What the 'H'? Industry, government aim to put the 'high' back into HDTV

摘要

After a confusing ramble into generic DTV "digital television," the consumer electronics industry is shifting its marketing and lobbying emphasis onto the specific product of high-definition television (HDTV), which is engaging viewers' interest despite relatively slow early sales. "It's time to emphasize the 'H' in HDTV," proclaimed Consumer Electronics Association president Gary Shapiro at the annual CEA-sponsored DTV Washington pep rally. "This not only about digital television." He added that it's important for cable and satellite to join the HDTV process. But Shapiro also pointed to the two "Cs" that he claims are "restraining DTV": cable, and copyright protection. "We need plug-and-play cable receivers," Shapiro insisted―echoing electronics industry dreams that were enunciated throughout the day―and at an array of independent conferences in Washington during the spring DTV transition season. A few days after CEA's Washington event, a slew of cable TV companies joined the HDTV parade. The nation's 10 largest cable TV operators pledged to begin carrying HDTV programs on their digital systems in large markets by January 2003.