TECHNOLOGIES IN THE FILM AND TV INDUSTRIES

CONSUMER PRODUCTS

Consumer products are any articles produced or distributed for sale to a consumer for the personal use.

The use of technology at home can be useful for everyone, but especially for those who are interested in media production.

These can be modern cameras, laptops, PCs, tablets, as well as editing software (Adobe Premier Pro

Final Cut, Sony Vegas Pro).

SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY

• It's a wireless system for delivering television programming directly to a viewer's house.

• Satellite TV transmits broadcast signals from satellites orbiting the Earth.

• Satellite TV systems transmit and receive radio signals using specialized antennas called satellite dishes.

HOW SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY WORKS

1. Programming source is the channel that provides programming for broadcast.

2. At the broadcast centre, the TV provider receives a signal from the programming source and beams a broadcast signal to satellite.

3. The satellites receive the signals from the broadcast station and rebroadcast them to Earth.

4. The viewer's dish picks up the signal from the satellite and passes it on to the receiver in the viewer's house.

5. The receiver processes the signal and passes it on to a TV.

HOW SATELLITES WORK

SATELLITE ADVANTAGES

• Satellite offers movie-quality audio and picture display with hundreds of channels.

• This service is readily available in rural and urban areas and provides access to more digital and high definition programming.

SATELLITE DISADVANTAGES

• It is expensive to purchase all the equipment at the outset.

• If you want to access satellite TV in multiple rooms, be prepared for extra fees.

• Also, satellite TV is subject to weather-related malfunctions.

CABLE TECHNOLOGY

Cable television is a system ofdistributing television programs viaradio frequency signals transmittedthrough coaxial cables or lightpulses through fiber optic cables.

CABLE ADVANTAGES

• Advancements in digital cable provide improved audio and picture quality with additional channels at a lower cost than satellite.

• You can also access cable channels from multiple rooms in your house fairly easily.

CABLE DISADVANTAGES

• Cable has limited access in rural areas, and you should prepare for increased service costs as your provider updates its equipment.

• Your service costs are also subject to local taxes.

ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL

• Between 2008 and 2012, all television in the UK has moved from analogue to digital.

• Film production and exhibition has also moved from analogue to digital in recent years. 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.

ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL: ADVANTAGES

• Switching from analogue to digital let broadcasters offer higher picture definition, because a digital signal can be compressed far more than an analogue signal.

• Compression allows stations to fit more information in the signal. That means you're getting a clearer image with digital television than you would from an analogue signal.

• In addition, using digital television, people can pause, rewind, fastforward shows they have recorded and view them at a later time. There is no longer the need for the audience to be glued to the television in order not to miss a programme; the digital box will automatically record the desired shows.

INTERACTIVE TV

• Television and film are becoming more interactive with the aid of social networking and other emerging technology.

• Interactive television is becoming increasingly popular

• modern television has a ‘return path’, so not only information can flow from the broadcaster to the consumer but also vice versa.

• People are able to buy goods through their televisions, change the outcome of a television show and click on advertisements to find out more about a product or service.

INTERACTIVE TV

• 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.

INTERACTIVE TV: ADVANTAGES

• The potential for instantaneous purchasing is extremely alluring for both businesses and consumers.

• allowing viewers to participate in and engage their favourite programme, would create more satisfied viewers, and satisfied viewers tend to continue viewing

INTERACTIVE TV: DISADVANTAGES

• 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.

• there are serious concerns about privacy. A fully interactive television would absolutely become the source of privacy concerns.

• As with e-commerce, there would be the threat of identity theft and unauthorized use of credit cards, etc.

• Personal computers are able to combat such threats with firewalls and secured pages, but a television that is simply connected to the internet may be vulnerable.

THE INTERNET

• The internet has had a huge impact on the TV and film industries

• 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.

INTERNET TV - ADVANTAGES

• Accessibility - If you have to answer the phone, you can pause the programme you are watching. You can also rewind and re-watch a scene you like.

• More affordable

• Internet TV let you keep up with your social life on Facebook and Twitter.

INTERNET TV - DISADVANTAGES

• Initial cost - this may involve purchasing not only a TV set, but also all the necessary accessories to connect it to the Internet: Ethernet wiring; power-line adaptors or wireless receivers.

• Availability - not all channels and shows have made it to the Internet yet. Moreover, to prevent people watching shows entirely via online or Internet TV, many TV companies do not show every episode of every show online.

HIGH DEFINITION

• 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.

HD - ADVANTAGES

• Better picture quality - a digital picture is more absolute, rather than hazy, snowy, or having experienced signal degradation

• The opportunity to bring an interactive experience to television through two-way digital technology.

HD DISADVANTAGES

3D

• The way 3D television is created is actually quite simple. It's where 2 cameras are put close together while filming something, and each camera represents the left and the right eye. This gives us the illusion that we are more involved in the film or TV program.

• So it's taking two normal 2D shots and putting one in front of the other to create the 3D effect. When watching something in 3D you have to wear 3D glasses to get the full effect of what your watching, otherwise the picture would be blurred.

HOW 3D WORKS

3D: ADVANTAGES

• 3D content, if produced well, and if your 3D TV is properly adjusted, can provide an excellent immersive viewing experience for movies, games.

3D: DISADVANTAGES

• Many are bothered by having to wear 3D glasses

• Not everyone likes 3D. When comparing content filmed or being presented in 3D, the depth and layers of the image are not the same as what we see in the real world.

• 3D TVs are more expensive

• You need a 3D Blu-ray Disc player, and maybe a 3D-enabled Home Theatre Receiver

PAY-PER-VIEW

• 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.

PAY-PER-VIEW: ADVANTAGES

• Pay per view offers more flexibility

• is usually good value for money.

PAY-PER-VIEW: DISADVANTAGES

• Pay-per-view programs aren’t always available when you want them. There could be up to a two-hour delay before it is shown.

• with pay-per-view, you usually have to pay a monthly fee as well as per film

ON- DEMAND VIEWING

• On -Demand lets you catch up on TV you’ve missed at a time that suits you.

• On Demand programming is delivered to your YouView Box via your internet connection.

• With TV On Demand on YouView, you can catch up on TV shows from the last 7 days using the backwards Guide. You can also access entertainment on all the major Free On Demand players:

ON-DEMAND VIEWING: ADVANTAGES

• It lets you fit TV around your schedule, rather than fitting your life around your TV schedule. It lets people create and view content when they want.

STREAMING CONTENT

• Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather than to the medium itself. The distinction is usually applied to media that are distributed over telecommunications networks, as most other delivery systems are either inherently streaming (e.g., radio, television) or inherently non-streaming (e.g., books, video cassettes, audio CDs). The verb 'to stream' is also derived from this term, meaning to deliver media in this manner. Internet television is a commonly streamed medium.

• Live streaming, delivering live over the Internet, involves a camera for the media, an encoder to digitize the content, a media publisher, and a content delivery network to distribute and deliver the content.

DIGITAL RECORDERS

• Digital TV recorders are similar to video recorders in that you can record television programmes to watch at a later date. Some other benefits of the new digital TV recorders are as follows:

• Pause and rewind live TV

• Recording a complete series in one touch

• Viewing electronic program guides.

• The Sky+ HD Box can record up to 60 Gigabytes of programming, record entire series through series link, record up to two programmes simultaneously and many more.