So What's the Deal
with HDTV?
Up until March, the biggest news on the HDTV front was how
little progress was being made.
Oh, there were a few steps taken. After employing the NTSC
(National Television Standards Committee) standard for sixty years, broadcasters in the US
finally agreed on a new, higher-resolution broadcast standard, ATSC (Advanced Television
Standards Committee). Not only that, the Federal Communication Committee (FCC) has even
mandated that all broadcasters switch over from the analog NTSC format to the digital ATSC
format by January 1, 2007.
Of course, that means that your current TV (assuming you
haven't already upgraded to the new standard) won't work after that date. And, while that
seems like a long way off, it keeps getting closer and closer without much action on the
part of, well, anybody.
Both hardware manufacturers and broadcasters have been
moving toward that goal with all the dizzying velocity of a glacier. Worse, they've been
blaming each other for the problems they have encountered, expending an awful lot of
energy in chicken/egg debates. Broadcasters maintain they haven't converted more shows and
facilities to digital (or to use the name of the most popular and highest-quality digital
format, HDTV) because so few digital sets have been sold. Manufacturers, on the other
hand, maintain that they can't sell the sets because there's so little programming
available throughout the country.
All that bickering -- and its concomitant lack of progress
-- finally got FCC chairman Michael Powell's goat. In a speech to the National Association
of Broadcasters (NAB) on April 4 of this year, Powell "proposed" that major
networks increase their digital programming to at least 50% of their primetime schedules
for next season. He suggested that broadcasters in major markets ensure that they can
begin transmitting digitally by next January without degrading their analog signals.
Chairman Powell also requested that electronics manufacturers include digital tuners in
36" or larger sets by 2005, in 25" or larger sets by 2006, and in 13" or
larger sets by 2007. He also called upon hardware manufacturers to increase production of
set-top boxes that can convert digital transmissions for legacy (analog) televisions, and
requested that all cable carriers with 750MHz bandwidth systems commit to carrying at
least five digital programming services for at least half of their primetime schedules
next year.
Powell expressed his desires as suggestions "intended
to provide an immediate spur to the transition by giving consumers a reason to invest in
digital technology today, while we continue to work on resolving the longer-term
issues." However, the unstated threat is that the FCC and lawmakers are growing
impatient with digital television's slow rollout. The FCC assigned 6MHz of free bandwidth
to every one of the country's 1600 television stations -- a "gift," that Senator
John McCain (D-AZ) estimates to be worth $70 million. Powell's "suggestions" are
viewed by many in the industry as an ultimatum to deliver services to the public that
justify such a prize. FCC spokesman Dan Fiske alluded to this possibility when he stated
that the chairman "intends to follow up and seek commitments."
Powell's speech appeared to break the logjam.
The day after the speech, in an abrupt about-face from its
previously stated position, the Consumer Electronics Associations (CEA) announced that its
members will include digital tuners in all large-model televisions by 2004.
In mid-April, Discovery Communications, parent company of
the Discovery Channel, announced the introduction of Discovery HD Theater. Commencing June
17, 2002, the network will transmit high-definition content of the sort carried by
Discovery -- programming concerning nature, history, the cultures of many lands,
geographic expeditions, science, education, travel, and DIY. HD Theater will be delivered
in 1080i high-definition resolution by satellite to "multichannel distribution
systems" (read: satellite and cable systems).
In the last week of April, Showtime Networks and DirecTV
announced that the satellite provider will carry the East Coast SHO HDTV channel beginning
April 30. SHO HDTV will be DTV's third high-definition channel, joining HBO and HDNet, and
will be available 24 hours a day. Showtime will be broadcast in 1080i with Dolby Digital
5.1 surround sound.
On May 2, in an obvious response to chairman Powell's
remarks, ten of the nation's biggest cable providers pledged to deliver digital signals by
January 1, 2003, according to Broadcasting and Cable. The cable companies committed
to carry up to five commercial channels of high-definition programming during at least 50%
of the primetime schedule. The programming will be carried free of charge to either the
broadcasters or the cable providers. The cable companies agreeing to the January deadline
are AT&T Broadband, Time Warner Cable, Comcast Corp., Charter Communications Inc., Cox
Communications Inc., Adelphia Communications Corp., Cablevision Systems Corp., Mediacom
Communications Corp., Insight Communications Co. Inc., and CableOne Inc. Collectively,
those companies service over 85% of US cable subscribers.
Nor is it only the cable industry that is hastening to add
more programming. CBS already offers more than 50% of its primetime programming as HDTV --
and, with the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, it is now branching
out into daytime content as well. NBC, which has lagged behind CBS and ABC in HDTV
offerings -- although it does broadcast The Tonight Show in the high-def format and
had critical and popular success with its 2002 Winter Olympics HD broadcasts -- has now
formally announced an increased commitment to broadcasting its primetime shows in HD,
although it has not offered any specifics.
Hardware manufacturers seem to be responding to the spur as
well. Zenith announced its newest line of televisions in early May, with 11 HDTV models
under $2000 -- including a 27" model for under $1000 that included a built-in ATSC
tuner.
As you can see, the past six weeks have been pivotal in the
ongoing saga of the HDTV rollout. At the beginning of April, it looked as though only the
hardiest and most demanding consumers needed to be concerned about HDTV. But FCC chairman
Powell's perhaps not-so-veiled flexing of muscle has just about completely changed the
short-term picture. Now the biggest question confronting consumers is not "When will
I need to buy a digital TV?" but possibly "How long must I do without
one?"
Now we not only have a deadline, we have commitments to
programming and guarantees of coverage. Even the prices are dropping. The future of HDTV
is finally looking bright.
...Wes Phillips
wes@onhometheater.com
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