The move to digital television will be driven by high-definition TV (HDTV) a study has found -- Picture quality is the most important factor in persuading Europeans to ditch their analogue sets, the survey from Jupiter Research finds. It had been assumed that services such as video-on-demand and digital video recorders - that allow users to rewind and pause television programmes - would be the most important factors. But only 10 percent cited these as reasons. Nearly a quarter -- 24 percent -- ranked HDTV as the most important factor in deciding whether to switch to digital television. In terms of existing digital TV penetration, the UK market is the most sophisticated in Europe. Around 60 percent of UK households have already made the switch to digital TV.
Try to imagine this scenario, that General Motors and Ford were given exclusive franchises to build America's interstate highway system, and also all the highways that connect local communities. Now imagine that, based upon a financial crisis, these troubled companies decided to convert all "their" local arteries into toll-roads -- they then use incremental toll fees to severely limit all travel to and from small businesses. Why? This handicapping process reduced the need to invest in building better new roads, or repairing the dilapidated ones. But, wouldn't that short-sighted decision have a detrimental impact on the overall national economy? It's a moot point -- pure fantasy -- you say. The U.S. political leadership would never knowingly risk the nation's social and economic future on the financial viability of a restrictive duopoly. Or, would they? The 21st century Global Networked Economy travels across essential broadband infrastructure. The forced intro...