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Category: TV

There are 4 posts published under TV.

How Curved Screen Technology is Making its Way Onto the Market

In the world of consumer electronics, it seems like there are new innovations all the time that make their way onto the market. In screen technology, the most recent innovation is curved screens.

Of course, if you are familiar with going to the movies, curved screens is nothing new. Cinema screens are often curved due to the way the picture is projected onto the screen. Curved screens are now making their debut on a much smaller scale, like the television and smartphone market.

How Curved Screen Technology Works

On a curved television, the image projected onto the screen is obviously rear projected and provides a much wider field of view than a standard flat screen television. The goal of a curved television is supposed to be to provide a cinema-like experience on very large televisions, like th 78-inch UHD TV from Samsung.

The curves bend outwards on the side of the screen. The further you are away from the television, the less you even notice that the image you are watching is being emitted on a curved screen. The actual curves are only noticeable when you are within a few feet of the screen, but from any viewpoint, the picture quality is extremely sharp. On some of the television screens, there is a way you can switch to a flat screen if you prefer, by simply pushing a button.

While smartphones certainly do not fall into the category of “very large” screens, there are certainly benefits to having curved phones or tablets. The curvature on a smart phone reduces any reflections that diminish from the screen’s brightness, contrast and color. The curvature also directs ambient light outside of your line of sight.

Curved Screen Devices Currently Available

Samsung and LG have led the way when it comes to curved screen technology. Both companies released curved television screens at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. The two companies also released curved phones within the last year. One of the most prominent curved smartphones out on the market right now is the LG G Flex from T-Mobile, which is indeed flexible. This phone’s screen quality is pinpoint sharp.

When you first look at it and hold it in your hands, you might think it’s a broken or fake phone, but it’s not. According to LG, the phone may be bent flat up to 180 degrees and you have to be careful not to bend it inward or twist.

You may be thinking that it might be too difficult to hold a curved phone or find a case for it or even store it flat. A curved phone might actually fit into your pocket easier than a flat phone because it can use the curvature of your leg to sit. And if you store it in your purse, it would be a lot easier to find than a flat phone due to the probable amount of flat accessories you keep in your purse as it is.

Electronic manufacturers know that this is the year for curved screen technology. The next time you walk past a television or smartphone display, you might need to take a second look. An electronics device with a curved screen is no joke, it’s actually one of the latest developments in technology.

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From Primetime to Facetime: How the Evolution of TV & Video Has Changed Our Lives

Only three years after Steve Jobs released his first iPhone model, the Facetime-boasting iPhone 4 was introduced, and suddenly, everyone became a video producer, director, or actor any time they simply pulled their phones out of their pockets.

 

But what really changed is how we experience personal video. With YouTube, the brainchild of three former PayPal employees and the most popular video-sharing website on the planet we saw the emergence of the modern day “vlogger”. Suddenly anyone with access to a recording device could post homemade videos online.

 

Amateur videos (even some accidental) went from unknown to world-famous overnight – a sensation rightly predicted by the original vlogger, Andy Warhol, when he declared, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”  His eerie prescience has proven all too true, with a host of viral videos imparting fame on those seeking it - or not. Take, for instance, the one-time most viewed video on YouTube, Charlie Bit My Finger, a 56-second clip described by the boys’ father as “simply an attempt to capture the boys growing up.” Only four years after it’s initial post on the video-sharing website, Charlie Bit My Finger had accumulated over 400 million views, with auto-tuned spinoffs to boot.

 

Welcome to the new American dream.

 

In 2012, YouTube’s most-watched streaming event occurred when skydiver Felix Baumgartner “broke records and dropped jaws when he jumped from the middle of the earth’s stratosphere — 24 miles above the planet.”  With over 6 billion hours of video footage watched on YouTube each month, it wasn’t long before the app came pre-installed on every iOS device. Most recently, reports have shown that YouTube is more popular than Facebook among teens, another illustration of the power and draw for personal video. Over 6 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube—that’s almost an hour for every person on Earth, and 50 percent more than last year. 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.

 

Another video-sharing service, Vine, debuted just over a year ago, and was quickly acquired by Twitter. With more than 40 million users, Vine has emerged as a popular way for people to share short video clips (max of 6 seconds) with others. The Vine with the most “likes” belongs to actor / comedian Will Sasso. The clip, in which Sasso attempts to sing but instead spits a whole lemon out of his mouth, has more than 440,000 likes and has been tweeted nearly 29,000 times. The traction this clip and others have seen shows that there’s a real hunger for short clips to meet the needs of our increasingly short attention spans.

 

But YouTube and Vine aren’t the only way to watch your friends’ and family’s movies, and smartphones aren’t the only way to view them. iPads, iPods, laptops, desktops, Kindles and countless other streaming appliances have all made viewing video content instantly accessible. And let’s not forget the inflight entertainment TVs offered by most major airlines, monitors attached to every treadmill, bicycle and elliptical, and TVs implanted behind the headrest of your car for viewers in the backseat. Such constant, individualized viewing experiences are unprecedented, and as we move into the exciting world of connected television, it’s only a matter of time before companies like Apple and Google find ways to integrate our personal videos deeply into our TV-watching patterns. Soon, we’ll be able to see our own titles – ‘Angie’s First Steps’ and ‘Luis and Shannon Get Married’ – displayed right next to our collection of Hollywood blockbuster titles.

 

But what if I don’t want my own show?

 

 

According to TV Basics Online, “The time Americans spend viewing television has been growing steadily since the medium first emerged nearly 60 years ago. This growth was fueled by a variety of factors over the decades: multi-set and color TV households increased, the selection of 24-hour programming options expanded, and such technologies as the VCR and DVR gave viewers ever increasing control. By 2008, time spent viewing TV was at an all-time high.” Nielsen reports that the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day. This is equal to or 28 hours per week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year!

 

But we can only watch TV if the content is there – and due to the evolution of game shows, the emergence of reality shows, and the popularity of talk shows, there’s a good chance that you will achieve your 15 minutes of fame – and then some.

 

chang articel

 

With an ever-increasing amount of TV/video content available to us, a new paradigm emerges. “In the future, everyone will be anonymous for 15 minutes” appeared in the art world around 2006 courtesy of British graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter Banksy. Ever catch a stranger recording someone under the guise of texting? It seems as if we’re always being watched – sometimes unwittingly and unwillingly. Interestingly, Banksy has somehow managed to keep his own identity a secret, but nonetheless has achieved much more than his 15 minutes of fame.

 

The world has gotten smaller, they say, and certainly our cameras and viewing devices have gotten smaller, as well as the content we take in, with bite-size videos available on services like YouTube and Vine. With increased access to video-making and viewing tools, the question today is not whether we will all get our 15 minutes of fame; but rather, what channel will we be on?

 

The future of video technology will surely hold incredible innovations. The connected home will make it easy to watch videos in every room of our home, in a seamless experience. We can start to watch a movie in the living room, and finish in the bedroom. The intersection of video with augmented reality and holographic technology will also be really interesting space to watch. Imagine being able to project a life-size 3D hologram of your grandparents (or J-Lo) dancing in your living room. Advances in video technology will surely continue to help connect us – children to parents, friends to friends, the famous to those not YET famous.

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The Future of Gamification in Television

Television as we know it is coming to an end.

 

Just as iTunes revolutionized the way people purchase and listen to music, the second screen is transforming how people consume television. The message can no longer be delivered in a linear one stop fashion. It has to be presented in a way that is both dynamic and interactive. Audiences are craving more from their media and that is why second screen media applications are swooping in to redefine how television is watched.

 

Although it seems as if this has all been revolutionary at its heart is one fundamental truth: people love being told a story. The way the story is being told has changed and it will change many times more but at the end of the day a compelling story is what drives the entire machine and as long as that exists so will an audience.

 

The Audience is in Control

 

The TV viewing audience is no longer passively staring at a television. In fact, they aren’t even limiting themselves to a single screen. According to Microsoft Advertising, 33 million American consumers regularly engage in multiple screens simultaneously. People are now accustomed to constant stimulus from the world around them that can be provided by their smartphones, tablets and PC’s.

 

Despite this influx of multi-screen distractions, audiences are actually more engaged than ever. Water cooler television talk has evolved into never ending virtual discussion. More than ever, people are actively participating in the storytelling process. People don’t just want to watch television; they want to experience it.

 

The Social Media Effect

 

The audience has been empowered by social media. It has become a constant companion for television viewers. We now live in a culture where waiting to talk TV around the water cooler is no longer enough. According to Ericsson Consumer Lab, a staggering 40% of consumers use social media while watching television. Fans want to react instantly to what happens on their favorite shows and they’re utilizing social media to express themselves in real time.

 

Social media buzz can now change the narrative of a show. Just last week Twitter virtually exploded, when beloved Family Guy character Brian, was killed off the show. It remains to be seen whether or not their outrage will amount to anything but the fact that they were able to voice their anger on such a large scale via several different social media platforms is astounding.

 

Gamification and the Future of Television

 

Social TV has long since been establishing itself as the very best of interactive second screen media. Applications such as Viggle, Get Glue, and my own platform Insticator.com, have succeeded in making watching television a participatory experience that relies on the complete engagement of the user. Insticator deepens that immersive quality by offering its users real life prizes for making predictions about their favorite programs. The satisfaction of watching their favorite television shows coupled by incentive to win makes applications like Insticator both addictive and desirable to the consumers living in the digital age. Gamification is taking the concept of audience interaction one giant leap further. Not only is the audience now being heard, they are being listened to. The synergy created by gamification will not only ensure that audiences grow but that they will remain invested for their programs entire duration.

 

Looking to the Future

 

Social TV is strengthening the bond between viewer and network and I can say with full confidence that this is the future of television viewing. The medium has been forever changed and it is only getting more exciting. With this new type of audience it will fall on the networks to create worlds worth immersing themselves in and an application such as Insticator is essential to ensuring that consumer interest is maintained.

 

So, get out those smartphones and get in the game.

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Tips for Designing Videos for Mobile Viewers

Video is taking over mobile devices, and the amount of videos being viewed from mobile devices is continuously increasing.

 

It is important to consider your mobile viewers and make your explainer videos suitable for mobile devices. The Pew Research Center 2013 Online Video Study reports that mobile devices are becoming a key part of the video viewing and creating experience with 41% of adult mobile device owners using their devices to watch videos. 45% of all adult internet users also claim they watch videos on social networking sites and 56% own a smartphone.

 
So how can you keep your mobile viewers happy and want to share your web videos? Here are some tips to ensure you are optimizing your videos for mobile audiences.

 

Resolution

 

While most devices can now play high definition videos, on a smaller screen, the quality can be sacrificed a bit for a smaller video file format. By making your video smaller, it will be much easier and faster for your audience to download. Try adjusting the audio tracks, frame rate, or the size, to optimize the video size while still maintaining the maximum quality possible.

 

Keep it Short

 

Think about when your audience will be viewing your videos on a mobile device. They will most likely be on-the-go, traveling, waiting in line, or trying to pass the time somewhere. Consider the length of your video and take note that a shorter video, say 3-4 minutes, will most likely be viewed in its entirety, rather than a 15-minute long video.

 

Large, Simple Text

 

Consider that the screen size on most mobile devices is much smaller than a desktop computer or television. Avoid using tiny text in your video that will be difficult to read on a mobile device. Keep your video text simple and make your calls-to-action stand out with bold text.

 

Test It

 

You should always test how your video will look on a mobile device before releasing it to your audience. Test the video load time, the text readability, the quality, and the sound of your video when viewed on a mobile device.

 

Now that your video is optimized for your mobile audience, it’s time to share it!

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