NBC Said Part of HDTV Venture

NBC-TV and Thomson SA, the French electronics company, will announce a joint venture with North American Philips Corp. to develop an improved television system that is expected to lead eventually to a high-definition TV system, an industry source said Wednesday.

The source, who requested anonymity, confirmed a report on the joint venture in this week’s issue of Broadcasting magazine. North American Philips is part of the Dutch electronics giant Philips NV.

An NBC spokeswoman, Beth Comstock, said she could not comment on the reports. However, NBC issued a press release on a news conference that it scheduled for today to announce a “new participant” in its HDTV research.

Philips, which makes the Magnavox, Sylvania and Philco brands, has said it is working on an improved television system called High-Definition System for North America.

NBC, which is owned by General Electric Co., has been working with Thomson Consumer Electronics Inc., Thomson’s U.S. arm, at the David Sarnoff Research Center in Princeton, N.J., to develop advanced television systems.