For Immediate Release
April 3, 1997

NTT and American Museum Jointly Develop Super High-Definition Presentation Software for Fine Art Collection

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) and the Whitney Museum of American Art*1) have jointly developed the world's first museum-use presentation software incorporating super high-definition (SHD) imaging, a digital medium providing six times the amount of imaging data offered with high-definition television (HDTV)*2).

The software, called "The American Century: The Director's Preview," presents an overview of "The American Century: Art and Culture, 1900 - 2000," an exhibition scheduled by the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1999. The software projects static images of fine arts objects on an SHD color monitor, while motion images together with the museum director's comments appear on two NTSC*3) video monitors.

The presentation software demonstrates the SHD's suitability of super-high quality imaging for projecting objects such as fine arts, suggesting the possible emergence of "electronic museums" in the future.

The software was introduced to the public at the Whitney Museum of American Art on March 13.

Attachment

1. Development Background

The SHD imaging system offers more than 2,048 x 2,048 pixel resolution, about six times the amount of data available in HDTV, 60 frames per second, and superior color fidelity.

NTT has always used SHD imaging to develop network-based applications, such as remote medical diagnosis and electronic retail sales catalogs.

The new application software was developed in response to Whitney Museum's desire to enable more people to enjoy the arts through new media.

2. Features of Presentation

The newly developed software introduces American arts and culture of the 20th century. Commentary by the Director of the Whitney Museum and contextual information about American art and culture are provided on an NTSC video monitor, while static images of more than 100 works of art appear on an SHD monitor and additional related images appear on a second NTSC video monitor.

3. Future Plans

NTT plans to develop further applications for museum-use electronic presentations, including an SHD picture database and information network, in addition to applications for education and commerce.

4. Terms

*1) Whitney Museum of American Art

This museum is famous for introducing broad categories of American art of the 20th century, especially current artists. It also operates the "Internet Museum," the world's first presentation of a museum's repository via the Internet. The museum is famous for programs presenting the multi-ethnicity of American society.

Address: 945 Madison Avenue, New York, New York, 10021, U.S.A.
Tel: (212) 606-0219
Fax: (212) 570-1807

*2) HDTV (high-definition television)

This new television format realizes extremely fine images compared to conventional TV. The Japanese-standard HDTV developed by the Nippon Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) has 1,125 scanning lines and a rectangular, theater-like display aspect of 16:9.

*3) NTSC (National Television System Committee)

This standard for color television signals was introduced in 1953. NTSC has 525 scanning lines, a video transmission speed of 30 frames per second, and a box-like display aspect of 3:4.

Super High Definition (SHD) Image Systems

This highly perfected digital image format was developed as a platform for super high-quality professional imaging systems, as opposed to conventional high-definition TV, which is intended for commercial broadcasting.

In the U.S., SHD image systems and digital television, America's version of HDTV are attracting great attention with their potential for varied applications.

lines
Spatial resolution (scanning lines)
Medical-use image SHD
Printing image Movie
35mm film HDTV
Instant film Conventional TV Computer
Static image (workstation)

[Frame per second]

Temporal resolution (frame rate)

Main features of SHD:

Comparison between SHD and Conventional Image Systems


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