Tim McCall Weblog

Before this class I never visited TMZ.com now I find myself going there more and more when Im bored at work… Today they have a live streaming broadcast from a resturant in LA… It’s kind of boring but is interesting because they are trying something new and I think that we will see this more and more…

This article is about Heroes and how the creator is listening to fans about how the first couple episodes sucked…

Apparently fan input does matter… Thank god it does, because I was getting ready to stop watching prior to the latest episode…

It is amazing to me how search engines have grown. They have always been something that I’ve taken for granted. Up until recently I thought that they were just there for searches and there wasnt that much room for growth. This was very naiive and just another example of not seeing the potential in something that will no doubt has and will change society. With the additions of things like g-mail, rss readers, and competition for position within a search query, search engines are in charge of the internet.

I do think that there is an issue with the “ranking” system. Do they rank strictly on hits? This is something I don’t know but I know that I have never been past the fourth page on Google when I conduct a search. A lot of people have not been past page four, and this is why the rankings are so powerful. I wonder though if this takes away from the essence of the internet itself. Obviously the people with the money are going to be able to buy their positions on search pages. This could be the downfall of search engines like Google. If a smaller business wants to get reckognized and knows that they won’t show up until the 6th or 7th page, we might to see a revolt of sorts against the site. If they get too big this could cause problems.

Introduction

1. Viewing and usage of online video and television is on the rise as Internet users are becoming active participants.
2. Traditional television watching is not necessarily decreasing, but there is a struggle of content control as audience participation is changing.
3. Producers/broadcasters will have to look at new methods of reaching an audience through technology and allowing collaboration.

Traditional television

1. Internet is not slowly killing television.
2. Television companies are actively supporting Internet viewing and audience participation.
3. Competition is not the answer, Collaboration is.

Technology

1. New technologies are equipping the active viewer to produce their own content.
2. Streaming influences
3. Mobile phone influences
4. IPTV?
5. TV Sites
6. The future of On Demand
7. Wiki Video

Audience participation and collaboration

1. Viewers will begin to demand control of television content through web forums and blogging.
2. Producers/broadcasters will have to relinquish some control or find methods to control the active user’s abilities.
3. Advertisers will have to rely on Internet user’s to create their ads.
4. Technologies will allow people to overrun content on current affairs and the news.

What the viewer wants is what the viewer will get

1. Websites dedicated to web video and television are catering to the needs and wants of the user (joost.com, jumpcut.com, etc)
2. Professional versus Amateur presentation and viewing qualities.

Conclusion

1. Traditional television will never completely die, however formats and content will change.
2. Audience participation will inevitably change content and delivery of television.
3. Producers/broadcasters/advertisers will have to relinquish some content control to the viewers.

After reading the articles dealing with ubiquitous and moblie media I started wondering if we will ever reach a plateau again. Is this transitional phase going to slow down, or will advancements be so fast that we won’t have time to enjoy them. With the developments of personal fabricator machines, that question gets a little fuzzy. If a personal fabrication machine is eventually in every household similar to the PC’s today, then we will be able to make advancements at our own pace. There are some questions that arise in this world that exists down the road. If we all have machines that can make anything we want, what else will we need? Where will we work? What challenges would we face in everyday life. I mean if we have a machine that can make anything that we imagine along with personal storage of everything we encounter throughout a day, I think we might all become complete lazyasses.

I like lying in my bed after a long day and thinking about the things I did and learned. Sometimes it is a challenge to remeber exact conversations, or what a person was wearing, but my memory is not so bad that I need something to keep every second of my life on record. To me it just seems a little over the top to want your whole life stored to a hard drive. Ok so the old school in me is coming out again, but some things were definitley meant to be forgotten. One thing that I have found to be true is that time heals most wounds. It sounds stupid but forgetting something can definitley be beneficial to a person. I also do see how a database that has all this content can be beneficial as well when it is under control. The thing that freaks me out is that some people let the content control them.

Celly

I’m a little more comfortable when we bring it back down to earth and talk about the advancement of cell phone technology. The article Shibuya Epiphany was interesting to me because it first made me want to get a better cell phone, and second think about them in a totally different way. The whole concept of telegraph to telephone is something that I enjoy simply because of the fact that they werent meant to do what people have done with them. The social adaptation of technology is what drives this major part of our economy. The cell phone was simply set up to be a phone you can use on the go, but in a few years I doubt there will even be anything as a cell phone. The cell phone is going to be our PC. The capabilities are already starting to pile up and it is becoming engrained in our culture. It is interesting that the United States is considered second rate when it comes to cell phone technology. If cell phones are the PC of the future, shouldn’t we get on that. I think that whoever does “get on that” as far as moble wireless connection and streaming video will be the top dog for a long time to come….

The topic of our Whitepaper includes The future of interactive television in regards to collaboration, production, technology and delivery techniques.

Deery, June (2003) TV.com: Participatory viewing on the Web. Journal of Popular Culture, 37(2), 161.

In this article, Deery investigates the use of the Web by television viewers and producers. She identifies that society is entering into a type of hybrid of Web-TV technology where technology will change into a type of ‘intermedium’. This article covers the current trends (at least of 2003) of television content and audience participation, foretelling new relationships that will develop between viewers and producer/corporation/performer. Deery also writes that the producers and the corporations will forever seek to control the process to serve commercial interests.

Dornfield, Barry Producing Public Television, Producing Public Culture.
New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1998.

This book discusses how a television show is developed and produced and the role that public television has had on culture. He discusses the idea that they are producers of culture and he also discusses the idea that they are all also consumers by envisioning their audience.

Eronen, Leena. (2003) User Centered Research for Interactive Television. Proceedings of the 2003 European Conference on Interactive Television: From Viewers to Actors (April 2-4, Brighton, UK), University of Brighton, 5-12.

The paper written by Leena Eronen builds upon creative consumer research based on advancement in technology. After a brief history of research methods, and “field trips” to test subject’s workplaces and homes, it is decided that Qualitative interviews will be the method used in this study. Like multimedia testing and television-VCR combo before it, the set top box is implicated as the next big step in television technology. Four study participants were given artists renditions of future technology and asked questions about set top box technology during the two hour interviews. The importance of the article lies in the human element, and user feedback. Although specific technology was not discussed, a better understanding of usability is presented.

Fleury, J.F. (2005) IPTV: The Need for Standards. Communications Technology.

This article discussed the advantages of standardized IPTV. The author discusses some of the issues such as positive and negative aspects of working on an IP network that is present. As with all relatively new technologies many things need to be worked out before the public can get its’ hands on it. Issues such as subscriber management and the actual delivery equipment design are discussed. If IPTV is to dominate the market then these issues will need to be worked out. If the public believes in IPTV then the relationship between television and internet will be closer than ever. If IPTV does come to dominate the market, this has very positive implications for interactive television.

Ha, Louisa. (2002) Enhanced Television Strategy Models: A Study of TV Web Sites. Electronic Networking Applications and Policy, 12(3), 235-247.

Louisa Ha provides an extensive Content Analysis of web television features and usability. Though a little outdated (2002), it is evidence that there is in essence a race against time to have the newest television technologies, and take control of the web. The article helps give an understanding of how different media outlets are using the web, mainly focusing on broadcast, cable, and independent networks and the actual content that is being delivered. The content was then broken down into, fan-based, game-based, information-based, and programming-based. The article helps producers to understand user’s needs and wants, as well as unnecessary features for interactive television.

Jana, Rittwak, and Jora, Serban. (2006) From IPTV to Mobile TV to IMS-TV?: Implications and standards for a network operator. IPTV workshop International World Wide Web Conference (May 23, Edinburgh, Scotland).

A follow up to the writings of Fleury and others, this article discusses the convergence of fixed, mobile, and P2P technologies. With a strict emphasis on the technology itself, the article also talks about IPTV, DMB, and mobile television. Some issues that have arisen deal with “traffic control”, and getting everyone on board with the idea. The pros and cons of current cell phone technologies such as DMB-H are explained with implications for the future. More and more we are receiving media on our hand held devices. Television broadcasters are slowly accepting that the future of interactive television has much to benefit from mobile technologies.

Lawton, Christopher (2007). Video for Everyman. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 24, 2007, from http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119076444203939332.html

This article provides information that the common person is taking a greater interest in home recording and editing. With the advances and affordability of video recording, consumers are finding it easier to record anything. And since file sharing is such a huge trend, these technologies are allowing simple loading and manipulation. This article provides support that current trends are paving a new road for sharing and editing. Internet and software companies are also identifying these trends and are working on ways to monopolize on them.

Lee, Seungwhan, and Kwak Kyun, Dong. (2005) TV in Your Cell Phone: The Introduction of Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) in Korea. Telecommunications Policy Research Conference (September 24, Arlington, VA), Indiana University.

While Japan is known as the technology Mecca in the Far East, this article discusses that South Korea might be the leader by far in the ever important area of mobile television. With the invention of the DMB mobile television service, citizens of Korea enjoy streaming media and broadcasts on their cell phones. The article gives a history of the technology as well as how South Korea was the first to perfect this technique. Also discussed are the Government regulations and issues that have arisen since the advent of this groundbreaking technology.

Needle, David (2007). Video Meets the Web Meets TV. Retrieved October 24, 2007, from http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3706386

The argument of this article is that Internet and Web TV are not taking away from the ratings of traditional TV. Most important, television companies are looking at ways to bring more television to the Internet and enhance viewer activity through commenting and discussing. There is also a mention of sponsors encouraging viewer sponsored ads. This article takes a brief look at the argument that television corporations are actively supporting Internet television and possible new trends that will arise for the active viewer.

Nie, Norman H., Erbring, Lutz (2002). Internet and Society: A Preliminary Report. IT & Society 1(1), 275-283.

This report looks at the revolution of information technology and how it has affected the lives of the average person. The study draws results from a random sample of American adults and measures the time they spend on the Internet and the loss of contact to their social environment. It was also found that the more time people spend on the Internet, the more they ignored traditional media. The impact of time spent on the Internet and the change of the average person’s attention affects other media in varying degrees, forcing them to create new ways to cater these changes.

Niranen, Samuli. Digital Interactive TV and Metadata: Future Broadcast Multimedia. Springer, 2004.

This book discusses how television has made the consumer a passive participant in television and how the Internet has made the consumer active. The book suggests that in the future the consumer will be more active in television and that it is rapidly changing.

Owen, Bruce M. (1999). The Internet Challenge. Harvard University Press.

Noted communications economist Bruce Owens takes a look at the changing technologies of television and other mediums. Using the economic history of the televisions industry and the effects of government regulation and technologies, Owens provides a glimpse into the future of the television industry and how it might be affected by the Internet. This book will provide an outlook into past thoughts of the future and where society falls now in those thoughts, leaving insight as to what may lay in the future.

Palmer, Gareth (2006). Coming together: Thedatingchannel.com and the future of television. Journal of Media Practice, 7(2).

In this article, Gareth Palmer discusses the meaning and development of interactive television. He takes a look at the dating channel “as a platform for portraits of the self and the community” as a way to reveal connections between convergence, interactivity and the community. He uses this model to define interactivity and its future meaning as viewers and users move from passive to active. Future applications of interactive media are also mentions, such as news and current affairs generated by users and interaction through mobile phones. What is important to identify is the need two-way communication.

Wilson, Tony. The Playful Audience: From Talk Show Viewers to Internet.
New Jersey: Hampton Press Inc, 2004.

He argues that television and the Internet are very similar and goes into depth about why they are similar. Then he discusses how this is leading to a convergence of the media and the consumption of this media.

Zittrain, Jonathan. (2007) The Future of the Internet–And How To Stop It. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008.

In this article, the TIVO technology is discussed. The history of the technology is given as well as its future implications. The article states that the, “Internet is a fluke”, merely something that anyone has claim to. The author states that need to learn from its capabilities and use it for other advancements such. An uncommonly negative opinion of the TIVO is expressed, stating that it provides comfort to those who refuse to take the next step in regards to technology. The article challenges television viewers to think outside the box and rethink the way we view content.