Industry Leaders Agree On Bright Future Of HDTV At CEA's Annual HDTV Summit

18-Mar-03

Industry leaders and government officials joined forces in surmounting the HDTV Summit earlier this week at the Consumer Electronics Association's (CEA) eighth annual HDTV Summit at the Renaissance Washington Hotel. The daylong event featured a presentation of the latest market research and discussions about the public policy issues surrounding the HDTV transition, as well as the distinguished Academy of Digital Television Pioneers Award presentation. Debate on a range of topics including, digital content development, copyright protection, and a national ""plug-and-play"" standard between cable systems and consumer electronics companies reflected a surge of momentum in the analog-to-digital transition and an enthusiasm among consumers, manufacturers, and content providers alike for the speedy conclusion of the transition. ""HDTV is inevitable and the marketplace is proving it,"" said Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of CEA, in his opening remarks. ""With the most significant obstacles to the HDTV transition behind us and more consumers embracing the technology, we now are on the downward slope of the transition. As we descend the HDTV Summit, we all must remain committed to fulfilling the full promise of HDTV. For broadcasters, that means not only getting a digital station up and running, but also doing so at full power and within the legal timeframe. Anything else is unacceptable."" The latest CEA consumer perspectives study detailed at the Summit reiterated the message of a promising digital future. Sean Wargo, Director of Market Research at CEA, revealed that 81 percent of online TV viewers are familiar with HDTV and that 47 percent--an increase of 18 percentage points from 2002--planned on purchasing an HD product in the next 18 months. Friendly debate reigned at the ""HDTV: Beyond the Headlines"" panel as experts from content providers, cable providers, retailers, and the media each gave attendees their insight into the current state of HDTV and the best path for its future. The panel included: Clark Becker, Senior Vice President and CTO of Best Buy; Bryan Burns, Vice President of Strategic Business Planning and Development for ESPN; Mark Coblitz, Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning for Comcast Corp.; Martin Franks, Executive Vice President of CBS Television; Glenn Oakley, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy and International for Showtime Networks; and Jonathan Takiff, staff writer for the Philadelphia Daily News. During the discussion, Takiff emphasized the need for broadcasters to do more to promote HDTV to analog viewers and drew repeated analogies to the B&W (black-and-white)-to-color television transition. Specifically, he noted that color TV advertisements ran on B&W TV programs and broadcasters simply found creative ways to translate the benefits of color TV through to consumers. Franks rebutted that CBS has invested millions in HDTV promotions and runs HDTV banners at the beginning of each HD program. At the ""Industry Leader Super Panel,"" the heads of the major trade associations involved in the HDTV transition met for a candid exchange on the issues that have divided the cable, broadcasting, consumer electronics, and motion picture industries in the quest for HDTV, and what is being done to resolve them. Eddie Fritts, President and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB); Robert Sachs, President and CEO of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA); and Jack Valenti, President and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) joined Gary Shapiro in discussing the progress of high-definition content development and the balance between intellectual property protection and home recording rights. While Shapiro and Valenti disagreed on many points, Valenti did consent when Shapiro asked if consumers should be free to move content within a home network. Government officials had their turn to discuss public policy issues surrounding the HDTV transition during the final panel, ""HDTV: Insight From The Beltway."" Rick Chessen, Chairman of the FCC Digital Television Task Force and Associate Chief of the Media Bureau of the FCC; Johanna Mikes, legislative counsel to Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Virginia); and Jessica Wallace, counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, shared their thoughts on upcoming DTV legislation, the broadcast flag issue protecting over-the-air digital content, and the plug-and-play agreement.The HDTV Summit also featured the third annual Academy of Digital Television Pioneers Award ceremony, honoring the best-of-the-best in all aspects of digital high-definition television. For more information on the HDTV Summit and the Academy of Digital Television Pioneers, visit www.CE.org/hdtvsummit or www.CE.org/dtvacademy. For more information about the CEA, visit www.CE.org.

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