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Electronic everyone revolution will give a TV with knobs on
(The Express On Sunday Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TELEVISION is celebrating its 80th birthday this month by bringing to the public the most significant advances in technology since the advent of colour. This, alas, has nothing to do with the quality of the programmes we watch - it's more about how, when and on what we watch them.
High Definition TV will revolutionise picture quality. And so-called "television on demand" will bring movies, sport or soap operas direct to your personal computer.
Of course, these major developments will come at a price. No one is offering the new high-tech kit for nothing. But if you fancy investing in home entertainment, the next 12 months will offer startling improvements in your viewing experience.
BSkyB last week became the first broadcaster in the world to offer movies and sport on your PC at no extra cost to its current subscribers.
Next year it plans to show live Champions League matches direct to your PC. Over the next few weeks, subscribers will also get a look at its first High Definition services. You won't actually be able to access the HD channels until they are officially launched, but you will see them on your EPG or electronic programme guide.
I recently saw a trial of an HD monitor. The picture was indeed crisper and more realistic, with a 3D quality.
Wildlife shows and sports programmes will particularly benefit, while actors are already concerned that every wrinkle and Botox mark will be exposed to the audience. Of course, the number of programmes shot in High Definition is still relatively small and you need an "HD-ready" television. Before Christmas, some retailers were offering a 26in HD set for around GBP350.
BSkyB is not the only company pushing the boundaries. At least three other huge players, BT, Telewest and NTL, are racing to bring to the market new TV-on-demand services. And only last week, the internet search engine Google announced that it would soon provide a video-on-demand service through its website.
Microsoft, too, is not dragging its heels. In partnership with BSkyB, Bill Gates's company is pushing the Microsoft Media Centre, a digital hub or receiver which will download films or sports programmes from the internet and direct them to your TV or computer. It is the size of a PC and will retail at around GBP1,000.
All the companies are rushing to get their products on the market in time for this summer's football World Cup.
The tournament traditionally prompts consumers to flock to their nearest retailer to purchase the biggest and best television set on offer. You get the feeling that if England reach the World Cup final, it will definitely be shown in High Definition format.
It is by no means certain, however, that any games will be shown in HD.
A BBC spokeswoman said: "We are looking at broadcasting in High Definition, but quite how people will receive it here I don't know."
The technology is definitely there, it is now down to will - and cost, especially at a time when the BBC is cutting its budgets across the board. This brave new world of television is causing a real headache at the Corporation.
A spokeswoman for BBC Worldwide, the successful commercial arm of the BBC, said: "Video on demand is one of the biggest debates in the BBC. We may have to renegotiate all our contracts to provide our enormous archive 'on demand'. The cost, in rights payments, could run into millions." The BBC said last week that no announcements on this issue are expected soon.
Steve Nuttall, BSkyB's business development manager, said: "We are now looking at a new kind of television.
We've always been very innovative here at Sky and have kept on offering more choice and convenience.
"It's a continuation of changes that Sky has brought to the public. Technology keeps changing and we want to set the pace.
"Customer needs have changed from just sitting and watching the box in the corner. Two years ago, the idea that you could watch Sky News live on your mobile phone, forget it! Two or three years ago, the thought that you could download a movie to your laptop, and project it on to a cinema screen, forget it! We are trying to keep up, and ideally set the pace."
More than two million movies were illegally downloaded to computers last year in Britain. BSkyB is hoping to capture that market.
Mr Nuttall said: "It might be that your children are watching a film on a PC in one room while dad can watch the football downstairs and then mum is watching something else in the kitchen. That's the way the modern family probably is.
"In the old days people used to say that two channels in black and white was enough, and look where we are today." Two other providers are also causing a stir. BT is poised to announce TV on demand services to its broadband customers.
This will involve connecting a set-top box loaded with Microsoft software into a BT broadband internet connection.
Meanwhile, Telewest is testing HD television, broadcasting a series of programmes from BBC Worldwide to 400 customers.
The cable operator also has what it calls a "true" TV on demand service which allows you to download shows you may have missed, such as EastEnders.
It expects to introduce a new PVR box, or personal video recorder, later this year, which will give its customers High Definition television. Spokeswoman Rachel Turner said: "TV is transforming. The changes are truly amazing."
What the terminology of the TV revolution means for you
TV ON DEMAND
The ability to download programmes through a PC, via a broadband internet connection or set-top box. This can include movies, sport and your favourite TV shows, such as EastEnders, which have already been broadcast earlier in the week.
WIRELESS
Not your old-fashioned radio but a wire-free system in the house which allows you to connect several units, such as your television, radio and computer.
HIGH DEFINITION
Known as HD, a revolution in picture quality which gives the television screen a cinematic quality. TVs with this capability are known as "HD ready".
DIGI-BOX
Your set-top box that allows you to receive digital television.
EPG
On-screen, electronic programme guide that features on digital TV.
TRIPLE PLAY
When a provider, such as BT, Telewest, Microsoft or Google, gives you three services in one package - TV, broadband and telephone.
PVR
Personal Video Recorder, such as the Sky+box, which allows you to record directly from your television on to a hard disk. An HD box, with greater recording capacity and a function to download content from your PC, will be available from Sky later this year.
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