The Good, the Bad,
And the 'Web 2.0'
July 18, 2007

The explosion of blogs, social networks and video-sharing sites has allowed any Internet user to become a journalist or filmmaker or music star. But is this democratization of information -- often called Web 2.0 -- the future of the Internet or a looming disaster?

The Wall Street Journal's Jamin Brophy-Warren invited the authors of two recent high-profile books on the subject to debate. Andrew Keen, who wrote "The Cult of the Amateur," argues the Web has become overwhelmed with useless noise. David Weinberger, author of "Everything is Miscellaneous," argues that Web 2.0 tools let users filter out irrelevant (or inaccurate) information. A condensed version of their discussion, carried out over email, is below. (You can read the full text here.)

Networks looking to cut production costs are embracing game shows and are shifting away from disappointing and high-cost serialized dramas. In a recent instance, game show "1 vs 100" cost NBC $3.5 million in commitments and became the most-watched Friday-night show on network TV, while "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" cost NBC $39 million in an upfront investment and was seen by nearly 5 million fewer viewers than the quiz program. The Sun (Baltimore) (free registration) from NATPE

 

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bal-te.to.moneytv01nov01,0,365623.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

From the Baltimore Sun

Doing the math

TV networks turn to game shows as they lose faith in high-cost serialized dramas

By David Zurawik
Sun television critic
November 1, 2006

The shift in the bedrock of primetime television is evident in the fortunes of NBC's no-frills game show 1 vs 100 and its lavish drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Last month, NBC added 1 vs 100, a quiz program featuring stunningly easy questions, a roster of talent that begins and ends with B-list comic Bob Saget, and contestants who compete in a stadium-like setting with 100 opponents at a time.

Instantly, it became the most-watched Friday-night show on network TV with 12.3 million viewers. The show costs Hollywood production company Endemol USA about $700,000 an episode to produce -- and NBC only had to commit to ordering five episodes -- for a total risk of $3.5 million.

Compare that with Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a new drama with a large ensemble cast that includes stars Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford and Amanda Peet. Last week, Studio 60, which costs about $3 million an episode to make, was seen by 7.7 million viewers. And NBC is on the hook for at least 13 episodes -- an upfront investment of $39 million, more than 10 times that of 1 vs 100.

With network programmers losing faith in high-cost serialized storytelling, and boardroom bosses looking to cut prime-time production costs, game shows are the networks' new favorite flavor of the season. Three new ones are scheduled to debut this month -- with The Rich List, an English import featuring unlimited prize money, arriving tonight on Fox.

"Game shows are a great business model because the math just makes so much sense," says David Goldberg, president of Endemol USA, which has two game shows on NBC and two more on the way on ABC this month.

"We've heard of one-hour dramas typically costing between $3 [million] and $5 million, while these game shows can be produced at the network level in the $700,000-and-up range," Goldberg said. "Plus, a typical drama is shot over multiple days, while we can sometimes shoot two and three episodes of a game show in one day. You can do the math."

One of prime-time television's most dependable laws is that every few years a new series will become such a huge and unexpected hit that TV executives will do anything to emulate it.

In 2000, CBS struck gold with Survivor, spurring a rush to reality programming. This year, the NBC game show Deal or No Deal, featuring host Howie Mandel and suitcases full of money, is looking as if it is the hit to copycat.

Part of the explanation involves the way in which viewers seem to respond to shows about winning huge sums in an era of large personal debt. But the driving force in the rush to game-show programming is how cheap the shows are to produce -- a quality that has become increasingly important in a fall season filled with expensive dramas that have failed to strike a chord with viewers.

Using the most conservative estimates offered by producers and network executives, game shows cost one-quarter of the price and take one-tenth the time to produce as a weekly drama series. And so far this fall, they have been getting higher ratings than all but a few of the 14 new, highly publicized serialized dramas. The handful of serial successes include ABC's Brothers & Sisters, NBC's Heroes and CBS' Jericho, all of which have already been picked up for a full season by their networks.

While one new successful drama a year is not a bad batting average in the big league of prime-time network programming, the failures this fall are especially galling to network executives. Enticed by the young demographics that big-budget dramas such as ABC's Lost attracted last year, officials broke the bank in going for more of the same.

And much of the money is already spent. Pilot episodes for network dramas are particularly costly because they involve the building of production infrastructure from scratch. Seven pilots for new network dramas this fall cost more than $6 million each to produce, according to a report published in the Los Angeles Times last month. Among that group was the pilot for Studio 60.

The longer a series runs, the more production costs are amortized. A quick cancellation like the one CBS gave Smith, a series starring Ray Liotta as the leader of a gang of high-stakes thieves, is especially painful to the network pocketbook. NBC is feeling the same pain with Kidnapped, a serialized drama about the abduction of a teenager from a wealthy Manhattan family, that was moved last month to a Saturday timeslot but will not continue beyond its original order of 13 episodes.

The numbers make it plain to see why NBC Chairman Bob Wright recently announced a shift from scripted dramas to reality programming during the 8 o'clock hour on weeknights.

"The audience just isn't there," he said, referring to expensive series such as Friday Night Lights, a critically acclaimed high school football drama that is drawing an even smaller audience than Studio 60.

The numbers also explain the rush by other networks to get a piece of the action. As Fox joins the fray tonight with The Rich List, which puts no limit on how much money contestants can win, ABC promises perhaps the strangest turn yet Nov. 22 with Show Me the Money. That series will combine the game show genre with the dance show format now running red-hot for the network on Dancing with the Stars.

Show Me the Money features William Shatner -- whose TV persona has shifted from the valiant Captain Kirk of Star Trek fame to the lascivious attorney Denny Crane of Boston Legal -- as host on a stage with contestants, flashing lights and 13 dancers. Like the models that hold suitcases of money on Deal or No Deal, each dancer represents a plus or minus dollar amount, and they will break into dance once they are picked -- sometimes with Shatner as their partner.

"What you're seeing from this most recent crop of game shows is that in order to connect with network audiences, the shows have to be cranked up a couple of notches -- it's not just about being the most cost-effective," said Goldberg, whose company also produces Show Me the Money and Deal or No Deal.

"With the added competition now, you have to make them bigger and sexier," he said. "We already used models in Deal, so we wanted to evolve things. And since Show Me the Money is at ABC, the network that brought us Dancing with the Stars, we thought that using dancers would be a nice tie-in with their brand."

The appeal of game shows extends beyond their cost-effectiveness, network programmers say. Particularly attractive is the fact that it is one of the few genres that families can watch together -- which helps drive younger demographics.

"When you look at the audience for these 8 o'clock game shows, what you see is that instead of everyone in the family going to their separate TV sets in the house, it's that one time when teenagers are watching with their younger brothers and sisters, and watching with their moms and dads," says Craig Plestis, executive vice president for alternative programming, development and specials at NBC.

The network will be targeting those families with holiday-themed editions of Deal and1 vs 100 on Thanksgiving and Christmas. "No one's ever programmed anything original on Christmas Day this way, but these shows lend themselves so well to such event programming for those times when the whole family is watching," Plestis said.

As much as the networks are committed to introducing more game shows in coming weeks, none of the programmers see them as more than a temporary solution to sagging audiences and rocketing production costs this fall.

"As terrific as game shows are in terms of cost-effectiveness and flexibility in scheduling, they also notoriously have a short shelf life," says Mike Darnell, executive vice president for alternative programming and specials at Fox.

"It remains to be seen where this latest cycle that started with Deal or No Deal will go," he said. "But every show that has come down the pike in the previous cycle -- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Weakest Link, Greed and 21 -- had a life cycle in prime time of a year and half at most. I love them. They're great. And I hope Rich List is a hit. But history says don't bet the whole bank on them."

---

No-frills shows

Host: Howie Mandel

Concept: Contestants choose among models holding suitcases full of money

Airs: 8 p.m. Mondays and 9 p.m. Thursdays on NBC

Host: Bob Saget

Concept: Individual contestants compete against a panel of 100 persons in answering trivia questions

Airs: 9 p.m. Fridays on NBC

Host: Eamonn Holmes

Concept: Strangers are paired to complete pop culture lists. Winners continue to play with no limit on earnings

Debut: 9 tonight on Fox

Host: William Shatner

Concept: Dancing with the Stars meets the game show as contestants choose dancers who represent a plus or minus dollar amount

Debut: 8 p.m. Nov. 22 on ABC

Host: Jimmy Kimmel

Concept: Like a lottery, contestants can win a prize that will pay them monthly for the rest of their lives

Debut: later this month on ABC

 

 

If I wanted a TAPE machine that I have to fast forward or rewind and wait for the tape to finally get there I would have bought that. Instead I'm stuck with waiting for ff and rr with this amazingly poorly designed product. Ever hear of 30sec SKIP? Doesn't work on this box. The designers are stuck in the 80's!

I've had the DirecTV version of TIVO for HD installed for the past few weeks.

HR20 HD DVR Issues so far: 09/09/06

Update: 01/13/07 completely replaced box for a second new one. Currently having massive AUDIO and VIDEO digital noise hits. I hope it's fixed after it downloads all the programing in the next 24hours.... 

1) You can't switch from tuner to tuner on the fly like you can with TIVO. THIS TOTALLY SUCKS!! Let me reiterate this TOTALLY SUCKS!

2) HR20 locks up constantly 1-3 times each week. Requires unplugging unit and going through ENTIRE reboot cycle this takes about 10 minutes to reboot.

3) The interface BLOWS! it's horrible. For those who love your TIVO units there is NO comparison. Just try to easily select a SEASON PASS. Or better yet, try to delete a program that you've already recorded...or delete it as you're watching it...good luck!

4) What, I can't skip ahead... I must actually WATCH pictures in FF or RR... (is there a hidden tape inside this stupid box?).

5) update: now the audio is dropping out...picture stays on, but audio drops for about 1-2minutes..then magically i can hear it again.

I did call customer support, and they said the new software update will take place in October 06', but this will not address the poor HCI design of the interface. It's just NOT logical...

More later depending on the comments I receive here... Basically go buy a new TIVO. Sorry DirecTV,not only did you blow it, you blew it bad enough for me to blog about how bad it really is...stay away, FAR away!

This is a little ironic.. A psychic trying to make a buck off of the ROSARY and Roma Downey...

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Roma praying a new role...
Derry star's cd rosary recital is a big success

By Claire McNeilly
newsdesk@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

30 July 2005

ULSTER actress Roma Downey has recorded a CD - of herself reciting the Rosary.

The US TV star's unusual recording has helped generate big demand for a new religious book.

The CD is an accompaniment to American psychic John Edward's publication Practical Praying: Using the Rosary to Enhance Your Life.

And Downey's Derry accent has struck a chord with Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

Since hitting the shelves in March, the book and CD have flown off the shelves both here and in the States.

Emma Collins, of Hay House Publishers, said: "The book and CD have been doing extremely well, especially in Ireland.

"In fact, we have only just sold the rights of the book to the French market."

Rather than accept any payment, Downey (45) asked Edward to make a donation to Operation Smile - a volunteer medical services organisation for children.

The actress is best known for her role as Monica in the CBS TV series Touched By An Angel.

Chosen by People magazine as one of the '50 most beautiful people in the world' in 1997, the twice-divorced actress is married to TV producer Mark Burnett. She has a daughter, Reilly Marie.

Downey, who recently became a US citizen, achieved fame for her portrayal of President Kennedy's wife in the Emmy Award-winning mini-series A Woman Named Jackie.

Fox Interactive seeks original contentBy Bambi Francisco, MarketWatch
Last Update: 11:53 AM ET Jul 29, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - As News Corp.'s Lachlan Murdoch shakes up the executive suites (see comment below: Lachlan steps down), there is some stability and shape taking place at the media conglomerate's Internet division.

News Corp. tapped Ross Levinsohn, former head of Fox Sports, to be the president of the newly-created Fox Interactive Media unit. As Levinsohn sees it, his first line of duty is to bring cohesiveness to what he sees as "disparate" divisions across the Fox family.

Under his leadership, Levinsohn said Fox Interactive Media will be a joint venture with all the offline divisions, including Fox News Channel and Fox Broadcasting.

Levinsohn is also seeking to fill in more content within each division -- which will be entertainment, sports and news. To do that, Levinsohn will need to go beyond the content that's provided top down.

"We'll do strategic acquisitions of companies and rights," said Levinsohn.

Currently, most of what is online at Fox is produced by the Fox properties. About 10% to 15% of what's online is original content, such as five-minute sports updates, and original interviews in sports and entertainment, said Levinsohn. That should change over time, he suggested.

As for the content rights, Levinsohn wants to get rights to sports programming. While Fox Sports has NCAA Football rights, those rights to air the content don't extend to the Internet, he said. "We don't have official league rights... The leagues have always kept those separate."

Levinsohn wouldn't give much color on the kind of content acquisitions Fox Interactive is looking for, but suffice it to say that Levinsohn already has his hands full with News Corp's recent $580 million cash acquisition of Intermix (MIX), the majority owner of MySpace.

See Net Stocks: MySpace centerpiece.

"I look at MySpace as a lifestyle portal," said Levinsohn, who said that News Corp. began serious talks with MySpace executives in late June, early July.

While Levinsohn plans to leave the executives at MySpace alone to continue creating the home-grown, user-generated content that's made MySpace popular, Levinsohn has some ideas.

"We can turn on professional versions of MySpace, given our holdings in the U.K. with BSkyB and a bunch of newspapers," said Levinsohn. In the U.K., MySpace already has 700,000 members, he said.

Asked how Fox Interactive will compete against other budding Internet media empires, like Yahoo (YHOO) Levinsohn said he's been "waiting to see where Yahoo's heading." But he also said that Fox met with the head of Yahoo's media division, former ABC executive Lloyd Braun, and his team. "He came in to pitch us and he told us that they're not planning to be competitive with News Corp."

Levinsohn has the benefit of hindsight as News Corp had tried to build out an Internet division in the past. "The biggest difference between then and today was that the Internet division was a stand-alone business that wasn't interacting with the other divisions... Everything ran in a silo," he said. News Corp's prior effort to build a media site was shut down in 1999, said Levinsohn.

It's always interesting to see what other companies come up with: Take PILOTWARE: "CONTESTANT TRACKER" (which is now no longer listed on their web site). I wonder why Pilot pulled it?

With tens of thousands of applicants for a typical production, this system is a key element in the workflow process. More sophisticated versions interface with a web site to collect and store applicant information. Besides the initial contact information, this system manages the movement through the application process, from ratings to approval, along with status of releases and background checks. Use the system at the main office or on remote auditions where data and photographs can be captured then imported to the main system. This system also serves a key marketing role by collecting and maintaining a database of individuals and specific demographic information that can be repurposed for other projects and campaigns.

There are a few profitable online casting sites focusing upon ACTORS/ARTISTS in front of the camera/on stage (www.lacasting.com and www.talentmatch.com from Seattle). Some try to address the average Joes/Jane's for Reality TV (http://realityauditions.com/ and http://www.realitystars.com/index1.html). Some have a 'via your phone' twist (http://www.instantcast.com/index.asp). There are also a few sites who seek corporate/technology jobs 'behind the digital-camera' (www.mandy.com and http://www.studiolot.com/ and http://www.showbizjobs.com/dsp_jobsearch.cfm and http://www.entertainmentcareers.net). There is even a "secret/underground UTA Job list" that I review weekly (http://www.ihatemylife.us/jobs/). There are also few good CMS sites with decent rss feeds (www.orwellproject.com and www.realityblurred.com etc.) mostly focused upon entertainment industry news, however, not true stand alone businesses since these CMS sites are basically FREE and have no clue what social networking or personal profiles involve; thus not true online communities in my opinion. Others are seeking to profit with online scripts (http://www.soyouwannasellascript.com) and some educate for cash (http://www.sellatvshow.com/index.html). www.myspace.com based in Los Angeles started out as social networking, now they have a strong focus upon uniting members through an emphasis on music (uploads etc.), myspace seems to be taking a great deal of members from www.friendster.com.

There are a number of really great articles on Personal Aircraft. The 60 Minutes episode last night was an eye opener for many. Who's going with me to CalTech/MIT Enterprise Forum? Also see: Next Generation Air Transportation System

CarterCopter Carter Aviation Technologies

MOLLER SKYCAR Moller

AIRSCOOTER II Air Scooter Corporation

Springtail Trek Aerospace

Get ready for the AirScooter

I'm serious!

I'm a digital media executive with tons of experience in 'corporate life,' family life, and working from my home office during a 4-year educational research sabbatical...that includes a Masters degree, a few Internet media start-ups and the creation of Reality TV concepts.

I plan to sell my Custom 1997 Harley Davidson Heritage Classic Softail.
e-mail me at {Digital at DigitalSqueeze dot com}to submit your contact info.

Sent off an e-mail today to Jeremy Z. to see if he can assist with my quest for Yahoo badgedom.

In advance and in faith; thanks Jeremy!

Martha Stewart to Host Version of `The Apprentice'
Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) Martha Stewart will star in a new version of Donald Trump's ``The Apprentice,'' the top-rated show on General Electric Co.'s NBC, after she completes her jail sentence for obstructing justice.

Stewart will do a spin off of the reality program which will have contestants competing for a job at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., NBC Universal President Jeff Zucker said on a conference call today. Mark Burnett and Trump will be executive producers. They didn't say when the show will start.

``She is an amazing woman,'' said Trump today. ``She will do an amazing job.'' Trump said he has been in contact with Stewart and that ``her mood is fantastic.''

Burnett is the producer of reality programs including ``Survivor'' on Viacom Inc.'s CBS network as well as ``The Apprentice.''

``The Apprentice'' generated about $106 million in advertising revenue for NBC between September and November, Nielsen Monitor-Plus said. NBC boosted prices for 30-second commercials to $430,780 last season, Nielsen said. Ad prices rose on the strength of the first season's ratings.

Future revenue may be hurt by the 22 percent decline in audience numbers last season, according to media economist Hal Vogel.

Stewart also plans to star in a daily one-hour daytime television show next year that will be created by Burnett, Burnett and her company said on Dec. 8. The program will have a live audience and feature Stewart's cooking and decorating tips.

Shares of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia fell 22 cents to $33.47 at 1:46 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading.

The stock has more than doubled in the past year on investor optimism that Stewart's release from jail next month will revitalize her media company and its flagship magazine, Martha Stewart Living.

Burnett said today the agreement for Stewart to do ``The Apprentice'' was made before she went to jail.

Martha Stewart to host new 'Apprentice'
NBC plans to broadcast an additional version of the hit reality show featuring the domestic diva.

Now that I'm up to speed and enjoying/relishing TIVO for the past month I have a few comments (I just ordered a second TIVO for my Studio/Office).

Since TIVO reports that 75% of commercials recorded on the device already are skipped by users, we know that advertisers will have to opt for new approaches and I think this means a forced path to the Internet.

That sucks! Is anyone else out there concerned that advertisers are moving in mass from what is now considered broken TV, (mass interuptions, and poorly conceived or simply stupid commercials) and taking over the Internet (which is now really cool)? Google, Yahoo, can you guys help out here? Let me put that another way; Google, Yahoo, you guys need me to HELP YOU OUT HERE. Anyone from Google, Yahoo, Apple, call me, I'm available for you.

DirecTV?s Interactive Plans
A Sneak Peek At DBS ITV
By Steve Donohue Multichannel.com 12/20/2004

Attendees at next month?s Consumer Electronics Show will get a glimpse of the new interactive-TV features DirecTV Inc. expects to spring in the coming year. They include the launch of three ?mosaic channels?? that will allow subscribers to view multiple channels from the same genre on one screen.

Similar in form to the OpenTV Corp.-made channels that EchoStar Communications Corp.?s Dish Network used during the Summer Olympics and the November election, the mosaic products are among the interactive features DirecTV will introduce to further turn up the heat on cable.

News Corp., which now controls DirecTV, has used ITV extensively on its United Kingdom satellite platform, British Sky Broadcasting plc.

The mosaic channels were developed in-house at DirecTV, according to spokesman Bob Marsocci.

The Newsmix channel will feature five or six feeds on one screen, he said, including Cable News Network, CNBC, Headline News, Fox News Channel and The Weather Channel. Subscribers will be able to hear the audio from whichever channel is highlighted, and use arrows on their remote controls to listen to the feed from one of the other channels featured on the mosaic.

?It?s like a television control room on your screen,?? Marsocci said.

Viewers will also be able to select one of the channels on the grid to view the traditional full-screen version.

Marsocci said DirecTV is building a soundstage and studio at its broadcast center in Los Angeles, which will be home to an anchor who?ll discuss the content on Newsmix and on a sports mosaic channel called Sportsmix.

DirecTV plans to unveil the mosaic networks, including a Kidsmix channel that will feature children?s networks, at CES in Las Vegas, which begins Jan. 6.

Marsocci wouldn?t offer details on Sportsmix or Kidsmix content, but said he assumed some of ESPN?s networks would be included. ESPN officials declined to comment last week.

DirecTV has also obtained a trademark for a Shoppingmix channel, but Marsocci said no date has been set for the launch of that network, which could feature shop-at-home networks.

With cable and satellite subscribers facing hundreds of channels to choose from, the use of mosaic channels might become a growing trend for both industries, which currently use interactive program guides to ease viewer navigation.

While IPGs allow viewers to scroll through program listings or search titles, mosaic channels could allow them to more easily find a movie, sports show or news program by being able to view multiple feeds from the same genre at the same time.

?We think it?s not really an IPG feature, but we think it?s a neat feature and a neat offering,?? said Todd Walker, general manager of advanced TV at Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc.?s TV Guide Television Group.

He added: ?We don?t have any firm plans or products that we have to announce, but we are looking to put together this type of product.??

Walker said mosaic channels could also be used to ease navigation for the growing number of on-demand programming choices cable operators are offering.

One challenge cable and DBS providers face in developing mosaic channels is getting permission from content providers, some of which might not like sharing a screen with one or more competitors.

EchoStar was persuasive enough that during the November election it ran CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, MTV and Comedy Central on the same screen. DirecTV, too, has gained support from news networks.

Walker said he expects programmers to embrace the idea. ?I would think they would greatly desire to fill one of those positions,?? he said. Source BB. Source BB.

Instead of hanging the Christmas lights like I told my wife I would... I've been enraptured going over the blog results at http://2004weblogawards.com/.

I'm fascinated with blogs because they incorporate an amazing collection of modern elements into our current (new) expanding social atmosphere:

1) Blogging represents an ability to marry individuals with tools (in this case technical publishing tools). I'm just as fascinated with the blogging tools/technology chosen by bloggers as I am what bloggers are publishing (content). Musicians simply 'get this' concept. If I'm introduced to another musician for example, one of the first questions that comes up is WHAT brand instrument they play. It's usually not good enough for one musician to talk to another without knowing this. Why? Because understanding their guitar choice, or drum choice, tells me an amazing amount of information about that individual...in some ways it's like body language. If I told you I play a Gretsch kit..what does that say about me? What if I added a "round badge Gretsch" kit? Or, that I have a small vintage collection of snare drums...?

2) Blogging represents an individual's best efforts of organization. It's similar to going into someone's home and studying their sense of design and decoration, in other words, what is important to this individual/family.

3) Blogging represents an individual's best efforts to reveal their perceptions, both external and internal. This is the beginning of integrated and interactive digital identities (no man is an island). Manufactured or not, it's about people expressing themselves in new ways with the help of digital tools.

I like the depth of what my buddy Joel touches on...see below:?

Entertainment finds itself at several technological cross roads:
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A)? HD acquisition is penetrating further and further into daily production and more and more American have access to HD television even if they have not yet bought HD televisions. With Fox?s mandate for all television production (reality or otherwise) to be HD ready (either through up-conversion or HD acquisition) and several key cable networks (MTV,
Discovery) starting up HD channels, 2004 may be the first year where we can really say HD has been more then breaking technology.

B)? Non-Tape or Film based Recording technologies. While Tivo, Replay and DVD recorders are slowly trying to kill off the VHS machine from the home, Sony?s XDCAM (blueray DVD recording cameras), Panasonics ?P2? (flash ram recording camera) and Ikegami?s Editcam (hard drive recording cameras) are set to revolutionize tape based production and post production. While I would not dump my stock in Sony Media, one might take a cautionary look at the future effects of these technologies.

C)? 2004 was also the year that 24 frame progressive technology really penetrated tape based production and more shows were shot using a small handful of camera that recorded 24P footage to both HD and Standard Def tape. The ability to capture 24 frame footage without the burden and cost of film has been a major new tool for television production and will continue to give a new look to tape based production in the years to come.

D)? Lastly but not least, watch for big changes to continue to roll out of Japan for the next year or two as all the manufacturers revamp and discontinue any product that fails to meet the mandates of the Kyoto Accord. If you have been watching, a lot of technology that has been around for years has disappeared and or been replaced recently. Sony?s discontinuation of Betacam was partially based on the need to redesign all equipment to make it meet the lower lead requirements of the accord. This NAB I expect to see revamped versions of any technology that is older then 2-3 years with new versions. Canon lens that have an ?E? in the model number signify environmentally modified lenses with less lead and by the end of 2005 you will not be able to get any lenses that are not ?E? models. Most significantly will be the death of the picture tube, which is predicted to occur in the next 3-5 years. It is rumored that Sony and Panasonic will announce that almost all of their professional and broadcast picture tube products will be discontinued in the years to come.
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These and many other technological changes will continue to alter the landscape that the entertainment and media professionals are faced with on a daily basis. I agree that being well versed and prepared will grant an edge to both companies and individuals.
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One however should never forget that Technology should always play second seat to Story, Cast and Creative content. If you do not have a great story and a good cast of actors even the best of technology will not make your production succeed. Look first to the making your creative content the best that it can be and then make your vision come true with the right technology.
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Joel Ordesky?

Television has just been raised to the next level. This show is unbelievable..really...unbelievable. So if you complete this task you will be put in the Guinness Book of World Records...cause no one has EVER done this before!

There is no question this show will reach season 2 and probably 3 and 4!? Now, THAT is GREAT TV!

Great job and PROPS to Bunim Murray and the entire crew.

Avid DS Nitris Brings the Reality of HD to ?Casino