Electronic Media Published: 09-26-94 WE CAN'T HAVE IT ALL WHEN IT COMES TO HDTV Byline: By Joe Fedele I remember first hearing about high-definition television as a real possibility in the early '80s. Back then it was billed as the TV system of the 21st century. And, indeed, we may not see HDTV until we are well into the next century. A few months ago, this column asked the question, ``What ever happened to HDTV?'' Well, to tell you the truth, no one really knows. You see, its fate has been tied up in committee meeting after committee meeting. And just when you think it's moving back on schedule some organization decides that what was decided isn't good enough yet. In recent months two very influential national committees have proposed some very radical changes to the advanced TV standards. These changes affect both the video format and the transmission standards. The American Society of Cinematographers have made their views on the video format very clear. The 16:9 aspect ratio is simply not acceptable. They prefer a 2:1 ratio with progressive scanning rather than the time-tested interlaced systems. The Advisory Committee on Advanced Televi-sion Service thinks that the Zenith 8-VSB trans-mission system now being tested is all wrong too. They seem to feel that a Coded Orthoganal Fre-quency Division Multiplex system is the way to go. Now, each of these organizations are backed by companies with some pretty hefty credentials. They are big-name, high-profile groups such as NBC, ABC and INTV. These two proposals are only some of the more recent digressions from the standards that the Grand Alliance is working on. Many companies from a variety of businesses have tried to press their noses against the glass. Take, for instance, such computer-related giants as Apple, IBM and Microsoft. It is their contention that HDTV should be computer-compatible. Consequently they are pushing for standards that will allow for interoperability between their software and your local TV station's transmitter. Also entering into the mix are all the telephone and communications companies. HDTV is a great way for them to enter into the television business. And everyone has their own agenda. Don't think for one minute that all this maneuvering is limited to equipment manufacturers or the broadcast-related industries. Remember when the Washington crowd wanted to force the manufacturers of HDTV equipment to employ a minimum percentage of U.S. workers on the assembly line? These politicians nearly derailed the entire ATV consensus. What all this comes down to is that we may never see ATV get off the ground. How in the world can HDTV ever make it into our homes if nobody can decide what the standards are? Now don't get me wrong. All these groups have proposed changes that merit consideration. And there is some fairly good evidence to support their individual concerns. But the reality is that if this bickering persists, HDTV will suffer the same fate as the health care bill. In the end we will have a system no one's happy with and no one can afford.