Since the first edition of this book was published in 1990, digital technology has caused some far-reaching changes in the way television programs are produced and broadcast. Early digital video equipment was large, expensive, and unusual, whereas today it is the norm. This author argued long ago that once it became possible to digitize video then digital video would be indistinguishable from other types of data. This has certainly been borne out. Increasingly television systems are adopting information technology (IT) solutions instead of dedicated equipment. The maintenance requirement has fallen dramatically as equipment becomes more reliable. The tremendous rate of development of flat screens has meant that the cathode ray tube has practically died out.
Techniques such as MPEG compression, along with the ever-falling cost of hard disk storage, have had a considerable impact and will continue to do so. Increasingly production is performed, at least in standard definition, on workstations connected to file servers by IT-based networks, meaning that traditional solutions such as digital video recorders and digital video interfaces are in decline. That change of emphasis is reflected in this book. Whilst IT has been used in television production to lower costs and increase flexibility, it also must change television out of recognition. The widespread availability of Internet access provides competition that must erode traditional television viewing. The availability of random-access technology at consumer prices means that commercial breaks can be edited out by the viewer, and this destroys the business model of commercial television.
Not surprisingly this book has also changed out of recognition. At one time the readers of this book might well have been specialists, but that is no longer the case, and this book must be suitable for a wider audience. Naturally all of the new technologies are included here, but there is one thing that is not new, and that is the approach that this book has always taken, which is to approach complex subjects a step at a time from straightforward beginnings. To suit a wide range of readers, some of the more complex subjects have been separated out into essays, and some of the key topics have been highlighted.
Earlier editions argued the quality advantages of digital video, whereas this now seems superfluous. With the widespread use of heavy compression to deliver an unparalleled number of television channels, the technical quality has fallen to match the thinly spread program-making talent.
Digital technology is also allowing the cinema to compete more strongly, whereas television fights back with high definition. It remains to be seen what will happen in the long term.
John Watkinson
Burghfield Common, April 2008