United States General Accounting Office
___________________________________________________________________
GAO Fact Sheet for the Chairman,
Subcommittee on Telecommunications and
Finance, Committee on Energy and
Commerce
House of Representatives
___________________________________________________________________
December 1989 HIGH-DEFINITION TELEVISION
Applications for This New Technology
___________________________________________________________________
GAO/IMTEC-90-9FS
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B-237265
December 11, 1989
The Honorable Edward J. Markey
Chairman, Subcommittee on Telecommunications
and Finance
Committee on Energy and Commerce
House of Representatives
Dear Mr. Chairman:
This report responds to your April 28, 1989, letter, which
asked us to identify uses for high-definition television
(HDTV) technology. You also asked for information
concerning the potential effect that the selection of an
HDTV production standard would have on the development of
nonentertainment applications in the United States.#1 In
this report we provide information on 14 HDTV applications
spanning defense, medicine, space exploration, and other
areas that we identified during our review. In addition, we
provide the opinions of key industry officials concerning
the general effect that establishing an HDTV production
standard would have on potential applications. As agreed
with your office, we will discuss these standards, and the
issues related to their adoption, in greater detail in a
future report.
HDTV represents the next generation in video technology,
with a picture that is wider and twice as sharp as the one
currently appearing on television sets. This significant
improvement in picture clarity and quality is made possible
mainly by increasing the number of scanning lines from 525
(the American production standard for over 40 years) to over
1A production standard is an agreed-upon set of technical
specifications that determine the manner in which audio and
visual information is recorded to create a television
picture. Production standards are applied to the design and
manufacture of production equipment, for example, studio
cameras. Other television standards involve the
transmission and display of screen images.
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B-237265
1000 lines.#2 In addition, HDTV improves on regular
television by its greatly enhanced color and its capability
to deliver digital stereo sound.
HDTV APPLICATIONS
-----------------
Because of the dramatic improvement in picture quality, much
of the interest in HDTV applications has centered on its
potential uses in the television, motion picture, and
consumer electronics industries. Industry officials believe
that HDTV will have a significant economic impact on
manufacturers of video cassette recorders, video cameras,
television sets, and other associated equipment. According
to one estimate, consumer sales of HDTV sets in the United
States alone could exceed $20 billion a year by the late
1990s.
In addition to entertainment, we found there are a number of
other applications for HDTV--spanning defense, medicine,
space exploration, and other areas--that could be of use to
both the public and private sectors. Because HDTV
technology is relatively new, many applications have not
progressed beyond the conceptual stage. The applications we
have identified are those that are currently in production
or are under development; therefore, our list of
applications is not exhaustive. Appendix I contains more
detailed information on the 14 HDTV applications that we
identified during this review.
PRODUCTION STANDARDS
--------------------
We found no consensus among industry officials on what
potential effect a common production standard would have on
the development of HDTV applications. Although numerous
American researchers and manufacturers have proposed HDTV
systems, they are based on widely varying production
standards, in part because U.S. industry has not agreed on a
single HDTV standard.#3 Thus, the systems developed in this
2A television picture is created by rapidly scanning a
phosphorescent screen with electrons, or scanning lines,
which are invisible to the naked eye.
3Production standards are based on many technical
parameters including aspect ratio, the number of scanning
lines, color, luminance, and others. In meetings of the
Consultative Committee on International Radio--an
international standards-setting organization--agreement has
been reached on many, but not all, of these parameters.
2
B-237265
country use anywhere from 787.5 to 1,200 scanning lines to
produce high-resolution images. In contrast, Japanese
industry has largely agreed on a system that produces images
with 1,125 scanning lines, while a number of European
countries have formed a consortium to work toward a single
HDTV production standard.
The cost of HDTV production equipment can be reduced by
having a common standard, according to a group of companies
favoring a modified version of the Japanese production
standard.#4 This group stated that if computer graphics,
entertainment, research, medicine, retailing, and publishing
could all share a common HDTV standard, volume would justify
mass production of integrated circuits--key components in
HDTV hardware--and costs would fall dramatically.
In contrast, other industry officials do not believe the
lack of an overall production standard is currently
affecting the ability of domestic manufacturers and others
to develop HDTV applications and receive the projected
economic benefits associated with them. According to these
officials, the lack of an overall production standard has
not been a factor in the initial development of uses for
HDTV. Most of the nonentertainment applications identified
at the present time are for closed-circuit systems in which
the developer has independently determined the methods and
standards for production, transmission, and display.
Applications of this type have already been developed in
advance of any worldwide or domestic standards agreement.
For example, one medical application involves transmitting
high-definition pictures of pathology slides, via fiber
optic cable, to a physician in another location for
diagnosis. The developers of this system have designed a
specialized high-definition camera, transmission system, and
display that are most appropriate for this specific purpose.
These officials acknowledged that, over the long term, mass
production of HDTV equipment for entertainment purposes
might reduce their equipment acquisition costs if a common
standard were adopted.
4The HDTV 1125/60 Group favors a standard endorsed by the
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE)
known as the SMPTE 240m standard. This standard is a
slightly modified version of the Japanese standard, which
has 1,125 scanning lines.
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B-237265
SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY
---------------------
We obtained information on potential applications primarily
through interviews with officials from 13 academic
institutions, private sector firms, and research
organizations knowledgeable about HDTV, as follows:
-- Corabi Telemetrics International, Alexandria,
Virginia;
-- New York Institute of Technology, Computer Graphics
Lab, Old Westbury, New York;
-- Sony Corporation, New York City;
-- New York Institute of Technology, Science and
Research Lab, Dania, Florida;
-- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge,
Massachusetts;
-- David Sarnoff Research Center, Princeton, New Jersey;
-- Telecommunications, Inc., Denver, Colorado;
-- MITRE Corporation, McLean, Virginia;
-- Japan Broadcasting Company, New York City;
-- Bellcore, Red Bank, New Jersey;
-- Xerox Corporation, Palo Alto, California;
-- Quantel Corporation, Berkshire, United Kingdom; and
-- COMSAT Corporation, Clarksburg, Maryland.
We also obtained and reviewed documents pertaining to HDTV
from these organizations, including scientific studies and
promotional material. Information on the effect of
production standards on the development of nonentertainment
applications represents the views of representatives from
the 13 private organizations cited above.
We also interviewed key officials from government agencies
that are analyzing HDTV issues and policy options, to obtain
background on federal involvement in HDTV and information on
potential government uses of HDTV technology. These
agencies included the Federal Communications Commission,
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, National
Institute of Standards and Technology, National
Telecommunications and Information Agency, National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the
Department of State.
Our work was conducted from June through September 1989,
either at the locations cited above or in the Washington,
D.C., metropolitan area. We did not obtain official agency
comments on a draft of this report; however, during our
review we discussed our findings with cognizant industry and
government representatives. Their views have been
incorporated into this report where appropriate.
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B-237265
As agreed with your office, we plan no further distribution
of this report for 30 days from its issue date, or until you
publicly release it. At that time, we will provide copies
to the Chairman, House Committee on Energy and Commerce and
the Chairman, House Committee on Government Operations. We
will also provide copies to the Secretary of Defense; the
Administrator, NASA; and the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget. We will make copies available to
other interested parties upon request.
This report was prepared under the direction of Jack L.
Brock, Jr., who can be reached at (202) 275-3195. Other
major contributors to this report are listed in appendix II.
Sincerely yours,
Ralph V. Carlone
Assistant Comptroller General
5
Appendix I Appendix I
ALTERNATIVE APPLICATIONS FOR HDTV
---------------------------------
The potential for HDTV applications extends beyond the television
and motion picture industry and includes such areas as defense,
medicine, space exploration, and others. Because HDTV technology
is relatively new, many applications have not progressed beyond the
conceptual stage. The applications we have identified are those
that are currently in production or are under development.
DEFENSE APPLICATIONS FOR HDTV
-----------------------------
We found the largest number of applications for HDTV in the
defense category. For its broad range of video applications in
battle management, command and control, training and simulation,
and intelligence analysis, the Department of Defense needs high-
definition, low-cost, dynamic multimedia displays for presentation
in motion video, real-time graphics, maps, and photographs.
Recognizing this need, in December 1988, the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency asked industry for systems proposals aimed
at the agency's goal of improving currently available high-
definition video technology while significantly reducing its cost.
The agency has a total of $30 million to use in awarding research
contracts. As of October 1989, six companies had been selected for
HDTV research contracts.
Flight Simulators
-----------------
The military needs to provide its pilots realistic combat
training; however, flight schools limit the number of aircraft in
actual fight and air-ground interaction for safety and cost
reasons. Networked visual display simulators can provide training
realism by having large numbers of aircraft interact in simulated
combat activities without sacrificing safety. According to
officials at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, HDTV
efforts will facilitate purchasing inexpensive visual display
devices for simulators, thus allowing more realistic combat
training.
Cockpit Displays
----------------
Technological advances in cockpit display systems in aircraft are
lagging when compared to the advances in sensor systems. Current
aircraft panels are limited in size and depth; designers must
integrate more data on to fewer, higher resolution displays.
According to one Defense analysis, HDTV displays and processors
will facilitate flight data presentation while reducing cockpit
display costs by an estimated 33 percent.
6
Appendix I Appendix I
Large Screen Displays in Command,
---------------------------------
Control, Communications, and Intelligence Centers
-------------------------------------------------
These centers have a requirement to display, transmit, receive, and
resolve electronic map symbology and intelligence data. High-
resolution-display technology is required because current
television does not provide adequate detail to command, control,
communications, and intelligence planners. Video teleconferencing
using HDTV displays could rapidly disseminate detailed information
to war planners in a crisis.
Defense Mapping
---------------
The Defense Mapping Agency is converting to 100 percent digital
information for use in its map products. The agency has a large
requirement for high-resolution systems to aid in the development,
storage, editing, and transmission of these products. Current
technology forces the agency to use expensive, customized systems.
According to Defense Mapping officials, HDTV would allow the agency
to purchase off-the-shelf equipment, greatly reducing total
operating costs.
Real-Time Video Processing
--------------------------
HDTV can provide instant, high-resolution images for such purposes
as air reconnaissance that are the near equivalent of photographs
made from 35-millimeter film. For example, the Air Force plans to
replace 35-millimeter, air-reconnaissance cameras with video
cameras, thus eliminating the logistics and time lags involved in
processing film.
MEDICAL USES FOR HDTV
---------------------
The clear, high-resolution images provided by HDTV can assist
medical personnel in making diagnoses and in educating medical
students. HDTV, with its ability to provide instantaneous pictures
of tissue slides, trauma patients, and surgical procedures, is
ideally suited to be used as a medium for recording and reviewing
medical events.
Pathology
---------
One of the first commercial applications of a form of HDTV has been
in the area of pathology. The system, developed by Corabi
Telemetrics Inc., uses a fiber optic video link to give
pathologists at distant locations the opportunity to analyze tissue
samples through a computer hookup. The system uses a form of HDTV
that produces an image sharp enough for doctors to make diagnoses.
According to Corabi President Beth Newburger, "Pathologists have
7
Appendix I Appendix I
the most exacting requirements of a video image of any physicians
who work in medicine." This kind of long-distance diagnosis was
not possible with regular television, which lacks sufficient
picture quality and resolution.
Medical Education
-----------------
Teaching institutions have a need to provide real-time observation
of surgical procedures to students. High-definition images of
precision surgical techniques or of microsurgery procedures can be
used to educate students about these techniques. During
microsurgery, for example, there is sufficient space in the
operating room for only a few students to observe the procedure.
With HDTV, however, a larger number of students can observe and
learn about the procedures from a remote location.
SPACE AND SCIENTIFIC USES FOR HDTV
----------------------------------
HDTV technology may also be of use in NASA programs. The agency
has already experimented with the use of HDTV for launch control
and evaluation for the space shuttle. In addition, NASA is
examining the potential uses of HDTV for the Space Station Freedom
program.
Launch Control and Evaluation
-----------------------------
In 1988, NASA, in cooperation with Bellcore--a research consortium
serving seven regional Bell operating companies--and other
companies, demonstrated an experimental fiber optic network for
HDTV, which televised the launch of the space shuttle Discovery.
The objectives of this experiment were to evaluate currently
available HDTV technology for (1) accessibility, (2) adaptability
to the unique requirements of launch control, and (3) suitability
for real-time image analysis. For the experiment, images of the
launch were distributed, via fiber optic cable, to displays at the
Launch Control Center, a press site, and to the University of
Central Florida--about 50 miles away--where officials were
observing. In addition, the HDTV pictures produced by the four
cameras used were recorded individually for later technical
analysis.
According to NASA, the test was highly successful. The resulting
pictures exceeded the resolution of conventional television
pictures by 70 percent and provided valuable information to NASA
engineers. Although launches have previously been filmed using 35-
millimeter film, the use of HDTV results in pictures of comparable
resolution that can be played back and viewed immediately without
waiting for film to be developed. In addition, Bellcore believes
that such pictures offer the basis for a wide range of diagnostic
8
Appendix I Appendix I
capabilities. For example, during launch, data relating to shock,
stress, control, and positioning can be seen in greater detail and
acted upon, while also being recorded for immediate evaluation by
mission scientists and engineers. In addition, by putting the
video image into a digital format and using computers to enhance
the image, scientists can focus on particular sections of the space
shuttle for very close analysis. This procedure could be
particularly helpful, for example, in monitoring external fuel
tanks, which are extremely susceptible to fire.
Space Station Freedom
---------------------
NASA also envisions that HDTV technology could be used aboard the
Space Station Freedom for space operations, scientific
investigations, and information dissemination. The space station,
which is expected to be operational in the 1990s, is planned as a
permanently manned, multipurpose facility with a long lifetime.
Specific examples of HDTV applications for the space station
include:
-- Space operations: HDTV technology could be used to
facilitate such tasks as grappling, in which items outside
the station are manipulated using a robotic arm while
astronauts inside the station observe the process through a
high-definition monitor. This use of a high-definition
monitor will relay sufficient information for precise
execution of tasks in unknown surroundings. In addition,
high-definition cameras could be used to record detailed
images both inside and outside the space station that can
be transmitted back to earth for immediate analysis.
-- Scientific investigations: HDTV could be useful to record
scientific experiments in which changes occur either very
slowly or very quickly. Scientists could then observe the
high-definition tape and measure the changes in minute
detail.
-- Information dissemination: HDTV could be used to send
high-quality video images from the space station to earth,
as part of NASA's mission to disseminate information about
its programs to the public. NASA officials believe that
HDTV will come into wide use during the long operational
lifetime of the station, and for this reason would like to
employ a standard system.
OTHER APPLICATIONS
------------------
In addition to the specific applications cited above, a number of
other applications may have potential use in both the public and
9
Appendix I Appendix I
private sectors. These applications include high-definition
galleries of works of art, and printing and electronic publishing.
In addition, HDTV may improve some existing applications of
conventional television technology.
High-Definition Gallery System
------------------------------
According to officials from the Japan Broadcasting Company, HDTV
technology could be used to store, retrieve, and display high-
quality pictures of works of art. The gallery could be constructed
by storing a high-definition image of each work on a laser disc.
Each work could then be easily retrieved from the disc on which
hundreds of works of art are stored. Japan Broadcasting Company
officials believe such a system would be useful because galleries
generally cannot exhibit all their works of art at the same time.
The gallery system would allow the public access to all items at
all times. Further, if this system were adopted by galleries and
museums internationally, a worldwide network could be developed.
Galleries in Japan and Canada have already put such HDTV systems
into use.
Printing and Electronic Publishing
----------------------------------
According to industry officials, HDTV makes it possible to quickly
reproduce television images as high-quality still pictures. While
it is possible to accomplish this with conventional television
images, the resulting pictures were generally limited to use in
news reporting because of the poor quality. HDTV, with twice the
resolution of conventional television, makes it possible to widen
the range of uses for these electronic images in the printing of
documentary, science, and arts publications.
Vendors also projected that HDTV would result in various types of
paper publications being replaced by collections of electronic
images stored on discs. They saw this form of storage as being
most applicable to highly visual publications, such as
encyclopedias. In addition, this type of storage could be an
appropriate way to store detailed pictorial information such as
maps, blueprints, and textbooks.
Improvements to Existing Television Applications
------------------------------------------------
Along with the new applications that may arise from HDTV, this
technology may also improve the use of existing applications.
Examples of these applications include:
-- improved teleconferencing capabilities in which elaborate
data images can be transmitted;
10
Appendix I Appendix I
-- security and surveillance systems using large, detailed
displays;
-- improved images for computer-aided design and computer-
aided manufacturing systems; and
-- improved presentation of computer-generated graphics.
11
Appendix I Appendix I
MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS REPORT
---------------------------------
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY DIVISION, WASHINGTON, D.C.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Linda D. Koontz, Assistant Director
Franklin W. Deffer, Evaluator-in-Charge
Alicia Sandoval, Evaluator
(510445)
12
