Monday, February 28, 2005
Radio without the waves
Broadcasting via the internet, mentioned previously, is booming according to new statistics for the BBCs 'Listen Again' service. The move towards on-demand content is clearly popular.
Friday, February 25, 2005
Interactive film
Videogames seem to be moving closer to films and vice versa. The capabilities of next-generation consoles are being heralded as bringing photo-realistic graphics and when combined with images of actors, a compelling fusion is possible. Some games already rely heavily on cut-scenes (video clips) that advance the narrative. As the games look more like 'real' films, perhaps interactive films will become viable, although not at the cinema; you might be willing to watch a friend take a leading role in the game you're watching, but one controller for hundreds at a cinema is clearly a bit silly...
Films such as those in the Matrix series, Spiderman and the Lord of the Rings have all used technology that means the main actors at points in the films become virtual: the image of the actors is animated but looks photo-realistic. This has implications for you when considering film: when does a film become an animation? Might actors sell their visual image and voice and do no 'real' acting? For videogames it is also theoretically possible that the digital assets from films, including the actors, could be used to create very authentic looking games. (Even if they look amazing, they might not be much good to play, though...)
Films such as those in the Matrix series, Spiderman and the Lord of the Rings have all used technology that means the main actors at points in the films become virtual: the image of the actors is animated but looks photo-realistic. This has implications for you when considering film: when does a film become an animation? Might actors sell their visual image and voice and do no 'real' acting? For videogames it is also theoretically possible that the digital assets from films, including the actors, could be used to create very authentic looking games. (Even if they look amazing, they might not be much good to play, though...)
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Is the technology or the user to be blamed?
A recent court ruling has added fuel to the debate about the threat of piracy versus creative freedom offered by new technologies. The argument centres around restricting the ability of technology to allow law-breaking; VCRs were cleared of this charge in the mid-1980s, but the issue is back. One group is concerned that devices we today find useful may be rendered unusable if industry bodies get their way. For your exam, you should consider both sides of the argument; the high volume of legal discussion means there is no clearly 'right' answer. For example, peer-to-peer networks have been condemned for allowing illegal file-sharing and praised as the ultimate method of archiving and distributing the world's digital content.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Free Mojtaba and Arash Day
A day of action has been called for today to highlight the issue of repressive regimes and the way in which bloggers are often persecuted. You might take your ability to write whatever you like in a blog for granted; for others, it seems, it can be a matter of life and death. To find out more visit this blog.
Monday, February 21, 2005
What is broadband good for?
The Guardian has an interesting piece on broadband today, highlighting the issue of truly broadband content still not being mainstream. It's a catch-22: developers don't want to create content until the consumer base is more established, and consumers don't always see the benefits of broadband beyond greater speeds so may not sign up. The article also has useful statistics on penetration rates.
And, on Sunday The Observer had a useful column on broadband, again with excellent statistics. I'll not spoil it for you, but if you haven't got a webcam when you've read the article you're going to want one...
And, on Sunday The Observer had a useful column on broadband, again with excellent statistics. I'll not spoil it for you, but if you haven't got a webcam when you've read the article you're going to want one...
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Will copy protection ever work?
Security issues have long dogged legitimate online services offering music. The Napster To Go service mentioned previously seems to be vulnerable to highjacking, allowing users to get almost limitless numbers of tracks for one monthly fee. As the Napster spokeswoman in the CNN report says, though, any system (even the new DVD protection system) is susceptible to circumvention. In preparing for your exam you should reflect on whether legitimate consumers have a right to be annoyed at digital rights management systems. Also, collect statistics to show the increasing importance of download and DVD sales to institutions - it is arguable that they have more need than ever to do what they can to maximise (and protect) revenue streams.
A world with more TV?
Last Thursday's Guardian Online section had a good article on the rise of new TV distribution channels. Included in the article, and associated with other items about the piracy of TV programmes, and general online 'sharing', is the statistic that 10% of internet traffic is the sharing of TV programmes! Another clear illustration of the appetite for on-demand media.
Friday, February 18, 2005
Indie acts missing out
Or is it the consumer that's missing out? The British Phonographic Industry has started a campaign to get more independent record labels involved with the main online music retailers, a clear sign that downloading (legally) is the future.
Time-shifting
It looks like here in the UK many are taking advantage of the opportunity to indulge in a little 'time-shifting' - watching programmes whenever desired, rather than being tied to a schedule. Trouble is, it's not entirely ('at all' seems to be more accurate) legal. But if it means you get to see an episode of 24 you missed, it's fine, isn't it?
Monday, February 14, 2005
Web publishing
To prove the internet is an excellent method of distributing short films, The Guardian have compiled a list of noteworthy recent offerings. You can pay a fairly reasonable sum and have your own film exhibited online at www.student-films.co.uk
Oh yes they can
A few days ago it was reported that mobile phones wouldn't make good media devices for several years... and then Nokia and Microsoft announced plans to collaborate on phones that play music and have storage that can be expanded to 1Gb (as well as facilitating downloading straight to your phone). Remember: just a few days away from your research and you could miss all kinds of exciting ideas being proved as wrong as wrong can be.
Gaming girls
The BBC reveals that there are growing numbers of female online gamers - and they're bringing old fashioned communication and romance to many online gaming communities. It's arguably the case that there have always been girls playing videogames, but as they don't fit the stereotype they have been overlooked. There is also an argument that most games are by boys for boys, perhaps a reason why many games involve big guns...
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Home entertainment, minus the wires
2005 is set to become the year that wireless products for distributing music and other media around the home become mainstream. This has implications for how we buy our media in the first place; if you are planning to use it wirelessly around your home, why not get it directly from the internet? For example, rather than having to store music from a CD on your computer (or other distibution device) you could buy the song files from the internet. As wireless connection speeds increase, it won't be long before high quality video can be distrubuted in the same way. Just a wireless power cable to sort out, then...
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Can girls really be geeky?
In an excellent report for the Online section of today's Guardian Jack Schofield explores the shift from "boys' toys" to "girls' gadgets". It seems girls are interested in gadgets and new technologies. Sky has recently relaunched its interactive service, partly as a means of appealing to women. Pilot studies of the NHS Direct Interactive service has also revealed that interactivity isn't just for sporty males.
Blog therapy
The Guardian has a fairly lengthy article on the role played by blogs related to the experience of ill health. In itself it's not that useful for your exam but it is useful as an example of the cultural force that blogging and other web-publishing technologies have become; for 'normal' people, the opportunities to have a voice people have never been as plentiful.
Not-so-mobile media
Analysts have recently suggested that mobile phones aren't ready to become full-on media players, despite previous glimpses of planned expansions in what is available. It is worth you watching out for other ways in which mobile phones are used to deliver content and how they allow users to interact with other media texts; the potential power of mobiles doesn't necessarily lie in their ability to replace existing methods of distribution.
Monday, February 07, 2005
Now downloads count...
...in the US's Billboard Hot 100 chart. Downloading music from the internet, once the preserve of committed geeks (admittedly quite a few years ago now), really is a mainstream activity.
A broadband future?
A small quotation at the end of an article about the new chip to be inside the PS3 is suggestive of the way in which many in the computing industry see the future: broadband networks. That's probably not a surprize, but it's perhaps a useful reference for your exam. Others aren't quite so sure, arguing that broadband is an evil and needs to be resisted. The writer is full of useful statistics on p2p networks, perhaps most strikingly:
between 50% and 65% of all internet traffic is currently peer-to-peer (p2p) piracyNow you know why your connection is sluggish at times...
Get a website!
You should get your own website, especially if you're likely to suffer from a negative reaction from other media outlets. That's the message from an article in today's Guardian, and it illustrates that the internet can be seen as a democratising force in that it allows anyone to have a voice. Getting people to visit your site and listen to it is another matter, but you can at least share your views.
Past exam questions
The exam you will sit can be seen as two halves: comprehension questions and longer essay questions. Below are some from previous years. As you will see, the questions are written to allow you to apply your own material, hence the importance of research.
- Discuss how new media technologies are changing the ways that audiences are consuming the media.
- To what extent are new media technologies advantageous for audiences?
- How important are size and design to audiences using new media technologies?
- How far is competition amongst media industries dependent upon new media technologies?
- To what extent are new media technologies more interactive for audiences than traditional media technologies?
- What benefits do media industries hope to gain from the introduction of new media technologies?
- To what extent do new media technologies deliver new experiences for audiences?
- To what extent are new media technologies changing the way that audiences consume the media?
- Discuss the way media industries develop and promote new media technologies.
// posted by Gavin Luhrs @ 12:38 pm 
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Napster To Go
For £14.95 a month you can have unlimited access to 1.3 million tracks from Napster. The new service, Napster To Go, uses digital rights management software to require users to have a subscription to the service to play any tracks downloaded from it. If you end your subscription, the music files you have downloaded will no longer work. Whether users will go for a rental system is unclear, but given the number of people who buy one or two albums a month, it could make excellent long term sense, and allow users to experiment with music they might not otherwise have considered.
Recommended [offline] reading
Although using the technology you are studying and exploring the internet for up-to-date ideas and statisitcs are the best ways of preparing for the exam, there are a few books that provide an excellent theoretical basis. Even though the statistics will quickly become outdated, the ideas they contain serve as strong guidance for your thinking.
Videogames (Routledge Introductions to Media & Communications) by James Newman
The New Media Book edited by Dan Harries
Web.Studies (2nd Edition) edited by David Gauntlett and Ross Horsley
If you would like to recommend others, leave a comment.
Videogames (Routledge Introductions to Media & Communications) by James Newman
The New Media Book edited by Dan Harries
Web.Studies (2nd Edition) edited by David Gauntlett and Ross Horsley
If you would like to recommend others, leave a comment.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Will actors need to act in the future?
A startling thought, perhaps, is that one day an actor will have to do nothing more than provide her image to appear in a film. At the moment the technology may not be realistic enough, but the principle is already being established. One video game company is casting ordinary people in future releases; after providing their image, the 'actors' may take a full part in games without knowing anything about it. And they'll get paid!
Ring ring
News out recently reveals the size of the mobile music market, particularly ringtones. The desire for personalisation is particuarly apparent amongst many mobile phone users: wallpapers, ringtones, icons, screensavers and games are newer ways of personalising a mobile beyond the now passé removable covers. Arguably these items are also a new way of consuming media, if in a rather superficial manner.
TV & Internet get closer?
The BBC is planning to make Six Nations Rugby available via the internet. Matches will be streamed to users with broadband connections. This is a useful example of how the internet is becoming a viable alternative for broadcasting TV. Accessing TV content via the internet seems increasingly popular, and looks likely to become far more common as the penetration rate of broadband increases.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Teachers' TV!
Now teachers have no need to worry about entertainment on a quiet night in: a TV channel all about teaching is being launched next week (8th Feb)! It is a useful, and topical, example of how multi-channel TV can offer the capacity to cater for very specific, niche audiences. Another interesting idea is that, after first broadcast, many programmes will be available online. I can still hear the cracked record...
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