Comments on: Speculation about spectrum

By: Gary Reid

Gary Reid — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:03:35 +0000

Ghost who walks

I have had someone from Sky try but there was too much interference even when he tried to put one on the roof.

By: Engineer

Engineer — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:39:01 +0000

Television like all broadcasting is asymmetric in nature, all the information flows from the broadcaster to the home. There is no need for a return channel. So satellite, with its huge bandwidth and inexpensive national coverage is the perfect medium. The terrestrial service is dead, let’s move on. The sub 1 GHz frequencies which have been wasted by broadcasters for more than 60 years need to be freed up for something far more important – Internet for the masses. The Internet is a symmetric medium and perfectly suited for participation.

By: Spud

Spud — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:44:27 +0000

“technology may be built in such a way that recording free to air TV may become impossible unless you are using special recorders such as TiVo” What? That sucks!

This needs to be fixed!

“might be for critique or for political commentary.” He he he there were some good ones before they banned it.

“In Australia we are seeing strong Internet filtering controls, and we see that those who oppose these controls are themselves being shut down and filtered.” That sounds scary and undemocratic.

By: Peter Harrison

Peter Harrison — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:19:43 +0000

Related to the switch to digital is the implementation of “Digital
Rights Management”.

That is, although it is called “Freeview”, technology may be built in
such a way that recording free to air TV may become impossible unless
you are using special recorders such as TiVo, and these recorders
encrypt the data in such a way that it cannot be moved off the box. In
other words it permits “time shifting”, but not other fair uses.

The concern here is that in a new age where video is the new media we
should have the right to “quote” video – that is use short exerts from
a video in making our own video. This might be for critique or for
political commentary. Essentially the content providers are starting
to lock down content in such a way that it forecloses on our right to
critique or quote.

An example of this may be political speeches transmitted via Freeview.
Ideally we should be able to capture them and play back segments to
prove that politicians said what they did in new media. However, with
DRM controls we will not be able to record and mix this kind of
content.

Life becomes Orwellian when the Government / Content Industry can
control the flow of information and can in effect edit it after being
published to make it look like they never said something. If you read
1984 you see the “Truth Ministry” needing to republish paper articles
to do this. In an Internet world with strong central controls people only get their information from “official” sources. We will have
arrived in a world where 1984 is possible.

In Australia we are seeing strong Internet filtering controls, and we
see that those who oppose these controls are themselves being shut
down and filtered. In other words this is a far larger issue than the
right to tape Shortland Street; it is about the right to a free
speech. If you have “free speech zones” – be that in a physical sense
or a virtual sense, then you no longer have free speech.

Regards,
Peter Harrison

By: SHG

SHG — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:41:16 +0000

Digital mobile phones? They’re a fad! Going nowhere!

Telecom wouldn’t lie to me!

By: Spud

Spud — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:06:46 +0000

I can’t afford expensive view

By: Bea

Bea — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:20:47 +0000

“The cost of entry in’t quie as high as pointed out.

There are set top boxes…”

Rural people need a satellite dish. The cost of entry is quite high.

By: Stu Fleming

Stu Fleming — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:40:23 +0000

Cooperation among telcos should be mandated for the spectrum that is freed up for 4G/LTE. In fact, they should also be weaned off the “more towers, taller towers” model where possible.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/4F8AACBE4E8B8356CC257692006E31E1

By: ghostwhowalksnz

ghostwhowalksnz — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:31:59 +0000

GR you get an aerial ‘ outside the building’.
You may have noticed them on houses, they were called ‘TV aerials’. In fact the same aerial for analogue will do for digital.

By: Spud

Spud — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 02:39:27 +0000

I hear that sky tv gets rain interference when heavy rain hits the dish.