Intel and PBS to Air First Nationwide Enhanced Digital TV Broadcast
Content Trial to Take Place During Ken Burns's FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT Documentary
SANTA CLARA, Calif. and ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 26, 1998--Intel Corporation [Nasdaq:INTC - news] and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) today announced additional details about the first nationally broadcast enhanced digital television (DTV) program, which will occur in conjunction with Ken Burns's FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT documentary. The program will air on Nov. 10 and 11, 1998, during ''PBS Digital Week.''
As the documentary airs, companion data will be transmitted simultaneously in the television signal to state-of-the-art Intel(R) Architecture-based personal computers capable of receiving digital signals. Upon completion of the documentary, the trial audience will be able to use their PCs to explore and interact with video, audio and a rich array of additional information about Frank Lloyd Wright.
The enhanced content will include interviews with Wright by CBS correspondent Mike Wallace, recorded in the 1950s; virtual tours of three historic Wright creations: Fallingwater, the Guggenheim Museum and Unity Temple; and other material not included in the documentary. Users will be able to listen to Eric Lloyd Wright, Frank's grandson, tell stories and describe Wright's innovative architecture, and explore commentary by Wright experts and Burns, who will discuss Wright's style.
''The marriage of broadband digital delivery and powerful computing devices enables something better than TV and better than the Internet,'' said Ron Whittier, senior vice president, Intel's Content Group. ''The possibilities for content creators, broadcasters and consumers in a digital world are endless and exciting. Intel is thrilled to have worked with PBS to achieve this milestone.''
''This event signals the birth of a new medium,'' said John Hollar, executive vice president, PBS Learning Ventures. ''Imagine being able to transmit a superb documentary by Ken Burns and the equivalent of a companion DVD brimming with educational content, all within the same signal. This is PBS's vision of enhanced digital television, and Intel's leadership has been absolutely critical to harnessing the power of this technology.''
PBS's contributions include production, project management, and content development, and the origination of the in-depth content and innovative interactive designs that capitalize on the high-quality broadcast, merged with high-bandwidth technology.
Intel's contributions include the technologies that enable a PC to receive, decode and display digital broadcast signals, as well as the technology which enabled PBS to broadcast the video-plus-data (V+D) content. Intel also worked to optimize the content to take advantage of the increased bandwidth enabled by digital broadcast and the power available on high-end Intel Architecture-based PCs.
The trial will include six PBS stations and dozens of Intel and PBS employees, engineers and station managers, who will provide technical feedback about the enhanced broadcast. Participants will have DTV-enabled PCs placed in their home, or at their participating PBS member station, and will interact with the enhanced program. PBS member stations participating in the trial will be located in the following six markets nationwide: WITF, Harrisburg, Penn.; KCPT, Kansas City, Mo.; WMVS, Milwaukee, Wis.; Oregon Public Broadcasting, Portland, Ore.; KCTS, Seattle, Wash.; and WETA, Washington, D.C., which is also the presenting station for FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT.
PBS, headquartered in Alexandria, Va., is a private, nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 350 public television stations. A trusted community resource, PBS uses the power of noncommercial television, the Internet and other media to enrich the lives of all Americans through quality programs and education services that inform, inspire and delight. Available to 99 percent of American homes with televisions and to an increasing number of digital multimedia households, PBS serves nearly 100 million people each week.
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.
Other marks or trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
biz.yahoo.com |
