Wait-and-See Digital TV.(Technology Information)(Brief Article)
12/15/98
PC Magazine
Page 10(1)
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Digital TV is about more than a clear, sharp view of your favorite football team's jersey. A revolution is underway: the convergence of television, cable, and Internet technologies in your living room.
But it's slow going. For many months, more likely years, most television viewers won't experience digital TV. That is, they won't see cinema-quality images on their TV screens. Nor will they interact with programs. In fact, the first digital broadcast won't support true high definition.
"The problem with digital TV, or DTV, is that it means different things to different industries," says Steven Guggenheimer, group product manager for digital television at Microsoft. "To the PC industry, DTV means intelligence and interactivity; to the TV industry, it means better, crisper pictures and better sound. In the end, DTV will mean all of these things, but the underlying infrastructure is still very much under development," he says.
Microsoft is now working on set - top apps that will let you watch what you want when you want, call up instant replays, record on a VCR, send e-mail, and chat online.
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