HIGH TECHNOLOGY

EC Countries Agree on HDTV Strategy: European Community countries, after a marathon effort to win France’s support, unanimously agreed on a strategy for introducing high-definition television to Europe. The group agreed that the European-developed D2-MAC broadcasting standard--an interim step to high-definition television--would be compulsory for wide-screen broadcasts and other new satellite services from 1995. It would not apply to existing services. The accord, which still has to be reviewed by the European Parliament before final adoption, would set a standard for HDTV broadcasts when they are available.