Behind the VEIL
Editor:
I enjoyed your April 2006 editorial “Behind the VEIL.”
I'm sick of the hysteria of Hollywood and the music industry. Recently, some music I had legally downloaded and paid for was destroyed when my computer crashed.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the music backed up, and the transferred files would not play without the “licenses,” which I never was able to figure how to move to my new machine.
What did I lose? Some 1940s big band music. I can't even remember the artists' names, but the owners weren't cheated of their 2-or 3-cent cut, no sir!
Andy
WVCY-TV
Milwaukee
The missing link
Editor:
Most of your articles relating to manufacturers' products contain a Web site link. However, these links are generally to the home page of the manufacturer's site, not the specific product, causing me to spend an untold amount of time searching the site for the product.
Many times — no, most times — the product cannot be found at all, leaving me frustrated and vowing to never visit the site again.
If the current methods are dictated by advertisers' demands, it may behoove you to point out to them that today's busy professionals are seeking targeted information and are not, in fact, engaged in an impulse shopping spree through Wal-Mart.
In my estimation, it would be a great benefit to your readers if the link would actually bring up the product page of the item in the story or ad, instead of squandering my time.
Tom Ingledew
Long Run Productions
Minneapolis
Editorial Director Brad Dick responds:
I understand your position. However, sometimes we get the information to you before vendors even update their own Web sites. In other cases, the link you see is the one the manufacturer requests we use. I agree that a general www.xyzcompany.com link can leave you scratching your head as to where the desired information may be hiding on a vendor's site.
Too many clicks
Editor:
Why do your Web developers force us to click on every single article to read your e-newsletters? I liked the old layout, where I could select the first article and have all of the articles available below it. It was an easy way to print and distribute industry news to master control operators who might not otherwise read this material.
At least give me the option to print all the articles at once if I want to; otherwise, my guys are going to waste a lot of time going back and forth looking for articles.
Not everything is better in an all-online environment.
Jerry Paonessa
Engineering Supervisor
KENS-TV/DT
Editorial Director Brad Dick responds:
Unfortunately, print editors don't have much control over the mechanics of the Web site. However, rest assured, we'll always do our best to enhance the reader's Web experiences.
Unsubstantiated promises
Editor:
In the April 6, 2006, “RF Update” e-newsletter article “Unlicensed devices pose interference threat to DTV, says Hubbard,” Robert Hubbard says, “MSTV respectfully submits that the public's spectrum resource should be managed based on facts and engineering science, not on unsubstantiated promises.”
Since when have broadcasters cared about their OTA spectrum? Where was Hubbard and MSTV when 8VSB was being picked as the U.S. modulation? Talk about “unsubstantiated promises.”
I suggest that broadcasters lost all credibility as to their concern over their OTA spectrum when they let special interest steamroll the choice of 8VSB in Congress and at the FCC.
Let other people use this spectrum as much as possible. The little interference that it causes is nothing compared to the reception problems of 8VSB.
When broadcasters advocate for a change in modulation and codec so that they can have the best tools to use with their OTA spectrum, I will take their whining seriously.
Bob Miller
Test Your Knowledge!
See the Freezeframe question of the month on page 8 and enter to win a Broadcast Engineering T-shirt.
Send answers toeditor@penton.com
