New Technologies in Television

The future of home television is at a crossroads with new technologies available in every direction. Will recordable DVD replace the home VCR? Will HDTV succeed with consumers? What is affecting the mass rollout of these new technologies? The DVD story is a classic computer technology tale. All the key elements are there: vaporware, standards wars, compatibility problems, extremely high initial prices, and confusion at every turn. Even the technology's name stirs minor debate. Some …

…Compared to standard NTSC television, HDTV is able to reproduce six times the detail and ten times the color information. Overall it appears that even though digital television faces many of the same problems in rollout as DVD, digital television is likely to become an accepted standard more quickly. The forces driving these technologies are affected by different circumstances and incentives. Whatever happens, we are undoubtedly on the verge of dramatic improvements in home entertainment.