Question

Differences in, and competition over, technical standards ______.

A) caused the FCC to temporarily ban any new TV licenses in the late 1940s and early 1950s
B) meant that it took over a decade before all three of the major networks started broadcasting in color in the mid-1960s
C) resulted in a "war" between the Beta and VHS formats of home videocassette recorders
D) resulted in a "war" between Blu-ray and HD DVD formats for high-definition movie recordings
E) All of the options are correct.

Answer 1

Competition over technical standards between VHS and Beta for video recorders, and between Blu-ray and HD DVD for high-definition movies, impacted the development and adoption of these technologies. The FCC was also involved in managing transitions between technologies by creating regulations and delaying licensing during times of high innovation and standard conflicts.

Step-by-step explanation:

Differences in, and competition over, technical standards resulted in a 'war' between the Beta and VHS formats of home videocassette recorders and between Blu-ray and HD DVD formats for high-definition movie recordings. This is because the competition over technical standards has often led to intense rivalries between different technologies aiming to become the industry standard. In the case of TV broadcasting, such competitions led to delays in adopting new technologies such as color broadcasting, as it took over a decade before all three of the major networks started broadcasting in color in the mid-1960s. Similarly, disputes over standards caused the FCC to halt the issuance of new TV licenses temporarily in the late 1940s and early 1950s, due to the overwhelming number of requests to launch TV stations and the need for clear technical standards.