http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1875943,00.html
Dreamworks Animation and Pepsi bought a 90 second commercial spot during the Super Bowl on Sunday. This commercial will be the first ever 3D commercial in the history of the Super Bowl. The reason the companies decided to do their commercial in 3D was to promote Dreamworks upcoming movie “Monsters.”
Jeffery Katzenberg from Dreamworks seems to feel very strongly about 3D and it’s future. He compares the technology to being as epic as sound and color in movies. I personally don’t think 3D is going to catch on the way Katzenberg and his company would like it to. People aren’t fans of having to put on those annoying glasses while in the theaters and I don’t think that’s going to change. I took the kids I babysit to see “Spy Kids 3D” a few years ago and happened to be wearing my actual glasses while at the movie. Putting the cardboard 3D glasses over my actual ones was very difficult to do and I probably looked awesome attempting to wear 2 pairs of glasses at once.
In the article, Katzenberg says their movie coming out will set a new precedent for movies everywhere. But that’s what was said when 3D technology first came out in the 1970’s, and if it didn’t take hold then it’s not going to now. The Super Bowl is always a good place to advertise new and innovative products and everyone tunes in specifically for the commercials. But I can’t see any of my friends of my dad putting on 3D glasses during a football game just to watch a commercial. Just the fact that this commercial is getting an article written about it in Time magazine is a good sign for the future of the technology, but the true test will be after the Super Bowl when the movie “Monster” comes out and how much money it makes. Anything that makes a lot of money has a good future in American mass media.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
The switch to digital TV
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/obamas-balancing-act-on-digital-tv/
The date that television is supposed to switch from analog to digital is February 17th, 2009. This date wasn’t chosen for any specific reason or purpose so I don’t see why it would be a problem to push the date back. Giving citizens an extra four months will ensure that no one is left without television to watch. Although it doesn’t seem like it should be so essential for everyone to be able to watch reruns of Friends, there are many elderly people who only know what’s going on outside their house except for what they see on the television.
This is a fairly safe early legislation for Obama to pass. Instead of starting with a controversial issue like gay marriage or the death penalty, choosing a technology issue is a good bridge into the presidential position. No one will probably feel too strongly about this legislation to speak out against it. I personally don’t see a reason to be in any hurry to switch from analog to digital. The longer we wait to make the change, the more time people will have to get the converter boxes. I don’t really understand what the difference in the picture quality between the two types is, but most TV’s are already equipped with HD by now and are very clear.
The date that television is supposed to switch from analog to digital is February 17th, 2009. This date wasn’t chosen for any specific reason or purpose so I don’t see why it would be a problem to push the date back. Giving citizens an extra four months will ensure that no one is left without television to watch. Although it doesn’t seem like it should be so essential for everyone to be able to watch reruns of Friends, there are many elderly people who only know what’s going on outside their house except for what they see on the television.
This is a fairly safe early legislation for Obama to pass. Instead of starting with a controversial issue like gay marriage or the death penalty, choosing a technology issue is a good bridge into the presidential position. No one will probably feel too strongly about this legislation to speak out against it. I personally don’t see a reason to be in any hurry to switch from analog to digital. The longer we wait to make the change, the more time people will have to get the converter boxes. I don’t really understand what the difference in the picture quality between the two types is, but most TV’s are already equipped with HD by now and are very clear.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Radio's Downward Spiral
In this article, the author describes how Europe is fazing out AM radio. Radio isn’t what it used to be back in the beginning of the 20th century. Before televisions became a fixture in the United States, people used to listen to radio not only as their source of information, but entertainment too. Just like Ralphie in “A Christmas Story”, kids waited anxiously to listen to their favorite program on the radio. But now with the constant advances in technology, less and less people are listening to radio. Many opt for plugging in i-pods or listening to CDs in the car to avoid commercials and the amount of advertising radio stations are getting is dropping.
While the bad economy is probably partially to blame for the declining ad sales, the fact is that radio is becoming obsolete. More and more programs are moving over to digital radio technologies like Sirius and XM which can be heard all over the country and sound clearer. Many inventions have taken the need of radio away like podcasts and the fact that you can listen to radio online. More and more different elements of technology are being put together for the convenience of the user. An example of this would be the i-phone that features the phone abilities, internet access, your i-tunes library, and various other options. Consumers are getting more and more used to having everything they could ask for compiled into one gadget, and the fact that radio doesn’t really fit into the equation is a problem.
While the bad economy is probably partially to blame for the declining ad sales, the fact is that radio is becoming obsolete. More and more programs are moving over to digital radio technologies like Sirius and XM which can be heard all over the country and sound clearer. Many inventions have taken the need of radio away like podcasts and the fact that you can listen to radio online. More and more different elements of technology are being put together for the convenience of the user. An example of this would be the i-phone that features the phone abilities, internet access, your i-tunes library, and various other options. Consumers are getting more and more used to having everything they could ask for compiled into one gadget, and the fact that radio doesn’t really fit into the equation is a problem.
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