Cuprisin Live Chat!

[Tom Snyder]

No, not here...

If you're one of the few readers who read Tim Cuprisin's experimental column in the Journal then you may have read this:

If there's some burning issue in TV or radio that you just need to talk about, log on for a Friday noon Internet chat with yours truly at  
[url]www.jsonline.com/chat.


Hmm ...can anyone here think of any burning issues we'd like to discuss with Tim? Of course you'll need to be one of those pioneers with an expensive PC to get it...

[Matt Heebner]

And that "experimental" Internet technology  
I wish I could be there to chat, but I will be working. Tom, are you going to be MilwaukeeHDTV's spokesman?

Matt

[Tom Snyder]

I'll be there.  

But, I'm not sure I want to "represent" the group. If you haen't noticed, I have this way of making totally inapropriate comments... It's his chat, and I'd hate to poop in his pool and get all of you guys blamed for letting me off my leash.

Anything you DON'T want me to say?  

[Kevin Arnold]

Since he reads these forums here's some questions that need an answer.

1.  When will the JS start listing high definition programs in their listings?

2. When can we expect some reviews of programs shown in HD so that the effect of HD on how the program is perceived can be noted.

3. How about a mention of HD sports and a listing in the sports page.

4. What will Fridays pick three lottery numbers be?


Ok so 3 out of 4 ain't bad. This seems an unusual time to do a chat. Maybe using union bits and bytes that only work 9-5.

[mcq]

I would like to know... what kinda equipment he uses to watch TV, and if he does not own HDTV stuff, when does he feel that it will be important to "hop on" the pioneer bandwagon (or is it covered- wagon!?)

Why is he a jerk about HDTV?

Does he use a powerbook to do his articles.

After that, Tom you can say anything AND represent me! There is no way you are going to be more offensive than if I could be there. That is why I will not show up.  

[ReesR]

think I should show up?  Naw.....well maybe.....well why not?  Should I be funny, assertive, or administrative?  Hmmmmm, which goes with experimental?  dang.  so many questions.  

So what shall I ask?  Oh heck, maybe I should just lurk.

This is dumb.  Now switching modes....

I think we all should just educate him and share good information to further the use of what we know is worth his and our time.  The time to embrace this new way of experiencing the world is now.  Tim's own company (WTMJ) certainly feels that way now ever since WISN came on the air.  They are now on 24 hours a day.  That certainly can no longer be considered experimental anymore can it?

So many questions, so little time.

------------------
Rees Roberts
Racine, WI
reesr@wi.net

HDTV Receiver:  Sony KD-34XBR2 16X9
Bi-directional AntennaCraft VHF Yagi Model #2260P
+
2 Winegard PR9022 UHF yagi's pointing N & S
Antennas at about 30 feet
Samsung SIR-TS160 HD Directv receiver

[Kevin Arnold]

The format that will be used does not appear to be real time chat. If you go to the website you see a form to submit questions to the moderator. So any obnoxious, arrogant, impulsive, annoying, or otherwise interesting questions will be tanked. If he doesn't want to address any HDTV issues he can easily do so without anyone but us knowing. Remember, old media aren't used to this amount of feedback nor it's intensity. Their natural tendency is to hunker in the bunker.

[techguy1975]

 

Originally posted by mcq:
Why is he a jerk about HDTV?

How exactly is he a "jerk" about HDTV?  Yeah, he hasnt been as full force, gun-ho   about it like you all have been.  Keep in mind, being rude, or insulting to him will do little to further your cause, or make him become more pro-dtv.  Yes, you have valid complaints, but, whoever represents the board there (i'll probably lurk) will need to be diplomatic in their approach.

The technology, weather you like to admit it or not is still in its infancy, yeah I know its been around since the later half of the 1990s, but never in any pratical sense, according to the stats I've seen (via 100000watts.com), there are only about 500 DTV stations on the air nationwide. http://100kwatts.tmi.net/tv/DTV.html">see the full list here

Even if he sung the praises of DTV in every artcile he wrote, it would do little to push along the transition of DTV.  There will be those who wait till the analog signals go off the air before they switch, there are those who will wait till the sets with DTV turners built in come down from there $1000+ price tags.

If the manufactures were smart, they'd start cutting those prices big time, maybe that is the shot in the arm DTV needs to start growing, thereby getting more people on the bandwagon, getting more stations on the air, etc, etc.  

As I said once before, in an earlier post:
THE TRANSISTION WILL NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT!



[This message has been edited by techboywi (edited 11-08-2002).]

[ReesR]

I submitted the following to the "live chat"

-------------------
Greetings!  On August 1, 2002 you wrote "This (WDJT-DT) HDNet experiment shows that high-definition TV itself is still just that: experimental."

With ABC, CBS, HBO, HDNET, NBC, SHOWTIME, and the WB collectively transmitting over 100 hours of high definition programming per week, the super bowl being broadcast in HD in January, the cost of HD televisions continuing to go down, Monday Night Football to be broadcast in High definition next season, ESPN going High Definition and over 500 digital stations currently on the air nationally... do you still believe that just because one Milwaukee station has decided to experiment and use their viewers as digital guinea pigs (my opinion) by not following typical practices, do you still maintain that "high-definition TV itself is experimental"?  And if you now do or not, when do you believe the "establishment" will finally embrace the new ATSC high definition standards instead of holding on to the 50 year old NTSC analog ones?
----------------------------------------
His Response:

A: Tim Cuprisin -- Yes, it's experimental to program providers until it makes money for them. Now, it just costs them money. Quoting big numbers doesn't make it non-experimental. After all, the busiest airport in the world is Oshkosh's Wittman Airport during the EXPERIMENTAL Aircraft Association's annual Fly-In.


------------------
Rees Roberts
Racine, WI
reesr@wi.net

HDTV Receiver:  Sony KD-34XBR2 16X9
Bi-directional AntennaCraft VHF Yagi Model #2260P
+
2 Winegard PR9022 UHF yagi's pointing N & S
Antennas at about 30 feet
Samsung SIR-TS160 HD Directv receiver

[This message has been edited by ReesR (edited 11-08-2002).]

[Tom Snyder]

The chat is off to a wonderful start... the first two questions are some pretty deatiled graphic examples of sexual fantasies, and women undressing on TV...

Geez.. I need a cold shower!

BTW... I've asked a few questions, one of which is totally off the topic of HDTV (MIlwaukee news)... we'll see if he's sandbagging us by which one he answers.

[This message has been edited by Tom Snyder (edited 11-08-2002).]

[Tom Snyder]

Not sure how I should feel his repsonse:

Q: Tom Snyder of Milwaukee HDTV -- With 4 million HDTV sets sold to date, do you know how many there are in SE Wisconsin?

A: Tim Cuprisin -- That's a question even local TV stations can't answer. There hasn't been a good market study. The best guess out there is that maybe a few hundred households have the ability to watch HDTV broadcasts. That's out of 860,000 TV households in southeast Wisconsin. Until there's a handle on the number and until that number is way more than the 200 or so who are registered members of your forum, HDTV isn't a player in the market. But relax, thanks to government mandate, it's coming. I know it's not fast enough for you and the other technical wizards at milwaukeehdtv.org, which is a great internet forum for people who are interested in signing up early for the next generation of TV.

[techguy1975]

Hmm.. 100 hrs per week... 7 networks in your list, thats roughly 14 hours per network per week.  A week is 168 hours, so, HD programing makes up less than 10% of their programing schedule


Yeha..I'd call that expirmental...

[techguy1975]

He has a good point here:

Q: Tom Snyder of milwaukeehdtv.org -- Lots of interest from people at our site about your published views of Hi Defintion TV. If we promised to go easy on you, would you be willing to participate in a live chat on our site?

A: Tim Cuprisin -- I'd be glad to participate. But you guys have to stop making fun of my last name on your site. It makes you sound like a bunch of teenage techno-geeks.

[Kevin Arnold]

He's taking the questions and giving good answers. It would seem that the experimental argument is more about semantics than anything real. A very interesting issue is brought up about the number of HD sets in the Milwaukee market. Maybe we can help with an expansion of what we already do--set up a more formal way to "register" your set (no names please) to get an approximation of HD sets. We could even list programs we watch for some non-Nielsen ratings.

[Tom Snyder]

I told him that it was just a term of endearment.. we love him!

And he's actually half-right.. we ARE techno geeks!

[This message has been edited by Tom Snyder (edited 11-08-2002).]