A dizzying array of HD-related products, announcements and discussion marked the recently concluded National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Las Vegas, generating much food for thought across all industry sectors, including ad agencies, production houses and the post community.
And while you could hear plenty at NAB heralding the digital revolution, including HDTV, there was but a relative whisper regarding those who may have a hard time staying connected. So while you’ve read a great deal in SHOOT about digital TV’s applications and implications for the industry in recent years, I thought it might be a good time to reflect on those households that might be passed by.
One in five U.S. households depends on a rooftop antenna or rabbit ears to get a TV picture. Without converter boxes, those TV set screens will for the most part go blank on Feb. 18, 2009 when federal law currently mandates that broadcast stations switch off analog signals and transmit exclusively in digital. Thus while most of us will have vastly sharper pictures and access to a wider range of multicasting channels provided by networks like NBC, ABC and PBS, a significant number of the country’s people who are already somewhat disenfranchised run the risk of becoming even less connected.
Households without cable or satellite service tend to have lower incomes and, according to research, ethnic minorities–African-Americans and Latinos in particular–are more likely than whites to receive only over-the-air TV.
Furthermore a poll found that more than 60 percent of respondents who rely on broadcast TV (not cable or a satellite service) aren’t even aware of the analog to digital transition. To help remedy this, TV networks, cable providers and consumer electronics companies plan to raise public awareness through website content and millions of dollars worth of airtime for PSAs starting in ’08.
The Department of Commerce also intends to give qualifying households a $40 coupon toward the purchase of a basic converter box, which would cover most of what such a box should cost. It remains to be seen, though, if enough coupons will be available to cover those households truly in need.
At the same time, however, further delaying the digital transition to help these needy households would also have far reaching negative repercussions for everyone in that once TV has successfully gone digital, it will open up the availability of analog airwaves for free to public safety organizations.
Among the recipients would be police and fire departments and emergency medical units whose communications systems would be markedly improved. As we’ve learned from 9/11 reports, one of the major flaws in the country’s emergency response mechanism is the lack of viable communications systems linking these live-saving professionals so that they can be more responsive to serious situations as they unfold.
So while it’s easy to get caught up in all the bells and whistles–and cool gadgetry–as we are at the doorstep of an exciting digital era, let’s not forget those who are in jeopardy of doing without as well as the importance of those who come to our aid in times of emergency. An inclusive, intelligent digital transition is in the best interest of us all.
Netflix Series “The Leopard” Spots Classic Italian Novel, Remakes It As A Sumptuous Period Drama
"The Leopard," a new Netflix series, takes the classic Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and transforms it into a sumptuous period piece showing the struggles of the aristocracy in 19th-century Sicily, during tumultuous social upheavals as their way of life is crumbling around them.
Tom Shankland, who directs four of the eight episodes, had the courage to attempt his own version of what is one of the most popular films in Italian history. The 1963 movie "The Leopard," directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
One Italian critic said that it would be the equivalent of a director in the United States taking "Gone with the Wind" and turning it into a series, but Shankland wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He said that he didn't think of anything other than his own passion for the project, which grew out of his love of the book. His father was a university professor of Italian literature in England, and as a child, he loved the book and traveling to Sicily with his family.
The book tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, a tall, handsome, wealthy aristocrat who owns palaces and land across Sicily.
His comfortable world is shaken with the invasion of Sicily in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was to overthrow the Bourbon king in Naples and bring about the Unification of Italy.
The prince's family leads an opulent life in their magnificent palaces with servants and peasants kowtowing to their every need. They spend their time at opulent banquets and lavish balls with their fellow aristocrats.
Shankland has made the series into a visual feast with tables heaped with food, elaborate gardens and sensuous costumes.... Read More