The performing arts, live onstage and now on screen

Opera houses, ballet companies, even the National Theater in London, are competing to lure audiences to live high-definition broadcasts in movie theaters. It is the HD-ification of the arts, and it is already affecting programming decisions along with costume and set design, lighting choices and even ticket prices.

Now orchestras are hoping that big screens can entice new fans to watch black-clad musicians playing instruments. The Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra are all playing live on screen.

While the HD phenomenon brings performances to millions of people who would not otherwise see them, it also raises major questions. In a cultural world in which even the use of a microphone creates shock waves, how will the new onslaught of electronic sound change people's expectations?