In his opening remarks at the 2007 Hollywood Post Alliance (HPA) Technology Retreat, held last month in Rancho Mirage, Calif., industry veteran Mark Schubin declared 2007 the "21st Annual Year of HD."

"There will be more [HD] displays and more programs than ever before," he said, generating laughter from the audience.

There was a lot of truth in his humor. Year after year, we have heard manufacturers, broadcasters, the consumer electronics industry and others making statements about HD's progress.

This has been particularly true for the past decade. It was in December '96 that the FCC passed the Fifth Report and Order, beginning a transition from an analog broadcasting system in the United States to one that is digital. Digital television affords numerous opportunities. The most loudly trumpeted was the ability to broadcast high definition imagery.

In the early years of the transition, HD postproduction equipment was not commonly available, and the industry saw some pioneers such as The Tape House in New York introduce then new technologies such as the Spirit Datacine. This was a huge challenge for commercial production.

Since then, the tools have matured, and now HD production and post is no longer the issue it once was. As well, the United States has seen growth in HD set penetration, increased consumer awareness, and a larger amount of available programming, all of which are steadily moving an HD transition forward.

There have also been some notable changes along the way. Ten years ago, HD was primarily about television broadcasting. Today, the consumer electronics industry is touting HD for an increasing number of platforms.

This past year saw the introduction of two (incompatible) high definition DVD formats for the home: Blu-Ray Disc and HD DVD. More recently, Warner Home Video announced the development of the Total Hi Def disc, which is able to contain dual layers of both HD DVD and Blu-Ray on one disc.

The first Total Hi Def releases are scheduled to hit retailers during the second half of this year.

The games market is also going HD. Sony's new PlayStation 3 is capable of playing the Blu-Ray format while Microsoft's XBOX 360 supports HD- DVD. With the proper equipment, consumers can even download HD content off the Internet.

Content Is King

With these new opportunities, image quality is still the driver. But today, that advantage may not have the same impact as it once did.

During the HPA Retreat, industry pundit Jerry Pierce (who is featured in this week's Chat Room ), pointed out that today, consumers want "the best quality possible for their entertainment [i.e. television, computer, iPod or PDA] because it is more important to get what they want, when they want it."

Today, consumers want their content anytime, anywhere and on any device. They are satisfied to watch content on their mobile phones, PDAs, iPods and the like. And, consumers are even becoming their own content producers and their own programmers.

At the HPA event, John Godfrey, VP of government and public affairs for Samsung Information Systems America , described his company's vision of the future of entertainment. It is HD, and it is connected, interactive, time shifted and mobile.

Godfrey, Pierce and other presenters drew the same conclusion: The primary entertainment driver is the story. Content is still king.

Once technology was the key element that challenged advertisers in the HD realm. But that has changed.

Grabbing viewers attention in a fragmented market with multiple distribution platforms is now advertising's greatest challenge.

By Carolyn Giardina - Reported in Shoot Magazine March 09, 2007