Sponsor's Message

Despite earlier assurances that the service would be "on the air" and beaming to the homes of millions of NZers over a year ago, not a single minute of transmission has yet been broadcast and it looks as if we may be waiting many more months for this to happen.

There have been many criticisms of the way MTS has handled (or mis-handled depending on your perspective) taxpayer money, and I hear they're planning to install a revolving door in the office of the CEO -- but let's not focus on the negative today.

Instead, let's address the issue of how best to get MTS content to those who are eagerly waiting to view it.

One option that has been mooted is to simply use the existing Sky TV digital satellite system.

Given that Sky has a pretty fair penetration into the NZ marketplace (a monopoly will do that for you every time), this would ensure that a good number of Kiwis would have immediate access to MTS broadcasts.

However, it strikes me that many of those who might wish to watch MTS the most are not rich enough to afford a Sky Digital subscription -- and there's no way the public would wear having taxpayer funds used to provide or subsidise a Sky subscription for those folks.

Besides which, it would pay to look at the bigger picture and ask what other value a Sky subscription would offer these folks. Well, unless Sky have completely revamped their offering I'd have to say that the answer is *none*.

The other option is using transmitters on the UHF band. According to reports, such a move would also involve Sky because they've been squatting on frequencies that were originally allocated to Maori TV quite a few years ago.

Sky says that this would cause mayhem, requiring all their UHF set-top boxes to be retuned and possibly causing conflicts with frequencies used by the RF modulators in VCRs, Playstations, etc.

Then there's the issue of equipping all those homes with UHF aerials.

At this rate, I can't see MTS hitting the airwaves at all.

But here's an idea...

Why don't MTS use sneakernet to deliver their programme content?

For those who are too young to remember, "sneakernet" is where you copy your data from the source computer onto a disk and then walk or drive to the destination computer and copy it from that disk. Sneakernet was very popular way-back when modern networks were either too expensive or simply too slow to handle large amounts of data effectively.

So, I'm not talking about any fancy broadcasting network or expensive satellite gear. I'm talking about whacking 5 hours worth of broadcast material onto a DVD (at SVHS resolution) and mailing it to those who want to view it.

How much does it cost to press a DVD in quantity? $1, $2?

For little more than half the price of a UHF aerial (installed) or Sky Digital installation ($199) we can provide everyone with a low-cost DVD player ($129), or at least lend them the money to buy one. That $129 is a retail price and I'm sure that with a little bulk-buying or deal-broking, the government could get that figure down to well under $100.

Then, for the same price as the cheapest Sky Digital subscription, you could send someone as many as 25 disks (125 hours of programming) each month -- that's over four hours a day. And if someone has enough time to watch more than four hours of TV a day then they really need some help with sorting out their lives.

So there you have it. No need to mess around with aerials, satellite dishes, the capital cost of transmitters, expensive operational costs or any such thing. Just use NZPost as your broadcasting medium and deliver your programming at better-than VHS quality to *anywhere* in the country.

Unfortunately, I don't think MTS will embrace this idea.

Why?

Well it might be something to do with "image". Based on their record to date, one could be forgiven for thinking that "image" was more important than substance to those in charge of MTS -- and somehow, being in control of a "TV Channel" seems to be more up-market than simply being a publisher of DVDs.

But what do readers think? What would be the best way to get MTS on the air in a way that reaches the maximum people at the minimum cost to taxpayers?

If any Aardvark readers want to share an opinion on today's column or add something, you're invited to chip in and have your say in The Aardvark Forums or, if you prefer, you can contact me directly.

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