HDTVs and broadcasters.................................
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Sep 1, 1998
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Digital TV Era Starts, Sort Of
By Mike McGann
Whether you knew it or not, the digital TV era began quietly some time last month.
With no broadcasters on the air with commercial service, the first trickle of true HDTVs found its way onto retail floors, as Panasonic ushered in a new era with its 56-inch widescreen rear projection set with a digital set top box to follow in October.
The next batch of digital-ready sets, from Mitsubishi and Toshiba, should start trickling out over the next few months.
Those who were planning to hold out for their HDTV sets from Thomson's RCA or ProScan, though, will find themselves waiting well past the expected November 1 start of commercial broadcasting, possibly as long as early 1999.
Thomson was the first manufacturer to announce its digital TVs wouldn't make the November 1 date when broadcasters in 10 markets will begin HDTV broadcasts.
The delays have been attributed to problems with the tuners and MPEG-2 decoders.
Delays are now likely from other manufacturers as well. Hitachi, which is building Thomson's sets in Mexico, will share the circuit boards under development by Thomson and likely faces the same delay.
There will be Thomson HDTVs in "selected retailers" stores during fourth-quarter 1998 but strictly for display purposes, according to Thomson spokesman David Arland. Arland would not say how many HDTV receivers would be distributed for display purposes before the end of the year.
Thomson expects to ship its ProScan branded, $7,999, 61-inch HDTV model in January, with a $6,999, RCA-branded, 55-inch model coming at about the same time. An integrated DTV tuner/DSS set top box is still expected some time during the first quarter of 1999.
"We think a lot of people will see HDTV and say 'Wow' and then see the pricetag and say 'Wow' and buy an analog set," Arland said.
Philips remained on schedule for launch as of press time, according to Linda West Schumann, the company's director of product planning for television.
Schumann did dismiss published reports from last month suggesting the company's plans for the 64-inch rear projection model had been shelved. "We're still planning to introduce it," she said.
Philips' field testing this month would determine whether product actually ships in November.
"We still have some big challenges," Schumann said. "We have field testing beginning in August. If everything goes smoothly, production will start at the end of October."
Schumann noted that her experience suggests that everything might not go so smoothly.
"This is one of the more challenging efforts the industry has ever tried," she said.
Sharp is continuing field tests of its first model, a $10,000 64-inch rear projection model, which remains on schedule for a fourth quarter introduction, although the company has not even shown working prototypes to the media as of this writing. Sharp also plans a $1,999 set top DTV tuner model. Both the set top and the DTV will have an open slot to add new functions when standards are finalized.
Mitsubishi is wrapping up field testing at this writing and expects to have the first of its five HDTV-capable models shipping in October, ranging in price from $4,000 to $7,000. The $3,000 add-on HDTV tuner box may be available in the same time frame, or shortly thereafter.
Samsung also currently remains on target for a fall introduction of its 55-inch rear projection HDTV, with working prototypes and production expected by the beginning of this month.
Sony continues to keep fairly mum on its plans, although sources suggest that a rear projection product is expected this fall, possibly complemented by a flat screen direct-view set and a tuner box/DSS combo, fairly similar to the previously announced RCA 1999 product.
Zenith at press time remains on schedule for release of both its $10,000, 64-inch rear view projector and digital tuner box for its Pro 900 front projector some time in November, according to company spokesman John Taylor.
JVC and Toshiba already announced they would not field digital TV products in 1998, although both are expected to join the party in 1999. This fall, Toshiba plans a line of three rear projection sets, capable of 1080i reproduction, that can be later upgraded to digital with add-on set top boxes available next year.
The company also plans a pair of true HDTVs for next year, a 65-inch widescreen model (SRP $8,999) and a 56-inch widescreen (SRP $6,999).
Of course, manufacturers aren't the only ones fighting delays on the DTV front. Because of antenna location problems, WNBC (NBC) and WABC (ABC) in New York, WMAQ (NBC) in Chicago, WMUR (Fox) in Boston and WWJ (CBS) in Detroit won't get on the air until mid-1999 at the earliest.
A quick canvas showed 21 of the original 24 volunteer stations appear on schedule to "flip the switch" November 1, with WCAU (NBC), WPVI (ABC), KYW (CBS) and WXTF (Fox) ready in Philadelphia, which represents the most stations going up in any one market.
Also in the east, WCBS (CBS) in New York, WSB (ABC) and WXIA (NBC) in Atlanta, and WJLA (ABC), WUSA (CBS) and WRC (NBC) in Washington, D.C., plus WCVB (ABC) in Boston expect be ready. In Detroit, WJBK (Fox) remains on schedule for November 1.
Out west, KNBC (NBC), KTLA (Fox) and KABC (ABC) in Los Angeles, KGO (ABC), KPIX (CBS) and KRON (NBC) in San Francisco/Oakland and KDFW (Fox), WFAA (ABC) and KXAS (NBC) in Dallas are on schedule for November 1 digital broadcasts.
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