HDTV and the Transition to Digital Broadcasting is targeted to "non- or semi-technical managers and executives" who want an overview of the high-definition / digital TV transition and the its role in business. It's part of the NAB Executive Technology Briefings series published by the National Association of Broadcasters and Focal Press.
The book is written by Philip Cianci, who was involved in the original development of HDTV at Philips Research in the 1980s. He continued his HDTV participation at ESPN with the construction of the HD Digital Center and the debut of SportsCenter in HDTV.
Cianci provides a nice overview of the development of HDTV, the fundamentals of digital TV technology, and the business and political issues in play that got us to the sometimes confusing state of DTV and HDTV today.
The book can be used as an introduction to HDTV, particularly in the U.S., and as a handy reference for historical and technical details. The coverage walks a fine line -- a tad breezy for my technical perspective, and certainly deeper at times than those "non-technical managers" might need.
It concludes with coverage of emerging technologies including MPEG-4 and enhanced TV on the Internet.
Find HDTV and the Transition to Digital Broadcasting on Amazon.com.
Contents and more details below ...
HDTV and the Transition to Digital Broadcasting:
Understanding New Television Technologies
(NAB Executive Technology Briefings)
by Philip J. Cianci
Focal Press, March 9, 2007, $39.95
Paperback, 232 pages, ISBN 0240809041
Contents
1. The Dawn of HDTV and Digital Television
2. A Compressed History of HDTV
3. The Fundamentals of DTV
4. The DTV Receiver
5. HDTV and DTV Standards
6. The Transition to Metadata
7. Emerging Technologies and Standards
8. The Future and Digital Broadcasting