Technology:

     Today, televisions are super sleek. Thin and equipped with a larger than normal screen. The buttons are now on the side rim or on the top rim and no longer at the bottom of the TV like they were in earlier years. Barely any televisions have an antenna anymore and they are all controlled by a specifically programmed remote.  There is more benefits to having televisions constructed the way they are today.  Now, televisions are significantly lighter and much sleeker.  They are much easier to transport and involve less cables and connection whereas older televisions were more complicating to hook up and use. Television sets have come along way in the sense of the way that they have functioned and also looked in the past 60 plus years.  From what was at once a small screen and taking up a substantial amount of space, to today where we have television sets that enable use to view content via the internet and where thinner display, bigger screen is in case to many consumers better.

DTV

     DTV (digital television) occurred as part of the switch from analog to digital in 2009. This decision though was not made an a night or even a year. In 1996, Congress authorized the distribution of an additional broadcast channel so that broadcast networks could start using a digital broadcast channel while they continued to run their other broadcasting channel that was still airing using analog waves.(1) To read more about the benefits of the switch you can look at the analog section on the past page)

HDTV

     With DTV came HDTV (High Definition Television). HDTV's hit the market in 1998, exciting sports fans, movie buffs, and tech aficionados alike. The reason why is that HDTV's had created superior resolution and digital surround sound. (2) HDTV also offers wider pictures with greater detail and the clarity of motion pictures. The fine-grained HD picture contains five times more information than a standard television picture and is accompanied by multi-channel, CD quality sound. (3)  

     LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is a television that uses LCD technology to display images on a television screen. The framework for the LCD television was due in part of  computer monitoring screens. The appeal behind LCD television sets is that they are light weight, it is affordable, has high resolution that is a critical element in high definition television (HDTV), and consumes less electricity than that of a plasma television set (making the plasma TV and LCD television sets very competitive).(4) In essence all LED TV's are LCD TVs, they just use light emitting diodes (thus LED) instead of CCFL which stands for (Cold- cathode florescent lamps).  Both LCD and LED TV's are the brightest and more energy efficient television on the market currently. They both contain a realistic look, contain natural balance, superior color and sharpness. (5)

Internet TV

     Internet television is video and audio delivered via the internet. It is also known as Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). It is almost the same as receiving content through cable wires and antennas, the difference being though that data is being sent via data through the Internet. The main difference though is that there is more variety on the Internet content wise than what may be on television. Internet streams the same shows that broadcasting networks offers that and more original content hitting more specific audiences. Internet television is relatively new---there are also different ways of obtaining it, though quality, content and costs vary greatly. (6) These television sets enable viewers to watch videos YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix without the need for gaming consoles like Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's X-Box 360, or Sony PlayStation 3.

3D Television

     The idea of 3D television sets was applied from what theaters had done to lure in and create a more realistic and entertaining experience for movie viewers. One big advantage of a 3D television set is that it provides 3D depth., color, and detail. One of the biggest drawbacks of these television sets is that it does require that viewers have to wear the 3D glasses. Some sets also come with two or three of the 3D glasses but with some they may not. Another being, that there is not much content available to viewed in 3D although many content providers are expanding consumer's choices. (7)

DVR

     DVR's are essentially a hard drive system that holds television programming, in which users can pick programs that they would like to view and may not have the time to view live. (8). The DVR system also allows viewers to pause live programming and fast-forward through commercials, and unlike its predecessor, the VCR, the user does not have to worry about setting a timer, purchase or insert a tape, or even push record when the show starts. Other than DVR's the only way to view content would have to be viewed on a third screen device or even wait for the TV season to come out of DVD's which from the initial airing of a television show be a couple months to even a year.

     The DVR has made television viewing more convenient than ever (other than the internet) to view programming content. Why? It allows users to record television shows, watch the shows whenever users want to view them, and it also allows users to skip through commercials. According to the Nielsen Ratings System, 98% of all television set in homes in the United States are connected to some kind of device (whether this is a gaming console, DVD/VCR, or DVR) compared to 1996, in which 66% of homes owned a VCR.  85% of all television content is viewed live (in 2006 this stat was 89%), and DVR usage has amounted to 8% of our television viewing, which was at 1.6% in 2006. (9).

     This graph illustrates households using television (HUT) to view programming live, as well as television sets being used by VCRs, Video game consoles, DVD players, and DVRs. As one can see within a four year span, that less televisions are being used to just view content live and the increase of using gaming consoles, VCRs/DVD plays and DVRs has increased leading to a decrease of live viewing at least 3% in the span of four years.

Neilsen Wire                                                        

Third Screen/Online Streaming Devices

     Now more than ever we have more options on how we choose to watch content, whether that be from cable providers, watching content on computer or third screen devices. Devices that fall under the third screen category are items like tablets, iPads, iPods, mobile phones, and computers. The popularity of using this devices has risen on the idea of consumer convenience and variety of programming, ranging in flexibility when to view a program as well as where and how one views the program of their choosing. This though takes away revenue from advertisers that had relied on the television on getting their name and product on the minds of viewers. Nielsen discovered in 2010 that three out of four Americans consume television and internet at the same time, fifty percent do so on a daily basis. Although television networks encourage their viewers to engage in on their content that is online only seven percent of those asked actually viewed television content or advertising online. Despite this statistic, the continuous use of the internet and television are used primarily when sporting events and news are on.(10) To compliment this trend the Nielsen ratings are determined to also to research the use of third screen devices in terms of viewing television content.  In the future section, many people in the business sector believe that the future of television lies in the portability of television content on third screen devices.

Television vs Internet Viewership

  Mashable

Business and Politics

Business:

Reality Television

  Reality Television has been given the ability to do what other shows on television have been unable to do, which is to cater to their audience's interests.  Whether it is cooking shows, talent-based shows, competition-driven shows or human-interest shows, reality television has been giving the ability to engage viewers like never before. As the number of comedy, drama, and sitcom based shows begin to diminish the number of reality based shows has increased for every television network. As shown in the past section of the television industry shows, the making of a single television program can cost a production studio hundreds thousands to millions of dollars (cost of actors,writers, props, filming equipment, sets, etc), in comparison to that of a reality show  which not only lowers the costs of production (paying "nobodies"  to appear on camera for less, paying for little to nothing for props, no writers, etc) but also generates a large revenue with advertising. MTV's Jersey Shore, was able to hire their cast for a couple hundred dollars per episode for the first season of the show, as these shows like Jersey Shore, become more popular, the pay to keep these people on camera can run up to the thousands to low hundreds of thousands of dollars range compared to those actors in sitcoms like Charlie Sheen, who used to get paid up to $860,000 per episode while filming the show Two and 1/2 Men.

     Reality shows have opened a window giving people (virtual nobodies) a chance to enable viewers to see a glance into their world also giving fame seekers a chance to appear on television and also increasing viewing ratings to small network channels like TLC, handing them a slice of the money making pie that reality television brings along with it. Reality television also enables networks and shows to benefit from in-show product placement that has not been so useful in scripted television shows and also always sponsorship to air during commercials.(14)  America Idol, for example, was able to enlist Coke as one of their sponsors allowing for their product to displayed next to the celebrity judges and even creating a "red room" (a typical green room) that would be covered with Coke products with the idol hopefuls. (15). Another appeal that reality television provides is that it is highly marketable, like that of scripted television series, reality TV shows have been very profitable in DVD sales, in some cases outselling series that were/are very popular. (14)

Mergers

     Some of the biggest mergers in the television industry has been with distribution companies. The reason behind why companies like Comcast would team up with a big network like NBC, usually over associations with the company (synergy), but in this case and many like it is to control the distribution of content, especially online streaming.(16) Examples of this would be partnerships with production and distribution studios like Viacom and DirecTV (along with other content operators). Merger deals can range from millions to billions of dollars gained for companies. This does help networks in the ability to distribute their content to viewers, however this business model does and can have a major downside to consumers and cable/satellite subscribers in most cases many subscribers pay more to view content and in some instances in the heat of contract negotiations between distributors and providers channel black outs.The most recent case of channel black outs occurred in July 2012, when satellite operator, DirecTV and Viacom could not come to an agreement on a price increase that DirecTV did not wish to push on their customers. As a result of both parties failing to work out a deal, DirecTV customers lost channels such as Comedy Central, MTV, AMC, and other cable shows included in that bundle for two weeks.During that time,  DirecTV pointed their subscribers to watch Viacom content on Hulu, to which Viacom pulled their programming off online streaming sites affecting non-DirecTV subscribers in the process until a deal was reached. Although companies do gain other rights to better improve their content delivery out of these disputes it is at the subscribers expense, and solidifying the wall between distributors and providers against online video steaming competitors. (17)

Politics:

SOPA

     Within the last decade, television has experienced increasing conflicts with piracy of shows through the internet.  For example, DubHappy and YouTube gives users the ability to watch their favorite shows via the internet, free of charge while the website earns the profit for each visit for their site.  The SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) would counteract websites like DubHappy and other illegal streaming video sites, because the networks that distribute the shows that are losing profit due to websites that stream full episodes and gain the profits off the ads on their own sites. This is why many television executives and whole networks and distribution companies are in favor of SOPA, they view it as a positive change and as greater opportunity.  With SOPA being enforced, it would have a positive effect on the television industry because this industry is one of the largest victims of pirating leading big networks and big names in television are in general support of this act.(18). Since SOPA has been shelved in the House of Representatives, it was then included into the new bill, CISPA, which passed in early 2012. Like SOPA, this would also inhibit the download of television shows that are made readily available to millions through peer to peer file sharing and torrent based sites like Pirate Bay.

     There is strong opposition against the networks regarding the regulation of the internet and the industries who are trying to censor the internet,  those opposed comprise of television viewers. Even though being given free online streaming sites, users prefer to use illegal downloading/streaming not just for economic reasons but also for the fact the internet is able to  archive  episodes and series viewers may have missed the first time around that legal streaming sites will not air or have to rely on repeats to occur and/or  do not want to wait months after a season is completed and released onto DVD to watch the episode or series. Whereas obtaining digital copies of television shows on illegal downloading sites allows viewers to archive their shows and give them the ability to transfer it onto third screen devices, both in which Hulu and other legal streaming sites cannot and will not let a user do. Piracy also allows and promotes access to content for viewers from other countries as well as viewers in the United States  who wish to view television content aired in other countries online that would otherwise not be available to them, an example being when websites restrict the viewing of video content from internet users from outside of the United States or vise versa. For the time being, piracy will continue to be an issue in the minds of those in the big television networks, only the future will tell if networks can adopt some ideas that have been constructed and run by pirates in changing their distribution model. (19)

Social:

CSI Effect

     Through the emergence of television there is a rise of forensic and crime based shows that became increasingly popular.  From these shows emerged what is called the "CSI" effect. The CSI effect resonates with jurors who feel as though they are experts in forensic science and the investigative process after viewing CSI-themed shows. The effect often implies that jurors in cases under investigation can demand more evidence or research about the case trial as well as having jurors expecting more technological advancement when it comes to finding evidence. CSI-like television shows give viewers certain ideas about criminal investigations that blend fact with fiction. (20)

     This has become created such issues as making the investigative and judicial process in cases look very simplistic than it actually is. An example of this would be the time in which DNA tests are conducted, in a typical episode of CSI, DNA test results would be revealed within a twenty minute time frame whereas in reality it can take up to days and even months. Because of the viewing habits of these shows, potential jurors gain an inaccurate picture on how forensic evidence works in a case (circumstantial or not) and not rely on the words of experts but that of what the evidence has to say. This concern has many prosecutors worried that jurors will let murders off if the evidence that is presented to them does not meet their expectations that forensic television shows have displayed to them previously. In fact in some states, lawyers are allowed to strike out potential jurors based on their television viewing habits of these shows. Judges also make it very clear when reading instructions to jurors not to expect a lot out of the evidence that is presented to them. This effect that is present in the courtroom also causes investigators to do useless tests that require a lot of time and money to prove to jurors that they went the "extra mile" as they do in criminal forensic-based shows. (21)

In the video below talks about the effect that television shows have on real life criminal trials and the perception of the criminal justice system from those who work in the field every day.

Social Networking

     Social networking is one of the most used tools utilized to communicate with friends, family, co-workers and the rest of the world. Social networking also has become a common ground for people to display their favorite television shows to their friends and also allowed a place where fans of a television series can talk amongst themselves and made it possible to communicate with writers, directors, producers, and actors of their favorite shows. There is virtually no limit to where fans can gather whether that be on forums, Twitter, or even Facebook. Before television networks air a program, social media usage ramps up but once a show starts the use of social media decreases due to time of when a show airs (eastern and western time zone difference also knows a "social media blackout"), this entails that fans of a show will not be on social media sites so that viewers watching the show on the east coast will not spoil the show for them.  20% of people said that they watch television live so that they would see the show and it would not be ruined by social media (watching television live is also what the television business model is still reliant on)

     With the capability of communicating with creators and celebrities, 70% of TVGuide.com users said that they retweeted celebrities, while 68% said that they have also replied to celebrities tweets. This demonstrates that with our technology now we are able to give feedback and communicate with the people that develop the programming that is consumed by their fans. The show-runners now do take fans commentary and suggestions when producing television content through social media keeping their fans happy, making their shows better and allows their ratings to go up and their shows to keep running longer than what they probably would without the use of social media. Besides sharing with friends what one is watching, the next reason behind why people share what they are watching on television is to keep their favorite shows running. This connects fans with others to keep shows on the air, gives them a place to voice their opinions and voices matter. (22)

Pictures Used:

LCD TV. N.d. Photograph. Technology Blog. Web. <http://nipg.info/category/lcd-tv>.

Smart TV. 2012. Photograph. Advanced Technology Korea. Web. <http://www.advancedtechnologykorea.com/4864>.

3D TV. N.d. Photograph. 3DTV Corporation. Web. <http://ahugq.vcfpq.servertrust.com/>.

Mobile Devices. N.d. Photograph. Savid Technologies. Web. <http://www.savidtech.com/blog/it-security/three-ways-mobile-devices-can-compromise-security/>.

CSI: DNA Testing. N.d. Photograph. All About DNA. Web. <http://www.ptzortzis.eu/dna/en/gallery.html>.

TV and Social Media. N.d. Photograph. Social Media Adverts on TV More Effective than We Thought. The Verge. Web. <http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/17/2954208/television-social-media-survey-accenture-results>.

Graphs Used:

The Total Use of TV Over Time- Adults. Graph. Neilsen Wire. 29 Feb. 2012. Web. <http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/media_entertainment/as-tv-screens-grow-so-does-u-s-dvr-usage/>.

Internet Viewership. 2010. Graph. Mashable. Web. <http://mashable.com/2010/04/12/tv-online/>.

Work Cited:

(1) "Frequently Asked Questions." The Digital TV Transition: FAQs. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html>.

 (2) "How HDTV Works." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/hdtv.htm>

(4) "LCD TV Information." LCD TV Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.hdtv.biz/Article-LCD_TV_information.shtml>.

(5) "LCD TV." Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.ezdigitaltv.com/LCD_TV.html>.

(6) "How Internet TV Works." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/internet-tv.htm>.

(7) "TVs & Services." 3D TVs: Overview. N.p., Jan. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/tvs-services/hdtv/3d-tvs/overview/index.htm>.

(8) Strickland, Jonathan. "How DVR Works." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. <http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/dvr1.htm>.

(9) McDonough, Pat. "As TV Screens Grow, So Does U.S. DVR Usage." As TV Screens Grow, So Does U.S. DVR Usage. Nielsen Rating Systems, 29 Feb.   2012. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. <http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/media_entertainment/as-tv-screens-grow-so-does-u-s-dvr-usage/>.

(10) Kramskoy, Jerry. "Orchestrated Media - Beyond Second and Third Screen." BBC News. BBC, 7 Feb. 2011. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/researchanddevelopment/2011/02/orchestrated-media---beyond-se-1.shtml>.

(11) "TV Viewers Statistics." TV Viewers Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.emmysf.tv/articles/356-tv-viewers-statistics.html>.

(12)Snider, Mike. "Flood of Video Streaming Options Could Confound TV Watchers." USATODAY.COM. USA Today, 10 Apr. 2012. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-04-09/streaming-video-options/54136024/1>.

(13) O'Dell, Jolie. "TV Viewing’s Shift to the Web." Mashable: The Social Media Guide. N.p., 12 Apr. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://mashable.com/2010/04/12/tv-online/>.

(14) "Why Networks Love Reality TV." Why Networks Love Reality TV. N.p., 30 Apr. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0410/why-networks-love-reality-tv.aspx>. (14)

(16) Reardon, Marguerite. "What the Comcast-NBC Deal Means to You." CNET News. CBS Interactive, 21 Jan. 2011. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. <http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20029160-266.html>.

(17) Stelter, Brian. "DirecTV and Viacom Settle Dispute Over Fees, Restoring Service." Media Decoder Blog. NY Times, 20 July 2012. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. <http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/20/directv-and-viacom-settle-dispute-over-fees-restoring-service/>.

(18) Stelter, Brian. "A TV Debate on Antipiracy." Media Decoder A TV Debate on Antipiracy Comments. The New York Times, 15 Jan. 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/a-tv-debate-on-antipiracy/>.

(19) Kosnik, Abigail De. "CMS News Archives." "Piracy Is the Future of Television," Whitepaper from the Convergence Culture Consortium. MIT, 4 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://cms.mit.edu/news/2011/01/piracy_is_the_future_of_televi.php>.

(20) Ramsland, Katherine. "The C.S.I. Syndrome." TruTV. TruTV, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/psychology/csi_effect/2.html>.

(21) Rath, Arun. "Is The 'CSI Effect' Influencing Courtrooms?" NPR. NPR, 06 Feb. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.npr.org/2011/02/06/133497696/is-the-csi-effect-influencing-courtrooms>.

(22) Christy Tanner of TV Guide at Mashable Connect 2011. Youtube. N.p., 31 May 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mejbzfeXo38>.