What's in a name? For proponents of HDTV, the news has gone from bad to good, and rather quickly. The Associated Press recently distributed a feature story that was picked up by a lot of publications, touting the dramatic transition of the term "HD" in American society, a transition of the term itself, beyond "HDTV."
"HD" was pretty much almost a curse a few years ago, the AP said, when Hollywood, local broadcasters and set manufacturers were reluctant to plunge into the great unknown of "DTV" without any signs of its eventual success. (Indeed, some local broadcasters may still feel the same way.)
The AP points out (correctly) that the technical transition was hampered for several years (and still is, to a lesser degree) by unknowledgeable sales people on the retail level who knew little about HD and provided often baffled consumers with HD floor demos. In many cases, the HD demos were of poorer quality than the far less expensive analog demos sitting alongside them.
Today "HD" is used in a growing array of products having nothing to do with television -- such as skin creams, sunglasses and laminated counter tops, to name a few. There is even some talk about starting "High Definition Churches." The new book apparently provides guidance on building an HD church with "improved clarity" and "higher resolution."
