Digital TV in the convergent environment

The growth of digital TV heralds a seamless convergence of media, telecommunications, and information technology, offering viewers increasingly exciting, informative interactive programming. In countries such as the UK where digital TV services have become extensively available, the ground is prepared for a seamless convergence of media, telecommunications, and information technology interactivity is provided mainly by a combination of local storage (which is now becoming vast) and the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), including mobile access. The industry is also investigating other return channels, such as those using satellites or the terrestrial TV antenna systems. Thus digital TV is a key element in the communications revolution. Where there is rapid growth in the number of homes with digital TV, there is likely to be a more favorable climate for the development of electronic commerce.