4.1 Introduction

The current NTSC standards were created in the 1940s through a joint effort of industry and governmental agencies. However, as is the case with the new DTV standards, a heavy battle between diverse interest groups predefined the outcome. The battle was about whether television should be seen as viewable radio or whether watching television should be the equivalent of enjoying a movie in the living room. A forceful intervention of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) ended the battle. The result was the adoption of the NTSC system as a series of technical standards for television, thus making the radio broadcasting and manufacturing industries the winners. If this outcome had not been achieved, television might have become theater TV or subscription TV linked by cable.

The new DTV standards were to be created by an Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service (ACATS). This committee was established in November 1987 by the FCC to assist the agency in the establishment of new video standards for the United States ¹. Initially, approximately 23 advanced television proposals all featuring analog transmission were presented to the committee. Through proponent mergers and attrition this number was soon reduced to a handful. Subsequently, the Advanced Television Test Center (ATTC) was established in June 1988. The ATTC was charged with testing the various advanced television systems in the field and under laboratory conditions. Another important event was the March 1990 FCC announcement for preference of simulcast broadcasting. By showing this preference, the FCC...