Audio Video News

The folks who are trying to bring us high definition television are in the process of creating a sub-group whose sole focus will be the promotion of the format. The move comes as the Advanced Television Standards Committee approaches its tenth anniversary.

The new group, tentatively called the ATSC Forum, will concentrate its efforts on educating the public about the benefits of digital television, according to an early-November announcement made by the ATSC's executive director Mark Richer. There is no conflict between the parent organization and its offspring, Richer stated. "We're avoiding that by spinning off the forum activities," he explained.

The development will allow the ATSC's more than 200 members to continue their quest to perfect DTV technology, while addressing the need to get the word out about the format's entertainment potential. The creation of a promotional sub-group will allow "ATSC to focus on its core activity . . . . It allows those who want to do promotion of the standard to focus on that," Richer told Broadcast & Cable. "It removes any potential impediments . . . . It's just a matter of focus."

The ATSC has been criticized for not doing enough to promote the format which was first formulated in 1992. The Consumer Electronics Association and home theater publications have been responsible for almost all of the public educational efforts on behalf of digital television. The formation of the ATSC Forum may put more authority behind the campaign.

Current ATSC chairman Robert Graves will likely head the new group, with Richer becoming president of the parent organization. A new chairman will be elected late this year, according to the announcement.