Michael Tabansi
Ms Ahmadian
Btec
Level 3 Diploma Creative Media Production
Unit
8: Understanding the TV and film industries
Assignment/LO4:
Understand developing technologies in the television and film industries
I am writing a report for
Media Magazine on my understanding of the technologies that have impacted the
film and TV industries. My role is to explore the different areas in the film
and TV industries comprehensively explaining and using well developed examples
and illustrative images. The technologies in the film and TV that have been
impacted consist of; Satellite, Cable,
Analogue, Digital, Film-Based, Interactive, Internet, High Definition, Consumer
Products, Streaming Content, On-Demand Viewing, Digital Recorders and Pay Per
View.
A type of technology that
has been impacted in the TV industry is Satellite
TV. ‘Satellite TV is a broadcasting service which allows subscribers to
receive television signals through a dish-shaped receiver unit’ (wisegeek,
19/11/13). Satellite television gets delivered through satellites that orbit
the Earth in space. If a household has a satellite dish, they are able to get
programming from different providers. These providers can consist of; Sky,
Virgin, Freesat, BT and more. Satellite television is a wireless system so it
means that television programmes will be delivered directly to the viewer’s
house. Nowadays, you will see a lot of satellite dishes placed above a lot of
houses but when it first came out, people had to go through a lot of hassle to
get a dish placed above their home. When it comes to satellite TV companies,
they are tempting a lot of consumers as they have a range of things to watch
such as movies, sporting events and daily news from different countries of the
world. Nowadays, people who are satellite TV customers get their programming
through direct broadcast satellite
(DBS). Direct broadcast satellite is a service that allows you to receive
subscription television from a high powered satellite. Different direct
broadcast satellites can be DirecTv
or DISH Network. The role of a
direct broadcast satellite to select programmes and broadcast it to the
subscribers as well as to bring a lot of channels to their television. An
advantage about satellite are that the dishes are small so this means they can
be installed easily. Because it can be installed easily, it means that the
person who is installing the dish can find the best place to install it so it
can pick up signal. Small satellite dishes also improve the picture when
watching television. If you are high definition user, it means that the viewers
can watch their programmes in good quality. A disadvantage about satellite TV
is the fact that it is related to the weather forecast. Because satellite TV
works on digital signals, if the weather is bad, it’s likely that you will lose
signal meaning that you will not be able to view your channels unless the
weather changes.
Another type of technology
that has been impacted in the TV industry is Cable TV. ‘Cable television was developed in the late 1940's for
communities unable to receive TV signals because of terrain or distance from TV
stations’ (fcc.gov, 5/12/13). The people who operated the cable television
system placed antennas in the areas that had good reception. From there, the
antennas would have picked up broadcast station signals which is good for the
operators as they would now distribute them to the subscribers for a price. In
the 1940’s, people had to put antennas on hills and run cables to their houses
so that they can fix their reception problem. ‘Today, U.S. cable systems
deliver hundreds of channels to some 60 million homes, while also providing a
growing number of people with high-speed Internet access’ (howstuffworks,
5/12/13). Because cable system is now advanced, the cable systems now can allow
you to make telephone calls. The advantage about cable TV is that unlike
satellite TV, it will not cut out if there is bad weather. This means that
cable TV provides consistent service as there wouldn’t be any problems unless
something like a cable has been tripped. Also with cable TV, you can save a lot
of money due to bundling. Bundling is a ‘marketing strategy that joins products
or services together in order to sell them as a single combined unit’ (investopedia,
5/12/13). Cable TV comes services such as internet and phone and this means
that it will save a lot more money as it will be all in one single bill. A
disadvantage to cable TV is that say internet was part of your package, you
will have less privacy when on the internet. This is because the internet with
cable TV comes with an IP address that does not change. Because it doesn’t
change, people are able to track your visits to their websites.
Another type of technology that has been impacted in the
TV industry is Analogue TV. ‘Analogue television in
the United Kingdom includes terrestrial, satellite and cable services
broadcasting using analogue television signals’ (en.wikipedia, 5/12/13).
Analogue was the method most people in the UK used to receive television. With
analogue television, you could only view BBC 1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and
Channel 5. Right now, there is no more analogue television as television will broadcast
in digital only. Old analogue television signals have all been switched off and
the viewers were made to upgrade their TV to make sure they receive digital
signals. Analogue was switched off because the government felt that switching
off analogue TV will let the viewers have different services such as viewing
television shows in high definition. They also felt to take it off because it
was like an update to modern day society where you can experience new things
when watching television.
Analogue TV was replaced by Digital TV. ‘Digital Television (DTV)
is an advanced broadcasting technology that has transformed the television
viewing experience.’(fcc.gov, 5/12/13). Digital TV allows the viewers to watch
television with better picture and sound quality and have a wider range of
channels to watch. This was why the industry converted from analogue to digital
because viewers had a better way of watching TV. The industry also converted
because digital TV now allows you to interact with the service. With digital
TV, you can interact with the menus to find what television channel you would
like to watch. With digital TV, you can also listen to radio channels on your
television. Analogue TV was as simple as it had less channels and a remote
control that allowed you to turn the television on and off but now with digital
TV it is different. Remotes nowadays with digital TV allow you to pause, fast
forward, rewind and record. So for example, if you are out somewhere, you can
record your favourite television content. Analogue TV had to be converted
because people had better access to things when viewing their television and it
made life easier for others. Digital TV may be good when viewing but it usually
becomes bad when it comes to equipment and signal. Before digital TV, all you
needed was an antenna but now that it has been upgraded, you will need a set
top box. The set top box is quite expensive as you will have to be paying for
that and for channels and more. Another disadvantage of digital TV is when it
loses signal. When it was analogue TV, most of the time the TV picture was bad
so everyone was used to it but if it was to occur on digital TV, people would
be more upset as it is new and upgraded. If signal is lost with digital TV,
channels would be lost and no picture would be shown as there would be a black
screen.
 |
In the film and TV industry, the Internet has played a big part as there has been many changes. A
site named YouTube was founded in 2005 and it is a video sharing website where
you can watch and upload videos. We also have Internet Movie Database (IMDB)
which has all the information that is related to film and television
programmes. A reason why the internet has a big role in the film and television
industry is because these two sites have something in common. When a new film
or television programme or upcoming episode is about to be released, YouTube
and IMDB will have videos of a trailer where people can view what is going to
happen. For some people, it is good because it leaves them with a bit of extra
information before watching the full thing but for people like producers it
will not be good. It won’t be good for producers because to them, it should
have been a secret and this ends up spoiling the suspense about that film or
programme but if it is a trailer, then there is nothing wrong with that because
it allows the audience to preview what they are going to watch. This is called
a spoiler. ‘The term spoiler was
introduced in the early days of the internet, on the internet, and is often
associated with specialist internet sites and in newsgroup postings’ (Wikipedia, 10/12/13). The
internet has changed television in a positive way though as the internet can
allow you to watch an episode of something that you have missed. An example of
this is the BBC IPlayer. The BBC IPlayer is an internet television that allows
you to watch programmes featured on the BBC. If you have missed a particular
programme that you like, you can go onto the BBC IPlayer and watch what you
have missed for no cost. The internet has made this change in a positive way
because it allows viewers to catch up on programmes they have missed maybe due
to work, or events. The internet can allow people to watch programmes and films
as they can download apps where they can watch the latest shows. An example
would be Sky Go. By just simply logging into your Sky account on your iPhone or
iPad, you can watch different types of programmes from sports, movies, discovery,
kids and more. The internet has changed the film industry in a negative way
because you can watch films for that free that are in the cinema on different
streaming sites. YouTube do this as well but sometimes, YouTube will remove
that film because it has been copyrighted. There is something called internet
piracy which is when people use the internet to copy software and pass it to
different people in an illegal way. On the internet, people will put up pirate
copies of films and upload it onto YouTube but the video will get taken down as
it is copyrighted. The internet has allowed people to watch films online for
free when the films are out in the cinema to be paid for. This is bad for the
producers of the film because they are losing money because their films that
they make are published online for free. Because of this, producers will have
less money to try and build on something better. An advantage for producers
when it comes to internet is that they get to view how many views they get for
their film and shows that get published on the internet. This is allows them to
see how many people like what they have produced.
Everyone viewing
television used to view it with Standard
Definition but now that has been upgraded to High Definition. ‘High definition (HD or HDTV) is a different
standard of digital television broadcasting which offers sharper, more detailed
pictures and surround sound’(channel4, 10/12/13). When you watch something in
HD, the picture will become sharp and clear as you are watching. To have HD
channels, you will need a HD set top box receiver or a HD ready television set.
These two will allow you to experience watching programmes in high definition.
High Definition and Standard Definition are different as they both require
separate broadcast streams from each other. At the moment, HD have two formats
which are 720p and 1080i. Most channels are that are featured in HD are 1080.
This is good because it means that channel can show the highest form of high
definition image. High definition is considered better as standard definition
because it has better picture quality because of its high resolution. Because
of the high resolution, it makes the screen wider which ensures that the
picture quality can be more noticeable. Another advantage of HD is that they do
not just have HD television. There are HD DVD’s, there are also Blu Ray films
that allow you to watch films in high definition and HDMI wires. These are all
good for the customers as they can watch films in good quality and with the
HDMI wire, they can connect it to their laptop/computer and then to their HD TV
and then they can view whatever they are viewing from the laptop/computer to
the television. The disadvantage about HD is simply that it costs a lot of
money. HD televisions are quite expensive and if you were to get HD
programming, it would be even more expensive because companies charge monthly
payments for HD programming. Also, even if you have a HD television, you will
still need to by the set top box so that is more money included. Producers are
at an advantage because more people feel much better if they watch a film with
good quality so it means they will get more money as more people will buy it.
No one wants to watch a film where it is not clear so if films are in HD or on
Blu Ray, more people will watch it. On the other hand, producers are at a
disadvantage because it means they have to make sure that film has good quality
in order for it to sell. If the film is not in HD, some people may not purchase
the film because it doesn’t match their quality standard.
Another type of technology that has been impacted in the
film and TV industry is Pay-per-view. Pay-per-view
provides a one off entertainment show for paying customers. A pay-per-view
provides a service where the paying customers can purchase. When purchasing a
pay-per-view, you have the ability to watch movies or events at a time of your
choice because you are in control of purchasing it. For example, a WWE
wrestling event could be starting at Sunday night and end on the Saturday
after. From that Sunday night to that Saturday after, it is entirely up to you
to watch that event anytime as you long as you have paid. But of course, once
that the event is finished on the Saturday, it can no longer be viewed on
anymore. When you pay for these events, the bill will come separately from the
rest of services you pay. When ordering a pay-per-view, it can be done by on
the phone or the television remote. From 1998 onwards, that is when Sky allowed
viewers to pay for pay-per-views using their remote. This way can be good for
some as it is a quick method and does not waste time. Sometimes ordering an
event via the remote can be at an advantage because it means you can record the
event so it means you can watch it for longer. In the UK, viewers can access
pay-per-view events with Sky Box Office. Sky Box Office is Sky’s pay-per-view
system where events can be brought for a fee. Pay-per-view has changed the way
we view television because we have control of what we want to watch. Before Sky
Box Office was released, we could only watch what was there but now, if we
don’t want to watch something, we do not have to pay for it as it might not
interest the person. Viewers can now save a bit of money because channels they
do not want, they can easily not subscribe to them as it is their choice. The
producers can be affected with what they produce. This is because people watching
can actually copy the moves that are seen. Although they have terms and
conditions and policies, people still sometimes copy what they see and can get
hurt. If this was too happen, the producers tend to get the blame as they are
showing this to the audience.
Another type of technology that has been impacted in the
film and TV industry is Digital
Recorders. Digital recorders are devices that allow you to record
programmes and films. Along with this, the digital recorder allows you to pause
and rewind live television as well as fast forwarding recorded programmes and
films. Sky is famously known for creating Sky+ which was released in 2002. Because
of its services that it provides, ‘as of September 2009, there were 5.9 million
customers with Sky+’ (Wikipedia, 12/12/13). This shows that a lot of people had
to upgrade as in the past, they could only watch it once and that was it. In
the past, if you missed a programme that was it as there weren’t any recording
services back then. Sky+ has helped a lot of people because if they are working
or at college when their favourite programme is on, they can simply record it
and watch it at any time they want. Sky+ also have something called series link
which allows you to record a series and it will continue to record every week
until the series is done. This saves a lot of time for people as they do not
need to wait every week just to record that episode. With Sky+, you cannot
record two programmes at the same time. For you two record two programmes you
would have to:
1) Watch
one of the programmes recorded live
2) Watch
a programme that is already on your Sky+ Planner
3) Leave
both programmes to record but turn off the television
Sky+ customers can also record programmes from their
telephone if they were to miss a programme. If you wanted a programme added to
your Sky+ planner, you can download an app called Sky By Mobile or you can send
a message to sky telling them what programme you want to record, what channel
it is on and what time it is coming on. The producer has a benefit when it
comes to digital recorders because if someone was to record Britain’s Got Talent and watch Strictly Come Dancing, producers from
both channels will get views as they are both getting viewed. The disadvantage
about digital recorders for the audience is that they might forget to record
the programme they are going to miss, especially if it is a one off. The
disadvantage about digital recorders for the producers is that if someone is
recording two programmes at a time and nothing is on their planner to watch,
the person has to delete one meaning that person that deleted show will lose
the show views.
Another type of technology that has been impacted in the
film and TV is On Demand Viewing. On
Demand Viewing is streaming that allows you to watch programmes and films
whenever they want. An example of on demand viewing is ITV Player. ITV player
is an on demand programme that shows programmes from different ITV channels
that you can view at any time of your choice. People who use on demand access
have the ability to pause, fast forward and rewind when watching. An advantage
about on demand viewing is that you can access it on mobile phones such as
iPhone’s and tablets such as iPads. So if you are out and you have the app, you
are able to view programmes and films on your mobile. Sky is famously known for
on demand as it is shown when accessing your TV guide. Sky has on demand which
allows you to watch the latest films and television programmes. You can then
record these films and store them onto your planner and this means you can
watch that film or programme until you delete it or it says “Last Chance” as
the programme or film will be deleted off the on demand list. For Sky customers
who have a Sky+ HD 2TB box, the on demand is slightly different as it is a big
advantage for the customers. Sky customers with that box allows you to not only
watch the latest films and programmes but also allow you to catch up on
programmes from the last seven days. You are also allowed to watch TV Box Sets
which allow you to watch back to back episodes of TV series whenever you feel
like it. This is an advantage for the audience because you are able to view it
whenever you want so there is no pressure to watch it. Having catch up on
television is an advantage because if you missed something, you are able to
catch up on it without having to worry. A disadvantage of on demand viewing on
the internet is that the stream might buffer which tends to make everything
slow every few minutes. A disadvantage of on demand viewing on television is
that sometimes your favourite film and television programme might not be
available to watch OR the film or programme has expired.
Another type of technology that has been impacted in the
film and TV industry is Content
Streaming. ‘Streaming media is
video and/or audio data transmitted over a computer network for immediate
playback rather than for file download and later (offline) playback’
(compnetworking, 16/12/13). The web user does not have to download a file as
the media gets sent in continuous stream that is played as it arrives.
Streaming content allows you to watch something on the internet from someone on
the internet around different places of the world. An example of streaming
content can be BBC iPlayer. BBC iPlayer streams television programmes shown on
the BBC. When people have missed a programme, they can go onto the BBC iPlayer
and catch up on it. On the BBC iPlayer website, it allows you to pick what
programmes you want to watch from different BBC channels such as; BBC One, BBC
Two, BBC Three and more. A good thing about BBC iPlayer is that you can find
programmes into different categories. Instead of searching, you can simply find
whatever you want to watch when going through the categories. This saves time.
Streaming has affected the audience because it now allows them to view
programmes whenever they want because the programme will always be there for
them. Another type of content streaming is Netflix. Netflix allows you to watch
movies and TV episodes for 1 month free but after that, you have to start
paying monthly. Most people will watch these episodes and films via their
laptop or computer but Netflix can also be watched from internet connected
devices such as Xbox, DVD and Blu-Ray players. Streaming content is an
advantage for producers because streaming sites like Netflix pay the producers
to let their films and TV episodes on their website. A disadvantage for the
audience when it comes to streaming content is that once you come off the
stream, you have to load it again which wastes time. Downloads are different
because it is there already but with streaming, it has to load once you have
gone off it and sometimes it may buffer which results in refreshing. Producers
are at a disadvantage sometimes when it comes to Netflix. Before you start
paying to watch these films, you get a 30 day trial. Most people do not want to
pay so they cancel the memebership before the 30 days are over. This means the
producer loses £5.99 each person does that. It’s bad for the producers because
they are losing money when they are publishing new films for people to watch.
|
Another type of technology that has been impacted in the
TV industry is Interactive TV.
Interactive TV allows the audience to interact with television in many ways
such as Sky when using the red button. For example, when Champions League
football comes on, Sky users are able to press the red button to watch the
other Champions League games. This is useful because it allows users to watch
other games instead of having to find streaming links online. The red button
can also be used for the BBC. The BBC has different stories which are split up
into different categories. When using the interactive button, you are able to
view the different stories you want to read about or watch about. Producers
have a big advantage when it comes to interactive TV because shows such as
X-Factor give them a chance to make money. This is done by shows showing maybe
a product of something persuading the audience to purchase it. Interactive TV
allows viewers to vote for who they want to win and for them to do this; they
have to phone up and pay to vote. An example of interactive TV is the channel
Syfy. On Syfy, you can access behind the scene images as well as join conversations
with other people on the website. This is useful because it allows you to
interact with the website getting new information about the latest shows. It
also allows you to interact with other people and discuss topics that you both
enjoy. A disadvantage about interactive TV is that it has no monitoring system.
This means a young child could view something that they are not allowed to see
because interactive TV has no privacy settings that blocks young people viewing
explicit content.
|
||||
 |
||||
Another type of technology that has been developed in the
film industry is Film Based Technologies.
When it comes to film based technologies, it is all about technologies that
have been developed and how they improved film making. A type of film based
technology is Computer Generated Imagery (CGI). ‘Computer-generated imagery is
the application of the field of computer graphics (or more specifically, 3D
computer graphics) to special effects’ (sciencedaily, 17/12/13). CGI is used in
films and it’s used for visual effects to make sure the quality of the film is
better. An example of a film that has had CGI animation is Toy Story. Toy Story was made three times starting from 1995, 1999
and 2010. CGI was used for the last Toy Story to ensure that the film have
better quality and looked realistic enough for the viewers. CGI is one of the
main reasons why most films make the blockbusters. This is because the CGI
artists are experienced and they know how to make the visuals of the film
inspiring. Audiences are affected in a positive way because it means they get
to see the latest film in better quality. It means when they are watching, it
makes them feel like they are in the movie. Because of this, it allows the
producers to make more money as more people will go and watch the film.
|
||||
 |
||||
Another film based
technology is 3D Animation. When it
comes to 3D in film, its aim is to add stereoscopic vision. Stereoscopic vision
is when ‘Your brain fuses the two images together allowing you to see in three
dimensions’ (physics, 17/12/13). When seeing the two images, your left eye sees
more of the objects on the left hand side and your right eye sees more of the
objects on the right hand side. This is to make sure that people watching the
3D film can see two separate images, one on each eye. 3D in film requires you
to wear glasses so that it makes out that the scenes are actually in front of
you. Producers use creative imagination when it comes to 3D because they want
to make sure that the people watching want to feel that they are actually there
in the film. When wearing glasses for 3D films, the glasses will have blue and
red filters. The red filter is there to let light through your left eye and the
blue filter will let light through your right eye. 3D will be then created from
this as your brain will combine these two different images. 3D affects the
audience in a positive way because it allows them to experience the film with
better quality and allows them to make them feel they are in the film. 3D
allows the action in the film to be right in their face so it means it is
impossible for them to miss anything. The producers who make the 3D films make
money already because more people would rather watch films in 3D than normal SD
but they make even more because 3D films always have a high price so the more
people who watch it, the more money they get. This means 3D movies are
profitable because extra money is made as there is better quality in the film.
It means both the audience and producer are at advantage because money is made
for the producers and the audience get to experience the film in a different
format.
In conclusion, I have learnt about how different
technologies have been impacted in the film and TV industry. I have learnt how
people used to view television before on demand and interactive TV was
introduced. I have also learnt how producers can earn money from television
shows as some shows allow you to interact. I think that is good that there are
digital recorders as it allows people not to miss their favourite programmes
and catch up on anything they have missed. I have also learnt about how
producers use CGI to ensure that films look more realistic and people are
fascinated about the scenes they are looking at.
Bibliography
2) Google Image: http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.midsussex-aerials.co.uk%2Fsky_tv.htm&h=0&w=0&sz=1&tbnid=yW1gLNbgOe9HTM&tbnh=198&tbnw=255&zoom=1&docid=OHFiJypBH9tuzM&ei=XVugUofPJcSe0QX0zoDgBg&ved=0CAQQsCUoAQ
(Accessed 5/12/13)
6) Howstuffworks Image: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/tv-evolution-pictures.htm#page=12
(Accessed 5/12/13)
7) En.wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analogue_television_in_the_United_Kingdom
(Accessed 5/12/13)
12) Channel4: http://www.channel4.com/4viewers/faq/name/what-is-high-definition/id/400290984
(Accessed 10/12/13).
15) Help.Sky Image:
http://help.sky.com/tv/find-record-tv-programmes/ordering-a-sky-box-office-movie-or-event?search_omni=search-article-sslc
(Accessed 12/12/13)
20) Signup.Netflix Image: https://signup.netflix.com/?ca_source=gaw&ca_ace=&ca_nw=g&ca_dev=c&ca_pl=&ca_pos=1t1&ca_cid=12623861&ca_agid=4385794326&ca_caid=87919326&ca_adid=26031303246&ca_chid=2001681&mqso=81049116&awmatchtype=e&awnetwork=g&awcreative=26031303246&awkeyword=netflix&awposition=1t1&awexpid=&gclid=CKfaqf3btbsCFfHMtAodSWkAiw
(Accessed 16/12/13)
22)Sciencedaily: http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/c/computer-generated_imagery.htm
(Accessed 17/12/13)
23) Firstshowing Image: http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/the-hulks-cgi-finally-gets-upgraded/
(Accessed 17/12/13)
No comments:
Post a Comment