After ten years of painstaking development, an industry-backed outfit called Ibiquity Digital is about to begin enabling CD-quality digital broadcasts alongside today's analog transmissions (see graphic).
That should unleash some healthy competition: Within a few years it may not be uncommon to buy a set-top digital box that can not only decode cable transmissions, but is also a web browser, a game machine and a DVD player.
Although these tapes did not match the standard of normal TV transmissions, they would still be better than the video we have today, especially if processed using digital technology.