60 feet-per-second...
MATSUSHITA UNVEILS PLAN FOR 1,080 PROGRESSIVE DTV
06/16/1999
COMMUNICATIONS DAILY
(c) Copyright 1999 Warren Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Upgrading to DTV's highest-definition 1,080p/60 feet-per-second (fps) format will require "enhancement" channel piggybacked on current ATSC 720p signal, top technical officer of Panasonic parent Matsushita said. Layered coding will be difficult to achieve for ATSC standard and will entail use of format-converter, additional broadcast encoder and auxiliary transmission channel, said Yoshitomi Nagaoka, Matsushita board member and company's highest-ranking digital R&D executive. Comments came Tues. at hastily arranged N.Y.C. news briefing.
Shift to true 2-megapixel progressive DTV from 720x1,280 HDTV format requires doubling picture data transmitted, Nagaoka said. He said improvement isn't necessary for home viewing, where current HDTV formats provide adequate resolution even for large displays at typical viewing distances. But bigger screens needed for public venues -- including future filmless digital cinema --will benefit from greater definition, he said.
Backward-compatibility is essential with today's ATSC transmissions, Nagaoka said. Consequently, first step in Matsushita's next-generation HDTV process is format-converter that splits current 720p/60 fps signal from "enhancement layer" for 1,080-line progressively scanned 60 fps picture, then sends it through MPEG-2 encoder as "basic" channel in compliance with ATSC standard. Additive data for enhancement channel is handled by 2nd encoder . In response to our query, Nagaoka said processing here wouldn't necessarily be MPEG-2, owing to bandwidth considerations: "Coding for the 2nd channel has not been decided yet, but MPEG-4 is a consideration, as well as more efficient forms of compression." He didn't elaborate on latter, but MPEG-7 compression format already is in formative stage of development.
Time frame for 1,080p upgrade isn't set, but Nagaoka said he believes combination of factors put launch 3-4 years out. Those factors include necessary standards-setting process, development and reduction in cost of 1,080p/60 fps broadcast acquisition and studio equipment. Nagaoka said Matsushita hopes to demonstrate prototype 1,080p system soon, but didn't say when.
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DTV installed base has reached 36,000 since Aug. launch, Panasonic U.S. executives said. Among owners of DTV-ready sets, 10% also have purchased set-top decoder, said Jeff Cove, vp-new business development. Projection models account for 83% of purchases, rest being direct-view or flat-panel plasma, he said. Of DTV purchases, 14% are widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio displays. Meanwhile, 66 stations in 31 markets nationwide are capable of DTV broadcasts, with potential to reach 45.4% of households, Cove said, and despite 24-hour capability most programming remains "events-based."
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