TORONTO – The TV-industry-created organization that was set up eight years ago to evangelize on high definition television and the transition to digital will shut down as of August 31, 2006.
The CDTV board decided at a recent meeting "that the work of CDTV as presently mandated is complete and we should wind up the Association effective the end of our fiscal year," said a note to members from CDTV president Michael McEwen.
However, www.cartt.ca was told by a source, it was the competing visions for HDTV in Canada that led to the group’s demise.
CDTV Members included Canadian broadcasters – most of whom want to continue to proceed somewhat slowly on the transition to digital, and who each have their own differing ideas on how to get there – and consumer electronics companies and professional suppliers, who want the digital transition to happen far faster than it’s going here, when compared to the U.S.
The board, however, asked McEwen to talk to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and the Canadian Satellite Users Association and other groups about finding a home for such CDTV activities as the Producer Awareness Seminars, the informative web site and technical discussions.
"Our work has spanned almost 8 years and it has been both productive and of enormous value to our industry and the wider stakeholders in the HD transition including the viewers and the relevant government departments and agencies," said McEwen’s note.
"We will spend the next few months wrapping things up and ensuring that other players will follow up on the remaining transition issues. I have just learned that regrettably, our ‘Producer Awareness’ seminars have not received the anticipated funding from Heritage (Canada) but we will work with our partners to see whether this initiative and our website may be maintained following our wrap up," he added.
McEwen also thanked board chair Don Braden and administrator Christine Jack.
– Greg O’Brien
