The familiar and ubiquitous television receiver has gone through significant and far reaching changes within the past few years. Once a relatively simple, single purpose device intended for viewing over-the-air broadcasts, the television set has become the focal point of entertainment and information services in the home. What began as an all-in-one-box receiver has evolved into a suite of devices intended to serve a viewing public that demands more selections, more flexibility, simpler control, and better pictures and sound. The TV set is in fact going through the same metamorphosis that audio systems did in the 1970s. The console stereo of the 1960s evolved from a multipurpose, albeit inflexible, aural entertainment system into the component scenario that is universal today for high-end audio devices.

The move to such a component approach to television is important because it permits the consumer to select the elements and features that suit his or her individual needs and tastes. Upgrade options also are simplified. By separating the display device and its related circuitry from the receiver makes it possible to upgrade from, for example, an NTSC receiver to a NTSC/DTV-compliant receiver without sacrificing the display where most of the cost is concentrated and where most of the really significant advancements are likely to be seen in the coming years. Cable and satellite systems also play into this component scenario,...