Philips Laboratories

HDTV Rivals Move Closer to New U.S. Standard: High-definition television, which promises to bring cinema-quality pictures into American households, has passed another milestone after two months of tests, an industry consortium said. The Advanced Television Research Consortium said its digital HDTV system, one of five competing to become the official U.S. standard, has finished all tests for evaluation by the Federal Communications Commission.

Mikhail Tsinberg's workroom at Philips Laboratories near Ossining, N.Y., brims with the gear of the modern inventor: Television monitors tuned to test patterns stand on shelves, stacks of electronic equipment blink silently in corners, and bench drawers display labels for mysterious gizmos such as "logic analyzer probes parts." It's a playground for the Soviet-born engineer, who in the past six years has won four U.S.

Here is the complete list of winners of the 47th annual nighttime Emmy Awards, as announced over the weekend by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. * Comedy series: "Frasier," NBC. * Drama series: "NYPD Blue," ABC. * Made for television movie: "Indictment: The McMartin Trial," HBO. * Miniseries: "Joseph," TNT. * Variety, music or comedy series: "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," NBC. * Variety, music or comedy special: "Barbra Streisand The Concert," HBO.

Assembling a car body is like putting down the foundation of a house: If you don't get it just right, nothing else fits together very well. It's the difference between the smooth, silent ride of a Toyota Lexus and the annoying wind sounds, water leaks and rattles that have often come with cars made in Detroit.