What is even more upsetting is that there are more than a dozen different
formats with different resolutions, frame rates, interlaced vs
non-interlaced, and bandwidth requirements.  Fox has chosen to use the
lowest quality format.  ABC, CBS, and NBC have announced that they will
each use different formats.  So, as you switch from channel to channel, the
quality and characteristics of the signal will change from rather good
(over 1000 line resolution at over 30 frames per second) to very poor (Fox
providing an image that closely resembles a 160x100 at 18 fps AVI file).

Will HDTV fulfill its promise?  Who knows, but it doesn't look like it will
in the short run...unless you are watching subscription movie or pay per
view channels via a satellite provider (Dish Network, Primestar, Direct TV,
USSB).

John

At 10/27/98 10:36 PM , Joe Geiser wrote:
>Wirt says,
>
>> In that same vein, but perhaps far less amazing, the first
>> nation-wide (at
>> least in the larger cities) HDTV broadcast will be
>> accomplished this Sunday
>> night by ABC and will be a movie, the 1996 remake of "101 Dalmations."
>
>Yes it will - but alas, I won't be one of the ones who plunked down the
>price of a decent new car for one of those newfangled TVs...  I was in Best
>Buy yesterday, to pick up a printer cable (OfficeMax was out - they always
>are)... I got to see one of these TVs..
>
>Picture is much like the dimensions of a movie theatre screen, crisp, clear
>- everything about it was fantastic - a videophile's dream come true.
>
>Then I saw the price tag.
>
>They ran for the Smelling Salts after that.
>
>The least expensive set, a small set that would replace a standard 19" set,
>ran about US$5,000.00.  The home-theatre models run almost US$20,000.00.
>(The salesperson claims to have sold two of the theatre models and about
>eight of the smaller sets.  I think he's full of it myself, but who knows?)
>
>I'd rather have the car.
>
>Hopefully the prices of these sets come down rapidly.  Supposedly, by
>2002(?) - analog signals bit the dust, and it's all digital in the US.
>
>What's also funny is that the cable systems are really balking about
>carrying these signals.  Either they cannot handle the signal, or they
>refuse to allocate the additional channels for the HDTV broadcast.  (Yes -
>HDTV is broadcast on a different, UHF channel.  Example:  What is normally
>Channel 10 here, is Channel 61 for HDTV - but the TVs are smart enough that
>if you tune in Channel 10, it will pull 61 in for you).
>
>Oh well, off to watch my analog TV, and see the what's left of Prime Time
>programming...
>
>Joe
>

--------------------------------------------------------------
John Korb                            email: [log in to unmask]
Innovative Software Solutions, Inc.

The thoughts, comments, and opinions expressed herein are mine
and do not reflect those of my employer(s), or anyone else.