The present state of high definition television and its impact on solid state circuits

The author points out that with rapid progress in technology and the availability of different media, such as satellites, fiber optics, and disks, television will change to enhance the viewing experience. Improvements will take place in spatial resolution, large screens in both home and theater, digital stereo, and surround sound. Throughout the world there is an enormous effort being expended on high-definition television (HDTV) involving all parts of the television chain, from production equipment, to transmission standards, to home display. A number of essential items have to be developed. Transmission is a more localized phenomenon, depending on the availability of satellites and unused spectrum in terrestrial networks and cable systems. Several approaches are being studied. The author discusses the development of HDTV production standards, as well as the need for new components and solid-state circuits. In particular, he considers the experience obtained with the HDMAC bandwidth reduction decoder (BRD).<>