63b - High Definition Television and Electronic Production of Movies -European Standards

Abstract

This chapter discusses high definition television (HDTV) and electronic production of movies as per European standards. The HDTV standards' debate has been the subject of many technical and techno-economic papers published in recent yearsand is summarized in section 63a. NHK, the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation, developed a range of HDTV studio equipment in the 1970s. In the early 1980s, broadcasters throughout the world recognized the importance of HDTV for the future of broadcasting. They also agreed that the objective should be unique standards through- out the world for the production and broadcasting of HDTV. There is a range of alternative ways by which HDTV programs could eventually be brought to the public. Apart from distribution via tape or disc, HDTV might conceivably be broadcast in existing or future broadcast bands. The two principal possibilities for broadcasting in Europe are both via dbs services. Systems are being studied that will allow satellite broadcasting in the bands above 12.7GHz. There is no doubt that HDTV will be the most important medium of the next century. It will have an impact on a wide area of life: broadcasting, computing, medicine, printing, etc. It is certainly well worth while taking considerable care in the choice of parameters. They will be with us for at least the next 50 years. However, it is also true that a sub-optimum standard is very much better than no standard at all.