• Recent Posts

  • Affinity Brands OR Affinity Believers
  • The sins of social networking
  • The vocal minority
  • Bypass the influencers
  • Why midstream brands go unnoticed

• Blogroll

  • Fast Company
  • Malcolm Gladwell
  • Neuroscience Marketing
  • Seth Godin

• Links

  • AAAA
  • AdAge
  • AdverBox
  • Biz Journal
  • Experiential Marketing
  • My Daily Fix
  • Premier Studios
  • Stumble Upon
  • Wikinomics

• Categories

  • Affinity Brand
  • Marketing
  • Random Thoughts

• RSS Feeds

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE…

Few consumers probably noticed this weeks announcement regarding the next generation standards for Broadcast Television.  The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) announced the new technology as  “a complete suite of ‘Next Generation’ services for the conventional fixed DTV receiver viewing environment.”  They call it A/72.

Just when you thought it was safe to buy a new television, another technology is announced.  But wait this is cool stuff.  Based on the MPEG-4 standard, this new technology allows larger files to pass through smaller spaces, and it’s scalable.

HIGHER THAN HIGH DEF?

Of course!  You didn’t think that Blu-Ray DVD and 1080p HD was the final destination did you?  What happened over the last 50 years in broadcasting will happen again.  A broadcast format relies on standards that are fixed, whereby television sets and set-top boxes expect to see a certain type of signal required to create an image.  And that is what all the fuss has been about since the late 90’s when the FCC announced the end of analog television.  But technology advancements never stop.

ENTERTAINMENT ANYONE?

As analog technology has slowly retired over the past few years it has taken a few debatable formats with it. Think film!  However, the movie you see tonight at the theater will still most likely be projected by an analog film system.  Why, because it is higher than High Def.  And in reality, Hollywood wishes it wasn’t so.  Maintaining analog technology in a digital age becomes evermore expensive.  Obviously the ultimate goal is to push all digital content via an internet protocol.  And that is why this announcement is so important.  A scalable format using smaller file sizes?  And capable of breaking through the resolution ceiling?  Count me in.

For several years now our industry has used cameras capable of shooting at higher resolutions than HDTV.  Why, because we can, and it looks better.  Now sit back and watch manufacturers race to bring this new technology into the home.

Here we go again!

Comments