Your predictions for N.E. WI TV in 2010

2010 Technology Predictions (not just TV related)
-Continued disputes with channel providers seeking fee increases result in temporary or permanent loses of some channels on TWC, Dish, and DirecTV (perhaps AT&T too, but they’re still young enough that they might not have any contracts due yet in 2010).
-HD channel offerings by all of the major providers increase by the end of the year to the point where their regular HD channel line ups are virtually indistinguishable. The only provider that will have something marketable that will set them apart from the others will be DirecTV with their HD NFL and MLB packages (something you might be able to argue is the case already).
-MyNetworkTV folds.
-DVD sales continue to plummet. Bluray sales increase, but no where near enough to offset the declining DVD sales. The industry continues to blame piracy not the fact that the high price of Bluray discs makes renting them much more attractive than purchasing them for most people.
-The availability of streaming and purchasable downloads of movies continues to grow as more and more companies slowly begin to understand that this is a new source of revenue for them and not one that will hurt their other sales.
-The market share for Android phones increases significantly. More and more app developers start to take notice.
-Microsoft’s camera based motion controller thingie for the Xbox 360 gets good reviews but fails to generate significant sales.
-Apple releases a new iPhone that can only be used if you’re wearing a pair of Apple iPhone iGloves that have special Apple iPhone accessing microchips in the fingers. The iGloves are sold as being a security feature and become a fashion hit even with people who don’t own iPhones. iGloves are only sold in obnoxiously bright colors and Apple sues anyone that dares attempt to come out with non-Apple approved iGlove knockoffs.
-Instead of advertising storage capacities of iPods, Apple starts to advertise how long the batteries will last in the device before they die and you have to buy a new one. The new line consists of the iPod 3 month, 6 month, 9 month, and 1 year.
-Someone picks up development of Duke Nukem Forever and actually releases a game within 12 months.

I expect (err...rather HOPE) that all Green Bay stations will have at least one digital sub-channel. It would also be nice to see no more than one digital sub-channel per station. This will keep HD streams at a higher bitrate. these sub-channels could be in widescreen 480p ED.

It would also be nice to see PBS split into 2 channels. One could be PBS-HD with a PBS-WORLD sub-channel in 480p and the other could be The Wisconsin Channel, PBS-Kids and Create, all in ED 480p.

I would also like to see most AM radio stations become digital. I understand that there are many people who now listen to AM on older radios, but to me, AM is dying right now. Switching to a digital stream could revive this format. Just listen to AM in digital hybrid...it really makes it sound good!

None of these are predictions...they are desires. I really believe that OTA truly has a chance to again be the forefront of broadcasting instead of taking an increasingly backseat position to expensive pay tv services. All of this at a time when the FCC is debating whether to send a knockout punch at local broadcasters.

Bill

I agree with you about stagnancy of HD Radio. I see it as useless for FM, as analog FM sounds as good or better than digitized HD sidebanders do. This is especially true of the PBS stations that carry THREE digital streams. AM, however, is a different beast. WTMJ AM sounds very good in HD...it is quiet with extended highs. If the band was to go full digital and stop analog broadcasts, three things would happen that would benefit AM.

First, right now, AM Hybrid Digital broadcasts are positioned as a sideband of the standard analog broadcast. This creates a digital interference that prohibits long distance reception of adjacent AM stations. This interference is very real and is a detriment to those looking to pick up a distant station that has an adjacent HD signal. By converting to digital, AM could move the digital signal back to the center frequency and use the entire bandwidth for its signal. This would stop this interference from occurring to adjacent stations.

Second, if AM were to go digital, the power could all go to the digital signal, which would be very clean over the same distances as analog AM, but with less power usage. Right now, analog AM gets full power while its digital sideband signal is limited to 10% of analog power.

Third, people would rediscover AM. Full bandwidth digital AM would sound very close to CD quality. Imagine listening to WLW in Cincinnati crystal clear at night. Right now, I can do it if conditions are perfect. If not, I get a scratchy, tinny analog signal that can get really poor at times.

It's just an opinion and something I would like to see, but I feel it could be good for the radio industry to take its dying band and give it an upgrade.

Bill

I know I'm going out on a limb here, but TV, internet and phone prices for cable/satellite/telco providers are going to go up.

Jon,

Are you CRAZY????? Not a chance! I have not heard anything that wild in a long time!!! Get your head out of the sand...unbelievable!!!

By the way, if this was a joke, then nevermind, I thought you were serious!

Bill

(Sheesh, don't you remember the cable competition bill that was signed a few years ago? Rates are going to plummet for the foreseeable future, much like solid state hard drives have.)

My predictions (or hopes) for things we'll see in Northeast Wisconsin television in the New Year:

I am looking for 1 or 2 more new subchannels.
I would like to see one of the local stations broadcast OTA Milwaukee baseball.
I hope the low power station in my area (TBN) will be allowed to convert to digital so the Gospel can clearly go out.
It would be nice to see WACY channel 32 do a complete overhaul of their scheduling.

I am also hoping that channel 36 goes digital. This could mean 3 or 4 additional channels as none of them will be HD. I am thinking about how ION carries 4 channels on their digital stream. Their 3 subchannels carry a lot of useful content. Perhaps TBN will do the same.

My problem right now is that I receive 36 off the back side of my tower antenna. If they convert to digital and lower their overall power, this may be a problem for reception in my location (without adding another antenna!)

(OK, so I have the attic mounted antenna available...it would mean another jointenna and some wiring!)

I wonder how strong they will be allowed to broadcast in digital as they could then interfere with PBS WLEF out of Park Falls.

Bill

In all seriousness, I think 2010 will be the year where HD channel lineups mirror SD channels. It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense for content providers to be sending two channels to cable/satellite operators.

Time Warner Cable changes its name and launches DOCSIS 3.0 in Wisconsin probably first up here, then down in the Milwaukee area. AT&T either responds with a Luke Wilson ad or acutally brings pairbonding to customers.

AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless, and possibly the whole wireless industry, is investigated for price fixing and anti-competitive behaviors by the FTC, DOJ and/or the FCC. Since wireless is subsidizing telco tv, this will lead to higher prices for TV, internet and other services provided by the various AT&T and Verizon Corp ILECs.

The Cable Competition Act remains unchanged.

Internet TV subcriptions, similar to what Apple is doing, slowly grow in 2010 and take off in 2011.