stations> FCC analog – 12/31/04

> Full-power –--------- 1748(412 non-commercial)

> Class A –--------------- 603> LPTV –---------------- 2034> TV translators ----- 4454

> NTSC transmitters ---- 8839

> FCC DTT – 04/07/05> Slots – 1722 (34 non-NTSC)> CPs - 1697> On-air - 1497> Full-power – 689

(non-commercial 56% of slots,commercial just 36% of slots)

> CEA – 122 (none PBS) 10/04


U.S. ATSC to NTSC transition - III> mandatory reception circuitry in TVs:

> (no performance specifications)> 7/04 – 50% 36-inch & up> 7/05 – 100% 36-inch & up, 50% 25-to-35-

inch (could change to 3/06)> 7/06 – 100% 25-inch & up (could be 3/06)> 7/07 – 100% of 13-inch & up plus other

devices with NTSC tuner


Official analog shutdown – 12/31/06> Balanced Budget Act of 1997 is still the law> three exceptions on a market-by-market basis:

> ABC, CBS, Fox, or NBC outlet legitimately not DTT> “converter technology” not “generally available”> 15% or more not subs of an MVPD carrying each DTT

and not “capable of receiving” the DTTs


What’s a “market”? FCC asking

> stations in SLC market separated by 358 miles (Boston to Baltimore)

> even in NY and LA DMAs, no cable operator carries each full-power station

> satellite subs receiving OTA don’t count


DTT transition: bear in mind at NAB> get on the air > maximize coverage> PSIP kills

> get appropriate generators and test equipment> get different consumer receivers (inexpensive)

>$300 RCA integrated 27-inch later this year>$229 Humax set-top box now

> plan for the “broadcast flag”

no reception is no fun


DTT receivers (integrated & STB)> first sold to U.S. consumers November 1998> factory sales through 12/31/2003 – 1.2 million> factory sales through 12/31/2004 – 3 million> LG/Zenith 5th-generation conquers Schubin site

> demonstrated NAB 2003 (Welcome to NAB 2005!)> LG 5th-gen. set-top boxes go on sale ? Not yet> LG 5th-gen. chip in non-LG STB fails Schubin site


DTT transition caution

> watch out for the other guy> increased power = increased interference> another station’s bad PSIP can kill your

reception> keep track of receiver developments

> newer is not necessarily better> track and distribute receiver anomaly

information


Transition from NTSC/601 to HDTV> HDTV is said to be:

> digital> much more detail> wider aspect ratio> 5.1-channel sound

> HDTV is:> much sharper

pictures> different color

space> much more data> scary to rights

holders

CEA 3/22/05: “nearly half… plan” to make their next TV HDTVCEA 4/04/05: “7 in 10…plan” to make their next TV an HDTVHarris Interactive: 27% (no price) or 19% (price) likely in a year


Myths about HDTV

> it must be digital> world’s first regularly scheduled modern HDTV

service, still carried in Japan, is analog> most HDTV owners can see HD resolution at

home> most HDTV viewers demand HDTV

> but, on fixed-pixel HD displays, they do prefer it

high definition tripodhigh definition rackhigh definition stand


Can viewers see HD detail at home? "In our tests of 22 plasma TV models, the

best ED set looked just as good with HD content as the HD sets. (One note: Sit closer than 8 feet away from an ED set and you're likely to see individual pixels, making the image appear coarse)"

- Consumer Reports, March 2005


Visual Acuity: Can you read this?> How about this?

> What about this?> Can you still read it?

> And this?

> limit to human visual perception: about 30 cycles/degree (cpd)> many factors affect limit> Can you read this? This? How about this?

> for contrast sensitivity and visual acuity, 22 cpd is used


Retinal angle: screen size & distance> U.S. – RCA Labs

> Lechner Distance – 9 feet

> UK – Philips Labs> Jackson Distance – 3

m

> Japan – 4 feet?> motivation for HDTV

> Lechner Distance

9 feet


At the Lechner Distance – 9 feet> 480 lines just visible:

> 4:3>30 cpd – 25-inch TV>22 cpd – 34-inch TV

> 16:9>30 cpd – 31-inch TV>22 cpd – 42-inch TV

thus Consumer Reports

> HDTV fully visible:> 720-line

>30 cpd – 46-inch TV>22 cpd – 63-inch TV

> 1080-line>30 cpd – 70-inch TV >22 cpd – 96-inch TV

eight-foot diagonal


Exceptions to the Lechner Distance> TV shoppers stand

much closer than the Lechner Distance

> control-room viewing distance might be 4 feet

at that distance, 1080 linesdemand a >31-inch screen


Vision-based monitor shoppingSony BVM-D32E1WU

U.S. List Price $39,065.00

Sony BVM-D14H5U

U.S. List Price $5,925.00

Sony PVM-14L1 U.S. List Price $697.00


Reason for more display resolution> NTSC on a CRT:

> active line time – 52.5 µs> video bandwidth – 4.2

MHz> 4.2 x 52.5 = 220.5

cycles/line> 441 TV lines/picture

width> half-pixel shift works

> fixed-pixel displays:> nominal 16:9 ED – 852

pels

> half-pixel shift fails

> 426 maximum to prevent


Pixel matching vs. scaling> Pixel matching:

> Theoretically, a 1920 x

1080 camera feeding a display of 1920 x 1080 would have a pixel-for-pixel match, and there would be no half-pixel shifts.

> 5% overscan changes to 1824 x 1026

> Scaling (it will happen):> overscan> 1080i vs. 720p> fixed-pixel counts (J&R):1365/6 x 768 1920 x 10801280 x 768 1280 x 10241024 x 768 1024 x 10241280 x 720 800 x 600852/3 x 480 640 x 480


Consumer demand for HDTV> Voom (RIP)-35 HD channels

> began October 2003> ~40,000 subscribers 4/05

> plasma TVs – huge growth> 2003 – about 70% HDTV> 2004 – about 40% HDTV> conclusions: thin is in,

cheap is nice

> Japan –plasma 80% HDTV> small rooms

> Australia – 3/29/05:> STB models – 67 SD, 19 HD> iDTT TVs – 21 SD, 5 HD> ABC2 - ABC 1080 to 576

> CEA – 3/22 – half want HD> DTV “term used” for HDTV

> consumers prefer HD but won’t pay for it


What about the numbers?> Nielsen TVHH – 109.6M

> + multi-, dorms, 2nd homes

> 2003 surveys – 20-40M HD> CEA 12/31/04 – 16.1M ‘DTV’

> factory sales, not in homes> ~85% HD, 66% wide, 12%

DTT

> 12/31/04 HH estimates: ~10M HD-screen, ~3M HD

> CEA ‘DTV’ = 480p-up or DTT> NTSC H-rate = 15,734 Hz> ‘DTV’ = 31,468 Hz for CRT

> ATSC ‘HDTV’ = 1920x1080*HDCAM, D9HD, DVCPROHD NG

> CEA ‘HDTV’ = 1080 lines*> ‘HDTV’ = 33,716 Hz for CRT* also 720-line versions


It is important to shoot HDTV

MTF Curvecontrast

detail fineness

> sharpness is proportional to the square of the area under a curve plotting contrast ratio against detail resolution fineness (modulation-transfer function)

affected by lens, camera, & filtering; not by recording, editing, & distribution

which looks sharper? - more contrast

- finer detail


HDTV lenses and cameras lift MTF

exaggerated cont SD HDrast

detail fineness

> little area under the toe> nominal 1080i: 1920 H

pels> HDCAM: 1440 luma> D9HD, DVCPROHD: 1280

> much area under shoulder> HD sharpness visible

even on analog VHSCNet: viewers find NTSC on fixed-pixel HD displays “awful”


Aspect ratio> CEA: 66% of “digital TVs”

are widescreen (growing)> wide: 16:9, 5:3, 8:5, 3:2> HDTV screens are also

4:3> 27-, 32-, 36-, & 40-inch CRT> many LCD

Samsung TX-P2764X

> letterbox lacks overscan

> no standard signaling:> fat/skinny pictures> chopped pictures> framed pictures


HDTV transition: bear in mind at NAB> Buying cameras or lenses? Go HD!> Buying a master monitor? Probably go HD

> need to see impolite animals> Buying anything else? Consider all factors

> price, politics, pass-through, etc. (Passion in “HD”)> for recorders, editing, routing, master control, etc.

> Monitor non-HD & 4:3.> Consider Rec. 709 vs. Rec. 601 colorimetry.


5.1-channel surround is good, but…> CEA 1/1/05 – 33% HTS

> up from 32% on 1/1/04> could be 5.1> could also be 4, 4.1, etc.

> 67% non-home-theater> may lack center speaker> access issue (as with HD)

> >Dinosaur movie> VHS problem:> tiptoes instead

of thuds

> 4-channel surround: center & surround have opposite stereo polarities


sound transition: bear in mind at NAB> be prepared for “dialnorm” (required by law)> look for conversion systems, multichannel

encoders (for recording and distribution), monitoring equipment

> remember there is no urgency (except dialnorm)> no rule, regulation, or deadline requires 5.1> consumer equipment will change whatever you do

Remember the A.L.A.M.O. (audience left

after mythology’s over)

and Enjoy NAB!

Documents

How's It Going? The Truth About the H/DTV Transition and Things to Bear in Mind at NAB Mark Schubin, Consultant