Developing Technologies in TV and Film: HD, Streaming, On Demand, Pay Per View, Digital Recorders

The TV and film industries are rapidly changing especially with regards to new and developing technologies. In previous posts, I looked at satellite and cable television, the move from analogue to digital technologies in both film and television and interactive and internet television. Finally in this post I will look at other developing technologies such as HD, streaming, On Demand, pay-per,view and digital recorders.

With picture quality becoming more important to modern audiences, High Definition formats and channels are increasing. High Definition (HD) means that the resolution of the picture is much higher than standard definition. This means that there are more pixels used to make up the picture on screen and therefore the picture quality is better and clearer with less visible pixels to the viewer. There is HD recording equipment such as cameras, HD televisions, HD projection in cinemas and even HDMI cables that ensure the best picture quality comes from a Blu-ray player to the television. HD technology is becoming increasingly cheap and is now becoming the standard experience for the viewer. For filmmakers, the iPhone and iPhone 4S will even let people record HD footage on their phones, allowing people to make high quality films on relatively cheap technology.

Developing technologies are mostly about offering viewers more ways to watch and greater choice with how and when they watch TV and film. Streaming means people can watch programmes and films as they are being downloaded to their computer and Lovefilm and Netflix offer this method of viewing to their subscribers. Content is delivered immediately and depending on internet connection speeds, people can watch what they want as soon as they wish to. Sometimes the viewer may have to wait for the programme to buffer and this can affect the viewing experience negatively, particularly if it needs to buffer in the middle of watching.

Similarly On Demand television and film is available over the internet and allows the consumer almost complete control over what they watch and when they watch it. More and more channels are offering On Demand services such as iPlayer, 4OD and Demand 5, meaning that consumers are not restricted in the way they once were to watching TV when it is originally broadcast. This is very useful to people who require more flexibility due to their hectic lifestyles.

The other option for those with busy lives that cannot watch TV shows when they are scheduled and broadcast on traditional channels is to record programmes with a digital recorder. Whereas viewers used to be able to record television on tape (that degraded over time and with heavy use), they can now digitally record shows either on to PVR which stores the information on a large internal hard disk or a DVD recorder which allows the programme to be stored on a digital versatile disc. Many PVR’s allow consumers to store a programme in HD in order to watch it at a later time but the hard disc will eventually fill up and programmes will need to be erased in order to make room for new ones. A DVD recorder on the other hand may not be able to record in HD but it means that programmes can be archived endlessly and also shared with other people is desired.

Pay-per-view is also becoming increasingly common for viewers offering even more choice but also adding more cost to their viewing. If consumers do not want to subscribe to a Sky Sports or Movies package but still want to watch specific movies or sports games, they now often have the option of paying a one off fee for the privilege. This can be costly but is similar to renting a film from a video shop. It also means they can get access to live events as they happen such as football matches and even music concerts.

Technology is developing very rapidly and is constantly changing the TV and film industries. The impact of the internet means that though there is more illegal piracy and downloading, there is also much greater choice for the consumer than there has ever been before. Though consumers are occasionally forced into upgrading technology (analogue to digital TV), the benefits of new technologies are great. The means of production are becoming cheaper and so more people can get involved with producing films and TV but there are still challenges to getting content noticed. Though everyone appears to benefit from new emerging technologies, there is always a concern that the rich benefit much more than those less wealthy. People with more disposable income to spend on entertainment have greater access to new technologies and therefore more choice than others.

Check out the rest of the posts in this series:

Satellite and cable TV
Move from analogue to digital technologies 
Interactive and internet television

Developing Technologies in TV and Film: Interactive and Internet TV

The TV and film industries are rapidly changing especially with regards to new and developing technologies. In previous posts, I looked at satellite and cable television, the move from analogue to digital technologies in both film and television and now I will look at interactive and internet television.

Television and film are becoming more interactive with the aid of social networking and other emerging technology. Interactive television is becoming increasingly popular with many modern television having a ‘return path’ so not only can information flow from the broadcaster to the consumer but also vice versa. This means that people will be able to buy goods through their televisions, change the outcome of a television show (for example The X Factor and voting on who wins) and click on advertisements to find out more about a product or service that is of interest to you. However many are critical of such technologies because not only do they allow the consumer more freedom of choice and a viewing experience that is more clearly targeted at them but it also means that broadcasters are collecting information about the viewer.

NHS Direct run an interactive TV service where viewers can search for their local health services by putting in their postcode and they are testing the idea of having people able to book an appointment with their GP through their television. This can be good for homes without internet access and for those who have resisted new technologies as they can do it through their remote controls, a device they are already familiar with. However interactive TV is currently slower than the internet and many people still see the television as a source of entertainment rather than a means of interaction.

The internet has had a huge impact on the TV and film industries with close to a billion people now having access to the internet. In 2005 Google became the highest valued media company in the world and YouTube has become a huge viewing platform for people across the world. In order to stay competitive, TV and film companies have had to become more flexible and allow consumers greater choice in the way they watch films. To help combat film piracy from illegal downloads, there are now a huge range of legal ways to stream films over the internet such as the Lovefilm and Netflix subscription services. Similarly On Demand services from Channel 4 (4OD) are now also available on the internet meaning that audiences can watch what they want, when they want. Internet televisions will offer On Demand, live television and catch up television and may even have cameras that can watch the viewer and target adverts by their responses to others.

Next up I will look at High Definition, streaming and On Demand services. 

More in this series:

Satellite and cable TV
Move from analogue to digital technologies 
HD, streaming, On Demand, Pay Per View, Digital Recorders

Developing Technologies in TV and Film: Analogue to Digital

The TV and film industries are rapidly changing especially with regards to new and developing technologies. In the last of this series of posts, I looked at satellite and cable television and this post will briefly explore the move from analogue to digital technologies in both film and television.

Between 2008 and 2012, all television in the UK has moved from analogue to digital. The old analogue signal that used to carry all television broadcasts into homes through terrestrial means has now been switched off in place of more cost efficient digital television broadcasts that take up less space in the bandwidth and are better resolution for viewers. Dual transmissions of both analogue and digital were deemed to not be cost effective so over the four year period of the analogue to digital switchover, all home had to upgrade to either having a digital freeview box or an integrated digital television. This could be costly but now all homes have a wider range of channels to choose from.

Film production and exhibition has also moved from analogue or film based to digital in recent years. Films used to be shot on 35mm film stock which was very expensive and then it was edited and exhibited in the traditional ways with physically cutting the film and then projecting it with a light shone through the rolls of films. More recently many filmmakers have been turning to digital methods. This means extremely lightweight and some very cheap cameras can be used to shoot films. The footage can also be edited digitally with the aid of computers and incredible software that allows people a great deal of flexibility and creativity. Digital projectors in cinemas are now expected to completely over take the old 35mm projectors by the end of 2013. Many argue the emergence of digital technology in filmmaking has caused a democratisation of filmmaking, along with websites like YouTube meaning anyone can distribute their film cheaply to as many people as they want. Some consider digital formats to have lower picture quality but this is constantly improving.

Next up in this series, I'll be looking at interactive and internet television. 

More in this series:

Satellite and cable television
Interactive and internet television
HD, streaming, On Demand, Pay Per View, Digital Recorders