Electronic Media 

Published: 05-16-94 





ONE YEAR LATER: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO HDTV?        



Byline: By Joe Fedele 



 It was just about this time last year when the Federal

Communications Commission made its bold announce-ment concerning

the deadlines for the implementation of high-definition

television.

 Yes, it was only a year ago that the lords of television

formally laid the master plan to do away with NTSC by the year

2008.

 It was to be the death of television as we know it today. From

that plan a whole new world of wide-screen wonders would

entertain us all. 

 But what a difference a year makes. Whatever happened to HDTV? 

 I walked around this year's National Association of

Broadcasters convention wondering just that.

 What was once the center of attention  was now down to an,

``Oh, yeah, that''-a stark contrast to last year when it was the

talk of the convention.

 This year nobody seemed to really want it, and nobody really

seemed to care.

 Earlier this year the FCC again postponed the target date for

the final approval of the transmission standard.

 The general feeling now is that a final decision won't come

until early 1995, and some believe it won't happen until late

1995.

 This is not the first time transmission standards have been

delayed. I suspect it won't be the last, either.

 As a consequence of this added delay, the FCC has revised the

transition scenario. The latest changes go into effect once a

new transmission standard is adopted by the commission.

 Under the new plan, stations will have three years to apply for

an HDTV license. They will then have an additional three years

to build an HDTV transmission facility.

 There will be a 15-year period when simultaneous transmissions

of HDTV and NTSC will be allowed. After that, NTSC will be

history.

 So, assuming that the new standard is actually adopted in 1995,

NTSC would disappear in the year 2010.

 In my opinion, delays such as this have killed what little

enthusiasm their was for HDTV. What was once a vision on the

horizon has fallen back to the other side of the globe.

 Or perhaps it was just a backlash against the FCC from an

industry that didn't appreciate being practically blackmailed

into accepting a medium that few people wanted and even fewer

could afford.

 From a financial perspective, HDTV is a bottomless pit that has

the potential of devouring even the largest station's budget. So

long as we are living in a videotape environment, our prospects

for inexpensive equipment is a hopeless fantasy.

 The one good thing I see about this added delay is that it has

allowed more time for the development of disk-based file servers

and tapeless storage of video.

 This has the potential to offer a less expensive line of video

equipment.

 Disk-based systems may be an alternative to the high prices we

now pay to purchase and then maintain our existing equipment.

 But, unfortunately, the consumer is still stuck. I know that I

am personally horrified at the prospect of having to spend over

$2,000 for a new HDTV set. 

 You'll find me shopping in the discount aisles getting sticker

shock at $400 per set. And this is my business.

 I don't think the American public is ready to trade in their

sets. The average consumer would probably find it hard to come

up with that kind of money.

 They say that this is an evolutionary process. I only hope we

don't become extinct.