Waiting for HD, waiting, waiting...

Hi Guys,

I lack the courage you have so I don't do live events, although I do create materials for them. I do quite agree with your take on HD; it's a tough call. For years we've been saying the HD delivery was right around the corner... Don't bet on it!



Many believe that HD is mandated by the government and we'll be enjoying it soon. Think again. What Congress has required is DIGITAL, not HD. Sitting on the plane on the way to NAB the fellow sitting next to me showed me a map of the US covered with black dots, looked like a couple hundred of them. "These are the stations that have asked for a wavier so they don't have to go digital yet," he said.



Get the picture? Furthermore, most of them need new towers to handle DTV, and there are only a couple of companies that can build the really tall ones; a tall tower costs a bundle and takes two years to build. If you're waiting for Mr. and Mrs. America to get broadcast HD at home, you're in for quite a wait.



I do think that the DVD market may be the whip that drives the HD horses; HD-ready TV's are almost cheap enough for the mass market and progressive-scan DVD players are already popularly priced. In my mind this is our quality competition, the DVD movies our upscale clients watch at home.



My clients judge me against their own frame of reference, and that reference is getting higher all the time. That's why we went to HD acquisition.



One more thing; I was chatting with an HD camera tech at NAB and one of the attendees noticed my name flash on one of the monitors. "HD in Birmingham Alabama," he scoffed, "they don't even have indoor plumbing."



Best regards,

Leo