Broadcasters worry over high cost of HD equipment
Analog signals will cease to be broadcast by 2009. Do you think you’re at a severe disadvantage for having to buy new digital-enabled television sets? Well, think again. You would only need to spend a minimum of about US$1,000 on a television set, but broadcast companies would have to shell out upwards of US$ 80,000 for every HD-enabled camera.
Smallish production companies and independent TV stations are fretting over HD cameras that can set them back $80,000. The federal government’s requirement that broadcasters move to digital TV signals within three years had scores of tiny production houses, public broadcasting stations and university communications departments pacing the aisles at the National Association of Broadcasters 2006 electronics media conference [in Las Vegas] this week.
Meanwhile, equipment providers are trying to win over broadcasters this early by offering discounted or lower prices on their hardware. Sony, Avid and Apple, among others, are wooing TV executives into adopting early. However, broadcast companies are still worried about a possible low viewer demand for HD content. Still, since it’s only three years away before the analog signal swithch-off, an investment on digital at this point is likely to pay off, especially since this would pave the way for a faster adoption rate among viewers.
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