Television's Future Vision

(Part 5)

This is cold comfort to the multi-million dollar trials of sophisticated interactive television systems. The most expensive trial - the Time Warner Full Service Network in Orlando, Florida - has built up a formidable a la carte menu of programming matched to some of the most sophisticated technology available. But the few hundred people on the trial are less than impressed with what's been served up and - with the increased cost associated with such exotic fare - have been opting for a more simple diet: news and movies. And from recent published results in the US Business Week one of the most popular uses was ordering postage stamps, (and later here in trial in Orange in 2000, pizzas). This will pay for the multi-billion dollar television future?

However, a good example of generating new ideas was the QUBE cable television test carried out by Time Warner from 1977 in Columbus, Ohio, and later, in five other US cities to 40,000 homes. This futuristic 30 channel interactive system tested pay per-view, interactive council meetings, shopping channels and talent shows and 10 "community" channels for all-day live, local or interactive programs. The trial finished in 1985 but not before two of the "community" channels had created a music channel, now called MTV, and Nickelodeon, the so-called "kids" channel. Combined, the channels' "value" is nearly one billion dollars - not a bad return for allowing some new blood into the industry. Its history is detailed in the book, Wired Cities, by Dutton, et al.

Meanwhile from the joint Microsoft Network/NBC Web channel - cleverly titled MSNBC - to the popular interactive Internet text-based soap operas, like Gray Advertisings "The Spot", the AT&T "Intercast" service which will key computer graphics and information over the television image like a sophisticated form of teletext, and onto direct-to-cable television channels such as the Boston-based experimental Disney service with its output directly taken from a non-linear video editing system, new ideas - using new media and Web-based production and distribution - are overturning the old ideas of televisual production budgets, methods and content and attracting large, mainly younger, audiences.

If its cheaper, more relevant and responsive, and provides outlets for cultural expression that cannot find an outlet elsewhere, then newer televisual communications systems like the World Wide Web operating over cheap radio data systems will simply bypass the older systems taking the new - and perhaps eventually some old - audiences with them.

There are many other non-television exhibition and distribution channels - and some that have come and gone over the years - where many industry participants got their grounding in production. Independent production and training resource facilities for the film, television and media arts communities around Australia such as Open Channel in Melbourne, the Film and Television Institute in Perth, Metro Television in Sydney, the Adelaide-based Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT), and others, also provide opportunities to develop new and culturally diverse ideas, skills and work.

Short film and video screening groups such as the nationally and internationally touring flickerfest and Melbourne's St Kilda Filmmakers Co-op, and the new cable and broadcast community channels, play their part in building an audience for this work and in supporting non-mainstream, media arts and independent production - the centre and powerhouse of new media creative development and experimentation. There are also over thirty film and television university and TAFE courses around Australia turning out thousands of skilled graduates every year and many small private and government-supported training companies offer courses. Each graduate is a potential new producer of material.

There is certainly no immediate shortage of talent and ideas from many different cultures and places, just a shortage of outlets, audiences - and vision - to stymie the best low budget efforts.

Television's Future Vision Part 6 >

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