How has the digital world changed the way we consume and create TV?

In the world of digital technology, there are a number of ways of viewing media products. The most common is for the consumer to view digital broadcast systems such as Sky TV, freeview etc that allow the audience to be comfortable. An alternative is the internet. The internet allows consumers to stream videos from popular video sites like YouTube or the BBC’s iplayer where content can be found on demand. A reason for this being popular is that the viewer can choose when and where to watch their favourite shows. The different sites can also be used via game consoles such as the Nintendo wii which allow to be watched from the comfort of your living room.

With video camera technology advancing continuously, we have advanced to using digital equipment in productions. Old cameras would require a large amount of film which would not only cost a lot, but would require a lot of attention to make sure each tin of film was marked right and didn’t get lost during production. With the new digital cameras, we are able to use memory card devices that record the video straight to a high quality format that can later be easily transferred onto a computer. Digital cameras are also commonly smaller then old film cameras which is an advantage for making room on set.

In the last 10 years, editing has played an important role in the way people consume television and film. The movie side of media requires CGI to bring in audiences to the cinema. It is a widely accepted fact now that CGI improves the gross of a movie with a thirst from the consumers for an unreal escape from every day life. In recent years we have also seen the commercial success of 3D entertainment. Of course all of the 3D parts for these movies are done in the editing stage. You could argue that a director could direct one of the best films ever, yet the outcome of the film would all come down to the post-production editing. In TV, editing is a much simpler process although each episode of a program must be edited down to a select duration so the content will fill the space given by the broadcast provider.