High Definition TV—The Television Standard(s) of the Future

Why has the opportunity for a single, worldwide HDTV standard been lost? It would seem that a global format offers obvious benefits. But on closer inspection it becomes clear that disincentives for standardization abound. Consider, for example, what governments find most important: is more value placed on enhanced international communications through a common television standard, or on the development of unique, domestic HDTV technologies which bolster the local economy? Are countries attracted to the prospect of a single, global marketplace for advanced television products (offering enhanced economies of scale), or is such a benefit outweighed by fears of technical dependence on outside sources of innovation? — These are the types of questions which this research addresses. This paper places HDTV in an historical frame of reference by reviewing the international standards debates which have gone on before. Comparisons are drawn with the early competition between mechanical and all-electronic television formats, and, naturally, with the debate over color TV standards during the 1960s.

Print ISSN

0036-1682

Published

1990-01

Content type

Information

DOI

10.5594/J16772