Pentagon Awards More HDTV Grants

Continuing its push to narrow the gap between U.S. and foreign developers of high-definition television, a Pentagon agency on Thursday awarded advanced technology research grants to three more business groups, including one led by computer giants Sun Microsystems and Texas Instruments.

The multimillion-dollar grants from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are designed to stimulate development of new technologies for the high-resolution display of video signals in upcoming generations of defense electronics gear, desktop computers and, ultimately, home television sets.

Analysts said Thursday that the latest research grants show that while much of the debate over high-definition video displays has focused on television applications, the Defense Department’s orientation is decidedly toward computer gear that will initially benefit the military and, later, engineering and corporate users.

Consumer electronics applications, such as the advanced television already available in Japan, are not considered a high priority in military circles, analysts say, and may not be available in the United States until the turn of the century.

“This is not a technology that will be under American Christmas trees in two years,” said Richard Adler, a researcher at the Institute for the Future, a Menlo Park think tank.

The Pentagon’s primary goal is developing a high-resolution screen that can display text and graphics with great clarity. These screens would be used in helicopters, airplanes, training simulators, computer-aided design and other military applications.

However, the same technology could be easily adapted for scientific, general business and consumer electronics applications. And it is the latter use that has captivated the imaginations of consumers and many members of Congress who feel the United States is not paying enough attention to this huge market. Thursday’s grants are the second batch DARPA has awarded this year.