A commentary on how television has evolved since its inception
During the second half of the 20th century, television established itself as the main source of information, with a critical influence in shaping modern society. Although a unidirectional communication medium, it was able to reach most people in the developed world, deeply affecting their culture and beliefs. Special events like the first steps of a man on the moon were transmitted, instantly and around the world, through this magic box. It reigned supreme as the number one medium for spreading news, events, thoughts and ideas, evolving and adapting, over time, to what it is today.
These days, most people have specific expectations from TV programs, although these can be widely diverse. When someone turns on a TV or zaps through different channels, one of a limited type of programs is expected to be found, and although from time to time something different does come along, those are exceptions. The unchanging landscape that inhabits television programming has been hardly criticized in the past, and is one of the main themes of Newton N. Minow’s speech "Television and the Public Interest", widely acclaimed as one of the best speeches ever made.
Although this kind of regular, steady programming can bring some comfort to many viewers who dislike changes, the more active and technology friendly people have begun to use less constraining alternatives. These people tend to rely on the Internet for news and information, and prefer to acquire DVDs or download digital files to get movies and series. By choosing these more versatile alternatives, they gain flexibility and are released from time limitations. From information to commerce, from business to entertainment, the internet has taken over for some of us.
However, this does not mean that the Internet will replace television. The “small screen” does have two main trumps over its adversary and its biggest limitation is its key advantage – simplicity. Being so flexible and powerful, an Internet connected device tends to be a complex gadget with a steep learning curve, and many users prefer simplicity to flexibility, a tradeoff that is hard to overcome.
The second advantage of television is even harder to thwart. A computer is, in many ways, an inherently individual gadget, i.e., it allows only one user at a time in order to provide an adequate experience. On the other hand, a TV program can be watched in groups and this may even enhance the perceived quality of the program.
Television: The Evolution of Services & Features
Trying to overcome some of the limitations of TV, while maintaining its overall simplicity, has been a tough challenge for manufacturers and service providers. Most recent innovations have been focused on mitigating the primary drawbacks, without modifying the overall experience. The change of television broadcast technology from analogue to digital is critical in this evolution, by improving quality while releasing much needed transmission bandwidth. Digital TV allows for superior video and audio quality, a signal more impervious to interferences, and the easy deployment of new services.
Electronic Programming Guides (EPGs) are a perfect example of an important new service, by providing added value to the consumer while hardly increasing complexity of use. Interactive TV provides information and flexibility previously unattainable in a TV set, without disturbing the viewers who choose not to use the service. Other possible features include parental controls, using the renowned V-Chip and derived technologies, and the possibility to manage copyrighted works.
Digital Video Recorders (DVR), the modern VCR replacement, greatly diminish the television’s inherent time restrictions. However, these have been approached cautiously by the industry due to the possibly disruptive effects on TV commercials and related income, as well as the amount of control relinquished to the user.
One of the main areas of interest in the digital content world is control. Enormous amounts of money have been funneled into the creation of various Digital Rights Management (DRM) schemes, but the perfect balance of providing flexibility for the legitimate consumer, while protecting the interests of the content providers has yet to be achieved.
The Japanese DRM scheme is called Rights Management and Protection (RMP). This feature is implemented in ISDB, the digital television format adopted in Japan, and allows for the broadcaster to choose one of three modes for any program: “Copy once”, “Copy free” and “Copy never”. In the “Copy once” mode, a user would be allowed to record the show to a DVR, without being able to copy it.
The European system for DRM is called Content Protection & Copy Management (DVB-CPCM) and it allows users to record protected content and reproduce it any device included in a so-called "Authorized Domain". This domain is defined as a distinguishable set of DVB-CPCM compliant devices, which are owned, rented, or otherwise controlled by members of a single household. Devices in remote locations such as cars or vacation homes may be included in the same domain, allowing a reasonable amount of user freedom while restricting redistribution of copyrighted material.
Although DVB-CPCM is a rather unrestrictive form of DRM, some Fair Use concerns have been raised by organizations, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, due to concerns over the lack of safeguards protecting education, criticism and free speech. Nevertheless, the possibility for highly complex and flexible systems is real. More elaborate DRM schemes could limit a recorded program’s number of reproductions, or could render it unusable after a defined date.
While these new capabilities and restrictions will define how people interact with their televisions, the main focus of current technological evolution remains the same: convergence. The technological devices that people use in their everyday lives have slowly begun to combine their respective features. Cell phones that take pictures, PDAs that allow phone calls, and cameras that play digital music files are just some of the devices everyone can acquire. Nokia’s N95 is a wonderful example of the all-purpose device.
The same tendency holds true for TV. Some programs are now broadcast through the Internet while many TV series are sold on DVD and through online media stores. Cellular phones in some countries can receive digital TV broadcasts, and you can watch a pre-recorded TV show almost everywhere: on a laptop, a Portable Media Center (PMC) or even on a cell phone. Young consumers around the world embrace these new products as they remove constraints imposed by former technological limitations.
The ever-greater ubiquity of advanced technologies, empowering virtually anyone to become a content producer, imposes further challenges to television studios and broadcasters. These days, with a digital camera, a few computer applications, and a distribution website - like YouTube - anyone can create their own content and spread it to millions.
There is a brave new world looming ahead waiting to be discovered. I’ll come back later with more about the future of TV, technological convergence, and its social impacts in the near future.
"The whole principle [of censorship] is wrong. It's like demanding that grown men live on skim milk because the baby can't have steak." -- Robert Heinlein
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