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'White Space' Airwaves Opened for Future Cellular and Wi-Fi Enhancements
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Why do you say that? There's more bandwidth now available for it.
I think there will naturally be a citywide -- or regional -- peer-to-peer network, like a huge wifi net. I think it's important to repeal the stupid law that said cities and states couldn't offer broadband. If people get Super-WiFi, in fact, the city would just have to jack in to the backbone.
It's really only competition for the topdown broadcast people.
I guess it's an American thing. If it works, feel free to spread it.
Perhaps, but for other nations with Actual Broadband Plans (e.g. Australia, Japan...) this type of stop-gap measure would be a step backwards, as far as getting faster-than-dialup speeds to people. That said, the technology behind the system (database checking and switching of channels to avoid interference) may be worth keeping an eye on to see how it develops.
Stupid FCC, instead of leasing the spectrum out they SELL it to a select group of large corporations, just a small handful of large companies owns ALL of the friggin' spectrum, there was a time when listening to the radio was a worthwhile endeavor, not any more, everything is clear channel flavored.
Here's a related article from a while back.
http://www.betanews.com/article/Whi...-in-2009-if-FCC-directive-is-clear/1224190240
Rocketman
http://www.betanews.com/article/Whi...-in-2009-if-FCC-directive-is-clear/1224190240
Rocketman
Understood, but I don't pay for TV either, nor do I get it OTA. All my "TV" content come from the Web and/or NetFlix.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flipstar
Definitely a bad day for people (me) who work in tv/film/broadcast/theatre.
Its not the idea of more wireless internet options that is bad. I assume he is referring to wireless microphones. The plan sounds reasonable but there is a chance that this is going to suck for things that rely on wireless mics.
Originally Posted by Flipstar
Definitely a bad day for people (me) who work in tv/film/broadcast/theatre.
Its not the idea of more wireless internet options that is bad. I assume he is referring to wireless microphones. The plan sounds reasonable but there is a chance that this is going to suck for things that rely on wireless mics.
Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.50 (Nintendo DSi; Opera/507; U; en-US))
Can someone explain the problem with this? 3G is already on the iPhone, even with the cell tower a few miles away. This is just the next generation, it\'s not a huggge revolution. Verizon should jump on this to create their 4G for iPhone.
P.S. - Also, the \"sharing\" (ad-hoc) of these 4G networks would vastly increase their already large spectrum, provided the devices handle seeding well.
Can someone explain the problem with this? 3G is already on the iPhone, even with the cell tower a few miles away. This is just the next generation, it\'s not a huggge revolution. Verizon should jump on this to create their 4G for iPhone.
P.S. - Also, the \"sharing\" (ad-hoc) of these 4G networks would vastly increase their already large spectrum, provided the devices handle seeding well.
Verizon has jumped on this. They won the 700 Mhz spectrum license during the auction which includes the entire lower 48 states and Hawaii. They will be using this frequency to build their new 4G network. It should be one darn good network when it is completed.
Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.50 (Nintendo DSi; Opera/507; U; en-US))
(Quoting DakotaGuy, because DSi internet is crap and you can\'t copy/paste, if you reply instead of quote)
It\'ll be pretty darned good when it\'s complete.
No it won\'t. Now that they\'re pro-rating their data plans like AT&T. Why can\'t they be like Sprint, with 5 GB and slow-er speeds after?
(Quoting DakotaGuy, because DSi internet is crap and you can\'t copy/paste, if you reply instead of quote)
It\'ll be pretty darned good when it\'s complete.
No it won\'t. Now that they\'re pro-rating their data plans like AT&T. Why can\'t they be like Sprint, with 5 GB and slow-er speeds after?
If you have a pile of mics that use unlicensed radios, maybe. But that's the gamble with unlicensed radios.
But it's gong to be Black Friday Boom Times for all the companies that will be manufacturing replacement wireless microphones and radios that use fully licensed frequencies and more modern technology.
As someone mentioned, one of the major issues here is wireless mics, but this also applies to wireless video transmission as well.
Swift said there is more bandwidth for it, but that's untrue. Remember the FCC took away the 700mhz for HDTV? That screwed a lot of people. I'm not talking just large broadcasting companies, but people that run small businesses using this products. They said they would leave two channels worth of spectrum for open use in most areas, but two channels isn't even a lot of spectrum nowadays.
I work in the film/tv industry as a sound person. If you knew how many frequencies major networks use, you'd wonder how the hell the FCC plans on using much of this 'whitespace'.
Another slap to the face that came today was that the FCC eliminated the mandatory use of 'wireless sensing' technology. This technology would make sure wi-fi devices would not interfere with other wireless devices. Why did they eliminate it? I don't know, maybe because Google and other companies like Motorola tried to implement this technology at NFL games wrecking havoc and failed miserably in trying to prove it works.
Let's look at some of the places where these wireless mics are used. These are used in sports venues (all major leagues), performance theatres, news crews, tv shows, blockbuster movies, churches, etc.
Sure, maybe you think wireless mics and video don't apply much to your everyday life, but if you like watching stuff live and your audio cuts out... you can blame the FCC.
'White Space' Airwaves Opened for Future Cellular and Wi-Fi Enhancements
I am willing to bet that they will eventually re-allocate the entire tv band for Cel and Wi Fi use, meaning that over the air television will become a thing of the past.
Courtney
I am willing to bet that they will eventually re-allocate the entire tv band for Cel and Wi Fi use, meaning that over the air television will become a thing of the past.
Courtney
I don't like the idea of that. HD OTA provides higher quality than satellite or cable, and if the free OTA TV is gone, there gotta be some free solution.This is very bad news indeed. I'm a production sound mixer for film in NYC, and those are the same frequencies that virtually all wireless microphones operate on.
Why? No seriously.. I think you were just looking for an excuse to say you work in tv/film/broadcast/theatre...
Give one plausible negative impact of this on any of the industries you mentioned..TV stations will still broadcast to the same 50 people who receive OTA broadcasts in each area and everyone else will continue to receive the exact same content from cable/satellite/iptv. The TV stations only complain because the FCC is going to give away a public resource that they thought they "owned". They were all hoping they could squat on their unused spectrum forever (or until they found a way to make big $$$$ on it). Every line about interference to broadcast signal is 100% BS and they know it. Their objections are based solely on their desire to steal a public resource.
There is quite a bit of bandwidth reserved for wireless microphones still. I am not sure if the wider public good should be held back because a niche user continues to use archaic technology anyway.
I live in Wilmington, NC where the white space testing has been occurring for some time now. It's really amazing stuff. The company testing the spectrum has been using it to monitor live video from area parks and traffic cams, wetland monitoring, and other tasks. I got a chance to see it first hand and I walked away very impressed. The uses for this spectrum will only be bound by our creativity.
Wilmington was the first larger city to test this technology becasue we were the first to make the DTV switch, which allowed the company to get a head start on the testing. I work at a TV station and I can tell you there has been zero interference between the white space testing and the local broadcasters. Wilmington also has a very large Film and TV community and while I have heard the wireless mic complaints, mostly from people who just bought wireless mics using the affected spectrum, it really has been a non-issue. They just had to go out and get new equipment. Not the best thing to have happen, for sure, but it's not like there's no other existing options.
The company testing the white space here locally is TV Band Service. Their website's not the greatest, but they have some more information about the technology if anybody's interested...
Wilmington was the first larger city to test this technology becasue we were the first to make the DTV switch, which allowed the company to get a head start on the testing. I work at a TV station and I can tell you there has been zero interference between the white space testing and the local broadcasters. Wilmington also has a very large Film and TV community and while I have heard the wireless mic complaints, mostly from people who just bought wireless mics using the affected spectrum, it really has been a non-issue. They just had to go out and get new equipment. Not the best thing to have happen, for sure, but it's not like there's no other existing options.
The company testing the white space here locally is TV Band Service. Their website's not the greatest, but they have some more information about the technology if anybody's interested...
The new rules make it more difficult for those involved in professional content creation, i.e. TV, Film, Theater, Touring, etc. to do their jobs. Admittedly, the writing has been on the wall for a while. But the challenge comes because these professionals already work hard to get enough wireless mic channels to work properly, and now it will be that much more difficult. Also, it will be more regionalized, meaning that that before, you could use your wireless mic system in most places in the US with success (think film production or touring theater or touring musicians). Now, which channels are reserved for this use will be specific to each city.
Not only that, but the overall RF noise floor will now rise, making it more difficult to eek out the last bit of performance from the wireless mics, even if they are on "open" channels.
Unfortunately, there is no technology currently available to replace what is being used today in wireless microphones. At least, not for the larger productions with many channels of microphones.
Fortunately, the FCC did undertake a considerable effort to protect wireless mics despite enormous pressure not to do so. In the past couple of years, there was an extensive awareness campaign undertaken by users and manufacturers of wireless mics so that the FCC "got it" and recognized what was really happening. Lots of churches, performing artists and others involved with production petitioned the FCC and thus the new rules take these things into account.
I think everyone wants innovation and there are a lot of positives for "Super Wi-Fi" but when there are changes like these, there is always a price to pay.
Well the mic companies got two dedicated high bandwidth channels exclusively for them. They can also petition the fcc for more during large events (like the superbowl). Isn't that better then when they had to share with everyone else? Also, can't they compress the signal better then they have been? Current wifi has done a lot with terrible frequencies, the mic companies have to be able to do better with what they have now.
The biggest losers are the TV companies that thought they would get all that space for free.
Also, whoever said AT&T and Verizon would just get it all is not correct. They already paid 20 billion for UHF channels 52-69 (700 megahertz). Granted, those are the best frequencies for distance and building penetration.
Two dedicated channels is a good thing, no doubt. However, it's regionalized, so no one wireless mic product can be used in all locations. This leads to inventory and planning challenges for manufacturers and users alike, particularly users who travel (like touring shows, film productions, etc.)
As for more compression, the technology available does not allow for this - part of the problem is that the bandwidth required is substantial for "broadcast quality" audio. Latency above say 3mS is not acceptable - the signal must be essentially real-time. A fair degree of technical development has indeed been devoted to this field, and we have some wonderful products out there. Indeed, the new rules will of course spur continued development and you are right - greater channel density for given spectrum is likely to be one result. It's just not possible with today's technology.
True - the FCC allows provisions for obtaining a temporary license to operate a large number of protected channels for an event. However, the process is something new for event planners and technical staff, so it is more work and more complications. Planners and operators will overcome this and it will become part of the work flow, but not without some challenges as you can probably imagine.
I'm not claiming the sky is falling, only that the incursion of new devices into this spectrum will make professional content creation more of a challenges when wireless mics are involved.
All good points. Question for you though, can't the new mic systems just have the ability to adjust channels according to the regional database that will be used? I understand the legacy stuff will not, and that there are going to be growing pains for a few years.
I thought about the latency issue as soon as I posted that...I see your point. Also, I'm sure the FCC process to open additional channels will smooth, fast, and non-bureaucratic...
This is the part I wonder about. What will qualify as a special event and how easy will it be to get? There are many events that need more than the allocated 2 TV channels. I think I read that that is about 16 mics? Will every major concert tour need to file all their dates with the FCC? Do the MegaChurches need to file for every Sunday of the year? What about the Hospitality industry where you may have multiple corporate groups in a conference center and in total you need more channels but any one group does not? I could see there being a lot of requests for entries on this database. Lots of questions at this point. It will be interesting times when this roles out.
Your posts regarding this topic stink of ignorance. You obviously do not know much about the issue here.