Future of high-tech TV still blurry

Monday, April 7, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

For years, consumers have been told to get ready for digital television.

Industry insiders say it will produce crystal-clear images and movie theater-quality sound in the nation's living rooms. It's a gateway to high-definition television: the big-screen images in the panoramic movie format.

With hype resembling that of a blockbuster movie opening firmly embedded in their minds, most consumers are more than ready for digital TV.

But the development of standards -- essential to consumers, since it will assure them they'll only have to buy one television to get all the programming they'll want -- has slowed the process. With even more broadcast players getting into the action, the process crawled through various hearings. Complicating the issue were proposals to adopt existing standards of other countries.

But in December, the Federal Communications Commission approved a digital television broadcast standard, and the National Association of Broadcasters hailed it as a monumental step forward.

The next step will be taken this week when representatives of the broadcast industry converge on Las Vegas to learn more about the current evolution -- and to find out how much it's going to cost local affiliate stations.

The National Association of Broadcasters show picks up steam today at Las Vegas Convention Center and Sands Expo Center as an estimated 100,000 convention delegates meet to debate issues and view new products associated with the growing broadcast industry.

Radio, television and multimedia formats are involved, and the convergence of technologies is being hailed as paramount to the industry's growth. Satellite, terrestrial and cable television are all part of the show, which officially opened Sunday and continues through Thursday.

On the digital television front, there are still issues to be resolved involving the assignment of channels during the transition from the current system.

"Before, it was something we knew was coming," said John Holland, director of engineering at KVBC Channel 3. "Today, it's something that's here."

Holland's counterpart at KVVU Channel 5, Jack Smith, concurs that high-definition television will be the talk of the show.

"Everybody has taken a wait-and-see attitude," said Smith. "We're looking at it very closely, waiting before we buy. This will be a show loaded with a lot of prototype equipment."

"It's very large and very confusing," added Holland. "The big buzz is digital TV, now that the standard has been established. Now, we're looking at how we're going to do it. It's an expensive proposition."

Converting to digital will take millions of dollars per affiliate, NAB officials estimate. But industry leaders say it will be worth it.

"Once we get a green light, I think America will embrace DTV quickly and enthusiastically," said Eddie Fritts, president and CEO of the association.

"The real beneficiary of digital technology and all that it has to offer will be the American consumer. Those who have already seen DTV have been impressed by its service potential and blown away by its quality of sight and sound."

Those who haven't experienced the sight and sound of digital will get to do so at the show. KLAS Channel 8 is participating in a demonstration, beaming a high-definition signal to receivers set up at convention sites.

"We're on the air with the signal right now," said Jack Wilkinson, chief engineer at Channel 8, who last week said the signal is going out on Channel 52. Don't go looking for a signal at that channel -- there aren't any TVs on the market that will make sense of it.

And that could be the next stumbling block for digital.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Joel Brinkley reported in the New York Times recently that high-tech companies that don't want inventory gathering dust on showroom floors are waiting to manufacture their units until they're assured signals will be available. Brinkley is a scheduled speaker Wednesday at the NAB show.

Until last month, leading broadcasters promised to begin digital broadcasting next year. But now they are saying no significant high-definition programming will be on the air before 1999, and most stations will not begin broadcasting until after 2000, Brinkley reported.

Another stumbling block could be the price to consumers. Last week, when details of standards were announced by the FCC, it was reported that wide-screen digital TV sets are expected to cost at least $2,000 initially. If the new sets sell as briskly as VCRs did when they debuted, those prices should come down fairly quickly. A set-top converter that would translate a digital signal to an existing television will range in price from $150 to $300.

During the nine-year conversion to digital, broadcasters would transmit their shows on two channels: their existing analog and a second digital channel that they'll get from the government for free. That way, existing analog TV sets would not be rendered useless immediately.

Digital TVs aren't the only toys broadcasters will play with at this week's show. More than 1,200 vendors, including 100 new exhibitors, are sprawling out on more than 720,000 square feet of convention floor space.

Local television station engineers are looking forward to reviewing image storage systems and personal computer-based applications. The convergence of computer-based multimedia applications and television is a key element of the show.

"The difference between the two boxes is going to blur," predicted Holland. "A lot of the big computer players are moving into broadcast."

In addition, NAB will incorporate a number of Internet displays. For a second year, the organization is presenting Internet@NAB.97, an exihibit area for service providers, designers and other website companies. This year's "What's New! What's Cool! Internet Theater" is being sponsored by software giant Microsoft.

Computerized data storage systems are already at work at one Las Vegas TV station. Smith said Channel 5 stores its video images digitally on disc, replacing the popular industry standard videotape.

Channel 5's Odetics system is capable of storing 18 hours of video on a single disc, he said. The biggest advantage is that the images don't degrade like those preserved on videotape. Because of stretching and general wear, videotape run through a machine 20-25 times is susceptible to damage, called "dropout" in the industry.

Smith acknowledges that videotape is a far cheaper medium to use, but he's always anxious to look at the PC-based innovations that ultimately serve the viewer.

Holland said he plans to look at similar storage systems, and Wilkinson said there isn't enough time to see all the new technology available.

Wilkinson said he expects 80 to 90 of Channel 8's 135 employees to spend some time visiting the trade show.

"You need to clone yourself in order to get around to see everything," he said.

NAB spokeswoman Patricia McNeill said that while the show is open only to industry representatives, there will still be a few celebrity names and general-interest topics at the show.

ABC television personality Barbara Walters will receive NAB's 1997 Distinguished Service Award, and NBC's "Today" show will be inducted into the NAB Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

FCC Chairman Reed Hundt will discuss regulatory issues at a breakfast Tuesday and radio personality Wally Phillips of Chicago's WGN will be inducted into NAB's Radio Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

Other keynote speakers include Dick Orkin of Dick Orkin's Radio Ranch and Brinkley, a New York Times writer.

Among 200 panel discussions and industry presentations to be conducted during the show are sessions on the new TV rating systems, children's programming issues as they relate to station licensing and the status of wireless Internet access.

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