The Future of High Definition Television :: Expository Essays Research Papers

The Future of High Definition Television â€Å"DTV is a much bigger step for television than the change from black and white to color† (Epstein, 12/99). The idea of a â€Å"digital television† came about nearly a decade ago in the early 1990’s when scientists realized that much more data could be sent to televisions if it was in a digital format, or a long series of 0’s and 1’s. This is the same method that computers use to send data and this method is very efficient. In fact, the data stream going into the television would be so great that 5 or 6 different channels could be broadcasted at the same time on the same frequency, giving viewers more options. Not only will there be more channels, but some of the other benefits would include a crystal clear picture, cd-quality surround sound, 2-way data-transmission, stock quotes, the Internet, and maybe even telephone services one day. The last four things are possible; they just haven’t been tested to a great extent quite yet. Ho wever, researchers agree that all these things will be possible one day. It is just a matter of time. What it comes down to is that some higher power, in this case the government, needs to step in to help progress this whole transition along or it could be years before everyone has an HDTV in their family room. There are only two main reasons for why the new high-definition television sets haven’t caught on yet. To understand the first reason, it must be viewed from the point of the consumer. Why spend all this money on a new television set when there is no programming for it? This is where the government steps in. By spring of 2002, all stations are required to broadcast shows digitally. Stations ABC and CBS are leading the pack by offering nearly all of their primetime shows in high definition (Takiff, 2001). NBC and FOX are lagging behind and have almost no shows broadcasting in digital (Takiff, 2001). However, by the year 2006, all analog broadcasts will be cut off and only digital broadcasting will remain. So if you think this whole digital television phenomenon won’t affect you†¦ think again. The second thing is price. A new 50† plasma screen HDTV ready television can cost upwards of $20,000 (www.