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[News]
Associated Press: BPDG slows digital TV transition?
The party line at the BPDG is that the mandate it's devising will accelerate and facilitate the adoption of digital television. (Art Allison of the National Association of Broadcasters uses "Yours for enabling a rapid DTV transition" as his customary sign-off in his e-mail.) Why would a government-imposed mandate help the transition? The theory is:
- DTV will be popular when Hollywood provides Hollywood movies;
- Hollywood won't provide movies until there is "broadcast protection";
- BPDG will provide broadcast protection;
- Therefore, BPDG is helping make DTV popular.
Of course, there's another perspective --
- TV stations are ready and willing to begin DTV broadcasts;
- Hollywood is withholding movies from the TV industry in order to try to control the development of the technology;
- This decision by Hollywood is harming the popularity of DTV;
- BPDG's work to try to appease Hollywood is increasing the cost of DTV equipment, creating uncertainty about the future of DTV, and diminishing the capabilities of DTV hardware sold to consumers.
Presumably everyone agrees that the DTV transition is delayed or made less sure and rapid "because of copyright concerns". A basic disagreement is whether this is the fault of large copyright holders (who deliberately withhold content even as the technology and infrastructure are deployed) or whether, on the other hand, technologists are to blame for not having done what some copyright holders wanted.
An Associated Press article found by reader Alex Rose discusses the possibility that restricting customers' recording abilities could hurt the transition to DTV. We've heard that suggestion frequently. The article goes on to discuss FCC Chairman Michael Powell's plans for DTV transition, and the new HDTV advocacy group created by Dale Cripps and colleagues. It also mentions the work of the Digital Consumer project for protection of the public's fair use rights.