BTEC Level 3 Media (Year 1): Understanding Developing Technologies In TV & Film Industry

Consumer products: products like cameras are vital for the film and TV industry as this is the main source of recording other than audio. Most film and TV productions use big, expensive cameras. The huge conglomerates would use cameras such as Blachmagic and Arri Alexas. Lower budget movies would shoot with hardware such as Cannon 5D MKIII and DSLR's.

Satellite & Cable: the methods on how producers get their product out there to the consumer. Satellite is via airborne/space transmission, while cable is a ground based transmission of broadcast. Fiber or copper wire is the material used to connect and create the cable connections; fiber is more reliable as it protects better and emits faster. Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to paying subscribers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables or light pulses through fiber-optic cables. Satellite TV is delivering television programming using signals relayed from space radio stations (e.g. DVB satellites). The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic reflector antenna usually referred to as a satellite dish and a low-noise block downconverter (LNB).

The 'digital switchover': the name given to the process by which analogue terrestrial television in the United Kingdom was replaced with digital terrestrial television. It is sometimes referred to as the "analogue switch off". In the United Kingdom, the terrestrial switchover started on 17 October 2007 and was completed on 24 October 2012. Each group of transmitters within each TV region had its analogue broadcasts switched off at a certain point between those dates. The process was co-ordinated by an independent body, Digital UK.

Internet + Interactive: the former is frequently used to stream videos but not always legally, there are thousands of pirate websites where you can watch or listen to anything entirely free. Approximately 70% of internet users believe there is nothing wrong with illegal downloading. An average of 53 billion a year download illegally from the download. This causes huge income losses for media companies. The most pirated movie of all time? Avatar, which was pirated around 17 million times. However there are many legal websites as well as different ways of accessing the internet such as Netflix, consoles, PC, phone, tablets etc.

HD & 3D: sometimes abbreviated as Hi-def or HD, commonly refers to an increase in display or visual resolution over a previously used standard. A three-dimensional stereoscopic film (also known as three-dimensional film, 3D film or S3D film) is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception, hence adding a third dimension. Technology has advanced dramatically. HD comes from more advanced cameras with higher megapixels (meaning better quality). 3D offers better viewing experience by using two lenses next to each other so they are at slightly different points and the media gets recorded as one file, with the use of glasses you can then watch it as it was intended.

PPV On Demand: available on TV companies such as Sky or BT, this is for things such as boxing matches that want to make even more money than they would anyway. On demand is a free way and channel four have their on demand websites so you can catch up on missed programs at any time. They also have a lot of series that have been aired ages ago that you can watch for free.

Streaming Content + Digital Recorders: streaming online using websites like Amazon means that you can watch something here and there but it is not stored on your device so you have to find it again if you wish to watch it again. Downloading as apposed to streaming means it is saved in the the device so it can be watched whenever without having to be on the internet. Digital recorders on TV like Lovefilm and Netflix mean that you can watch any program or film on there provided that your TV is connected to the internet.

- Developing Technologies -

Arri Alexa