ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, December 27, 1996 TAG: 9612270045
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: Associated Press
It's the biggest change to television since color. The government approved a plan Thursday to deliver crisp, movie-quality TV signals, CD-quality sound and sharper pictures in a format called high definition.
It could appear as early as 1998, but probably only in the nation's largest markets such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
TV stations, which will spend millions to go digital, will use the high-tech specifications approved by the Federal Communications Commission to send the higher-quality signals to America's homes.
Manufacturers will use the FCC's standards as a framework to build new digital TV sets and computers called digital PC-TVs that can receive the higher-quality signals.
While the FCC's action is a regulatory formality, it marks a crucial step in the nine-year journey to implement digital television in the United States. It's also the biggest change to television since the FCC adopted the standard for color TV in 1953.
``What we've done here is guarantee there will be dozens of different kinds of digital television receivers of many, many different prices. Some with software, some with big screens, some suitable for your wristwatch,'' said FCC Chairman Reed Hundt.
Before broadcasters can provide digital TV, however, the FCC must take two other steps: It must make slices of the public airwaves available for the service, and it must issue new digital TV licenses.
Both steps are expected early next year unless broadcasters fight the FCC's allocation plans or Congress makes TV stations pay for digital licenses.
National Association of Broadcasters President Eddie Fritts said the FCC action ``brings a new generation of communications one step closer to America's living rooms.''
``What a terrific way to usher in the new year,'' said Peter Willmott, president of Zenith Electronics Corp., which said it plans to introduce high definition TV sets in 1998.
Wider-screen digital TV sets could be sold at prices at least $1,000 to $1,500 higher than sets today.
Because digital TV technology would allow broadcasters to squeeze more video and data into their existing channel space, viewers also could receive new services from stations for free or for a monthly fee. Those services could include additional TV channels of, for example, just sports, or movies, or stock quotes or other data services transmitted to home computers.
The FCC's action formalized a delicate compromise reached last month among the broadcast, computer and consumer electronics industries. The agreement sets many technical specifications but lets the marketplace decide the format for displaying images on TV and the size and shape of screens.
The standard is based on technology developed by a consortium called Grand Alliance, composed of General Instrument Corp., Lucent Technologies, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Philips Electronics, the David Sarnoff Research Center, Thomson Consumer Electronics and Zenith Electronics.
At first, broadcasters will simultaneously transmit programs using two TV channels, one for programs in the existing analog format and the other in the new digital format. This way, the nation's 220 million TV sets won't be rendered useless immediately.
LENGTH: Medium: 65 linesby CNB