Convention General Sessions Will be Transmitted in High Def
Washington, D.C. – High-definition television (HDTV) for business and pleasure will highlight the HD Pavilion, the centerpiece of the exhibition floor at The National Show, the 52nd annual conference and exhibition of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), June 8-11 in Chicago. Details about the 8,000 square foot display – encompassing HD content, technology, gaming, and business – today were announced by NCTA and Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. (CableLabs®), co-sponsors of the Pavilion.
Designed to showcase the ever-increasing HD content from cable networks and broadcast outlets, as well as a variety of digital HD television sets, monitors, and other consumer electronics equipment produced by manufacturers involved in the “plug and play” digital TV transition, the HD Pavilion will comprise five areas:
- The ultimate home theater with the largest HDTV plasma television available and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.
- Multiple living rooms with a variety of displays, including HD video on demand (VOD), HD personal video recorders (PVRs), and Microsoft’s Xbox gaming console system in high-definition.
- A tutorial center to showcase the latest point of deployment (POD) enabled sets and demonstrate the differences among analog TV, standard-definition TV and HDTV. Displays also will explain the various digital formats; the connectors that come standardized in cable-ready devices; and the components of 5C copy protection.
- A retail store exhibit with the latest HDTV displays and HD set-top boxes from consumer electronics manufacturers, featuring a varied array of display formats including rear projection, plasma, direct view and more. This area also will showcase the all-new CableLabs Go2BroadbandSM HDTV service locator.
- A video lounge where attendees can relax and view all of the best HDTV content available on television on two large rings of plasma TVs.
“Having 'HD Pavilion' as the centerpiece of the exhibit floor will showcase the rapidly expanding amount of HDTV programming that is available on cable,” said Robert Sachs, President & CEO, NCTA. “It will also provide an excellent opportunity to demonstrate why we believe HDTV is key to facilitating the transition from analog to digital television.”
“A display as comprehensive as HD Pavilion has never before been assembled. Nowhere else can people see such a wide variety of HD content – launched and launching – displayed on the latest high-resolution television equipment from nearly every consumer electronics manufacturer involved in ‘plug and play,’” said Dr. Richard R. Green, CableLabs President and CEO.
As of today, the following companies are participating in the HD Pavilion:
Programming Services:
Technology Partners:
According to recently released figures from NCTA, more than 40 percent of U.S. TV households – or 45 million homes – are passed by a cable system that offers HDTV, growth of more than 20 percent since the first of the year. As of March 1, 73 of the top 100 designated market areas (DMAs) – including 17 of the top 20 – were served by at least one cable operator offering high-definition programming. And in more than half of those markets, over-the-air television signals comprised part of the HD cable offering. Of all DMAs, a total of 103 markets were passed by a cable system that offers HD programming.
Additional, up-to-the-minute information for The National Show, including convention schedule and registration materials, is available via the official web site (www.thenationalshow.com); or from the NCTA’s Department of Industry Affairs (202/775-3669).
NCTA is the principal trade association of the cable television industry in the United States. NCTA represents cable operators serving more than 90 percent of the nation's cable television households and more than 200 cable program networks, as well as equipment suppliers and providers of other services to the cable industry.
Founded in 1988 by members of the cable television industry, Cable Television Laboratories is a non-profit research and development consortium that is dedicated to pursuing new cable telecommunications technologies and to helping its cable operator members integrate those advancements into their business objectives. Cable operators from around the world are members. CableLabs maintains web sites at www.cablelabs.com; www.packetcable.com; www.cablemodem.com; www.cablenet.org; and www.opencable.com.
CableLabs and Go2Broadband are trademarks of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc.