EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: AGRREMENT ON DTV CONVERTERS In a rare alliance, the National Association of Broadcasters, the Association for Maximum Service Television and the Consumer Electronics Association have actually agreed on something. The three have filed joint comments with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration regarding the $1.5 billion federal program under which consumers will get coupons for low-cost converter boxes that will display DTV programming on their current analog sets.
The move was described as groundbreaking by members of both industries. This is particularly true since the comments include recommended receiver-performance standards for the digital-to-analog converter boxes. That is something the manufacturing community has opposed for full-fledged D-T-V sets.
Until now, broadcasters and consumer electronics manufacturers have often been at odds in regard to the total digitalization of broadcasting. But the two industries have now found common ground in the challenge of how an estimated 70 million sets will continue to receive TV when analog broadcasts cease on Feb. 17,th of 2009. That’s the date that all television
