The introduction of widescreen television in Europe-the digital transition route

The transition from the traditional 4:3 to the widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio has been making steady progress in Europe. However, for a complete widescreen transition to be accomplished, the 16:9 format must begin to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the development of digital transmission. There are powerful commercial incentives for broadcasters to shift from analogue to digital transmission : any policy designed to promote 16:9 widescreen must therefore attempt to influence broadcasters' aspect ratio choice in the digital transition. It will be important firstly for broadcasters to transmit their schedule simultaneously in 4:3 analogue and in 16:9 digital widescreen and second for consumers to be encouraged to upgrade to digital via purchasing integrated digital widescreen TV sets rather than by attaching set-top boxes to their existing analogue 4:3 sets.