Sign up here for the HDTV Owners Association of America (1 Viewer)

[VicRuiz]

I would like to direct the members' attention to the following discussion:
Let's get organized!
Is this something you would be interested in participating in? Please feel free to share your opinions on the subject.

 

[MickeS]

Even though I don't own any HD equipment yet, I think it's an interesting idea, IF a good and professional organization can be set up.

With the only "official" voices out there right now being the MPAA and manufacturer organizations, and to a lesser extent EFF, I think there's a need for an organization that looks after the best interests of the consumers, when it comes to standards, quality and user rights. Long term, it could be something like a more specialized Consumers Union.

/Mike

 

[Michael Reuben]

Thread title edited to expand the acronym.

 

[VicRuiz]

Ok, it's time to get a more accurate reading of the support we are going to be able to raise. We need to start getting some actual numbers to work with. I have set up a mailbox at:
[email protected]
Please send us a short e-mail stating your full name, general location, and e-mail address so you can be contacted later for the rest of your information if we muster enough support to actually make a go of this. It will be assumed that if you submit your name you are agreeing to the $100 a year membership fee. Please refrain from sending any other message on that e-mail. If you have any questions post them in the "Let's get organized" thread.
Remember we need at least 500 members to make a go at this, so spread the word in any and all HT forums and discussion groups you participate in. This same message will be posted in the AVS Forum, Home Theater Spot, and Digital Theater Forum. Feel free to direct anyone that may be interested to any of these postings.
For anyone who is not aware of what this effort is about, please visit the following discussion:
Let's get organized
Thank you for your support.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Hmmmm...it might be time for me to start up a new web site.

- Steve

 

[Kevin P]

Hmmmm...it might be time for me to start up a new web site.

Hmmmm.... hdtvresource.com?
(I miss DVD Resource...)
KJP

 

[Kieran Coghlan]

Vic,
I agree with the person who said that the acronymn should be something like HDAA instead of HOAA. HDOA or HDOAA would work, too. But HOAA is just too much like HOA.
Give this some serious though. It DOES matter.

 

[Asa]

Disregard that e-mail Vic. I've found it.... Sorry to bother you with that. Comments I made about HTS still apply though.

 

[VicRuiz]

^

 

[VicRuiz]

After a few phone conversations with Dale Cripps over the weekend, I think we have developed a framework on how to bring our two groups together. This is a necessary second step in the process that I had envisioned earlier. It would be a terrible strategy not to, and we certainly cannot afford to have splinter groups speaking out all over the place. There is strength in numbers and it's imperative we present one unified voice. Our collaboration and eventual merge is not only necessary but highly desirable.
From the beginning I said that HDTV Magazine had the contacts to make this work, and Dale has come through splendidly with some real Washington heavyweights that are eager to be our voice in our nation's capital leading the fight for HDTV. The most prominent and the one that I'm most ecstatic about is former FCC Chairman Dick Wiley who, as head of the FCC's Advisory Committee on Digital Television, directed the effort by the Grand Alliance which culminated in the ATSC standard. He has been declared one of the nation's 100 most influential lawyers by the National Law Journal. Dick Wiley loves HDTV, pushed for it every chance he got, and it's my firm belief that if he hadn't been the head of ACDTV at the time, we would not have any HDTV today. This is an absolute coup that I'm still trying to get over (of course it helped that Dick's law firm represents HDTV Magazine too).
I have been authorized to print part of an e-mail Dale sent out to his subscribers, in which he presents a view of what we need to do, and I agree wholeheartedly with him:

Quote:

I firmly believe we are in great hands with this leadership and urge all those people still sitting on the fence to jump off and join us. You can have a voice!

 

[VicRuiz]

^

 

[MickeS]

It will be assumed that if you submit your name you are agreeing to the $100 a year membership fee.

That is just plain ridiculous. I would be interested in supporting an organization like this, but I am not signing up blindly for anything.

Thanks for the information from Dale Cripps though, maybe something can come out of this.

/Mike

 

[VicRuiz]

Sorry, I should've worded it better. This is not binding. Just because you put your name on the list doesn't mean you're obligated to contribute. It just means that you're willing to support the effort and could be a potential contributor. We just need to have a more accurate estimate on the number of supporters, in order to decide if this effort can move forward, and a sign-up list is the best way to obtain that estimate.
Also, the $100 membership dues was a tentative number that we reached based on the estimated retainer needed for the lobbying firm. It is likely that this will change in order to allow people to contribute any amount they want. We will probably set up different levels of sponsorship, so that people can feel comfortable donating what they can. However, all this is still in the future. We're not asking for any money now, all we want to know is how many people would like to support this movement at this time, that's all.

 

[Scott_G]

I'm all for more HDTV .. but I'm not throwing cash for something I know nothing about. Very little organization there.

 

[VicRuiz]

This is starting to sound like the "chicken and egg" syndrome that plagues HDTV itself. We cannot proceed with any major organizational points (website, platform, by-laws, non-profit status, etc.) until we know if we're going to have enough people to support the effort. Unless enough people sign up this is never going to happen. We are not asking for any money now, and you're not obligated to anything, so what's there to lose?

 

[Kimmo Jaskari]

Almost considered jotting my name on that list even though I live in another nation entirely...

But presumably signing on the list means that if this takes off, and is handled seriously, documented properly and organized, one is indicating a willingness (in principle) to fork over a yearly fee for the cause. If it were for getting HDTV to Europe, I'd sign up!

Let's hope a significant portion of the HDTV owners see the sensibility of this. What's the point of having paid thousands for HDTV gear if there is no software or nasty copyright protection schemes make it unusable?

 

[MickeS]

Vic, thanks for the clarification. It would be great if you would remove the sentence concerning the $100 fee from your original message, or reword it to clearly indicate that there is nothing binding about an inquory sent to the e-mail address you give.

Personally, I believe that $100 is too high of a fee, and that the 500 member minimum is way too low.

/Mike

 

[VicRuiz]

Well, Dale told me that we would need at least a $50,000 a year retainer for any lobbying firm in Washington, so I figured it would be easy to get 500 HDTV'ers to contribute $100 to start. Considering that people have spent thousands in their HD systems I thought they would be glad to pay $100 a year if it meant that there would be someone speaking for them where the big decisionas are made. I'd hate to think I was wrong about that, although it looks that way.

Would it be easier to get 1000 people at $50 than 500 at $100? I don't know. Like I said, nothing is set in stone yet, and all we're doing for now is gauging the interest of the HDTV community for an effort like this. We are still open to all suggestions. Dale is flying to Washington later this week to meet with Dick Wiley and Tedson Meyers, so we'll know something more then.

 

[MickeS]

Vic, I think that there are a lot of people that wouldn't mind contributing, and I think that $50,000 a year should be pretty easy to raise, but right now everything is very vague. When more solid information can be provided I am sure that many people will be more interested.

/Mike