Welcome to HD Essentials, SHOOT‘s new weekly column designed to help the advertising production community navigate through developments in high definition production, post and distribution–and interpret how they influence the creative process.
This is not a new mission, but a continuing one. But at this stage of the game, the technology and business of HD is evolving at a rapid pace and growing increasingly complex. So SHOOT will be using this space each week to track new developments on the business, technology and creative fronts. That will include breaking news, in-depth interviews, profiles, case studies, and analysis.
To start, let’s take a look at what are already shaping up to be big HD stories in 2006, beginning with news from the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Reflecting HD interest, the exhibition included developments in display technologies, such as organic light emitting diode and surface-conduction electron-emitting display, along with other related HD innovations.
“We’ll look back in the not too distant future and see 2005 was the tipping point year for digital television (DTV) when Americans bought some 12 million DTV sets–nearly more than all the prior years of DTV sales combined,” asserted Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) president/CEO Gary Shapiro during his opening keynote. And CEA’s sales projections forecast that HDTV sets will outsell analog sets by 89 percent in ’06, reaching total unit sales of 15.9 million and contributing to over $23 billion in total DTV revenue.
The DVD format is also likely to make big news in ’06, as there are currently two incompatible high-definition DVD formats vying to be the next generation of DVD. To some, this topic is already reminiscent of the Betamax / VHS fiasco of 20 years ago. This year’s drama pits supporters of Blu-Ray Disc technology, led by Sony Corp., against the incompatible players and media based on HD DVD technology and championed by a Toshiba Corp.-led group.
Meanwhile, a big legislative decision is likely to occur when Congress returns to session. It is expected that it will approve of legislation setting a 2009 date for the completion of the transition from analog to digital broadcasting, a date that was originally set for Dec. 31, 2006 by the FCC’s Fifth Report and Order in December ’96.
On the broadcast front, as 2006 begins, available HD content remains on the rise. The major networks are broadcasting all (CBS and ABC) or much (NBC) of their primetime programming in HD. As well, the number of HD cable channels has increased dramatically and today includes HBO, Showtime, ESPN, HDNET and many more.
HDTV momentum also continues in parts of the world including Australia, Japan, Korea, Canada and a growing number of European countries.
Next month, the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, will be shown in HD for countries where the broadcast is available. And, HD and international sports will make news this year in the form of additional high profile events such as the FIFA World Cup to be staged this summer in Germany.
Moving from broadcasting to theatrical exhibition, the rapid growth of cinema advertising and the promise of digital cinema offer another important outlet for HD-produced advertising. To the latter, plans by various stakeholders have already been announced for larger scale D-Cinema deployment in ’06, and alternative advertising and content opportunities are part of the business model. Meanwhile, as part of an effort to reduce the technological barriers, SMPTE is expected to complete its digital cinema standards by year’s end.
Simultaneously, production and post technology for the high end is maturing, while low cost prosumer HD camcorders and desktop editing tools are enabling HD for the masses.
New formats such as HDV are emerging, but formats could be one of the most complex changes that this industry faces.
In commercial production, a new format once translated to a new type of videotape with higher resolution, and a different size or shape. Today, that is not always the case. The next thing looming on the horizon is not videotape but data, a high-resolution combination of zeros and ones. Here, frames are now files–files that need to be stored and managed. Working in this new environment will require learning new concepts, new techniques and new processes.
With all of this in mind, SHOOT chose this month to launch HD Essentials as a forum for the advertising production community. I have been privileged to work with so many of you while covering HD over the years. I thank you for sharing your insights and expertise, and look forward to working with all of you in the coming year.
