In a filing with the FCC regarding the status of competition in the video delivery market, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) last week expressed its concern that the digital-to-analog converter box being developed at the direction of the NAB and Association of Maximum Service Television would not fulfill Congress’s desire for a low-cost converter box.
According to the CEA, the box has features that most consumers don’t want or need.
The NAB and MSTV announced Oct. 5 that Thomson and LG Electronics had been selected to produce prototype boxes conforming to the design requirements of the trade groups. In its comments to the commission, the CEA said it was puzzled by the need for the NAB/MSTV-sponsored box.
In response to the filing, NAB president and CEO Edward Fritts said the CEA “demonstrates again that it is out of touch with the realities of the technical challenges of DTV reception.”
For more information, visit www.nab.org and www.ce.org.
