HAM433 Blog Response (Week 8)

There are many websites that provide videos for viewing have been around. The most successful would be YouTube, which has had a social aspect to it since the beginning. The integration with Google Plus has further enhanced YouTube’s social aspect.

One drawback to the adoption of the web as the main video platform is that, particularly in Australia, the Internet is too slow to have high definition video. It also has a high cost compared pay TV. Obviously the convergence of TV and Internet would work better if the video (download) came through the Television broadcast; with audience response (uploads) being sent through the Internet.

Another issue with the current regulations in Australia is that TV networks are not allowed to send data through their transmissions (“what’s on next” and subtitles allowed). Removing the restrictions would allow networks to transmit their own mini webpages showing news, recipes, traffic reports and other text information. Networks could cooperate so a different topic was covered by a different channel.

About 5 years ago the cricket broadcasts used to have player statistics that were viewable with certain set top boxes. Before that Channel 7 started broadcasting the Austext system in 1977. It uses the same technology that provides the subtitles for TV shows. This service provided “news, finance information, weather, lottery results, TV guide and other information” to a compatible TV. The service was ended because “Austext is a free service and does not attract advertising revenue, so this is not commercially viable”. I believe that the closing of the Austext service was a step backward.

HAM433 Blog Response (Week 7)

I think that Channel 10 is taking a risk with this new nationwide news strategy. 90 minutes seems a bit long for the weekend. I also don’t know if people would miss having local news. The weirdest thing would be how they are dealing with the Perth time difference. I think it was good that 6pm with George Negus is on air. I think that it brings back some of the journalism that was lost on channel 7 and 9.

I find that Australians have a history of putting sports before anything else. I find it extremely annoying when a sports story appears in the first 15 minutes of the evening news. It should be left to the sports section. On the weekend there is not even an hourly news report on the radio, it becomes an hourly sports update. I suppose it is some kind of cost cutting. On an episode of the sketch TV show “Full Frontal”, the reporter of a satirical news sketch says “The winners of the AFL grand final were given a parade along Swanston Street with thousands of fans cheering from the sides. In other news, the scientist who discovered a cure for cancer gets a letter from his mother”.

This sport focus is unfortunate for other areas of importance such as the arts and science. There needs to be more shows on television for arts and science. There also needs to be a change in perception of what art is. Many see it as something for the rich or the older generation. I also think the ABC is thinking more business like then it used to. Therefore it is thinking about how to get more people to watch, rather how it promotes culture.

HAM433 Blog Response (Week 6)

I am currently in the middle of reading Al Gore’s book “The Assault on Reason”. The book is focused on the US but much of it relates Australia. A main point of discussion in the book is that you need money to win an election. Therefore an independent candidate in a small town is unlikely to become president because they need money to pay for advertising. The most likely to win an election are those who are already millionaires or can get companies to invest in them. The election campaign becomes about who has the best commercials and who can get the most airtime. Once in power, the government then has to pay the media for advertising space using taxpayer’s money.

I think that political parties should get to advertise for free. There should be a law that if a political party makes an advertisement then the opposite party also gets equal time for advertising. There should also be a set amount of political ads per day.

I think that it is important that people get more interested in politics and world issues. The majority of people would just watch the evening news and many would have trouble answering general questions. People need to be encouraged to watch more current affairs. There also need to be more interactivity. Devices such as Tivo and Apple TV allow TVs to be connected the internet to download movies. This technology should be extended to allow people to have real-time conversations as they watch a show. Some movies on Blu-Ray already allow this.