Winegard’s Bob Howell Emphasizes DTV Education and Bottom Line to Satellite Installers in Keynote Speech at Satellite Expo 2005
Detailing key DTV conversion issues, their impact on the industry and consumer and revenue opportunities for installers.
Memphis, Tennessee (PRWEB via PR Web
Direct) June 27, 2005 -- In addressing retailers, manufacturers, installers,
technicians and satellite industry executives at the opening breakfast at
Satellite Expo 2005, Bob Howell, Director, Distribution Systems/Off-Air Antenna
Business Group for the Winegard Company, in delivering the Keynote speech,
commented on the new draft legislation of the Digital Television Transition Act
of 2005, due out at the end of this month. Howell said "while the later date may
affect the consumer's sense of urgency, possibly effecting sales levels for
manufacturers and retailers of set top boxes and digital TV’s in the short term,
I think the extra time will ultimately have a positive result. It gives everyone
more time to get their plans straight and it gives us more time to educate
everyone about DTV and HDTV, which, in my opinion, will ultimately accelerate
interest and sales."
Pointing out that there was a lot of money at stake
for everyone, he also particularly emphasized the need for educating satellite
installers and the ever-changing sales force in electronic retailers on the DTV
conversion, saying "they need to know what equipment is needed, as well
understand the local digital plan for their viewing area, so they can properly
educate customers on what their expectations should be."
The truly huge
impact the conversion to DTV will eventually have on the TV consumer, how they
receive TV programming and the continued and increased need for education, was
one of the main themes of his speech. In it, Howell said "the key to our success
with the transition to DTV, for all of us, is education. Anything and everything
we can do to educate everyone within the industry and particularly the consumer
is worth the investment. The more educated the consumer becomes in order to make
the right choices and decisions about receiving a digital signal, the quicker
consumers will adopt the digital TV transition and the more sales will be
generated."
Commenting on the advent of local-to-local satellite service
to the consumer and its impact the number of homes with Off-Air antennas, Howell
said "there will always be a market for Off-Air antennas, because no matter how
this transition unfolds, there’s still going to be 30 or 40 million TV sets out
there using an Off-Air antenna. Antennas are required to receive Off-Air DTV and
HDTV signals from local over-the-air broadcasters. And the right HDTV antenna is
no longer an accessory, it is a necessity. Getting the best Off-Air HD picture
starts with the best antenna for the job."
Off-Air reception of local
DTV/HDTV broadcasts is not only a natural supplement to satellite reception,
particularly HDTV, it presents additional revenue opportunities to satellite
installers, which is why Howell recommended satellite installer professionals
keep up-to-speed on Off-Air antenna installation. "With the emergence of this
free over-the-air digital broadcast TV," Howell said, "satellite installers can
seize this opportunity to exceed their customer’s expectations and to increase
the dollars in their pockets at the same time."
"The needs of the
consumer must be paramount to everyone," Howell said, "We can't forget that the
consumer drives the sales that keep us all in business and growing. And it's the
consumer that will dictate the ultimate success level of this conversion and its
benefits to us. I believe that if we all keep in mind what’s best for the
consumer, it will be a win win for everybody. Once TV consumers get the HD bug,
they're going to want all the HDTV they can get."
Installers were urged
to contact their local broadcast stations in their viewing area and ask them for
their digital plan and to log on to the CEA’s antennaweb.org’s antenna locator
site. He also suggested they access CheckHD.com as another site providing
digital/HDTV-programming information for local viewing areas. He said "by doing
so, installers can access the knowledge base to properly explain to the customer
what's going on in their area relative to digital broadcast stations and what
they can deliver and what antenna to sell them, providing the customer with a
realistic expectation for their HDTV experience." He further urged his audience
to attend as many of the 34 different educational forums and training classes as
they could in furtherance of their education.
At the end of the show,
Howell said, "I was pleased with the attendance and to see SkyRETAILER's special
edition on Satellite Expo 2005 pronounce its opening day 'a Hit' and
particularly echoing my comments about education being the key to making the
conversion a success.
If you’d like more information about this topic, or
to schedule an interview with Bob Howell, please call Michael Sherman at
319-754-0604 or send an email to e-mail protected from spam bots, e-mail
protected from spam bots or visit www.winegard.com.
About Winegard:
The Winegard
Company is widely considered an innovator and pioneer in product design,
performance and assembly and has consistently adapted to meet the challenges of
the ever-changing electronics market. It remains committed to continuous
improvement in the quality, cost and delivery of its products and services to
effectively meet all of its customer’s needs and currently designs and
manufactures more than 1,000 different products in four product lines
distributed in all states and worldwide, including:
-Satellite Antennas and
Mounts: Residential antennas ranging in size from 46 cm to 1 meter.
-Mobile
Television Reception Products: RV, Trucking, and Marine applications. Satellite
systems ranging from manual crank-up models to automatic satellite tracking
systems with GPS/DVB. Off-air antennas including bi-directional and
omni-directional VHF/UHF/FM antennas. Ground Antenna Mounts and
Accessories.
-Off-Air Antennas: From DC to 5.8 gigs AM/FM/VHF/UHF Antenna
Systems, Distribution and Pre-Amplifiers, Power Supplies and Accessories
-Telemetry: Medical and Data Antenna Systems, Distribution Amplifiers, Power
Supplies and Accessories.
-Two-way Fixed/Transportable Mobile Satellite
Internet Systems: offers real-time IP, video, voice, audio and data
communications virtually anywhere, anytime.
Contact:
Michael
Sherman
Tel. 319-754-0604
Cell Phone:
901-351-9861
Email: e-mail protected from spam bots
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb256014.htm