Summary

One year after the launch of digital HDTV broadcasts in the U.S., fewer than 50,000 sets have been sold, cable carriage remains unresolved, and Sinclair Broadcasting's field tests revealed near-total reception failure in Philadelphia. Technical disputes over transmission standards, copyright protection gaps, and scarce content are stalling the transition.

Source document circa 1999 preserved as-is

 

HEADLINE: HDTV: YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LIKE THIS PICTURE

BYLINE: By Neil Gross, with Richard Siklos, in New York and Heidi Dawley in London

HIGHLIGHT:
Technical snafus continue to slow its growth

Last March, engineers from Sinclair Broadcasting Group Inc. had their worst suspicions about high-definition television confirmed. The crew was field-testing the latest digital-TV equipment at homes and offices in a 20-mile radius of a broadcast antenna in Philadelphia. ''In nine out of nine locations, we got no reception -- just the blue screen of death,'' says Nat Ostroff, Sinclair's vice-president for new technology.

It was another bad omen on a road that is already strewn with danger signs and digital debris. Nov. 1 marks the first anniversary of digital HDTV broadcasts in the U.S. But despite millions of dollars lavished on equipment, programming, and promotions, progress is agonizingly slow. While TV stations have exceeded their targets for starting digital programming in 30 major markets, most other elements of this meandering high-tech march into the future are in utter disarray. NEW BRAWL. To wit: Televisions that can display movie-quality HDTV images have landed in fewer than 50,000 U.S. homes since they went on the market 14 months ago. Only 30 out of 1,600 TV stations have arranged to get their signals carried over cable, the means by which two-thirds of American households receive broadcasts. For the wealthy few who plunked down $ 5,000 or more for an ''HDTV-ready'' set, there isn't much to watch -- partly because copyright protection for digital video is still up in the air. ''This is going to be a long, slow transition,'' sighs International Data Corp. analyst R. Kevin Hause.

To top it off, an ugly scuffle has broken out since Sinclair discovered during its tests that a digital broadcasting scheme favored by Europe and Asia outperforms America's chosen approach. Sinclair and a few hundred other TV stations are now petitioning the Federal Communications Commission to give broadcasters a choice on which scheme they adopt.

But that would require modifying key technical standards that were set nearly three years ago -- a move that TV makers strenuously oppose. ''Once you start changing standards, every other group with a technical gripe will come in and request another change,'' says Michael D. Petricone, director of technology policy at the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Assn. (CEMA) in Washington. ''It's a recipe for massive confusion and delays.''

The FCC says both transmission schemes have merits. But it concedes that the U.S. digital standard isn't perfect. Where the terrain is hilly and antenna height is restricted -- in Seattle and Washington, for example -- as many as two-thirds of all homes may not be able to get a signal using indoor antennas, according to one recent FCC report. Sinclair insists that Europe's transmissions are more robust, which may explain how Britain's digital terrestrial service, ONdigital, managed to sign up 411,000 subscribers during the past 11 months.

The FCC is still studying field-test results and could take weeks to respond to Sinclair's petition. And there are other HD-related priorities. For example, the commission must quickly decide whether and how to force cable companies to carry broadcasters' digital signals in homes that currently rely on cable. ''The FCC has to adopt a strong, pro-consumer, 'must-carry' rule for cable,'' says David Wharton, senior vice-president for the National Association of Broadcasters. STRAINED OPTIMISM. Publicly, the major networks are trying to rise above these messy squabbles and get on with their digital broadcasting. With hefty financial support from consumer-electronics companies, CBS is airing its prime-time lineup in high-definition. NBC has an HD version of The Tonight Show in 16 markets. And starting next year, it will introduce three hours of interactive programming on Saturday mornings, including data beamed to PCs with special digital-TV cards.

With strained optimism, TV set manufacturers claim HDTV's hardware glitches have been exaggerated. ''We're not hearing about sets getting returned because of poor reception,'' says CEMA's Petricone. But if the FCC fails to enforce ''must-carry,'' or Sinclair's petition sends set manufacturers back to the drawing board, then high-definition could be a new definition for slow start.

What's Holding Up High-Definition Television?

A year after its debut, HDTV is still struggling to overcome:

LOW PENETRATION Manufacturers have sold fewer than 50,000 TV sets that can receive the new digital signals

LIMITED RECEPTION Over-the-air receivers don't work in all locations, and cable isn't obliged to carry the signals

SCARCE CONTENT Film studios are holding back on some high-definition programming until copyright issues are resolved