Ten Years Ago... Industries Agree on U.S. Standards for TV of the Future

Ten Years Ago...

Industries Agree on U.S. Standards for TV of the Future
[SOURCE: New York Times 11/26/1996, AUTHOR: Mark Landler]
Ending years of industry squabbling, the broadcasting, consumer electronics and computer industries announced an agreement on a technical standard for the next generation of television. The accord opened the door for the crystal-clear pictures and expanded services promised by digital television. It also set up a titanic battle for the nation's living rooms between computer companies and television set manufacturers, both of which want to build the digital device that will display these images. Representatives of the industries worked out the deal in marathon talks over several weeks after Federal Communications Commissioner Susan Ness urged them to resolve their disputes so the Commission could ratify a standard for digital television by the end of the year.
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F50C14FE3A590C75...
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** For a look at where the digital television transition is today, see "Two Years And Counting" at http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=node/4115.