From Broadcast Engineering.

CableLabs announces initiative to create specifications for receiving off-air digital broadcasts.

CableLabs is working on an initiative to develop cable interface specifications for the reception of off-air digital broadcast signals. The interface specifications would enable devices to receive digital off-air TV signals and would deliver these digital signals seamlessly through a cable set-top box. This technology would allow consumers to receive broadcast TV signals as an integrated viewing experience. The concept combines the over-the-air digital TV transmission with the TV programming carried by the cable provider.

Have they invented an A/B switch? I swear I'm doing this already on a daily basis by using the different inputs on my LCD TV. What am I missing?

From Broadcast Engineering.

CableLabs announces initiative to create specifications for receiving off-air digital broadcasts.

CableLabs is working on an initiative to develop cable interface specifications for the reception of off-air digital broadcast signals.

With analog cable's perceived advantage was better pictures; with digital, off air is better!

It sounds mostly like an industry effort to circumvent broadcaster's efforts to get retransmission payments.

So the cable companies wouldn't have to pay the local stations retransmission fees?

With analog cable's perceived advantage was better pictures; with digital, off air is better!

It sounds mostly like an industry effort to circumvent broadcaster's efforts to get retransmission payments.

I have to learn to type (and think) faster..... :rolleyes:

This would be fantastic for Canadians near the border who get their U.S. networks over-the-air to avoid the simultaneous signal substitution on Canadian cable companies and want everything to be integrated into one receiver.

So the cable companies wouldn't have to pay the local stations retransmission fees?

Bingo!

How ironic that cable companies will now be installing antennas to receive OTA signals.

Will the Cable boxes integrate the broadcasters' EPG and PSIP info, or still rely on the Cable-supplied guide info? Broadcasters can (if they think it matters to anybody) update their EPG info "on the fly" (for last-minute schedule changes, as an example), and can input much more info on their own local programming than what comes via the national EPG compilers.

So the cable companies wouldn't have to pay the local stations retransmission fees? .....and saves them bandwidth.

NCTA comes up with another winner.............