A New Algorithm May Facilitate Transition to Digital TV.

Scientists at the Energy Department's Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a technology that could ease the transition from analog television to high-definition television (HDTV)--the format for TV signals that Congress mandated by 2006.

The new transmission algorithm will compress a HDTV data stream in such a manner that it will allow HDTV and analog TV signals to be broadcast over the same channel. "It permits broadcasting television networks to avoid spending millions of dollars on transmission systems for both analog and HDTV signals," said George Nickel, the developer of the algorithm. Nickel says such savings could bring about a faster acceptance of the digital technology.

Broadcasters won't have to simulcast two distinct signals on two different channels, because the compression technology allows both digital and analog TV sets to receive signals compatible to each system. An extra software loop in the HDTV receivers recovers the digital information from the same channel. The quality of the picture on an analog TV with the new transmission will be 80 percent of an original digital picture. "Since HDTV receivers are expensive and programming is limited, consumers are hesitant to adopt the new format," said Kathleen Herrera, a Los Alamos technology licensing specialist. "This conundrum means the technology may not take off on its own." Herrera says the compression algorithm offers an interim solution. This transition technology comes from compression research initially conducted for image processing used in underground nuclear testing.