ly agreed-upon format. The process of defining the specifics of that format is standards-setting. Perhaps the most important international standards-setting body in the world is the United Nation's International Telecommunications Union (ITU). An intergovernmental treaty organization, the ITU formed in 1865. Its objective was to publish telecommunications-oriented recommendations after studying technical, operational, and tariff-based issues. The part of the ITU that promotes interoperability in wireline telecommunications networks is the Telecommunications Standardization Sector, or ITU-T (formerly the Comité Consultatif International Téléphonique et Télégraphique, or CCITT). A sister organization to the ITU-T is the ITU-R (in which R represents radio). The ITU-R (formerly the Comite Consultatif International des Radiocommunications-CCIR) coordinates wireless (mainly broadcasting) standards and is currently working to achieve global harmony in the area of HDTV, among other things. Good things are happening within the ITU-T. The new name indicates an expanded interest-its orientation now plainly extends beyond Europe. Whereas the CCITT originally worked in four-year cycles, the ITU-T has adopted an accelerated standards- setting schedule. The approval process, formerly a face-to-face arrangement, is now largely conducted via electronic communications. Provided a study group is in consensus, it can achieve final approval in months. Also speeding things along are the efforts of non- accredited standards groups such as the International Multimedia Teleconferencing Consortium (IMTC). These ad-hoc bodies develop specifications and introduce them to the ITU-T for approval. This increase in global participation and speed has helped expedite many technologies to market. Video communication is no exception. Video Communications: The Whole Picture THE HISTORY OF THE Px64 STANDARD Europe was the first part of the world to embrace and implement video communication as a tool for stimulating commerce. In 1979, British Telecom 