Matthew's Workbench » Television and Antennas

Keeping TV Free and STV

Matthew Reed — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:10:00 +0000

This curious advertisement has been floating around since 1964. Titled “Keep TV Free,” it paints a dire picture of a future with only pay television and asks the citizens of California to become involved. So what was happening in California at that time deemed so threatening to free television?

The advertisement (from 1964 not 1968) refers to a nearly forgotten chapter in television history: a pay television service sold by Subscription Television, Inc., more commonly known as STV. STV was headed by Sylvester (Pat) Weaver, previously the chairman at NBC. Weaver was responsible for many television milestones at NBC, including the creation of the “Today” show and “participation advertising,” the practice of networks selling advertising within shows. In the early 1960’s, he became interested in creating a pay television service to potentially rival the networks. STV began wiring up houses in San Francisco and Los Angeles with plans to ultimately expand the service nationwide.

The STV system sounds as though it was quite ambitious. It consisted of three channels with entirely original programming. In modern language, I think it would be called a pay-per-view rather than pay-TV service, with most users expected to pay between $10 and $20 a month for programming ($68 to $136 in inflation adjusted dollars). According to a 1964 LIFE article, the biggest draws were baseball games from the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Other highlights included an education series called Primer for Moderns, concerts by Arthur Rubinstein and Van Cliburn, a children’s show called Cable Kindergarten, and a recording of the off-Broadway play The Trojan Women. There were also plans for movies created exclusively for STV.

Projections were for 40,000 subscribers upon launch, although actual totals turned out to be closer to 9,400. But the biggest unexpected obstacle was the concerted opposition from owners of movie theaters and television stations. A 1964 TIME magazine article described some of the criticisms:

The argument they offered was that pay-TV customers would one day find themselves paying to see shows they now see for nothing. And carrying the argument a bit farther, they also warned that pay TV could become just as commercial as contemporary network television.

(It’s interesting to note that both of these scenarios did eventually happen, just decades later.)

Through groups such as “Citizens Committee for Free TV,” they organized a very effective campaign to rally support for a California ballot measure banning pay television. Using advertisements, such as the one above intended for movie theaters, they gathered enough signatures to place the measure on the ballot. Proposition 15 passed by a two to one margin on November 3, 1964 and STV was forced to shut down.

STV promptly sued to overturn Proposition 15. The California Supreme Court eventually ruled Proposition 15 unconstitutional in March 1966, calling it “an abridgment of the free speech guaranties of state and federal Constitutions.” But STV was long out of money by that time and the service never resumed.

I think this quote from television producer Sheldon Leonard best summed up the problem with STV:

I think the people at STV are operating under two erroneous assumptions: 1) that they will find new lodes of talent, and 2) that the television audience wants something essentially different than it is getting now.

Successful pay television would have to wait until the creation of HBO in November 1972.

The end of free broadcast television?

Matthew Reed — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:25:30 +0000

Will free over-the-air broadcast television in the United States soon become a thing of the past? That prospect would have seemed impossible to me not too long ago, but I wonder if it is what the future holds.

Back in November 2009, the Consumer Electronics Association and CTIA (a wireless communications trade group) wrote a letter to the FCC requesting ways to “reduce the amount of spectrum assigned to broadcast television licensees.” You can see a copy of that letter here. Their key point comes at the end of the letter:

Without swift Commission action to identify and clear significant portions of electromagnetic spectrum below 3 GHz, consumers and businesses in this country will be unable to access the Internet and information sources so necessary to be competitive internationally.

The implication here seems obvious: why reserve large sections of broadcast spectrum for television when “fewer than ten percent of American households rely on over-the-air transmission to view broadcast content”?

There is enormous pressure at the moment to free up more bandwidth for wireless communications. Many long-time users of frequencies are thought to be at risk for relocation or removal. For example, it seems likely that amateur radio will lose rights to many frequencies, especially in the microwave range. But television is an especially rich target for the wireless companies because its frequencies are adjacent to the ones they use today.

VHF channels 1 to 13 were the first reserved for television back in the 1930’s. Channel 1 (which suffered from interference problems) was removed when broadcasting began in earnest following World War II. UHF channels were added in 1952, comprising channels 14 to 83.

Channels 70 to 83, which were mostly used for repeaters, were removed in 1983. More recently, channels 52 to 69 were removed as part of the digital broadcast conversion in 2009. So the television channels available today in the United States total 49: VHF channels 2 to 13 and UHF channels 14 to 51 (excluding channel 37 which is reserved for radio astronomy).

The situation is complicated by the fact that the VHF channels are not working out well for digital television. Many of the remaining digital VHF stations have requesting relocation to UHF channels. That means that the only widely usable channels for digital television are the 37 UHF channels.

In a separate proposal, the Consumer Electronics Association and CTIA have suggested replacing high-power television transmitters with networks of lower power transmitters. This approach, known as distributed transmission system or DTS, could reduce the number of channels required to cover an area. DTS isn’t a new idea and is considered one potential way to replace coverage lost in the digital television conversion. It would also have the advantage of working with existing televisions.

But their proposal estimates that between 100 to 180 MHz of bandwidth could be freed up. That would be the equivalent of 17 to 30 UHF channels. If thirty channels were removed from the UHF band (assuming that channel 37 remains unused), that would leave only seven UHF channels available for digital television. It’s hard to see how that could help but destroy over-the-air television.

A skeptical observer might wonder if the real issue is preventing competition with future wireless video services. For example, one of the uses of the recently vacated channels 52 to 69 is MediaFLO, a service created by Qualcomm. MediaFLO uses channel 55 to broadcast television to mobile devices.

The DTVPal DVR is Introduced

Matthew Reed — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:03:58 +0000

After a slow start, DISH Network has released quite a number of digital converter boxes lately. Now they have announced the DTVPal DVR, a digital video recorder for over-the-air broadcast television. You can read the press release here.

The DTVPal DVR is the final version of the TR-50 converter box that DISH Network announced last year but never released.

Like the DTVPal and the DTVPal Plus, the DTVPal DVR has a seven day electronic program guide. The DTVPal DVR also offers:

two digital tuners (so you can watch one program while recording another)
the ability to record up to 30 hours of HD video or up to 150 hours of standard definition video

Unlike Tivo and most other DVRs, the DTVPal Plus has no subscription fees of any kind.

The DTVPal DVR costs $299, but there will be a $50 instant rebate. Because of the extra features, it will not be eligible for digital converter box coupons.

Although much pricier than other digital converter boxes, the DTVPal DVR does offer a whole new set of features. I suspect that it will interest a lot of people who need a converter box but who wouldn’t normally be in the market for a DVR.

The DTVPal DVR will be available for pre-order starting on November 19, 2008, probably at the DTVPal website.

The EchoStar TR-40 CRA

Matthew Reed — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:30:36 +0000

Last year, EchoStar announced the TR-40, their $40 digital converter box. It had the best feature set of any converter box and the $40 price made it free with government coupon. But then the TR-40 was postponed and the DTVPal was released, a different converter box that EchoStar priced at $59.99. The TR-40 remained a separate product that they promised for later release.

Now the TR-40 has been reborn as the TR-40 CRA. You can read the DISH Network press release here. The TR-40 CRA price is $40, which is $20 less than the DTVPal, even though it is the same unit! It says so right on the TR-40 CRA FAQ page:

What is the difference between TR-40 CRA and DTVPal?
TR-40 CRA is a special limited production version of the DTVPal. Offered at the government coupon price of $40, the TR-40 CRA includes the highly-acclaimed features and functionality of the DTVPal.
DTVPal has garnered much praise in recent months and is recommended as a “top choice” by CNET. DTVPal’s amazing features and consumer-friendly technology make it a great value at only $19.99 with a $40 government coupon.

With a limited supply available, you should probably act soon if you want to buy a TR-40 CRA.

DIY HDTV Antenna Resources

Matthew Reed — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:05:24 +0000

Judging from the number of emails I have received on the subject, there seems to be quite a lot of interest in building your own UHF antenna for HDTV reception. I’ve discussed this topic a few times in the past, but here are some resources for prospective antenna builders.

Simple Antennas

These two UHF antenna projects are fairly simple and suited for stronger signals and suburban reception:

More Powerful Antenna

If you’re looking for an antenna a bit more advanced and better suited for weaker signals, check out the Gray-Hoverman antenna:

The Gray-Hoverman Antenna for UHF Television Reception

Construction Forums

For some detailed discussions and tips about antenna construction, check out these forums:

The Lumenlab forum does require registration to view. Both forums contain good information and posts by some knowledgeable people.

Rolling Your Own

What if you catch the antenna bug and want to create your own designs? That requires quite a bit more time and knowledge, but it can be done. You’ll find some discussion of antenna design on the Lumenlab forum. One tool you will need is some kind of antenna modeling software to test your designs. Here is one of the best free programs:

4nec2 Antenna Modeler and Optimizer

DTVPal To Be Available At Sears

Matthew Reed — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:55:37 +0000

There were persistent rumors before the DTVPal digital converter box was released on June 26 that DISH Network had already signed up Sears and Radio Shack as national distributors. But neither chain sold the DTVPal after the introduction. The DTVPal remained available only through the official DTVPal website and through some smaller, local retailers.

But SkyReport noticed, judging from a FCC filing, that DISH Network did have a DTVPal distribution deal with Sears. On July 17, Sears made an official announcement confirming the deal. Presumably we should start to see the DTVPal in their stores in the coming months, or possibly coming weeks. According to these posts on the Satelliteguys forum, some Sears stores are already offering them for sale. There is still no word about Radio Shack, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a similar deal.

Although some have suggested that the DTVPal has already become one of the best selling converter boxes nationally, I find that claim hard to believe. Several other converter boxes (including the Insignia NS-DXA1 which I bought) have long been sold through national chains. Those boxes, with national distribution, must be selling far better than the DTVPal, with its limited distribution. This deal with Sears might help DISH Network to correct some of that imbalance.

DIY Antenna Materials

Matthew Reed — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:27:21 +0000

The other day when I was at Home Depot, I took a closer look at the wire they had for sale. The 8 and 10 gauge copper wire looked good to me, but I still would like a material a bit more resistant to damage.

I told the associate in that section what I was after, and asked him if they had any aluminum wire or rods. He acted as puzzled as if I had asked him if they carried gold bars. The only aluminum material he could think of was electric fence wire (which turned out to be galvanized steel) and rods used for arc welding. Neither seemed like a good choice.

I’m left confused by the lack of aluminum material. Is there an aluminum shortage I’m not aware of, or was this Home Depot just a bit lacking in aluminum?

The Small House With Many Antennas

Matthew Reed — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:26:26 +0000

While I was waiting on a street in front of several houses today, I was struck by the large number of antennas on one house. It was a fairly small house, but it was covered in dishes and antennas; I counted 11 in all.

Mounted on one side of the house:

1 DISH Network DISH 500 satellite dish
2 DirecTV dishes (one considerably larger than the other)
1 unlabeled small satellite dish

Mounted directly on the roof:

1 StarBand satellite dish for satellite Internet
1 full-size mesh satellite dish

Mounted on a rotatable mast on the roof:

1 FM antenna (model and brand unknown)
1 Channel Master 4228 UHF antenna (these are very recognizable)
1 Wade-Delhi VIP-306 or VIP-307 VHF antenna (I was less sure about this, but they are also fairly recognizable)

Mounted on a second fixed mast on the roof:

1 more Wade-Delhi VIP VHF antenna
1 HF antenna that I didn’t recognize, but possibly related to amateur radio

And that isn’t counting the satellite dish on the shared lawn, which might have belonged to a neighbor. I was tempted to knock on the front door, just to try to shake the owner’s hand.

Who Loses With Digital Television?

Matthew Reed — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:46:10 +0000

Doc Searls wrote an article which poses this question about the digital television switchover: What happens after TV’s mainframe era ends next February?

He raises the point that nobody else seems to address, that many people will lose television stations after the switchover. Despite statements to the contrary, just putting up a new antenna won’t always solve the problem. VHF and UHF signals propagate differently, and there is no antenna available that can paper over those differences.

That isn’t to say that many people won’t gain channels with digital television. Many will, but it bothers me that the people least likely to have other options are the very people most likely to be cut out by digital television.

New DTVPal Review by CNET

Matthew Reed — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:40:03 +0000

Just as I had predicted, the reviews for the DISH Network DTVPal digital converter box are beginning to appear. CNET has now published the latest DTVPal review. The review is quite extensive and examines the DTVPal in great detail. They seemed very impressed by the DTVPal and especially liked the program guide. Their main criticisms seemed to be video quality (which they described as a notch below other converters) and the overcomplicated remote control. I’m familiar with that remote control (the same one is used by DISH Network for their satellite receivers) and I personally don’t agree with them. I was also surprised by the video quality comment; that contradicts other statements I have heard about superior video quality. Their conclusion is that the DTVPal is the top choice for converter box, unless you prefer the simplicity of the RCA DTA800. It’s a good review, so be sure to take a look.

There is still no word about where you will be able to buy the DTVPal, but presumably those details will be revealed when the DTVPal is officially released. Of course, DISH Network might be planning to bypass retailers and sell the DTVPal directly. We should find out on June 19.