Arts & Entertainment
Obstacles remain for High Definition TV
By Matt Larsen
Staff Reporter_
High Definition Television, or
HDTV, has the potential to be the
most important new technology of
the 1990s.
Much more than just an improved
television picture, HDTV will have
wide ranging benefits in medicine,
telecommunications, publishing and
defense, as well as influence over the
entertainment industry.
Currently, three systems arc pend
ing approval as the Federal Commu
nication Commission standard. In
dustry experts are forecasting the
approval of one by the end of the year.
U.S. approval of a high definition
system will follow Japanese and
European systems already in place.
One of the setbacks hindering the
HDTV approval is the NTSC stan
dard in use, a system that relics on 40
ycar-old technology. Although the
high-definition signal is superior, it
must conform to the older system’s
specifications.
Frank Jonas, the manager of KOLN
TV, says he believes it will be a long
time before HDTV becomes the stan
dard of the marketplace.
“The high definition signal will
have to be compatible with the cur
rent signal,*’ Jonas said. “There is a
very large investment in television
sets out there, so the current system is
far from obsolete. It will be another
10 years before HDTV really comes
into widespread use. Even then, it
will be very similar to stereo tclevi
sion right now, like a high-level op
tion.”
Hubert Brown, lecturer of broad
casting at the University of Nebraska
Lincoln, agrees that HDTV won’t be
a major factor in the industry until the
late ’90s.
“We’ 11 begin to see it by the end ol
the decade,” Brown said. “It will be
very expensive and that will stow
things.”
High definition television also will
add fuel to the battle between over
the-air broadcasters and cable sys
terns. Jonas said the costs arc prohibi
tive to equip a station for an HDTV
capability.
“There are a lot of expenses in
conjunction with fitting a station fora
high-def broadcast, such as new trans
mitters. cameras and recording equip
ment,” Jonas said.
In the Lincoln area, the cable sys
tem has an advantage. Due to the
increased amount of data necessary
for an HDTV picture, a high-def sig
nal takes up twice as much signal
space as the current signal under some
of the proposed standards.
Bob Huber, technical operations
managcrofLinco!nCablevision,says
the Lincoln system can handle the
added demands of HDTV.
“We are currently rebuilding the
city of Lincoln and we are going to an
80-channel capability,” Huber said.
“I think we can handle anything coming
down the road for the next 20 years.”
Before any major moves are made,
the FCC needs to determine the stan
dard for HDTV. Huber said Ca
blevision cannot determine definite
specifications because of the differ
ences between standards.
“There are several methods of high
definition that they’ve been talking
about,” Huber said. “One method i?
to use twice as much bandwidth as the
current TV station’s signal uses. If
that is the case, then our current 36
channel cable system would be cut in
half, and we would only have 18
channels of high definition televi
sion. But there are also other types of
HDTV that they are talking about,
that’s why we need a standard to find
out where we’re going from here.”
In the production end of the indus
try, where the programs are created,
HDTV brings along a new set of
standards. Because of the exception
ally high resolution of HDTV, which
is comparable to film, small imper
fections and lighting conditions that
were undetectable before will be
noticeable. Brown says producers will
have to be on their toes.
“Everything that happens in broad
casting has rachctcd the standards
higher,” Brown said. “High defini
tion will be no exception.”
Even though HDTV may not be in
use until the late ’90s, it still repre
sents a giant step forward in the world
of consumer technology. Brown says
HDTV will follow color TV and the
video cassette recorder as the next big
technological step in the evolution of
television.
“High definition will come even
tually,” Brown said. “Nobody remem
bers the first VCR. The first Sony
Betamax cost $3,000 in 1976. It took
seven years before VCRs became
popular, but they became the fastest
selling product in history. I think we
can expect the same kind of turn
around for HDTV. Once the technol
ogy becomes affordable, sales will
skyrocket.”
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Lisa Pytllk/Dally Nebraskan
Live show taken to Extreme
By Robert Richardson
Senior Reporter _
They came together five years ago
from two different Boston bands.
They’re all in their mid-20s, and even
though they play in a heavy metal
band, they don’t listen to a lot of
heavy metal.
They are the men of Extreme.
Extreme played Sunday night at
the Music Hall in Omaha to a semi
packed auditorium, where it was the
second of two opening acts for Win -
ger. The first opener at the concert
extravaganza was another metal act,
Tangier.
As the lights on the stage were
about to be lit, Extreme took the stage.
And as the lights came up, drum,
guitar and bass sounded in synchron
icity, and the intensity didn’t stop for
the next 45 minutes.
Heads were gyrating to the beat of
“When I’m President,” from the al
bum “Pornograffitti,” Extreme’s sec
ond effort with A&M Records. Long
strands of hair were flying all over the
music hall as the sounds reverberated
through the hall.
The band slid tlirough several songs
from its current album, including a
harmonious ballad “More than Words.”
It closed their headbanging set with
the hard-rocking “Get the Funk Out.”
While singing most of its songs to
stage lights and butane lighters from
the audience, Extreme rocked hard
and put on what they are most proud
of — a good stage show.
Pride runs deep with Extreme. Nuno
Bettencourt, lead guitarist, said some
bands use prerecorded lyrics or mu
sic. Extreme is different because it is
all natural, and, Bettencourt said, they
“sweat it out for everybody.”
“The one thing that we’re very
proud of is we’re real,” he said. “What
we write is very emotional. What we
come up with comes from our hearts.
And our live performance is probably
what we are most proud of because
we do our stuff live, and we really
work hard live.”
Bettencourt has been hailed as the
Eddie Van Halcn of the ’90s, and his
five-minute guitar solo showcased the
speed and dexterity of his small 5
foot-6-inch frame. But Bettencourt
doesn’t think he can live up to Van
Halen’s image.
“There’s only one Eddie,” he said.
Bettencourt is too modest. He and
the rest of the band members, Pat
Badger, bass; Paul Geary, drums, and
Gary Cherone, vocalist, have paid
their dues in less than desirable clubs.
They’ve also had a record deal with
A&M for about two years.
“We’ve been around,” Bettencourt
See EXTREME on 10
NU forensics team
achieving high goals
By Andrea Christensen
Staff Reporter
The 60-membcr UNL forensics
team already is setting its sights on
national tournaments because of
an exceptional year, Coach Ann
Peltus said.
“We’re doing really well this
season,” Pettus said. “We have a
good crop of individual speakers
who have already qualified for
nationals. Also, we may have a
team at the national debate tourna
ment for the first lime in several
years.”
The team of Jeff Beaty and Jude
Hays arc looking forward to the
district debate competitions, which
will be held in three weeks. The lop
five teams will qualify for this
spring’s national debate contest in
San Antonio, Texas, where they
will argue both sides of the issue of
U.S. trade policy with Pacific Rim
nations.
“Between now and districts, we
just have to get ready and prepare.
Then 1 think we’ll have a good
chance to qualify,” Beaty said.
Lee Grutman, a sophomore
speech communication major, said
he thought the Comhusker speech
team was doing well. It is compet
ing successfully against much larger
squads, he said.
See FORENSIC on 10
Chickasaw Mucid Puppie s album
formed with music greats’ help
By Robert Richardson
Senior Reporter
Loud, harmonious and obnoxious
music with creative percussion, a
blaring harmonica and a cool name
characterize the latest release, “8 Track
Stomp,” from the Chickasaw Mudd
cs.
c Chickasaw Mudd Puppies,
hailing from Athens, Ga., the musical
citadel of alternative music, have some
heavy names to add to their credits of
friends and helpers. Producing “8 Track
Stomp” are R.E.M. front man Mi
chael Stipe and blues man extraordi
naire Willie Dixon. Both musical
greats also provide a backup with
vocal and instrumental expertise along
with obvious musical direction.
“Cicada" is a perfect foot-stomp
I
Chickasaw Mudd Puppies
“8 Track Stomp"
Wing/Mercury Records
Rating: 4
Ratings are 1 (bad) to 5 (excellent).
ing introduction to the Mudd Pup
pies’ rockabilly and fast-paced blues
style. Harmonica mixed with guitar
and a tambourine provide a-sweet
and-sour sound that makes the lis
icncr cringe and smile at the same
time.
The group starts out the album
with a simple rhythm, “Wasp.” The
tune is a relatively easygoing melody
that builds and falls from several cli
mactic points. Again, the blend of the
guitar and sharp-mouth harp provide
a plain but hard-hitting attack. Coupled
with obscure vocals, “Wasp” is a
pleasurable, fun song that strikes the
feet with an incredible dance fever.
Could die previously mentioned
combination come together for a strong
but mellow ballad?
“Cold Blue” is exactly that. It is a
song overpowered by breathy vocals
with a soft musical touch that draws
the listener into a story with the at
See MUDD on 10