HDTV

What is Advanced Television?

Advanced Television (ATV) also referred to as digital television (DTV) is a new form of TV developed in conjunction with the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC). It was approved by the Federal Communications Commission on December 24, 1996. This new technology is capable of transmitting one high definition television program or multiple standard definition (SDTV) programs. The federal government has adopted this new digital television format in order to allow the broadcast industry to deliver programs that are comparable in quality to other digitally delivered services, such as direct broadcast satellite, digital cable and digital video disk.

What are the key features of High Definition Television?

The first noticeable difference of High Definition Television compared to the current television system is that the screen is much wider. In our current television system, when the width of the picture is divided by the height of the picture it will always produce a 4/3 ratio. High Definition Television, on the other hand, has a width to height ratio of 16/9, which closely approximates that of the cinema.

The second key feature is that High Definition has over six times the sharpness and clarity of the current television system. HDTV has 1080 lines and 1920 picture elements per line or over 2 million picture elements (1080 x 1920), while standard definition has only (480 x 720) or 345,000 picture elements. The color resolution is also more than twice the current system. High Definition Television also has six channels of CD-quality surround sound (left, right, center, left rear, right rear and low frequency effects). Finally, the signal is digitally transmitted, which eliminates all of the current imperfections we have lived with for the past thirty years, which includes: snow (weak signal), double images (ghosting or multi-path) and picture sparkles (impulse noise). As a result, the picture is perfect whether you are one mile or fifty-five miles from the transmitter.

Will this make my existing television set obsolete?

No, your existing television set will still continue to receive the current analog television transmission. However, you will not be able to receive the new digital high definition transmission. If you tune to a digital high definition station with your existing set, you will see a series of black and white dots or snow.

In order to receive High Definition Television, you must purchase a new DTV receiver, which are now available at many consumer electronics stores. The new televisions will be able to receive existing analog television transmissions as well as the new High Definition transmission. CBS will be "simulcasting" the same program on the two channels. For example, in New York City, WCBS will continue to broadcast on Channel 2, our current analog television station, and will broadcast digital high Definition Television on Channel 56. However, you do not need to remember the new channel number to view DTV. Analog WCBS Channel 2 can be viewed on a DTV set by entering 2.0 and digital WCBS can be viewed by entering 2.1The federal government has loaned each existing broadcaster an additional television channel to permit them to transition to the new system.

As part of the balanced budget amendment, Congress will auction the existing analog television channels in 2002. However, the existing analog broadcast channels will continue past this auction date. The FCC will review the penetration of new digital television receiver sales every two years. If the penetration of HDTV is progressing as anticipated and the vast majority of the public has converted to digital television, then the existing analog stations are targeted to go off the air in 2006. However, CBS believes that this date will continue to be pushed back for many years.

What about my existing VCR, will it be able to play back and record the new digital television?

Your existing VCR will be able to play back your library of tapes on the new digital television receivers. Today's VCR's will not be able to record the widescreen high definition signal or play back newly released W-VHS and D-VHS tapes.

Will I need a new antenna to receive digital High Definition Television?

If you have an existing outside antenna that is capable of receiving existing UHF stations, then you will be able to receive digital High Definition Television using your same antenna. However, if you do not have an outside antenna or if you have VHF only antenna we recommend that you install a new VHF/UHF outdoor antenna. Many of our viewers have reported good reception with simple UHF "rabbit ears" (2 bay bow tie antenna). Most of the new DTV channels will be on the UHF band (i.e. Channels 14-69). However, some DTV stations will be broadcasting on VHF channels (2-13) such as the CBS station in Chicago, WBBM, which will be broadcasting DTV on Channel 3.

Are all of CBS's programs going to be in high definition?

Eventually yes; however initially CBS plans to convert some of its primetime evening schedule to high definition beginning in September 1999. We will continue to expand the number of high definition hours that are broadcast per day. All the standard definition programs (4/3) that are not produced in High Definition Television will be upconverted. Upconversion refers to the process of doubling the number of television lines in our current system (480 active lines or 525 total lines) to develop the 1080 line HDTV signal.

Why is CBS planning to broadcast in High Definition Television?

For years, the CBS primetime programming has been produced on 35mm film in Hollywood. This is the same film used by the motion picture industry to photograph and project motion pictures. In other words, for the last thirty years CBS has been producing high definition programs and has been unable to deliver these high quality images to the public. CBS believes that the improved clarity of High Definition Television picture along with the CD-quality surround sound will vastly enhance the television viewing experience of our audience as well as provide our advertisers with a revolutionary new media tool. Being able to present such movies as The Bodyguard, The Godfather, and Mario Puzzo's The Last Don in HDTV will present a unique viewing experience.

Where will CBS start broadcasting High Definition Television first?

The first CBS affiliated station to start broadcasting High Definition Television was WRAL-HD in Raleigh, North Carolina on July 23, 1996. CBS is currently broadcasting digital television signals in 13 markets including: New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Raleigh, Cincinnati, and Columbus. Other CBS affiliated stations will be coming on-line on May 1, 1999 (the top 10 markets) and November 1, 1999 (the top 30 markets). The FCC has established a timetable for all commercial television stations to be converted by May 1, 2002 and all public (non-commercial) stations to be converted by May 1, 2003.

Will I be able to receive High Definition Television over cable?

It is technically possible for digital High Definition Television to be transmitted over a cable system's existing 6 MHz cable channel. However, there is no guarantee that your local cable operator will carry the signal. A recent Supreme Court decision states that cable companies are required to carry local channels; however, the ruling did not specifically address digital high definition channels. Most industry analysts believe that the FCC will require cable companies to carry the new digital channels as well. In the meantime, CBS has signed an agreement with Time Warner Cable to carry our owned television stations' DTV signal on their upgraded cable systems. Cablevision in New York City is also carrying WCBS-DT.