The United States, Japan and Europe are racing to build bigger, better and much more expensive sets.
The wall-size television has images so sharp that watching it is like gazing through a picture window. On the screen, a televised baseball game is under way: you can see blades of grass in the outfield, watch the pitcher’s eyebrows, hear the crowd as if you are in the bleachers. Technically it’s called high-definition television (HDTV), but for most of us it will be a little slice of couch-potato heaven. It’s the biggest change in television since the advent of color broadcasting, and it could arrive in the United States within five years.
But it isn’t all good news. HDTV has already pitted Japan against the United States and Europe in a battle with billions of dollars at stake. Depending on decisions that must be made soon, the United States could rise again as a consumer-electronics power – or slip permanently to second-class status. And HDTV could inadvertently create two tiers of television, one for the rich and one for the poor. “This isn’t an evolution”,says William Hessinger, Federal Communication Commission assistant bureau chief, “it’s a revolution. This is the television of the 21st century.”
“The HDTV revolution started quietly in the early 80s when Japanese manufacturers unveiled a stunning new video system with a picture that resembles a wide-screen movie more than a traditional television. Using work they began in 1970, the Japanese also developed cameras, tape recorders and broadcasting equipment for the new format. They started when nobody else in the world was thinking about how to improve TV”, says Andrew Lippman of MIT’s Media Laboratory. The inventors expected an enthusiastic reception for their tour de force which even then promised to reshape the video world, but they miscalculated badly. “They made the mistake”, says John Abel of the National Association of Broadcasters, “of assuming that whatever was good for Japan was good for the rest of the world.”
The Europeans objected the loudest. In 1985 the European Economic Community announced that it would set its own standards for high-definition television. Unlike the United States, Europe still makes most of its own television sets; adopting a Japanese standard for HDTV sets would open the door for invasion from the East. “We should be wiped out”, says Peter Groenenboom, managing director of Philips International, the giant consumer-electronics firm. The Europeans chose a system incompatible with the Japanese technology. That decision infuriated the Japanese manufacturers and led to delays all around; European HDTV receivers won’t go on sale until 1992 or 1993.
The arrival of the new technology in the United States will force curious viewers to relearn how their systems operate. Simply put, there are three ways to send the signal to a home receiver: traditional broadcasting from a transmitter, known in the trade as terrestrial; second, through a wire cable, a method that now delivers telecasts to 51 per cent of American homes; and third, by satellite to dish antennas placed on roofs or in backyards. The question now is which of these methods will be used to deliver the far more complex signals that produce the HDTV pictures.
In the United States the answer is unclear. American broadcasters oppose the Japanese HDTV standard in part because it would render obsolete the 160 million or so TV sets now in operation. With the addition of an expensive new converter, these sets would still work, but because of the inherent limitations of the old tubes viewers wouldn’t get the benefits of the sharp HDTV picture. At present in the United States there is no consensus alternative plan. A half-dozen committees involving everyone from broadcasters to camera manufacturers are now mulling the options and will make recommendations to the FFC. But the prospects for an early decision are dim. The American Electronics Association and the White House Office of Science and Technology organized a meeting in May to discuss possible actions, including a government-funded consortium.
Several groups, including RCA and General Electric, have proposed dual-channel HDTV, which would produce the same dramatic pictures and rely on traditional terrestrial broadcasting. A station would broadcast one channel on ordinary VHF (channels 2 through 13), which could be viewed on existing sets. A second channel, probably UHF (14 and higher), would carry additional information; the new HDTV sets would add the two channels to produce a single, spectacular image.
“HDTV will come to the United States with or without the broadcaster’s help”, says David Fuchs, a vice president of CBS. If the FCC drags its feet on setting a broadcast standard, the Japanese might start selling HDTV receivers in the United States anyway, along with high-definition VCR’s and videodisc players. Such TV sets should arrive as early as 1991, at prices starting around $3,500. At the same time, cable-TV operators – who face fewer technical hurdles than the broadcasters – might begin to offer HDTV on premium channels such as Home Box Office. The new HDTV sets would still pick up the old broadcast-television signals, although the images would look dull and fuzzy compared with the new medium. And the once mighty over-the-air networks might become an economy service for those who can’t afford the expensive new HDTV sets, a prospect that would rewrite the rules of advertising as well.
In Japan, by contrast, the introduction of HDTV – dubbed Hi-Vision – is being smoothly orchestrated. The fanfare begins this summer, when the Japanese will be able to watch the Seoul Olympics on HDTV receivers strategically located in big city department stores. Then in 1990 a new communications satellite will begin to offer regular Hi-Vision service, direct to tiny antennas atop viewers’ homes. The first receivers will be costly – about $4,000 – but post- offices in Tokyo have already started “Hi-Vision savings plans”, time deposits aimed at HDTV purchases. By the year 2000, the Japanese expect to sell more than $100 billion worth of HDTV equipment in Japan alone.
A bonanza? Japan seeks similar sales abroad – bad news for US competitors. “The most important criterion for picking an HDTV system shouldn’t be picture quality”, says William Schreiber, director of MIT’s Advanced Television Program, “but who makes the receivers. If we have to import $100 billion worth of new television sets, we’d be better off without HDTV.” But even an indigenous standard won’t automatically mean a boost for American industry; the Japanese are sure to compete in any format. “In fact”, says Haijime Yamada of Toshiba, “US and European manufacturers cannot make (all the necessary) parts.” But even making some of the parts could be a bonanza: each HDTV receiver, for example, will have twice as many memory chips as current personal computers. An American standard could also generate opportunities for inventors and enterpreneurs. Example: William Glenn, of the New York Institute of Technology, proposed both an alternative HDTV system and a new way to build low-cost large-screen TV sets.
More than just the future of television may be at stake, for HDTV will likely find its way not only into homes but industry, medicine, even Hollywood. Feature films have already been shot with HDTV equipment, then transferred to film for showing in the theatres. These productions already employ the Japanese standard.
The Japanese are still lobbying both the Europeans and Americans to adopt modified versions of their HDTV-transmission standard. But the world seems likely to end up with three different formats – and that’s a loss for everyone. A single HDTV standard that allowed countries to exchange news and entertainment effortlessly might well bring nations together. For now, however, the battle over HDTV seems destined only to drive them farther apart.
“High-definition” television will feature sharper images and sound that rivals compact discs. While debate still rages over the technological details, a revolutionary system developed by the Japanese will be used during the Summer Olympics.
| American TV Screens | Future Japanese TV Screens |
| Present-day American television, essentially unchanged since 1953, except for the addition of stereo sound, creates pictures with 525 lines and a total of 212 520 separate dots called pixels. | The new Japanese system more than doubles the number of lines, as well as increases the screen’s width-to-height ratio. The result is a picture five times sharper than on existing sets. |
Answer the following questions about the text.
1. What does the abbreviation HDTV stand for?
2. What are the advantages of HDTV over traditional television?
3. What are the three ways of sending a signal to a home receiver?
4. Which of these methods will be used to deliver the HDTV signal?
5. When did the HDTV revolution start?
6. Where did this system originate from?
7. When is HDTV going to spread throughout the world?
8. What are the obstacles in the way of this innovation?
ROLE PLAY
Exercise 1. Based on the text “A New Stereo”.
(1) Act out the opening scene:
Tom’s grandfather enters his grandson’s room, they greet each other, exchange a couple of remarks about the weather and start talking about the stereo set Tom has recently bought. Tom tells his grandfather that he has bought the set because the old radio is antiquated. Tom’s grandfather objects that new things are not necessarily better than old ones. He maintains that nowadays goods are manufactured faster, but they are not as reliable as they used to be.
(2) Act out the next scene:
Tom shows his grandfather thestereo set. It seems too big to the latter and Tom has to explain to him that this is due to the fact that it is a not a portable set, but a multifunctional machine for playing discs and cassettes as well as listening to the radio. Then they go on to a bit different topic and start talking about the number of wave bands available with the new radio in comparison with the old one. It turns out, to the surprise of Tom’s grandfather, that the new radio has other wave bands than their old set.
(3) Act out the final scene:
Tom is eager to bring his grandfather over to his point of view and he begins explaining to him the procedure for getting the radio ready for operation. While doing it he, at the same time, is actually preparing his radio for work. When he is through, he switches on the set. His grandfather volunteers to operate the radio. With the help of his grandson, he changes from one wave band to another, then to yet another, and he tunes in to some stations in order to check the radio’s reception, which proves to be quite good. When Tom’s grandfather has turned to one of the short wave bands, he is surprised to learn that the radio is equipped with a loop aerial and he knows practically nothing about it. Then Tom shows his grandfather how to play discs on the set and the grandfather worries unnecessarily that the unit might be faulty as no sound seems to be coming out at first. Suddenly Tom’s grandfather recalls that he is to meet an acquaintance of his in a short while and takes his leave.
Exercise 2. Based on the text “A New Stereo”
Act out the whole situation.
Exercise 3. Act out the following scene.
| Situation: | In a shop. |
| Roles: | Role 1 – Customer; Role 2 – Shop assistant |
| Style: | Role 1 (Customer) – formal; Role 2 (Shop assistant) – formal. |
| Attitudes: | Role 1 (Customer) – meticulous, fastidious; Role 2 (Shop assistant) – polite, patient. |
Description of situation:
Role 1 (Customer). The customer comes to the shop to buy a transistor set. He needs a particular type: small, reliable, battery operated, with a lot of wave bands available, with a good telescopic aerial, with a phone jack, etc. He carefully explains to the shop assistant why he wants to have a radio set of this sort: he must be able to take it with him when he goes away on business, on holiday, for a picnic, etc. The customer is offered a number of radio sets, but he rejects them for a variety of reasons: one of them is too big, another has few wave bands, still another is operated only from the mains, etc. Finally the customer is shown a transistor set that suits him perfectly, and he thoroughly checks it: he switches it on and off, changes from one wave band to another, tunes in to various stations, pulls out the telescopic aerial, etc. When he is through he pays cash and goes away.
Role 2 (Shop assistant). The shop assistant sees the customer come in, welcomes him and offers his help. He listens attentively, now and then interposing questions. The shop assistant assures the customer that they have a wide choice of first-rate sets. He offers him several radios dwelling on their merits. The customer seems hard to satisfy, but the shop assistant keeps on being polite and patient: he must sell something to the customer. At last the customer appears to be satisfied and wants to check the radio. The shop assistant is pleased, helps him with it, trying to convince him that he has made the right choice. Finally the customer decides to buy the transistor set, pays for it, and the shop assistant thanks him for his purchase.
Exercise 4. Act out the following scene.
| Situation: | At Jack’s place. |
| Roles: | Role 1 – Jack, a friend of Paul’s; Role 2 – Paul, a friend of Jack’s |
| Style: | Role 1 (Jack) – informal, neutral; Role 2 (Paul) – informal. |
| Attitudes: | Role 1 (Jack) – friendly, boastful; Role 2 (Paul) – friendly, interested. |
Description of situation:
Role 1 (Jack). Jack hears the doorbell ring, opens the door and sees Paul, a friend of his. He did not expect his friend, therefore he is a little surprised, but glad to see him. Jack greets Paul and invites him into his room. Paul wants to explain why he has called in, but Jack interrupts him in a friendly way and starts talking about his recent purchase – a radio. Jack is bursting to tell his friend everything about his new set. While talking about his radio, he goes into details concerning the design of his radio. Jack knows a great deal about sets, that’s why he sounds somewhat technical at times. He is praising his radio all the time. When he is through, he suddenly remembers that his friend has dropped in to talk to him about something and he asks him what it is.
Role 2 (Paul). Paul calls in on Jack. He is going to talk to him about their examinations. But Jack does not give him a chance to say a word about it and begins boasting about his new radio set. Jack knows a lot about radios, whereas Paul knows very little about them. So the only thing he can do is to interject elementary questions now and then. When his friend gets through with his boast, Paul has an opportunity to speak with him about their examinations.
Exercise 5. Act out the following situation.
| Situation: | In a shop. |
| Roles: | Role 1 – Customer; Role 2 – Shop manager |
| Style: | Role 1 (Customer) – neutral; Role 2 (Shop manager) – formal. |
| Attitudes: | Role 1 (Customer) –dissatisfied, angry; Role 2 (Shop manager) – dissatisfied, polite. |
Description of situation:
Role 1 (Customer). The customer comes to the shop to make a complaint. He asks for the manager and complains to him about the radio he bought a day before. The customer says that when he came home he scrutinized the instruction and then, following the instruction, connected the set to the mains and started checking it. He pulled out the telescopic aerial fully and worked the wave band selector changing from one band to another and tuning in to different stations. Soon he found out that one of the short wave bands did not work properly: now and then the sound faded away and went dead completely. Then the customer asks the manager to check the radio himself. The manager does so and makes sure that it is really a faulty one. Then the customer is asked to produce his receipt and the manager exchanges the radio for him.
Role 2 (Manager). The manager is passing through the shop when he hears the customer ask for him. He comes up to the customer and wonders what he can do for him. The customer makes a complaint to him about the radio he bought a day before. The manager is in a hurry, however, he can do nothing but stay there and listen to the customer’s complaint. He does not actually believe the customer until he takes the radio and starts operating it. When he does so, he discovers that the customer is right after all. That’s why he asks him for his receipt and, when the latter produces it, he exchanges the radio and thanks him for the purchase.
Exercise 6. Based on the text “Adjusting the TV Set”
(1) Act out the opening scene:
John telephones Peter, a friend of his, and informs him of his new purchase – a brand-new colour television set. By his friend’s tone of voice Peter feels that he has some problems. And Peter turns out to be right. John admits that there is something that worries him. It happens to be his new television.
(2) Act out the next scene:
Peter asks his friend to inform him what is wrong with his television set. The latter tells him the whole story. The television was brought to his place in the morning. Right after its installation it worked properly. However, as John was in a hurry he had no time to check it properly and went away. When he returned home in the evening, the television set was out of order: the screen only glowed, but there was no picture. Having heard his friend out, Peter thinks a minute and then advises John to make sure that his television is still connected to the aerial. John asks Peter to hold the line and goes to check the television set.
(3) Act out the final scene:
In a minute John comes up to the telephone again to tell his friend that the latter guessed right and that he has corrected the fault. Then he goes on to say that there is another problem with his set: there is a shade of red in all the colours in the picture. He tried to set it right, but all in vain. In Peter’s opinion, it is not much of a problem. He recommends his friend to adjust the set with the help of the colour-balance control on the rear panel. John is very grateful to Peter and invites him to his place. Then the two friends say goodbye to each other and ring off.
Exercise 7. Based on the text “Adjusting the TV Set”
Act out the whole situation.
Exercise 8. Act out the following scene.
| Situation: | In the street. |
| Roles: | Role 1 – Harry, an acquaintance of Mary’s; Role 2 – Mary, an acquaintance of Harry’s |
| Style: | Role 1 (Harry) – neutral; Role 2 (Mary) – neutral. |
Description of situation:
Role 1 (Harry). Walking along the street, Harry runs into Mary, an acquaintance of his. Harry asks her where she is going. She answers that she is on her way to the shop to see if there are any television sets to her taste. But she happens to know nothing about televisions and she wonders whether Harry can give her any tips about it. Harry knows a great deal about television sets and describes to her different models of televisions, their merits and drawbacks, talks about their prices and actually advises her about which make to buy. At the end Harry wishes Mary good luck, says goodbye to her and goes away.
Role 2 (Mary). Walking along the street, Mary comes across Harry, an acquaintance of hers. She tells him that she is in a hurry: she wants to use her lunch break to drop into the shop to see if there are any television sets there that she would like to buy. The fact is she has recently got a bonus, so she has enough money to make a purchase. Unfortunately, she knows nothing about televisions and asks her acquaintance to advise her about what type of television to buy. Mary listens to Harry but appears to take in little. Then she looks at her watch and says that it is high time she moved on. She thanks Harry, says goodbye to him and goes away.
Exercise 9. Act out the following situation.
| Situation: | At a show of television sets |
| Roles: | Role 1 – Mr. Johnson, a representative of a television manufacturing company; Role 2 – Mr. Lee, a shop manager |
| Style: | Role 1 (Mr. Johnson) – formal; Role 2 (Mr. Lee) – formal. |
| Attitudes: | Role 1 (Mr. Johnson) – polite, anxious to arouse interest; Role 2 (Mr. Lee) – polite, interested. |
Description of situation:
Role 1 (Mr. Johnson). Mr. Johnson is at his company’s stand. Few people show an interest in their products. Suddenly a man comes up to the stand, examines the exhibits and starts asking questions about one of them. Mr. Johnson eagerly answers all the questions, speaks at length on various details, compares their models with those of other companies. His intention is to make Mr. Lee place an order with their company by all means.
Role 2 (Mr. Lee). Mr. Lee comes to the show to look for some inexpensive television sets which his customers can afford to buy. He goes round the show but sees only expensive models. Then he approaches the last stand, looks at the exhibits and finds a suitable television. But he wants to get as much information about it as possible. That’s why he asks plenty of questions. He is interested in all technical and commercial characteristics of the television set: its design, performance, power consumption, spare parts, price, etc. Mr. Lee is very hard to satisfy. But he is satisfied at last and has a good mind to place an order with the company.
Exercise 10. Act out the following situation.
| Situation: | At Mr. Smith’s place |
| Roles: | Role 1 – Mr. Smith, the owner of the television set; Role 2 – the repairman |
| Style: | Role 1 (Mr. Smith) – neutral; Role 2 (the repairman) – formal, neutral. |
| Attitudes: | Role 1 (Mr. Smith) – worried; Role 2 (the repairman) – businesslike, thorough. |
Description of situation:
Role 1 (Mr. Smith). Mr. Smith is expecting the repairman who he has called in because his television set is out of order. He hears the doorbell ring, goes over to the door, opens it and lets the repairman in. Mr. Smith leads him into the living room, shows him the television and explains what is wrong with it: there is no picture and no sound, but only points of light and occasional crackling sounds. The television is still under guarantee, but it is the second time that the television has broken down. Mr. Smith is worried because of this. Last time there was no sound, but the picture was quite good. Mr. Smith stays in the room watching the repairman do his job. Now and then he asks him questions about what he is doing. When the repairman has got through with the television, Mr. Smith profusely thanks him.
Role 2 (Repairman). The repairman presses the doorbell and in a minute is let in by Mr. Smith. Then he is led into the living room and is shown the television set. He asks Mr. Smith if the television is still under guarantee and if it has gone out of order before and what is wrong with it this time. Then he goes on to examine the television, checks all the controls on the front and rear panels, looks at all the jacks and the aerial, then opens the back part of the cabinet and scrutinizes the cathode ray tube. While he is doing this, he is making comments about his actions and answers Mr.Smith’s questions. Finally he locates the fault, which happens to be a loose connection, and corrects it. When he is through, he leaves Mr.Smith’s place.
FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION
Exercise 1. Describe to your partner your stereo (television). While listening, the partner should ask questions to specify various points.
Exercise 2. Talk to your partner about the radio (television) you used to have and your new one. Describe and compare them. Speak about the advantages of one over the other. While listening, the partner should ask questions in order to get a clear idea of what your old set was and your new set is like.
Exercise 3. Tell your partner about how you bought a stereo (television). Your partner should ask various questions about that.
Exercise 4. Tell your partner about how you helped your parents (friend) to buy a radio (television). Your partner should ask questions about that.
Exercise 5. Exchange your experiences of making a complaint about your faulty radio (television) to the manager of a shop (repair shop).
Exercise 6. Talk to your partner about how your radio (television) broke down and you had to call in a repairman (or take your radio (television) to the repair shop). Encourage your partner to share similar experiences with you.
Exercise 7. Exchange with your partner some interesting and exciting experiences connected with radio (television) sets.
Exercise 8. Prepare and present a panel game (quiz) dealing with the design, invention and development of the radio (television). Act as quiz master.
Exercise 9. Get ready to take part in a panel game (quiz) dealing with the design, invention and development of the radio (television). Act as a contestant.