Migration to HDTV (1.5 Gb/s) Over Fiber Among US TV Stations Slow Going
According to SCRI's survey, only 12.2% of stations are expected to be using HDTV (1.5 Gb/s) over fiber by the end of 2002; by 2003 this will increase to 17.6%; by 2004 23% and by by 2005, just under three in ten stations (28.4%) are expected to be using HDTV over fiber.
The plus side of using fiber is its ability to accommodate extremely high bit rates, irrespective of content. According to Larry Bloomfield, SCRI's technical consultant on this survey and publisher of DTV Tech Notes, "Bits are bits are bits -- they do not know if they are HDTV or anything else. The bandwidth required for HDTV is significantly greater than that required for SDTV. Bandwidth capacity is the key important factor in any medium of transport – fiber, cable or over the air."
According to the NAB, as of January 9, 2002 there are 229 DTV stations operating in digital and DTV signals are now being transmitted in 80 markets that include 73.72% of U.S. TV households.
SCRI's DTV Migration Survey Series tracks both technology and product trends and usage among both broadcast and non-broadcast sectors. To view the table of contents online, go to: http://www.scri.com/sc_reprt.html
SCRI International, http://www.scri.com, founded in 1984, has become the premiere source of market research on broadcast and professional video/audio sectors, worldwide. SCRI provides both multi-client and custom market research to equipment manufacturers, trade magazines, associations, investment firms and other industry analysts including the U.S. Department of Commerce. Current reports include: HDTV Marketplace Trends; HDTV Marketplace Products; Broadcast & Pro Video Trends; Broadcast and Pro Video Manufacturers Awareness and Ratings; Broadcast & Pro Video Product & Brand Share Reports.