HD, Multicasting or Something Else?

The Digital Environment

85% of homes now receive TV from cable or satellite Cable and satellite middlemen control direct access to consumers Is it likely that over-the-air reception of DTV – either HD or multicasting – will be greater than current analog OTA reception? Is it likely that either HD or multicast services will increase revenues for public television from any source? If the answer is “no” to one or both questions, shouldn’t the presumed high definition/multicast strategy be called into question?

If The Choices are HD, Multicasting or Something Else…. NPT chooses“something else” Serving users directly, rather than have to rely on the kindness of cable/satellite Finding opportunities that are both mission- consistent and revenue-generating (the “sweet spot”) The strategy is: datacasting

Digital Bandwidth Budget (Total of megabits per second) High definition television (14+ mbs required) Multicast television channel (4 mbs each) Datacast service (100 kbs or more each) Should we focus on high bandwidth, open circuit synchronous services, or many, thinner bandwidth addressable services? The choice is yours. But the choice may be irrevocable.

Slicing Bandwidth to Order Bandwidth goes in Services come out

Datacasting Requires a Different Way of Thinking Does content go to digital televisions or computers? Which users are authorized to receive it? Is it a stream or a download, and when does it need to be there? How much speed or quality (bandwidth) is required?

Datacasting is Marginal Cost Service $1.5 million (96%) $60,000 (4%)

What’s the Market? Government: training, emergency management, homeland security Education: K-12, higher ed Healthcare Three levels: local, state, national

Things to Consider Be careful with bandwidth decisions. They could be irrevocable. Question assumptions underlying all proposed digital service models. Decide whether or when to invest in datacasting equipment