The battle lines were clearly visible at last month’s International Broadcasting Conference (Sept. 7-11) in Amsterdam, where Japanese broadcaster NHK demonstrated its next generation of high-definition TV – a product that will, down the road, play a part in trying to keep consumers at home – while proponents of digital cinema showed off products and services meant to lure those same people back into theaters.

‘We need to keep our audiences coming back to the theater,’ said Jerry Pierce, SVP of technology at Universal Pictures, during his keynote speech, noting that inexpensive and easily distributed digital movies have gained momentum and are no longer ‘a science fair project.’

With D-cinema, he said, ‘the final vision that the filmmaker puts together… [is] the one that you’re going to see in the theater.’

Meanwhile, the NHK research lab demonstrated its new Super Hi-vision Ultra-High Definition TV to standing-room-only crowds, giving IBC attendees their first taste of the format’s 7680×4320 pixel resolution at 60 frames per second and stunning 22.2 channel surround sound. It offers 16 times the maximum resolution of standard HDTV, though it is not likely to be in living rooms anytime soon.

Broadcasters around the world are counting on HDTV, of one sort or another, to make sure consumers ‘stay home on the couch,’ as noted by Lars Haglund, senior engineer of Swedish pubcaster SVT during a panel on HDTV and D-cinema.

Image quality will be the key factor that determines whether Canadian theaters can stave off the threat from better-than-ever at-home viewing experiences, but, while there are currently 2,071 theatrical digital screens worldwide, there are only eight in Canada, according to the DCinema Today website. The rollout here lags far behind the U.S.’s 1,174 screens and China’s 206. Even IBC host nation Holland has more than five times as many digi-screens as Canada, while the U.K. has nine times as many.

Canadian exhibitors will need to pick up the implementation pace if they are counting on D-cinema to keep viewers in theater seats.

IBC also nodded to the looming battle between the next generation of DVD players – Blu-ray and HD DVD – both of which promise unprecedented picture quality, sound and interactivity.

‘It’s déjà vu all over again,’ said Bernie Mitchell of the DVD Association at one session, referring to the VHS vs. Betamax war of the 1980s.

Interactivity is also a key driver behind Internet Protocol TV – digital TV delivered over broadband – which is being implemented by telephone companies, cable operators and an exploding array of Internet content providers. IPTV promises interactivity and an infinite number of channels and programs – on demand to TV sets, computers or mobile devices.

Telcos have been leading the IPTV charge, as it gives them a much-needed entry to the home television market. However, the huge capital investment required to create these services will see slow payback, according to consultant Graeme Packman of the U.K. firm Understanding & Solutions.

‘It certainly will be a long time before we see financial success amongst these players,’ said Packman during the session IPTV – The Future Has Arrived. ‘Many of these operators have got very long-term business plans. They’re looking at 10 years and much more in terms of breaking even and achieving profitability.’

Cellular carriers continue to invest heavily in technology that will bring more content to mobile devices, even as broadcasters struggle to figure out which formats work for mobile consumption. Despite heavy cross-promotion, a recent mobile project of Dr. Who attracted little more than 3,000 viewers per episode over the 13-week run of the series on BBC.

‘It would seem that we have an awful long way to go’ to understanding mobile content, conceded Stella Creasy, BBC’s head of TV research in her Media on the Move presentation.

But promising to further enhance the mobile experience was Texas Instruments’ announcement of technology that will, the company says, bring personal video recorder and picture-in-picture capabilities to mobile handsets in 2007.

‘These advanced features give users access to their personalized content anytime, anywhere, in the palms of their hands,’ said Marc Cetto, GM of TI’s mobile connectivity solutions business.

www.ibc.org