HDTV Mobile Unit on Exhibition at WRAL-TV

Raleigh, NC --- HDV-5, the High Definition Television Production Mobile for the new millennium, opened its doors for exhibit on December 7. The WRAL-TV 5 studios on Western Blvd. hosted the tour from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This was the first opportunity for members of the press and the NATPE/HDTV consortium to tour this new state of the art HDTV facility.

The HDTV production mobile is a joint venture between WRAL-TV, owned by Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. (CBC), DTV Resources and HD VISION, Inc. The Food Lion MVP Classic basketball tournament in Charlotte, December 3 and 4, was the first live event scheduled for the mobile. HDV-5 made history producing the first live college basketball game to be broadcast across the nation. “We are really excited to break in the new production mobile with NCAA basketball,” said Jim Goodmon, CEO and President of CBC. “Our hope is that other HDTV stations across the country will take advantage of the facility and provide viewers with more HDTV options to watch.”

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Several other stations across the country have begun to reserve production weeks throughout the year. In an effort to speed the transition from analog to digital, members of the NATPE/HDTV consortium are given special production package rates at an affordable price. WRAL-HD was the first experimental station to send out a commercial digital signal in July 1996.