ABSTRACT
The Japanese set up the curb first, in the 1980s, with analog HDTV. The MAC standards have 1250 scan lines, scan time of fifty frames per second, progressive scanning, analog signal, and distribution by satellite. In June 1993, reacting to the USA's decision to regear its three contending HDTV standards into a single digital standard, the EC shifted into high gear on its HDTV plans. Currently four varieties of MAC standards exist, one of which, A-MAC, has bandwidth limitations that restrict its use. The standards for MUSE-HDTV are 1125 scan lines, scan time of sixty frames per second, progressive (noninterlaced) scanning, analog signal, and distribution by satellite. Even if MUSE-HDTV fades as a broadcast standard, it may have a thriving second life in nonbroadcast fields. It might seem that, having gone through the NTSC/PAL/ SECAM standards conflict, the world would welcome an opportunity to form an international consortium to work together on a single, unified HDTV standard.
