Statement before the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Consumer Protection, and Finance of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 8, 1989. Ambassador Landau is U.S. Coordinator and Director of the Bureau of International Communications and Information Policy.1
Finally, a single, worldwide production standard would serve U.S. commercial interests, since entertainment is currently one of our largest exports. Presently, the United States commands 85% of the world's export market for cinema, broadcasting, cable, satellite, and VCR [video cassette recorder] distribution. The United States enjoys a current annual surplus of $2.8 billion in the export of movies and television shows. Looking to the future, most observers prediet that the production of high-definition programs will be a multibillion dollar international market.The National CCIR Organization is chaired by the State Department with the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the Commerce Department as vice chairmen. The Defense Department, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, United States Information Agency, and several other agencies also actively participate. The major broadcasting organizations and broadcasting equipment manufacturers are represented and provide valuable input for policy decisions, such as our position on an international HDTV production standard. These positions are thoroughly vetted in the national CCIR process, including interagency review, before a final determination is made by the State Department.In the case of HDTV and other broadcast matters, the pivotal part played by the private sector is natural, since privately owned and operated stations, networks, and program producers are directly affected by our policies. In fact, private-sector studies of standards for advanced television systems have been underway for more than a decade. Three prominent U.S. private-sector organizations have played a decisive role in the evaluation and adoption by the United States of the 1,125 lines and 60 fields per second standard for international HDTV studio and program exchange.* The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, composed of technical persons involved with production, began studying advanced television in 1977.During the past year the State Department has been an active participant in executive branch discussion on HDTV that have taken place in the Economic Policy Council and the Trade Policy Review Group. In addition, for a much longer period of time, the Bureau of International Communications and Information Policy has coordinated U.S. participation in HDTV activities in the the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The State Department-in consultation with the Commerce Department, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and other U.S. Government agencies-has responsibility for U.S. participation in the ITU's International Radio Consultative Committee (CCIR), which serves as the global focal point for conducting studies and developing recommendations on technical and operational radiocommunications questions.The issue of a single standard for studio production and program exchange is extremely important and warrants our attention for several reasons.Second, a worldwide HDTV production standard would facilitate lower overall costs due to economies of scale in equipment manufacturing, the ease of program exchange and international coproductions, as well as the interoperability of equipment.The CCIR has been involved since the early 1970s with the issue of proposed HDTV standards for studio and international program exchange. These standards have been a prominent issue in the CCIR since 1983 when Study Group 11 (television) established aspecialist group to study all facets of HDTV and to prepare recommendations. At that time, it was agreed to strive for a draft recommendation for a single, worldwide HDTV standard for the studio and international program exchange within the 4-year work cycle ending at the 1986 plenary assembly in Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia. Additionally, it was decided that recommendations on other aspects of HDTV, such as transmission and display standards, would be finalized during the following work cycle, 1986-90.HDTV standards can be divided into three categories:* "Transmission" standards or standards for delivery systems, including terrestrial transmission systems, satellite transmissions, cable systems, and videotape systems; and* Standards for the studio and international program exchange, called "production" standards;The U.S. position advocating CCIR adoption of the 1,125/60 international production standard is based on thorough analysis of industry research and recommendations by groups such as the three listed above. A fundamental U.S. standards setting principle has been the reliance on voluntary industry standards to the maximum extent possible. We consider this principle to be equally applicable in the development of U.S. positions on international standards.CCIR Activity* The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) functions as a coordinating body for encouraging worthwhile standards as American national standards.Third, a worldwide production standard would greatly facilitate the exchange of HDTV motion pictures, videos, and other production materials around the world. A market in which two or three standards operate simultaneously would pose the same difficulties that currently hamper TV production where NTSC [National TV System Committee], PAL [phase alternation line], and SECAM [sequential with memory] standards now prevail in different parts of the world.As a result of the policy formulation process I outlined earlier, the U.S. Government, in September 1984, proposed to the CCIR adoption of a recommendation on the 1,125/60 production standard, which was overwhelmingly supported by U.S. industry. This standard, developed by U.S. industry in the SMPTE, was based in part on research, experimentation, and development carried out by NHK, the Japanese national broadcasting corporation. The SMPTE result differed from the Japanese work in several respects. The differences from the original Japanese parameters involved, among others, the aspect ratio, a progressive scan option, recommendations on colorimetry, and the digital sample ratio.U.S. Policy FormulationThe State Department has been involved in HDTV [high-definition television] issues for 15 years and has focused primarily on the standard for production and international program exchange. I would like to highlight today the important role of production standards in the total HDTV equation. I will also describe, in some detail, how the State Department, in close conjunction with other U.S. Government agencies and the private sector, has sought to promote U.S. interests through adoption of a single, worldwide HDTV production standard and our strategy for the future.* Standards for display systems, such as home television sets and receivers for public display.HDTV Production StandardsFirst, the new high-quality video technologies have the potential to replace the current video technologies and, more importantly, to supplement 35mm film, which serves presently as a de facto world standard.Before discussing the CCIR's work on a worldwide HDTV production standard, let me explain how the State Department formulates its CCIR positions. In our policy coordinating role, we systematically bring together private sector and other U.S. Government input through advisory committees and constant informal monitoring of relevant opinion. Our key advisory committee for international broadcast issues is the U.S. National CCIR Organization. This committee is open to any interested Federal agency, private company, individual consultant, industry group, standards body, and the public in general. Its purpose is to advise the Department of State on the appropriate contributions and positions to be taken in the international CCIR meetings.
As a result of the policy formulation process I outlined earlier, the U.S. Government, in September 1984, proposed to the CCIR adoption of a recommendation on the 1,125/60 production standard, which was overwhelmingly supported by U.S. industry. This standard, developed by U.S. industry in the SMPTE, was based in part on research, experimentation, and development carried out by NHK, the Japanese national broadcasting corporation. The SMPTE result differed from the Japanese work in several respects. The differences from the original Japanese parameters involved, among others, the aspect ratio, a progressive scan option, recommendations on colorimetry, and the digital sample ratio.
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