Marantz HD6400W Digital TV Rollout TIME/TERMS/TECHNOLOGY, Progressive P and Interlace I Scan

DIGITAL TV ROLLOUT - TIME/TERMS/TECHNOLOGY

DTV TIMETABLE

PROGRAM AVAILABILITY

The switch to digital pro- gramming won’t happen

overnight, but broadcasters are beginning the task of convert- ing equipment and production capabilities to meet the FCC’s rules for signal format and launch of digital TV.

The first step for the networks will be to supply their affiliates with one satellite program feed for continuing NTSC service (at least thru the year 2006), and another feed for a single chan- nel of HDTV (or SDTV format channels). ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS networks are all attempting to broadcast some HDTV programming beginning in the fall of 1998 (see the digi-

TOP TEN MARKETS (30% OF US HOUSEHOLDS)		•	Baltimore
•	By November 1998	•	Charlotte
		•	Cincinnati
	(Voluntary)
		•	Cleveland
•	By May 1999
		•	Denver
	(Mandatory)
		•	Hartford/New Haven
•	Atlanta
		•	Houston
•	Boston
		•	Indianapolis
•	Chicago
		•	Miami
•	Dallas
		•	Minneapolis/St. Paul
•	Detroit
		•	Orlando
•	Los Angeles
		•	Phoenix
•	New York
		•	Pittsburgh
•	Philadelphia
		•	Portland
•	San Francisco
		•	Raleigh/Durham
•	Washington, D.C.
		•	Sacramento
		•	San Diego
		•	Seattle/Tacoma
		•	St. Louis
	all other commercial stations must construct digital facilities by May 2002	•	Tampa/St. Petersburg
	(non-commercial stations, such as PBS affiliates, by May 2003)	•	By November 1999

TOP 30 MARKETS (50% OF US HOUSEHOLDS

ADVANCED TELEVISION SYSTEM COMMITTEE FORMATS

digital 1nf0rmation

While they may dif- fer on the choice of digital formats (1080i, 720p, 480i, etc.) the netw orks broadcast plans center mainly on select primetime * program viewing. Because of the production tech- niques and equip- ment upgrades necessary for digi- tal broadcasts the telecasting of sports or other live events will not

tal InfOrmation section to the right for specific plans and details), but much in the way of new digital broadcast tower con- struction, site zoning and other conversion issues will need to be resolved in order for the broad- casts to begin in earnest.

In the beginning local stations can offer different program- ming on their allotted digital

	Digital Television	Horizontal	Vertical	Screen/Image	Total Pixels
		Resolution	Resolution
				Aspect Ratio	(transmitted per
	Format/Name	(pixels across screen	(Viewable Scan
				(width to height)	video frame*)
		width)	Lines)
BROADCAST	TV (SDTV)525P/525I	1920	1080	16:9	2,073,600
	High Definition TV
	HDTV 1080P/1080I
	High Definition TV	1280	720	16:9	921,600
	HDTV 720P/720I
FOR	Standard Definition	704	480	4:3 - 16:9	337,920
	TV (SDTV)	640	480	4:3	307,200
	Standard Definition

*60 frames per second (fps) for live video; 24 and 30 fps for material produced in film.

become available until audience view - ership can justify costs.

Some initial net-

w ork plans for digi- tal broadcasts:

ABC- Wonderful

W orld of Disney (in

channel space, but as time pass- es the percentage of NTSC pro- grams that must be converted to digital “simulcast” broadcasts will increase (in order to meet specified conversion schedule requirements.)

The Cable TV industry’s stan- dard for the use and carrying of digital broadcasts, which has a different frequency modulation than cable signals, is unresolved (as of the date of this publica- tion.) Although some cable operators promise that digital set-top boxes or decoders will be available to pass HDTV signals to digital TV sets, no official “must carry” design for the interfacing of cable TV pro- gramming and digital TV tech- nologies has been agreed upon. Even without firm program launch dates or established guidelines, digital cable decoder equipment and program offer- ing plans (by such cable pro-

Digital Television (DTV) is the umbrella term used to describe the new digital television system adopt-

ed by the FCC. DTV is an open standard with few specific format rules for the implementation of

HDTV/SDTV/and a host of potential data broadcast applications. Although there are certain guidelines

for frequency/bit rates/transmission power/etc. the FCC has taken the position that the marketplace

should decide or dictate what formats will best serve the public.

•	High Definition Television (HDTV) is approxi-		•	Standard Definition Television (SDTV) offers
	mately twice the vertical and horizontal resolu-			about the same picture resolution as today’s
	tion of today’s NTSC TV. Because of the extra			NTSC TV, but the picture quality is improved
	width (16:9) format of HDTV the picture con-			because of the lack of snow and ghosts that
	tains about five times as much information (or			accompany normal NTSC over-the-air broad-
	pixels) as conventional TV.			casting.
	HDTV also includes 5.1 channels of Dolby			Multiple channels are possible with SDTV since
	Digital surround sound to be broadcast through			the 6-MHz signal space allotted for digital
	two front speakers; one center speaker; two rear			broadcasts can be used for other types of less
	back speakers; and a separate bass channel or			data filled format programming.
	subwoofer signal.		•	Standard Definition Television (SDTV) refers to
•	HDTV refers to the product/system with the fol-			the product/system with the following perfor-
	lowing minimum performance specs:			mance attributes:
	-	Resolution: vertical display resolution of		-	Resolution: display resolution lower than that
		720P, 1080I, or higher			of HDTV
	-	Aspect Ratio: capable of displaying 16:9 for-		-	Aspect Ratio: none specified
		mat images at the minimum resolution levels		-	Audio: produces useable audio
	-	Audio: receives, reproduces, and/or outputs		- Receiver: receives all ATSC (Table 3) formats
		Dolby digital audio			and produces a useable picture
	-	Receiver: receives all ATSC (Table 3) formats

PROGRESSIVE (P) AND INTERLACE (I) SCAN

720p format); to phase in other HDTV broadcasts later.

CBS- proposed to send five hours of 1080i programming per week

NBC- to begin shooting The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in HDTV beginning in 1999; also plans to show other primetime show s in HDTV

Fox to distribute some portion of its schedule in 720p HDTV.

*Outside of the primetime slot for

gram providers as HBO, Turner Broadcasting and the Discovery Channel) are all underway for the interconnection of cable TV and the arrival of HDTV. It may not have immediate solutions at the outset, but market and industry demands should speed cable operators to provide for the HDTV signal to make it into the cable supplied home. Direct-broadcast satellite system (DSS) providers (such as Direc Tv, Unity Motion, Dish

• Progressive and Interlace refer	mation contained in a 1080-line
to the method in which the video	HD picture, interlace is needed
from a picture telecast is scanned	to fit the format into the allotted
or displayed on the TV screen.	6MHz channel space.
- Interlace scans or paints half	- Progressive scans or paints the
the vertical lines for the picture	entire video picture one line
on the screen every 1/60 of a	after another. Used with today’s
second. Then the rest of the pic-	computer monitors this progres-
ture is filled in between the lines	sive process can eliminate some
of the first half on a followup	of the picture artifacts found
scan. The speed of this process	with interlace scan, but does
is so fast that it appears to the	require a larger bandwidth in
eye as being one complete pic-	order to deliver programs at the
ture. Due to the amount of infor-	same frame rate.

INTERLACE FIELDS

(Separate scans sent every 1/60 of a second)

The interlace scan process was first used with NTSC broadcasts to conserve video bandwidth space. With certain scenes or video material the interlace process can cause image blurring or other visual screen artifacts.

netw ork digital show s local sta- tions can provide different program- ming on their digital broadcast channel. They are free to convert current NTSC programming into digital SDTV or even upgrade their signal to true HDTV.

Network, etc.) have also announced plans to deliver HDTV to its customer base in the spring of 1999. DSS sub- scribers will likely need upgrad- ed dish and satellite receiver designed equipment to complete their digital reception package, but a number of providers are working on both off-the-air sig- nal and direct satellite feed solu- tions.

FREQUENTLY ASKED DTV QUESTIONS

Q: What are the goals of DTV?	A: The move to digital program-	operation capability matched for
A: In the United States the commit-	ming will shift from initial select	both the NTSC and ATSC systems.
ment for free and local digital	program offerings; to increased
broadcasts is a main standard for the	simulcast availability; to the ulti-	Q: What’s in the future for DTV?
new ATSC system. The reception	mate return of analog NTSC broad-	A: Because of the computer, multi-
and interaction of local terrestrial	cast channels to the federal govern-	media, and broadcast services
broadcasting for DTV programming	ment in 2006. The NTSC and ATSC	involved in setting ATSC and signal
is to remain the same regardless of	systems will coexist for years to	compression standards, DTV picture
the region or area of the country in	come (with possible date extensions	formats can be universally adopted
which you reside.	provided for the return of NTSC	not only for TV broadcasts but also
	system channels if needed.)	for computer and other interrelated
Q: How long will the transition to	Products such as the HD6400W	web and network service purposes.
	DPTV are uniquely positioned with
DTV take?

ABC, NBC and Fox are advising affili- ates to use 480p for the majority of its broadcast day, while CBS recom- mends its stations use the 480i for- mat.

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