Key Terms:

Obsolescence: The state of being out of use or no longer useful.
RFID: Radio Frequency Identification. THIS link gives more info.
Peer-to-peer software: The generic name for software such as KaZaA that allows users to connect directly to each other in order to share resources.

Gavin Luhr-the perils of new media technologies

http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/engine/mm/subscribe_mm/base/past_base.php?Link=New%20technologies

A summary of this article (the key points)
They take your money …

• Obsolescence is purposely built into new media products in order to perpetuate the consumer cycle e.g mobile phone upgrades every 12/18 months
• Average household spending on new media has risen dramatically in the last ten years. Mobile phones, multi-channel TV, broadband subscriptions, and online gaming subscriptions; products or services which 10 years ago either didn’t exist or were considered luxuries are now ‘essentials’ for modern existence.

… they steal your privacy

• Google has the ability to remember every search you’ve made, Amazon remembers the items you’ve browsed on its site, supermarkets know what you’ve bought; your ISP can track the websites that you visit etc. By taking advantage of the opportunities new media technologies offer, we often unwittingly give up our privacy.
• Many institutions are concerned about the security implications of mobile phones and PDAs as they may be used to steal valuable information, given their ubiquity and improved features such as data storage and good quality camera functions.
• Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are another innovation that could have consequences for civil liberties. They can be almost invisible to the naked eye, yet are capable of reporting on the exact location of the object to which they are attached. Retail makes biggest use of them at the moment, but who knows how else they could be employed.

… and they turn you to crime

• Billions of music files have been illegally swapped using peer-to-peer software such as the original Napster and KaZaA
• The culture of the Internet is seen as privileging collaboration and community; to many it is a symbol of what can be achieved without corporate interference.
• NMTs often provide environments in which the unacceptable becomes acceptable: the theft of ‘virtual’ items such as songs or films on the Internet; the assault and murder of innocent bystanders for entertainment on games consoles. Manhunt and the Grand Theft Auto series have been cited in legal cases involving young people apparently copying the violence they have already ‘practised’ in a virtual environment
• The dark side of Second Life for example, researchers found areas where child prostitution and indecent behaviour were found.
• Traditional systems of censorship and classification are futile; sex, violence and crime are increasingly available online or in console games. Operation Ore, the police investigation into child pornography on the Internet, has thrown up a shocking result: there were initially too many offenders to pursue them all. Are there no limits to what is acceptable when packaged as ‘virtual’?

Environmental issues:

• We all contribute to the environmental disaster inflicted by the production, and rapid discarding of, the latest must-have gadgets.
• UK: one million tonnes of electronic waste is generated each year, much of it full of hazardous substances.
• US: 70% of the heavy metals found in landfill sites originated from ‘e-waste’, an enormous health issue, particularly if allowed to contaminate groundwater.
• A UN study in early 2004 found that 1.8 tonnes of raw material is consumed during the production of the average desktop computer.

The phone mast threat:

• The potential danger posed by mobile phone masts has meant that local protest groups are abundant around proposed sites for new masts, particularly when they are to be located near schools.
• Some dismiss such objections as alarmist, but in an Internet search you will find lots of ‘evidence’ of the dangers. e.g. increased electromagnetic waves are suspected by some to have interfered with the reproductive capabilities of sparrows. There are now 75% fewer sparrows in London since 1994, a period that has seen the dramatic growth of mobile phone use.
• As our cities, schools and homes become increasingly reliant on wireless communications, what will be the consequences for our health? This is particularly relevant since the publication of research showing that under-10s should not be using mobile phones.
• In the media, new technologies are frequently presented as liberating, empowering and inspiring forces. However, their ‘newness’ means that their longer term implications are still not yet fully known. Only time will tell whether we should celebrate their massive potential – or beware their dark side.

4OD ad-funded shows

This article taught me that Channel 4 makes money through the advertising on its 4OD version of on demand telvesion.
QUOTE: "The shows will be supported by pre-roll advertising and sponsorship packages.
The first advertisers include Dulux, sponsor of Ugly Betty, L'Oreal, Tourism Australia and Bodyform.
"We want Channel 4 viewers to be able to see our shows in a format, time and platform to suit them and to make the process as simple as possible," said Jeff Ford, director of acquisitions and Film4."

BBC iPlayer risks overloading the internet

This article from the times online, called BBC iPlayer 'risks overloading the internet' informed me of a number of key points, facts and figures to include in my exam:

• BBC iPlayer is estimated to be worth approx £831 million
• Viewers are now watching more than one million BBC programmes online each week.
• iPlayer accounts for between 3 and 5 per cent of all internet traffic in Britain, with the first episode of The Apprentice watched more than 100,000 times via a computer, according to the BBC
• There were 17.2 million requests to watch programmes last month, an increase of 25 per cent on February.
• The BBC is trying to increase the scope of the service by making its iPlayer service available via the Nintendo Wii, allowing owners who are unable to stop playing in time for their favourite programmes to catch up with them later (approx t2.5 million homes with a Wii)

Digital TV Timeline

Click HERE to see a timeline showing the development of digital tv and changes in how we consume tv over time.

Issue : BBC 'opens floodgates' to iPlayer hackers

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/13/digitalvideo.television
· Anti-piracy breach allows unrestricted downloads
· Corporation says it is working to close loophole
This article has taught me that hackers are able to get through the BBCs anti-piracy systems to gain access to programmes on iPlayer. This causes problems with copyright protection.
Quote: "One of the hackers responsible said it took him only 12 minutes to find the loophole and make it work - but that such a simple hack potentially opened up every programme on iPlayer for unlimited downloading.
"The BBC accidentally opened the floodgates and gave the world DRM-free downloads," said one hacker with knowledge of the breach. "If only it were down to something other than poor design, decisions and ineptitude."
Also, the decision to incorporate anti-piracy protections has angered some campaigners, who believe that British citizens should have unprotected access to shows for which they have already paid with their TV licence fee.

Issues and Debates

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/psb_review/digitalpsb/ "Digital PSB - Public Service Broadcasting post Digital Switchover"

Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7092822.stm " The town of Whitehaven in Cumbria has become the first place in the UK to turn off the analogue signal as part of the official switchover to digital TV. " The article explains that all ran smoothly, with little confusion, however David Sinclair, head of policy at Help the Aged, thinks more needs to be done to ensure the switchover runs smoothly across the rest of the UK.
"There are still analogue products on the market and we believe there should be mandatory labelling of analogue products and products which won't work after switchover without an adaptation," he said. "At the moment there are people still going into shops and buying products which may not work in a year's time," he added. Meanwhile, Digital UK played down reports that France's digital switchover scheme, which is scheduled to end in November 2011, might interfere with the digital terrestrial signal in parts of southern England.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/6291668.stm According to BBC NEWS, "About a quarter of households at the forefront of the UK's digital TV switchover have yet to convert. With just under 100 days to go until Whitehaven's analogue signal is turned off, approximately 6,000 homes have not upgraded their equipment."

This article clearly links with my hypothesis, as it relates to who is able to make changes to work with the changes taking place, and who is left behind (information rich&poor)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/sep/24/mondaymediasection.television2 "Teenage kicks-BBC Switch is a cross-platform initiative that hopes to capture the elusive 12 to 16-year-old market". This article talks about how the BBC is trying to appeal to 12 to 16 year olds, and some of the issues the BBC faces including the competition from iPods, mobiles, and online entertainment from site such as Bebo and MySpace.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3067137.stm ''BBC faces debates over future role" - Key Quotes:

• The growth in digital TV has fractured the BBC's traditional audience, who are asking questions about the need for a licence fee which funds services they either cannot receive or do not watch.
• The BBC is criticised if they make programmes that are not popular but are worthy, and it is also criticised if it makes programmes which reach millions of people.
• The corporation has faced a large amount of criticism in the last 12 months from commercial rivals concerned that the BBC is encroaching into their territory.

Case study feedback #2

Well done Danny - very thorough research. You should now look at the links on PSB on the TWGSB blog and also consider how digital TV will enhance viewers experience of consuming television. Consider all the ways in which it is improved from analogue TV (timeshift technology, VoD, HD TV etc)

Also - what are the issues now for broadcasters with more fragmented audiences? (think about advertising revenue) What are the challenges facing them in producing HD TV programming? (think about renovating studio costs).

Also - do we ALL benefit from HD / VoD? Or does this create a digital divide?

Digital Switchover

From researching the ITV website in order to discover how they were marketing their product ('catch up'), i found these pages which were extremely relevant:
http://www.itv.com/Help/DigitalSwitchoverHelp/Timetableforswitching/default.html
http://www.itv.com/Help/DigitalSwitchoverHelp/Whatisit/default.html
From reading these pages I found a link to the 'digitaluk' website.
What is "Digital UK" ?
http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/
Digital UK is the independent, non-profit organisation leading the process of digital TV switchover in the UK. Digital UK provides impartial information on what people need to do to prepare for the move to digital, and when they need to do it. The company also works with digital TV platform operators, equipment manufacturers, installers, retailers, rental companies and consumer groups to coordinate the technical rollout of digital television across the UK. Digital UK was set up at the request of the Government. They work with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department of Trade and Industry, as well as the regulator Ofcom, to prepare the UK for the biggest change in broadcasting since the introduction of colour. Digital UK is owned by the UK’s public service broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, S4C and Teletext), and multiplex operators SDN and National Grid Wireless.
http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/when
This website contains all the information you need to know about when the switchover takes place. You can even enter your postcode and find out when your region will switch. I found out that Kent will switch in 2012.

Region	Switchover happens in
Border	2008 - 09
West Country, Granada	2009
Wales	2009 - 10
West, STV North	2010 - 11
STV Central	2010 - 11
Central, Yorkshire, Anglia	2011
Meridian,London,	2012
Tyne Tees,Ulster,	2012

What are the institutions doing?

BBC iPlayer
I decided to research how the institutions (such as the BBC) were 'selling' their products (iPLayer in this case) to the audiences.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/channels/iplayer.shtml
I wanted to find out what exactly BBC iPlayer was. The website above told me that:

"BBC iPlayer is the easy-to-use service that lets you access television programmes via your PC. It offers seven-day catch-up television and now also incorporates radio 'listen again' and live streaming. The TV programmes are free for UK licence fee payers, at high quality and with no advertising. Once you have downloaded a programme to your computer you have 30 days within which to start watching and seven days to finish watching it"

I then decided to research how the BBC was 'selling' iPlayer to the audiences

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/

"With BBC iPlayer you can catch up with the programmes from the past seven days you've missed or want to watch again free of charge by playing them direct on the BBC iPlayer website or downloading them to your computer. As long as you are in the UK and connected to the internet you can:

• Find programmes you want to catch up on or watch again from the past seven days and watch them on the website through a method known as streaming.
• Download and store them on your computer for up to 30 days if you have a Windows PC.
• Play back high quality programmes on your computer as often as you like during the time that the programme is available."

4od
http://www.channel4.com/4od/index.html
Channel 4 has also decided to make programmes available digitally through 4od (on demand). I visited the above website to see how C4 were marketing 4od. It said:
"This is 4od, the best of channel 4, on demand
With hundreds of hours of TV, films and music, you can watch what you want, when you want. Catch up on the last 30days' TV for free
Enjoy 100s of classic shows for free
Pre-book your favourite shows and never miss a thing"

Hypothesis

In order to give my case study some structure, i have developed a hypothesis which i will prove either correct or incorrect. 

"The switch from analogue to digital television is beneficial to information rich citizens, but leaves behind those who are information poor."

case study feedback #1

Well done - perceptive analysis - keep up the good work!

Useful Links

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wIIjT3xotHU - What is the Digital Transition?
This video (from the USA) informed me that you don't have to buy a new TV for the digital switch over, but you can buy a converter (like the RCA DTA 800) which will allow ur analogue TV to pick up digital signals. The video also informed me that this switch over takes place midnight Feb 17th 2009, but i believe this is just the case in the USA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re_zirX84xI&NR=1 - DTV 101: A Consumer's Guide to Digital Television. This video (also from the USA) told me a number of facts, including:

• Switch to all digital transmition means that the analogue specturum is free to those who really need it e.g emergency services.
  
• Cable/satellite viewers are not likely to be affected. However, those without this service may need to make some changes.
• You can receive more free channels, higher quality viewing experience and high definition programming if you choose.
• Analogue system: television signal is received through magnetic waves which can repeat and interfere with eachother, causing poor picture quality like ghosting, colour shifts and lines across the screen
• Digital systems: signal sent as 1s and 0s reducing problems with quality and allows broadcasters to send more info to your TV. In general...Digital TV sounds and looks better than analogue.

Googlezon

Some interesting research:
Taken from Wikiepedia
Googlezon is a fictional company created when Google merges with Amazon.com in the popular flash movie EPIC 2014, released in November 2004. As the story goes, Google, having consolidated all of its services into the Google Grid – a "universal platform that provides a functionally limitless amount of storage space and bandwidth to store and share media of all kinds" – and Amazon.com, with its "social recommendation engine" and "huge commercial infrastructure" combine forces to battle with Microsoft and its fictional Newsbotster in the "News Wars of 2010" which are "notable for the fact that no actual news organizations take part". Googlezon triumphs and unleashes EPIC (Evolving Personalized Information Construct), a universal, personalized news submission and distribution system that is so popular it effectively puts the fourth estate out of business.

Taken from this website:
The Museum of Media History takes us from the present, when citizen journalism, blogging, TiVo and social networking have taken firm hold, to a halfway realistic furture where the "Evolving Personalized Information Construct" is born.
EPIC, as it would be known involoves the merger of Google and Amazon to form Googlezon, the death of the NYT and the personalization of every conceivable aspect of media and product consumption.

In conclusion, the video talks of a greater breadth and depth of information in 2014 that was previously unavailable. The press, no longer exists as we know it. Citizen journalism is much more prevalent with people being payed by googlezon a small portion of their advertising money in proportion to how popular their news story is.

"We're all reporters in the digital democracy"

Emily Bell, Monday 20, 2006, The Guardian
Questions:
1) What is citizen journalism?
Citizen journalism (also known as witness contributors, user-generated content) is the term used when talking about the change in journalism in terms of the amount of contribution that citizens can now partake in with modern day journalism. The article says "Once a passive receptor for messages from newspapers, radio and television, media consumers are now making themselves heard in a rapid move towards the democratisation of media."
2) What are the ideas that Emily Bell presents in her article?

• Journalism has shifted from employed, proffesional reporters to citizen journalism due to NMTs such as mobile phones with cameras, the ability to post blogs etc. Quote: "What has changed over the past three years has been the speed, volume, and type of responce that has been made possible by the internet, broadband delivery and digitised media".
• If 9/11 happened today, "there would be thousands of mobile phone still images, dozens and dozens of short videa clips also shot on phones, instant and continuous blogging of the event". "Only five years later, no one doubts that the reporting of the event would be very different".
• Blogging is risky-how do you police it? E.g. blog on the Guardian's website creates controversy as it is hard to control what people post, and some things have to be stopped as they are posted under the Guardian's page.
• "Is it a cynical expolitation of free material? Not really - I am sure we are not far from the point where citizen journalists ask for payment for their best exclusive material, but the nature of the relationship is essentially participatory."
• "The idea that what the professional journalist can provide will always in all circumstances be qualitatively better than a citizen journalist is not true anymore - if it ever was.