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

Developing Technologies in TV and Film: Satellite and Cable TV

The TV and film industries are rapidly changing especially with regards to new and developing technologies. These are constantly being updated, created, developed and emerging and producers need to be fully aware of the implications of developing technologies on production but also on the way consumers are using the media. Audiences are often drawn to new technology as it gives them greater choice and better quality TV and films to consume. I will now explore some of the biggest developing technologies and how they affect the practice of producers of media content and the experiences of the audience.

Satellite television

Satellite television is delivered through communication satellites that orbit the Earth in space. Homes have a satellite dish in order to receive programming from providers such as Sky and Freesat. Sky started in 1989 and offered people a huge amount of choice compared to the standard four terrestrial channels on their televisions. It eventually merged with BSB to become BSkyB but was always a subscription service that meant people had to pay more on top of their TV license. Then in 2008 Freesat was introduced, jointly owned by the BBC and ITV. It gave consumers even more choice with over 150 channels and meant they did not have to pay a monthly subscription fee. People had to make a one off purchase of a freesat box but could also get On Demand TV and the ability to pause and rewind live shows.

Cable television

Similarly cable television services also offer viewers a greater number of channels (as well as many in High Definition). Virgin Media deliver their television through fibre optic cables which is fast and the same as broadband delivery. There are over 200 channels including Sky channels and the opportunity to watch 3D films at home. Like Sky subscribers, Virgin Media and other cable TV consumers will have to pay a monthly subscription and may even have to pay more if they wish to watch certain pay-per-view events such as live concerts or particular football games. This can be very expensive but gives consumers more choice and means they can watch big events as they happen.

Next up: the move from analogue to digital in film and TV.

Other posts in this series:

Move from analogue to digital technologies 
Interactive and internet television
HD, streaming, On Demand, Pay Per View, Digital Recorders 

Legal Obligations and the BBFC and Ofcom

The film and TV industries are regulated by Ofcom and the BBFC. In my media classes we already covered contractual issues, employment legislation, ethical obligations and legal obligations. 

Ofcom are a body who are responsible for regulating the TV and radio industries. They operate under the Communications Act 2003 and their main legal duties are to ensure that TV provides high quality and diverse programming from a range of different organisations. People should be protected from watching harmful and offensive material and people in programmes should have their privacy respected and be treated fairly. Ofcom deal with complaints from the public, whether it be that they are unhappy with the way they have been treated by programme makers or offended by the content of a particular programme. For example there was a recent case of a man in a Panorama episode who was promised anonymity but was recognised by his friends.

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a regulatory body that is responsible with the viewing and classification of films before they are released to the public. They used to be called the board of film censors and their role was more about cutting and banning inappropriate content from films. As times changed their role became more about guidance. Every film must be given a classification and passed by the BBFC by law. An example of a very disturbing film that had to be cut before its release is A Serbian Film due to its ‘scenes of sexual and sexualised violence and scenes juxtaposing images of sex and sexual violence with images of children’. The BBFC demanded over four minutes of cuts and as a result there has been no public commercial screening of the uncut version of the film in the UK.

TV and film companies have to abide by many laws and consider the views of the public in many of their day to day decisions. They have to act lawfully when it comes to treatment of their employees and arranging their contracts, as well as in the organisation of the business and ownership of subsidiaries. Media organisations such as TV channels and film companies will also be aware of their ethical obligations and will be more or less committed to promoting certain ethical practices depending on the importance they place on being progressive and responsible. At the end of the day, media companies wish to entertain their audiences but they must also act within the law and consider the implications of what they produce on the wider society.

Ethical Obligations in the TV and Film Industries

Ethical obligations are less likely to be required by law than contractual and employment legislation though they can be equally important as if a TV or film company does not behave ethically, there could be financial and legal repercussions. In my media classes, we have already looked at:

Contractual obligations

Employment legislation

Codes of practice

A code of practice sets out how employees of a company may act. Though it is not legally binding, the purpose is to stop employees behaving in unethical ways, ensuring the creator of a piece of content behaves according to ethical standards. For example the BBC has a commissioning code of practice that sets out the principles by which they should abide when commissioning work from independent production companies. ‘The intention of the Code is to ensure that relations between the BBC and independent producers are conducted on a fair and transparent basis.’ The code includes guidelines for dealing with independent production companies and covers issues such as payment, editorial control and rights over the programmes. This ensures that the BBC has a good working relationship and behaves in an ethical manner with producers.

 Policies and procedures

TV and film companies will also have a number of policies and procedures in place to maintain and encourage ethical practice. These can relate to business conduct, recruitment, employment and records management. They are often informed by legislation such as health and safety and equal opportunities laws. One of the most interesting policies is the BBC’s on advertising. It states that advertising is not allowed in order to keep the channel free from commercial pressures. This means they can truly serve the public without having to make profits or have their schedules and programming dictated by external pressure. They also have a policy on the safeguarding of children that they work with in their programmes and also a watershed policy that ensures certain subjects, matters, issues and images are not on the channel before 9pm. These ethical policies make the BBC avoid legal action and give them a good reputation and standing in the country.

Emerging social concerns

A company’s ethical policies might extend to dealing with emerging social concerns such as the treatment of people with disabilities, the sexual exploitation of children and empowering youth. Channel 4 for example is committed to highlighting issues around those with disabilities. They broadcast the Paralympics and have commissioned a range of programmes dealing with disabled people and their lives. They also have documentaries under the Dispatches series that tackle and highlight a huge range of very serious issues including Britain’s sex gangs. These investigative shows fulfil ethical obligations to help the country improve.

Representation

Finally broadcasters will always consider the representation of social groups in their programmes. Channel 4 has come under fire for its representation of gypsy culture in My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and also for its titling of a show about disabled people dating called The Undateables. These shows can damage the reputation of Channel 4 and lead to accusations of racism and making people’s perceptions of certain social groups worse or they can be praised for highlighting parts of culture that are not often represented on the television.

Similarly Hollywood blockbusters are also often criticised for characters that could be considered racist stereotypes. Paramount, Dreamworks and director Michael Bay were all criticised for Transformers 2’s racist caricature robots that sounded ‘black’ and could not read. Avatar and Fox also came under fire for casting African and Native Americans as aliens. However these huge blockbusters and their financial backers seem less concerned with ethical obligations as they still make huge profits even if a minority of people complain.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/tv/how-we-work/business-requirements/code-of-practice.shtml

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/tags/disability

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/24/transformers-jivetalking-_n_220005.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/6968020/Avatar-hit-by-claims-of-racism.html