High-definition Television : A Global Perspective

For years high-definition television (HDTV) has been heralded as television's next revolution, promising to offer sharper and wider pictures, as well as crisper sound, to the viewing public.

But for almost as many years, HDTV has been embroiled in standardization controversies.

Now, as HDTV is finally making its way into American homes, this book looks back at the technology, the people, and the policies that have made HDTV a reality. "High-Definition Television" offers a thorough account of the evolution of HDTV in Japan, Europe and the United States from the 1960s to 1996.

Dupagne and Seel begin by providing a global overview of the technology and reviewing the political and economic factors that conspired against the adoption of a single worldwide production standard in 1986.

The authors and contributors also examine: global HDTV production, Japanese HDTV development, US and European HDTV policymaking, US HDTV industrial policy, the role of the Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Services, and HDTV economics.

Dupagne and Seel conclude by proposing a global model of HDTV policymaking. From the inception of Hi-Vision in Japan, to MAC policies in the European Union, to the formation of the Grand Alliance in the United States, "High-Definition Television" presents a comprehensive picture of HDTV as a global, national and regional phenomenon.

As attuned to the technology as it is to its politics and economics, this book should be a valuable resource for understanding the future of television broadcasting here and abroad.