Future of TV comes into focus at broadcast show

A giant curved-screen display from Lighthouse

In this story: Dissemination of information Interactive TV Change takes time RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Marsha Walton
CNN Science and Technology

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- People who watch TV for a living aren't easily impressed by what they see on the screen. But some of the flat panel, plasma and digital light processing displays at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention here got a thumbs-up from many TV production veterans.

Lots of these big screens are measured in feet, not inches, like the devices installed at rock concerts, sports events or casinos. And quality no longer has to go down as size goes up.

"Size does matter. That's a beautiful picture," said Rich Schmig of Plum Productions in Wisconsin, as he admired an enormous Panasonic display.

"If you could get something like that on the wall of your living room and use it to watch TV," he said, "do all your interfacing on the Web, do all your e-commerce, all in one location with a great picture like that, that would be terrific."

Pansonic's 52-inch rear-projection display costs $13,000

That kind of convergence is the theme of this year's trade show.

Just a few years ago, the folks at the NAB convention fit pretty neatly into just a couple of boxes: radio or television, engineer or executive.

But those viewing satellite and microwave trucks, teleprompters and digital equipment at this year's show wear a wide range of hats.

"At the convention we've got almost 113,000 people from all walks of communication," said Dennis Wharton, the NAB's vice president of corporate communications. "The industry now represents broadcasting, the Internet, streaming media, multimedia and video post-production. So this truly is a convergence marketplace."

Dissemination of information

Many in the digital generation don't really discriminate among cable, broadcast television, video games or the Internet. It's all information or entertainment, and that can be a gold mine for those who create the music, sports, movies, news or games that fill that space.

"Most TV and radio stations view the Internet as an opportunity to enhance their service to listeners and viewers," says Wharton. "There are some issues that have to be addressed like copyright protection, which is critical for broadcasters and some legal issues. But ultimately broadcasters will be huge players in the Internet."

This 28-inch HDTV monitor by Sharp is roughly 2 1/2 inches thick and can hang on your wall at home

But as TV screens expand, the cameras that shoot for them are getting smaller. Several major news organizations, including CNN, are using lightweight digital gear instead of, or in addition to, the heavier and pricier cameras.

One broadcast network engineer said the quality was comparable to the equipment currently used, and the options -- including editing stories on laptop computers -- make this new technology a must in the downsizing world of both broadcasters and dot-coms.

Interactive TV

Interactive television is also making a mark on the show floor. Consumers in the United States are just beginning to get a glimpse at it, but it's a concept that's thrived in Europe for nearly six years.

In one sports demo from Canal+ Technologies, a soccer fan could watch a match from three different camera angles, click on the remote to get player stats or real time scores from other games. One feature for die-hard fans was a flashing icon that indicated the action was, right at that moment, heating up in another match, so the viewer could quickly click onto that game.

Jean Marc Racine, CEO of Canal+ Technologies, says the European approach is far different from just trying to slap a PC onto a TV monitor -- which, he says, is why there's been only a lukewarm response to Web TV so far in the United States.

"They're not succeeding in getting a response from the consumer because television is fundamentally different from what you do on a PC," said Racine.

Change takes time

NAB officials say some competing standards and legal issues have slowed the growth of interactive TV in the United States, but its time will come. And with that, the enormous market of one-click shopping. For example, take that song you're seeing on a music video -- a click on your remote could place your order.

"We have plenty of experience with security from our European consumers," says Michael Higashi of Canal+ Technologies. "Information is encrypted from the remote control to the back office. But you do want to have a PIN number, so your kids can't order 50 CDs a day."

Another major theme at the NAB convention is DTV, and the looming, government-imposed deadline of 2002 for all commercial stations to send their signal digitally. While NAB representatives say they feel there's some wiggle room in meeting the government deadlines, there's also the fact that the public isn't clamoring for digital TV sets.

"The first generation DTV sets did not perform as well as expected," said the NAB's Wharton.

"But keep in mind when we made the transition from black-and-white to color, it took 24 years before half the sets that sold in the U.S. were color. We're just two years into the digital TV revolution. This is a marathon, not a sprint."

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The National Association of Broadcasters

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