Digital TV: An Introduction
For OCR’s Audience and Institutions: New Media Technologies unit (2732) you need to gather material for a case study. This article is intended to introduce some of the issues related to digital and interactive television; the topic is vast so further investigation on your part is vital.
Digital television has been with us for just a few years, but already it has reached a penetration rate of around 70% of homes. Digital television can accessed using three platforms: Digital Satellite (Sky), Digital Cable (NTL / Telewest) and DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television - Freeview). All platforms offer an expanded choice of channels and varying levels of interactivity. In general, the digitised television signals mean better picture and sound quality as well as using less bandwidth - this is why it is possible to offer so many additional channels.
Increased channel variety
Whilst some reject the value of all these additional channels, arguing that their output is over-reliant on repeats, imports and ‘trash’, most accept that the possibilities are enriching. Specialist music, documentary, arts, movie, children’s and sports channels are plentiful, particularly on digital satellite and cable platforms. Inevitably, much of the programming is lower quality; much of it is also high quality and infrequently seen on the five terrestrial channels. Perhaps public service broadcasting ideals should be reconsidered for the digital age, as the channels offering ’something for everyone’ seem increasingly outmoded.
Increased bandwidth also means that for little extra outlay, channel owners can offer +1 services, allowing viewers a second chance to see a programme they may have missed. Such channels, as well as multiple movie channels showing the same films at 15- or 30-minute intervals, question the traditionally rigid idea of scheduling. Just a few years ago, if you missed a programme you cursed your inability to programme your VCR. Now you can watch it an hour later, or a few days later as part of a weekly cycle of multiple repeat or ‘catch up’ slots. By clever navigation of the television listings, it is becoming almost possible to make your viewing fit around your life, not the other way around.
The steady rise in PVRs (personal video recorders - Sky+ and TiVo are the big two but others exist) further challenges the concept of a schedule. As Sky’s advertising used to put it: ‘Build you own TV channel.’ With the BBC’s listen/watch again services, audiences are coming to expect their media to deliver a more on-demand experience.
The increase in the number of channels isn’t without disadvantages. For viewers, the absence of original programming can lead to a feeling of ‘nothing’ being on across hundreds of channels. ‘Event’ programmes are also under threat; virtually gone are the days when 30 million people tuned into the same programme. For channel owners selling advertising time is increasingly difficult. Niche broadcasters may be advantageous in terms of reaching a specific target audience but many have official audience shares of 0%. For example, Sky News, despite being seen as the most successful 24-hour news channel, has an audience share of just 0.6%. In August 2003 the ‘extra’ channels combined had 25.1% of the audience share compared to BBC’s 24.4% and ITV1’s 23.1%. Little wonder, then, that there is an absence of money for risky, original programming.
Press the red button
Interactive features are one of the clear differences between analogue and digital television. On digital platforms the ‘red button’ on the remote control is commonly used to access the interactive content delivered with the television pictures. The appearance of these interactive services varies, but is much like a slimmed-down website or even a DVD video menu. Through the interactive ‘pages’ it is possible to play along with quiz shows, watch video clips, modify the experience of the channel’s main television programme, perhaps by selecting a different camera angle or narrative audio track, or play games. Sky viewers can even buy console-style controllers used specifically to play the games provided on the platform’s interactive service. Using a telephone connection, viewers can also send information to the channel, possibly in the form of votes, used in programmes such as Big Brother and Restoration.
The increased bandwidth available on digital platforms allows interactive content to be sent along with a conventional channel. Quickly these interactive offerings have been embraced, admittedly with varying success. Test the Nation, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Banzai are just three quiz-based shows offering viewers the chance to take a fuller part in the proceedings. Premier League Football, tennis at Wimbledon and programmes such as Big Brother and Walking with Beasts have all offered extra video and audio content. Walking with Beasts offered an alternative narration, the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage on interactive television allowed a choice of game to watch. Such variations link to the experience offered by many other new media technologies. The traditionally linear nature of books and films has been made non-linear by the Internet and DVD video (an idea explored in MediaMagazine 4). Interactive services can mean that there is no definitive version of a programme, as viewers switch between the main programme and the supplementary video clips, pictures, or passages of text. The computerised feel of interactive television, and DVD, is making all of us a little more comfortable with computers and is a good example of convergence.
For viewers, interactive services have the advantage of offering ‘extras’ as well as encouraging a closer interaction with a particular programme. It could be argued that the viewers have greater control if they can select camera angles or the depth of the narration. For television channel owners interactive services are attractive in that they can both encourage greater viewer engagement with programmes and, more importantly, generate extra revenue through a share of call costs arising from activities such as voting or entering competitions. Increasingly advertisers are using ‘red button’ interactivity to offer viewers the chance to send for more details, request free samples or enter competitions. All viewers need to do is watch out for the red button invitation when the advertisement appears.
