Terrific article, John (Sony/Toshiba war).
Meanwhile:
Forget the purists. Baseball goes digital...
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prnewswire.com
The Nation's First Digital Television Broadcast of a Major League Sporting Event Set for September 16, 1997
WASHINGTON and BALTIMORE, Sept. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Harris Corporation and
Major League Baseball are teaming up to transmit the first live digital
television broadcast of a major league sporting event on September 16, 1997.
Harris Corporation, the leading supplier of DTV equipment, and MLB will
broadcast the 6:05 PM EST game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Cleveland
Indians in Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland to a 16-foot by
9-foot screen at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Baseball Hall-of-
Famer, Jim Palmer, will be heading up the broadcasting team.
The game will be captured on DTV cameras and transported via fiber and
satellite to WHD and WETA stations in Washington and broadcast live by Harris
transmitters at each station. Attendees will enjoy a realistic game
experience in the ballroom of the Club when it is transformed into a "virtual
stadium," complete with a baseball diamond, stands and vendors hawking popcorn
and soda.
"Digital high definition television's amazing clarity and wide screen are
tailormade for baseball, and this broadcast will show why people are so
excited about this new technology," said E. Van Cullens, president of Harris'
Communications Sector. "To be able to see a third more of the playing field
in every shot with more than twice the clarity will take sports broadcasting
to another level."
"Major League Baseball is proud to be the first major league sport in
America to be broadcast in DTV," said Allan H. (Bud) Selig, chairman of the
Major League Executive Council. "The fabulous picture and crystal-clear audio
from digital broadcasting will make the viewer feel as though they're right at
the park."
Organizations that are contributing in part to the Harris event include
Allbritton Communications (WJLA-TV), Global Broadcasting Corporation, MCI
Telecommunications Corporation, Mitsubishi Electronics America, Public
Broadcasting Service (PBS), WETA, WHD and Zenith Electronics Corporation.
Harris is the leader in advanced transmitter equipment for DTV systems and
the leading manufacturer of digital radio broadcast equipment in the U.S. The
company has signed agreements to provide DTV transmitters to more than 130
television stations in the U.S. Last year, a Harris transmitter became the
first in the U.S. to broadcast commercial digital television signals. The
company also developed the test bed that was used to evaluate each of the
digital television systems proposed for the U.S. market.
Coverage Opportunities:
-- Press Conference at the National Press Club: Contact: 212-727-7770
-- Coverage of the Digital Game at Camden Yards: Contact: 407-727-9608
-- Satellite Feed of game highlights and behind the scenes:
Contact: 212-727-7770
SOURCE Harris Corporation
CONTACT: Lesia Figueira of DS Simon Productions, 212-727-7770; or
Neal Stein of Harris Corporation, 407-727-9608 |
