The BBC's production modernisation guru Andy Quested believes that consumer interest in better quality television pictures will help to drive the amount of production done in HD by the broadcast sector, writes Will Strauss.

The BBC's production modernisation guru Andy Quested believes that consumer interest in better quality television pictures will help to drive the amount of production done in HD by the broadcast sector, writes Will Strauss.

Quested said: "The domestic market will, as always, lead the way. As more people buy widescreen televisions and our sets get bigger, our current broadcast format [PAL] will start to look jaded to viewers. The answer will be high definition which affords better quality pictures."

Although there are no plans to broadcast in HD in the UK, programmes acquired on HD video look significantly better to viewers than those shot on digital Betacam.

Quested went on to suggest that consumer interest in the quality of DVD would eventually lead to a demand for better resolution in TV broadcast. At present there are thought to be as many as 2.5 million widescreen televisions in UK homes.

Topics