University licensees favor switch to HD for main PBS digital channel

The University Licensee Association, an affinity group of public TV stations operated by universities, adopted this resolution about PBS high-definition service in May 2007.

Whereas the PBS HD schedule has provided stations with a cost-effective way to program their DTV channels and gain an important HD presence on cable systems; and

Whereas accelerated consumer adoption of HD-capable digital displays and the loss of our analog channels in less than two years are changing the assumptions under which our present digital strategy was implemented; and

Whereas the result of station use of the PBS HD schedule is inconsistent with that of the affiliates of the major commercial networks, which are side-by-side with the PBS-HD service on the digital tiers of most cable lineups; and

Whereas the PBS HD schedule confuses PBS station viewers who cannot find HD versions of all their favorite PBS programs at the same time on the NPS and PBS-HD services; and

Whereas station branding, membership and underwriting messages are not generally carried on the PBS HD program stream which looks superior on HD displays to our main program stream; and

Whereas the substantial duplication of PBS station HD feeds is a disincentive for carriage on direct broadcast satellite providers; and

Whereas the up-converting of analog programs to HD resolutions takes up a disproportionate share of bandwidth than does original HD content, making it more difficult for stations to efficiently use their digital broadcasting bandwidth for multicast services; and

Whereas PBS stations are paying separate fees for a PBS-HD service that may be better allocated toward encouraging the production of NPS programs in HD; now

Therefore we, the stations of the University Licensee Association, do strongly encourage PBS to adopt a plan and a schedule to transform PBS HD service into a simulcast of the PBS NPS schedule as soon as it is feasible by:

Establishing targets for increasing the amount of HD programming in the NPS toward a goal of all programs; and

Directing, where exceptions need to be made, that the programs be transmitted in the highest quality video format possible as a simulcast; and

Eliminating the need for, production of, and funding for separate packaging elements on the PBS HD service by simulcasting all break elements on the NPS and PBS HD service schedules; and

Studying and duplicating the satellite distribution patterns of commercial networks to provide appropriate service for stations now dependent on time zone delay feeds.