Put the TVs Where the People Are

This is just an idea I have for the broadcast industry to keep up with the ever changing media. I've already established that people no longer take the time to sit in front of the TV every night; people are always on the go. The industry has adapted by making media accessible on computers/ipods etc., rather than just on the TV. The news industry particularly has invested in doing a 24-hours news rather than just the 5:00 newscast in order for people to get news anytime, anywhere. But I don't think this is enough.
If people aren't going to sit in front of their TV anymore, we need to bring the TV's to the people. Yes, you can get it online, but people aren't always sitting in front of their desk anymore...their on the go. I propose putting TV's in cars, subways and other public places. This might be the only way to get people to watch. Some gas stations, planes, restaurants and businesses already have TVs. But this isn't enough. I think the networks should push for TV's in high-traffic areas in order to get things seen. They would have to specialize the format, but at least this way advertisers would know it's being watched by using eye-tracking devices (as mentioned earlier). If the consumer won't go to the TV, news stations will just have to bring the TV to the consumer.

Does Anyone Look at Those Ads

This is mostly a big one for advertising. But a company called Xuuk created a device that can tell exactly how many people look at a billboard add. They have found a way to use infrared technology to tell if a pair of eyeballs looks at an ad or not. To explain how it works, you know how you always get that bad 'red-eye' look in pictures. Well this eye-tracking device works kind of the same way and has found a way to use the light reflected from your eyes and measure to see how many people actually look at the direction of the ad. This will have a big impact on the advertising industry because they now know if people are actually looking at their ads. This will definitely make advertising more effective because before advertisers just kind of posted their ads blindly hoping that a lot of people think about them. For more info click here

But this kind of brings up a point that Postman was talking about in his book, "Technopoly." More work goes into advertising than the actual products they're advertising.
"commercials are rarely about the character of the products. it is about the character of the consumers of products...What the advertiser needs to know is not what is right about the product but what is wrong about the buyer. and so the balance of business expenditures shifts from product research to market research, which means orienting business away from making products of value and toward making consumers fell valuable." More work goes into advertising than the actual products they're advertising.

360 Degrees

I think one thing that’s really big in broadcasting that is really important right now is new high-tech cameras. There’s one called iPIX cameras that take video 360 degrees. It’s called the V360 and in Popular Mechanics, it says that “when this technology called iPIX Movies, gains acceptance, it could revolutionize the world of entertainment.” Broadcasting is all about bringing the story to the audience. If they can get a 360 view of the area, it will seem even more real to them. This also has the ability to make things more interactive for the viewers because they can choose all the different angles of the video that they want to watch. They no longer have to depend on the videographer to decide what to show them.The camera is also really small, smaller than a cell phone and the content can also be broadcast live. I think this is really good at making broadcasts more live. (Photo by Michel Tcherevkoff of Popular Mechanics). F0r more info

Internet TV

PBS (Public Broadcasting Station) has found a way to broadcast their programming to all the different stations that will change the way the station is run. Instead of distributing their programming by using expensive satellites, they have found a way to use IT technology to stream their programming by using Internet Protocol (IP) delivery. Because most of PBS’s programming is not broadcast live, but pre-recorded, it makes it possible for them to stream over the internet. Not only is using the internet cheaper than using satellites, it also makes a lot less work for the employees who run the station. Most of the equipment used is self-monitoring and can be controlled remotely. Now they can spend less time running the equipment, and more time working on the actual program that’s going on. This is just one more example of how the industry is moving towards the internet, and away from more traditional methods of broadcasting For more info click here

Control Technology

Technology is changing so fast it is almost impossible to keep up with it. I know that's an obvious statement, but it's growing so fast that we now need new technology just to control our technology. In the book Technopoly, Neil Postman says:

"Technology increases the available supply of information. As the supply is increased, control mechanisms are strained. Additional control mechanisms are needed to cope with new information. When additional control mechanisms are themselves technical, they in turn further increase the supply of information. When the supply of information is no longer controllable, a general breakdown in psychic tranquility and social purpose occurs."

Although I don't agree that a breakdown will occur, I do agree that some type of control is needed to keep things in order. Take You-Tube for example. This video site is a great resource for video, but if everyone can get their video from this free website, then how are TV shows and movies supposed to make any money? If they can't make money then they will stop making them and I know I would have a breakdown without my TV. But luckily we have control technology. Companies like Philips are developing "video fingerprinting technologies" that can detect whether an uploaded video is pirated or not. This is one way to make sure ensure copyright protections. For more information click here

All Wired Up? Not for long...

I have to say, by having all these techno-gadgets around I sure have to do a lot of charging up. It seems I always have to charge my ipod, phone, camera or computer. It is such a pain when the batteries run out because then the object is useless. But a new thing called “WiTricity” could change that. MIT scientists found a way to charge things wirelessly. If you’re in a room equipped with wireless power your device will charge automatically. But if you have to be in a certain room anyway to use it, wouldn’t it be just as easy to plug it in. I think the only benefit is not having to remember to plug anything in (which I often do forget until it’s too late).
I think this technology still has a little way to go; they need to find a way to send the electricity directly and not let harmful radiation emit into all directions. Personally, I would rather have a battery that didn’t require charging period. But this just goes to show it won’t be long until everything is wireless. For more information about the discovery go here: For more info click here

Lightning Speed Online Video Streaming

This is actually a company founded right in American Fork, Utah. It's called Movie Networks and they hosts the "world's largest Internet video collection." They have developed technology that allows you to stream video online almost instantaneously. You can also pause, rewind and fast forward without having to wait for long buffering times. Some of the big networks have already picked up this new technology to stream their TV shows online.
This is great for people like me who don't watch the tube anymore, but choose rather to lead a more flexible TV-watching schedule and watch my shows online. Their technology is unmatched by any other competitors.
The only question I have with all of this is what about the commercials? No one likes watching them, but they are how these elaborate TV shows are funded. And if you have the ability to navigate back and forth in a video won't you be able to just skip through the commercials? Are advertisers going to want to pay for these TV spots when know one is going to watch them? I think not.