Digital Terrestrial Television In Europe DTT And HDTVóWhy Is The U.S. Betting Against The World?
In choosing HDTV (high-definition TV) for broadcast, the U.S. government and media giants are running contrary to the best minds around the world, according to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) In Europe-a just-released report commissioned by the European Union and network operators from Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden. ìDTT is being launched in Europe on November 16th when the U.K. starts with 30 channels divided between free-to-air and pay,î says the reportís author, John Foley of CDG Consultants Ltd. of the UK. ìEurope has tried the U.S. policy of imposing high-definition TV but abandoned the plan back in 1993 following a thorough analysis of the costs (high) and benefits (limited).î For the audience to appreciate HDTV they need very expensive (currently $5,000 but falling) TV sets which means that poorer members of American society will not be able to benefit for decades. ìThe frequency space occupied by one HDTV channel could accommodate 4 or more standard definition TV channels,î states Foley. ìThis reduction in choice runs against the whole American ethos in which consumers are thought to benefit from having more choice rather than less. The incumbent broadcasters persuaded the FCC to back HDTV ostensibly because it was in the interests of consumers. However, the broadcasters have thereby blocked the entry of competition until analogue TV is closed down.î The European Digital Video Broadcasting standard is rapidly gaining worldwide adherence, the study found. For example, Australia conducted an exhaustive comparison of the U.S. and the European standards and came down in favour of the European technology. Digital Terrestrial Television In Europe is a two-volume set: -ìThe Dynamics of Transition,î an intelligent 50-page summary in magazine format using imaginative graphics to explain the main concepts. -The 200-page detailed ìDigital Terrestrial Television in Europe: The Full Reportî is written in a clear and accessible style suited not only to the television industry professional but also to others such as commercial executives, lawyers and policy makers who want to learn about the situation in Europe. The set retails for $995.00US including courier delivery worldwide. Excerpts may be downloaded from http://www.cdg.net/extract.pdf. Foleyís report analyzes these and other important trends: -the Western Europe television market is one-third larger than that of the USA. -Pay TV revenues are growing at 20 percent p.a. in Europe -Digital terrestrial television will achieve a 40 percent market share by 2005 -50 percent of those taking digital terrestrial television will pay for television -New TV set purchases will drive the growth of digital terrestrial television -Europe will close analogue broadcasting from around 2015 -Digital terrestrial television presents the greatest threat to cable with which it competes directly Are the U.S. government and media moguls forcing a bad choice on North Americans? Why? For more information contact the author directly: John Foley and Terry Brunne CDG Consultants Ltd. PO Box 14505, London SW15 3WG Tel: +44 (0) 181 780 0100 FAX: +44 (0) 181 780 0101 Email: terry.brunne@cdg.net Digital Terrestrial Television In Europe by John Foley; ISBN 1-55212-222-0 published by CDG Consultants in Europe; available in North America through Trafford Publishing; CDN $1,530.77 ($995.00 US) includes courier delivery worldwide Extracts may be downloaded at http://www.cdg.net/extract.pdf Retail orders may be placed at www.trafford.com/robots/98-0041.html Trafford Publishing, 2-3050 Nanaimo Street, Victoria, BC V8T 4Z1, CANADA. Call 250-383-6864 (toll free 1-888-232-4444 from the USA and Canada) or fax 250-383-6804. Trafford's bookstore is at www.trafford.com