Bill Roberts is general secretary of the North American National Broadcasters Association.

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As digital technology continues to wind its way into the 21st century the global race toward high-definition television is on.

With the u.s. well past the starting mark, Canada, poised to adopt the u.s.-approved ‘Grand Alliance’ standard in the near future, is not far behind. Like the mythical race between the tortoise and the hare, the obvious winner here isn’t necessarily the leader.

Canadians, watching hdtv unfold in the u.s., have gained significant insight into the hdtv universe with minimal investment. As a nation, Canada is reasserting itself as a world-class communications leader by going digital and stands to benefit significantly from a nafta-wide approach to hdtv, as embodied by the Grand Alliance standard.

In September 1987, the u.s. Federal Communications Commission created the advisory committee on advanced television service. The committee was instructed to advise the fcc on technical and policy issues regarding advanced television, recommend a technical standard, and focus on a North American approach with strong Canadian and Mexican participation. On Dec. 24, 1996, the fcc mandated the advanced television systems committee (atsc) and Grand Alliance standard, also referred to as A53.

Eight years in the making, the Grand Alliance approach to the next age of television represents millions of u.s. dollars and unparalleled cooperation between industry experts (many of them former competitors) bound together by a common goal ­ to build the best, multiplatformed, most compatible digital standard technology has to offer.

In true Canadian fashion, Canadians have gained a significant foothold in the hdtv universe through careful and curious observation of our neighbors south of the border. The triumphs gained, the battles raged ­ we know the players, the potential hot zones and the loopholes to watch out for.

With the Canadian task force report to the Canadian government coming out in the fall of 1997, Canadians can rest assured that the task force has looked at the pros and cons of hdtv from every angle.

In consumer terms, hdtv offers significantly greater clarity in both sound and picture as well as the capability to receive a wide range of information-age data and interactive services. With 14 of its 18 formats using progressive scanning, the standard provides exceptional interoperability with computers and telecommunications, and with other television and video standards.

The downside: the initial cost of hdtv receivers is predicted to tip the scales at us$1,000 to us$1,500 upon initial release, dropping to us$500 to us$750 in five years’ time, with a further drop to us$250 to us$350 after 10 years.

While hdtv allows over-the-air broadcasters a better chance of competing with cable and satellite services, cost and convergence are predominant buzzwords driving the industry side of the debate.

At a June 5 luncheon organized by the North American National Broadcasters Association, Michael McEwen, chair of the Canadian task force on the implementation of digital television, noted that going digital will come at considerable expense to broadcasters who must convert their technology to fit a wide-screen format.

Increased costs to producers, who will have to meet the hdtv broadcast standard with higher production values, is also a major concern.

McEwen added that Canada’s vast libraries of classic Canadian programming, referring specifically to cbc’s archives, may lose out in the shuffle. Even if broadcasters were prepared to pay the cost to adapt them to a wide-screen format, the technology d’es not exist to do so.

Despite noting its pitfalls, the Canadian task force sees many strengths in, and firmly supports the adoption of the u.s. standard for hdtv in Canada. nanba, the first broadcaster organization to call for a pan-North American approach to hdtv, feels the standard represents the best digital-video broadcaster technology developed, and that for North American governments not to follow through on setting compatible standards would be a failure of commitment to the public interest.

In June 1996, nanba filed with all three nafta governments in support of the atsc and the Grand Alliance approach to the next age of television. Furthermore, in accord with Advanced Broadcasting Systems of Canada’s July 1996 report to the fcc supporting the standard, nanba submitted a text of the agreement to absoc’s document adding and reinforcing the following points:

A North American standard will provide the certainty that manufacturers, broadcasters and the public need to make digital investments. This will be a particular advantage to the nafta region as we collectively face international competition in new technologies.

The Grand Alliance standard, while largely a u.s. creation, has had significant review by American, Canadian and Mexican broadcasters. It represents world-leading technology. Further delay in establishing a standard will only hurt North America’s ability to participate optimally in the benefits of leadership associated with digital transmission.

The recommended standard is an inclusive one: it contains both interlaced and progressive scanning formats which individually meet the needs of various affected industries.

The question remains as to when this digital technology will emerge on a national as well as a North American level. While the Grand Alliance approach to hdtv has already been accepted in the u.s., like any new developments many tentative baby steps must be taken before the technology can walk, let alone run.

The fcc requirements forecast a transition from analog to digital signals in the u.s. by 2006. At this time, people with analog-only sets will no longer receive signals. In Canada, the task force on the implementation of digital television points to mid-1998 as the most optimistic startup date, with no transition end-date in sight.

Canada needs to continue moving cautiously on this issue to ensure all affected parties are considered. Through the task force’s careful attention to the interests of the Canadian public, and relevant industries (broadcasters, licensed pay and television services, cable television distribution systems, satellite service providers, computer companies, telecos, system manufacturers, producers, etc.) the battles that raged in the u.s. should be avoided.

nanba anticipates a great future for hdtv and looks forward to continued support of a North American approach to the new age of television. And, if you have rabbit ears, don’t throw them out with your analog set, you’re going to need them to navigate the digital universe.