Audio Video News

Our assessment of Digital TV’s first year was not all rosy as you can see from the Digital TV Report Card published in the December 1999 issue.

With a C average, we concluded there was plenty of room for improvement:

At the end of its first term, DTV’s grades aren’t so hot. The new system shows great potential, but it needs to interact better with its classmates, particularly the cable systems that serve as the main source of video programming for most of the country. Progress has been made in the amount of high-def programming being broadcast and now also transmitted by satellite as well as in the variety of TV sets and set-top decoders available from TV manufacturers. And there’s new hardware on the horizon that promises to smooth out the system’s infamous reception problems. But for DTV to really make the grade, broadcasters need to produce a lot more programming in high-def; and TV makers need to bring more affordable DTV sets to market.

The story—or, more specifically, the photography for this story—holds special significance for me that goes beyond what was the big story of the day: The girl holding the report card is my daughter, Lauren, who was 9 years old at the time. Thanks again, sweetie.