US 'closer' to digital TV

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The United States is a step closer to adopting digital broadcasting after debating how to fight internet piracy, TV executives have told the Congress.

The copyright issue is seen as one of the biggest obstacles to the transition from analogue to digital signals in the US.

Senior industry figures told a House subcommittee on the internet they were confident they would be able to publish a report on the matter on 17 May.

"There are many issues that are basically solved," a spokesman for the US arm of Japanese consumer electronics giant Matsushita said.

'Transition'

Observers say if the country's broadcasters were able to agree a common line, it would help the US change to digital TV - and show the industry had learned from the rows over music piracy.

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Copyright was the single biggest issue related to the digital transition in the US, News Corp president Peter Chernin told the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.

"I think hopefully its solution will allow us to rapidly speed up this transition," he said.

Hollywood studios already say they are suffering from piracy of their films on the internet, and the issue has become a major concern for broadcasters as well.

Executives propose including a "broadcast flag" in their digital transmissions, which would stop them from being distributed over the internet.

However, hardware manufacturers are not happy with the proposals.

Lawrence Blanford, chief executive of Philips' North American arm, complained decisions were being made by a small, closed group.

He said the technology could harm consumers' "fair use" rights to record material for their own personal use.

Congress has set a 2006 deadline for digital TV to reach all viewers in the US, and broadcasters have been given additional frequencies to encourage them to switch to digital.

Local terrestrial stations have struggled with the cost of converting their transmitters to digital, while cable and satellite operators have had trouble finding extra space for digital channels.