The Future of High Definition Television
“DTV is a much bigger step for television than the change from black and white to color” (Epstein, 12/99). The idea of a “digital television” came about nearly a decade ago in the early 1990’s when scientists realized that much more data could be sent to televisions if it was in a digital format, or a long series of 0’s and 1’s. This is the same method that computers use to send data and this method is very efficient. In fact, the data stream going into the television would be so great that 5 or 6 different channels could be broadcasted at the same time on the same frequency, giving viewers more options. Not only will there be more channels, but some of the other benefits would include a crystal clear picture, cd-quality surround sound, 2-way data-transmission, stock quotes, the Internet, and maybe even telephone services one day. The last four things are possible; they just haven’t been tested to a great extent quite yet. However, researchers agree that all these things will be possible one day. It is just a matter of time. What it comes down to is that some higher power, in this case the government, needs to step in to help progress this whole transition along or it could be years before everyone has an HDTV in their family room.
There are only two main reasons for why the new high-definition television sets haven’t caught on yet. To understand the first reason, it must be viewed from the point of the consumer. Why spend all this money on a new television set when there is no programming for it? This is where the government steps in. By spring of 2002, all stations are required to broadcast shows digitally. Stations ABC and CBS are leading the pack by offering nearly all of their primetime shows in high definition (Takiff, 2001). NBC and FOX are lagging behind and have almost no shows broadcasting in digital (Takiff, 2001). However, by the year 2006, all analog broadcasts will be cut off and only digital broadcasting will remain. So if you think this whole digital television phenomenon won’t affect you… think again.
The second thing is price. A new 50” plasma screen HDTV ready television can cost upwards of $20,000 (www.
How many people today watch family sitcoms to imitate or compare values with their own? Probably not as many as there were in the 1950s. In Stephanie Coontz's "What We Really Miss about the 1950s", she discusses why people feel more nostalgic towards growing up in the 1950s, and how she disagrees that 1950s wasn't the decade that we really should like or remember best. Apart from economic stability, family values played an important part then. Through television sitcoms, such as "Leave it to Beaver", "Father knows Best", families watched them to make sure they were living correctly. It was like guidance and somewhat reassurance. However, values of families have changed, and this is shown on sitcoms today. We watch sitcoms today for entertainment, and sometimes we can relate to them because the setting is realistic. In the modern sitcom, "Gilmore Girls" characters and plot are used to demonstrate family values such as gender roles, children roles, economic status, morals, ethics and general organization of a family that differ from the values shown in the 1950s sitcoms.
In the articles “The Box That Changed America” by Lauren Tarshis and “Television Transformed” also by Lauren Tarshis, they show ways of how americans are drawn to TV because of everything it offers. In the article “Television Transformed” by Lauren Tarshis, it shows how more interesting TV is, and how everyone can watch what they want. The article states, “The number of quality shows is higher than ever, with far more diversity in casting. Families no longer have to fight over what to watch because individual family members can watch what they want on their own devices”(Tarshis 23). This shows how families no longer have to fight, because everyone get watch on their own technology. Plus, now there is a bigger variety of what they can watch.
The ‘Golden Age of Television’ is what many refer to as the period between the 1950s and 60s when the television began to establish itself as a prevalent medium in the United States. In 1947, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and the Du Mont Network were the four main television networks that ran stations with regular programming taking place. (Television, 2003) While regular television programming was a new innovation, the television itself had been commercially available for over twenty years prior to the 50s. It was conceived by many worldly innovators and went through several testing stages before it was finally completed in the late twenties. The three main innovators were Niplow - who first developed a rotating disk with small holes arranged in a spiral pattern in 1884, Zworykin - who developed the Iconoscope which could scan pictures and break them into electronic signals (a primitive form of the Cathode Ray Tube) in 1923, and lastly Fansworth - who demonstrated for the first time that it was possible to transmit an electrical image in 1927. (Rollo, 2011) However, one of the many reasons why this medium was successful in the 50s was due to the fact that it became more accessible to the public. Television sets were more affordable to middle class citizens which created further interest in the new technology. Through an historical account of the medium, the spread of television across America throughout this particular decade will be examined.
One of the largest “booms” that this country has witnessed is in the area of the ultimate “entertainment” source, the television. The growth in popularity of the use of the television is harming Americans in every aspect of their lives,
These two studies investigated the role of coastal habitats and ecosystems in relation to their productivity at the primary and secondary levels, as well as how these ecosystems are capable of shaping the dynamics of neighboring systems. The study conducted by Heck focused exclusively on seagrass ecosystems and their interconnectedness with nearby and distant habitats. The researchers investigated biomass exchanges that occur through both passive and active means. Consumers accomplish active transport as they directly transport biomass into and out of seagrass meadows. Passive transport of seagrass biomass is associated with roots, rhizomes and seagrass detritus that’s is carried out of the system by currents and waves. Therefore, the review conducted by Heck primarily focused on the role of primary production within seagrass ecosystesms. The decline of seagrass habitats is predicted to not only have effects upon the organisms that directly dwell in and feed off of them, but will also have far reaching effects on adjacent and distant habitats that they contribute to in the form of energy and biomass transfers. In contrast, the study conducted by Wong and her team, looked at a number of different types of estuarine coastal habitats and evaluated them based on their secondary production, in relation to their ability to contribute and sustain ecosystems. Ultimately, the researchers determined the values of these habitats based on their secondary production, and hope that their findings will help to direct restoration efforts in the future to protect those habitats with higher value based on ecological metrics.
“Digital Set to Surpass TV in Time Spent with US Media.” eMarketer. N.p., 1 Aug. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
This paper introduces the environmental concerns of the loss of coastal wetlands. The paper will discuss the significance of wetlands and the devastation that is occurring because of human activity. Wetlands are an essential element of our environment both ecological and societal; conservation will be essential for the preservation of these precious ecosystems.
...llaborate with international and local organizations to build community partnerships to improve HIV prevention. The CHN would have to effectively utilize primary prevention to reduce the overall incidences of transmission by: seeking to increase the proportion of substance abuse treatment facilities that offer HIV/AIDS education and support, educating and increasing the proportion of sexually active individuals who use protection. The nurse can also implement secondary prevention or early detection and prompt treatment of disease. This type can prevent the activation of latent infections and promote optimal health in HIV-infected individuals. The CHN would also implement tertiary prevention by encouraging patients to have consistent follow-up exams to identify and prevent diseases that may affect those afflicted with HIV/AIDS such as Tuberculosis and other diseases.
Presently 98% of the households in the United States have one or more televisions in them. What once was regarded as a luxury item has become a staple appliance of the American household. Gone are the days of the three channel black and white programming of the early years; that has been replaced by digital flat screen televisions connected to satellite programming capable of receiving thousands of channels from around the world. Although televisions and television programming today differ from those of the telescreens in Orwell’s 1984, we are beginning to realize that the effects of television viewing may be the same as those of the telescreens.
... to accommodate the coastal wetlands, they will likely be threatened by local extinction, along with the services they provide to humans and wildlife (Wetlands are being wedged).
Camus and Mulisch present that the past and present are interrelated. The authors do this through the two characters, Meursault and Anton. Through Meursault, we see that his past actions affect the outcome of his trial. Through Anton, we see that his present situation constantly brings him back to his past despite him trying to escape it. Thus the authors stylistically link the past and present to demonstrate that they are inevitably related, where certain events are unavoidable or the past is undeniable.
... viewing quality becomes and the more channels we can get, the more people are likely to stay inside. Don’t get me wrong, I love TV, and I feel that it is one of the most important inventions that this world has been blessed with; but I feel that it is taking away from some of the “realness” of our lives. People are becoming less healthy, they are developing eye and other health problems, and they don’t know what is real and what is not any more. I hope that in the future television designers and makers can develop so new technologies that would improve and not worsen our environment. The television is a very helpful and important tool that has had a great impact on our society, but we need to be aware of how this tool has also affected out environment as well, so next time you watch you television, think about what impact you might be having on our environment!
Besides the positive fact that we are better informed and in touch with the latest news, we should be aware that accepting this enormous flow of information and allowing it to make our mind can be dangerous. The TVs infiltrate our lives, guiding us what are we supposed to wear, how are we supposed to look and act.
“How long you figure before we save up and get the fourth wall torn out and the fourth wall-TV installed?" If I think of the future of media I remember this quotation from Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451”. Will television remain an important part of mass media or will the Internet kill it? What role are mobile devices going to play and what about movies in 2020?
Most people think they know a wetland when they see one, but the delineation of wetlands for the purpose of granting permits has proven enormously controversial. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an area is defined as a wetland when a combination of three technical criteria are met: Wetland hydrology (land that is saturated within 18 inches of the surface for more than seven days per year), Hydrophytic vegetation (a list of plants that will thrive in wet areas), and Hydric soil (mucky and peat-based soil). The continual destruction of these valuable lands is due mainly to farmers, oil and mining interests, and development groups (Russel, p.36). It is estimated that 30-40% of the original wetlands in the United States have been lost, and about 300-400,000 acres are destroyed each year (Hollis, p. 36). Recent concern has led to an increase in wetland restoration and creation to reduce the impacts of activities in or near wetlands, compensate for additional losses, and to restore or replace wetlands already degraded or destroyed (Nicholas, p. 39).