Interactive media was created and first started in the 1920’s when there was only ‘short films’ made and played in small cinemas, these films would last no longer than 10 minutes. The content of these films were of a far lesser standard and creative and just featured camera shots of places such as streets and rail way tracks where the camera was positioned on a spot and left to film. That was the only thing everybody was familiar with so it was seen as entertainment and people paid to see it. This was the only type of film shown in the cinema until the type of films we associate today first began to be made in the 1950’s, cinemas were having great success as the televisions people had at home were not showing anything like it as appealing. This type of film really took a hit when newer and far better technology came about. After the war televisions were a must have for all homes as it gave people a chance to see other things going on in the world. In the 1940’s, antennas on televisions were very big and a lot less practical than the ones you would see today, depending on how good the antenna was there would only be two black and white channels available. The 1960’s came and TV took another rise in popularity as more and more people were buying a set for there house as there was higher quality and more shows to choose from. In 1970 there was colour TV and TV’s were expanding and content like Sky was created and had taking it to the next level. Since then TV has gone to even bigger heights such as HD (High Definition) and things such as DVD players have been created expanding onto Blue Ray disk which shows clearly the type of quality that has set the standard for years to come of quality television.
Interactive Media Platforms for Video
World Wide Web
There are lots of services online that you can watch and download such as BBC I Player where people can watch shows that they have missed that come on BBC, this kind of service is very popular as it allows people to not feel they have to stay in or they cant watch the programme they want to see and gives them the opportunity to go out and then watch it whenever they like. I think BBC has really raised the bar by adding such a practical and helpful feature. As well as downloading shows for your computer you can also watch shows on a portable device and there are also radio shows that you can access to listen to including live ones currently on air. Another very popular website where people watch videos and clips is Youtube, the popularity of it has been rising hugely over the years as you can not only find almost anything you want to watch but it’s also a good website to use to advertise and promote something such as yourself or a band etc. There are more and more similar websites being made all the time as it is a very popular concept that can be used for different reasons.
Email Attachments
When receiving an Email it is becoming more common to also have a file of some sort attached to it that could feature a video, photo or a website such as gambling or pornography for example, a common one is a link to certain videos on Youtube that people are trying to promote which is a very good way if getting your name out there for people to see as they can then pass this Email on to other people (See Blog for Common funny videos). It is a very good way to get yourself spotted if you’re an unsigned musician without a label and people have done it in the past sending out links for there own music videos such as Sandi Thom who has been spotted and gone on to get a record deal and success. I think the idea of it is very smart as long as the file is appropriate e.g. promoting a band and not something rude or offensive which is also known to happen.
DVD
DVD’s allow you to put high quality videos onto a disk which can then be played on formats such as DVD players, games consoles, computers etc and it is also a portable way of watching films as you can take DVD playing formats into cars etc. On DVD’s of films and TV Programmes there are also extra features such as behind the scenes, deleted scenes and interviews where viewers can see an extra side into the media industry and how it was made. DVD is an essential part of video in interactive media as it allows people to watch anything and its important for people to put there own videos onto it as it can then be easily packaged and advertised.
CD ROM
A CD Rom is a Compact Disk Read only Memory, you can have a portable disk that you can put audios and visuals on such as videos and music, it’s a simple way of storing files that are easy to access to watch/listen too. It’s able to put onto a CD Rom but it reads from memory. I think it’s practical as it another way of storing your own work such as songs as related videos that you put onto computers to promote and advertise etc.
Kiosks
A different used way of accessing the internet is a kiosk which you can find in buildings and on streets. However, It’s used for a slightly different service than normal internet websites as it gives you information such as places to visit, recommended places, local tourist attractions and places to eat etc. You would often see them located in older buildings giving a guide of the location; an example of a kiosk is the one in Ipswich, Tower Ramparts. It’s service that isn’t as popular as other formats as its not one for it’s exciting modern technology but once again provides a valuable service that people will benefit from.
Presentations
Another good and simple way to promote yourself or anything is to make related a presentation showing information, images, videos etc. A known programme to do this on which is very easy to use is Microsoft PowerPoint and VLE (Virtual Learning Experience), these are good programmes when applying for a job as you can use as many pages as you want to fill with information and its very easy to navigate through each one. They are popular and I agree with the concept and think there very useful formats to use to show basic information such as bullet points and in depth information and facts such as paragraphs. They are not flashy or exciting but they do the job there aiming to accomplish and do it well and effectively.
TV Click Through (Red Button)
A TV Click through button is often seen on Sky where people can access extra special features related to the programme as well as watch other programmes such as sport. One of its more used features is it’s voting system used for reality shows such as X-Factor where people can access a way of voting for there favourite act. It is a very simple and easy to use way of receiving extra TV and more information.
Mobile Devices
A very popular way of interactive media is portable consoles that people can use to play games, listen to music and watch videos on there phones, PDA’s and games consoles etc. The quality of mobile phones is improving all the time and the direction it is going in can only get better as there is now more services and higher quality images and audio sounds. It’s a very easy to use way of enjoying media that is also portable and practical, I think it was a very good idea of letting people enjoy media and also leave the house at the same time and mobile devices are improving all the time.
Uses of Video in Interactive Media
Short Films
Another service that is available and easy to download is short films which were the first type of cinema back in the 1920’s, the content of them have clearly improved and they are now used as a quick preview when advertising or promoting something. You also see a lot of them on website such as Youtube where people put there own created short films on there for people to see and comment on as well as promote hoping to catch somebody’s eye. They are a good way of showing a film but not spending too much money or time to achieve it and is getting more popular again as home made videos also rise in popularity. I think it is a good way for people to promote themselves and also for people to enjoy themselves making a video and then sharing with people online which you can also send through Email attachments.
Promotional Material
Promotional Material is related to short films as companies creates trailers like a short movie to promote films and TV programmes although they do it in a slightly different way as they do it using lots of quick clips from different parts of the movie. You can also promote things using advertisements that can be video but also still images that have a message or slogan with it. Another good way of promoting is to put your own created videos or music onto websites such as Youtube and Myspace where it can then be seen by the audience. Getting your name out there and showing the world your product is key to success so it is essential that it is promoted.
User-Generated Content
People making home made videos are getting very common and are seen all over the internet on websites such as Youtube which is very big for people putting there own low budget videos onto. It is normally comedy material where people can have fun and makes jokes about world wide goings on such as celebrities and world issues. Some Videos that have been made have gone on to be very popular and well known such as the Pokemon video (Available to see on Blog). People can also use it as a way of getting messages across and also promoting themselves and that is what I think is the best thing about User-Generated Content.
Viral Marketing
A good and common way of Viral Marketing is to send things through Emails such as funny clips, film and theatre etc where you can advertise things. A big company for this is Blend Tech. It is yet another good way of advertising a product but can seem unreliable and suspicious as when you open some files you can receive a virus so it has its pros and cons.
Advertising
Advertising can be very straight forward promotion as you can create videos, slogans, images etc to show off the product and get you name out there using websites such as Facebook. However it can also be done on the sly without people being aware where people can accidentally come across it and the word can soon be spread. As long as you get the word out there people will always discover your product.
Virtual Reality Tours
People can use museum galleries as a way to see and find out more about the media industry as you can see videos, images etc. It is a good way to find out information about historic facts and also technology and developments.
Games
The gaming industry is developing all the time as there is better graphics on the latest games consoles such as Playstation 2 and there is a lot of money in it as it is such a popular industry and people are spending a lot of money for games. You can also play games online, on mobiles etc and they are also improving all the time.
E-Learning
People can gain education using Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to have lessons and revise whilst at home, it is very helpful services to use to self teach yourself and not be distracted.
Video in Interactive Media Technologies
Video Compression
When you compress a video it has its negatives and positives as it reduces the quantity of data used in the video to reduce the file size but it also reduces the quality of the image that you see so you have to take the bad with the good. Video compression is a still a very popular way of transferring a video though and it is fairly straight forward to do.
Codec
Codec is a device that you can use to convert analogue signals to digital form for transmission and converts signals travelling in the opposite direction. There are audio and visual Codec’s and they result in lesser quality videos when compressed as well. Once again it is a very important and helpful format but it results in lesser quality but it makes up for it because it can be very important.
Streaming and Download
There are lots of websites that allow you to access live streaming of TV programmes a swell as sport and radio e.g. BBC I Player that don’t require you to download or pay anything as you can just freely starting streaming it. Other websites require you to download files that you keep, that’s the benefit that downloading has to streaming; you can’t keep streaming such as BBC I Player programmes as a file on your computer.
Interactive Video Formats
MPEG – Moving Picture Experts Group that develops standards for digital video and audio compression
AVI – Audio Video Interleaved is a sound and motion pictures file that conforms to the Microsoft windows resource file format.
MOV – A movie that can be played on QuickTime is easy to use but can be of a lower quality so you have to take the bad with the good.
WMV – Windows Media Player is a very popular and well known format that allows you to listen to songs and other audio files, it is also of a good quality.
These are all well known format that are easy to use to access audio and video files.
Date Transfer Rates (Bandwidth)
The amount of digital data that is moved from place to place in given time so the smaller the file the faster the transfer rate etc. If you want the better, higher quality file you have to wait longer or if your in a rush or just inpatient you might want to settle for a lesser quality file but it will be quicker.
Frame Rates – The number of frames, images that are projected or displayed per second e.g. TV, Computer etc. The more frames, the higher the quality of image.
Screen Resolutions - The number of Pixels in each dimension. If you want a higher quality images the number of pixels need to be high.
File Sizes
A file size is important when downloading a file onto your computer as some can be very big and some can be too small, a file size measures a computer file and is measured in bytes with a prefix. Some big file sizes can damage a computer in particularly when you get lots of big files and the computer can start be slow and start crashing etc.
Picture Ratios
The picture ratio is the size ratio of the screen you’re using on the computer when playing/watching a file. Common examples of frame rates are 4:3, 14:9, 16.9 etc.
Digital Rights Management
This is the systematic approach to copyright protection for digital media. It is illegal to use copyright as a lot of things are confidential
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