Most people wanted to commit their great-grandchildren to a specific number of scan lines and a fixed frame rate as well. Part of the reason this parochial view existed was that almost nobody under 40 seemed to care, while the average age of television engineers was over 50. Zenith, which had both TV and computer divisions, was one of the few companies in a position to make a difference, until a new CEO sold half the company - and, sadly, sold the wrong one. While those are not necessarily wrong reasons, they are not the right ones, either. The right ones have to do with all the assets of new content that come from the digital world, not the least of these being a new facility for standards.
Bits are easier than plastic.
Plugs don't handshake. This process is not too different from dogs sniffing each other. Modems try their best to communicate at the fastest possible speed, using whatever common error correction they share. In other words, the standard is about how you will describe yourself, not what you are. This is important not only for massive globalization, but also for upgrading and future change.