Article Summaries

Android is a new operating system that some new models of phones run on. It was purchased by Google and has recently become one the most popular and successful software. It is available on the new Droid phone by Verizon and is being put on a variety of phones made by HTC. Now that I've given an introduction the Android software, Netflix recently posted a job opening on their website, looking for software engineers to help create software to enable phones running on Android. Since Google is the owner of the Android company, it plans to take the software and have it put on their new products coming out, such as Google TV. Google will, "deliver a toolkit to outside programmers within the next couple of months, and products based on the software could appear as soon as this summer." The primary goal of this step in towards having Netflix available on Android, is to be able to access Netflix from almost any device with an internet connection.

I chose this article mainly because I am looking to get a phone within the very near future that has Android on it and because one of the groups in our class is doing a webisode on portable devices. Netflix is primarily taking over the movie rental business. They have been able to get to, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, the Apple iPad, and even Tivo, so why not get it to phones. Personally I think its a great step for both of the companies (Google and Android), Netflix is dominating the business, shutting down Blockbusters and Hollywood Video. Broadening the platforms that Netflix is available on will only make the company more successful than it already is. During the Superbowl and actually in class, we saw a commercial for Vizio that is currently creating a TV that has applications for it with an internet connection. Go figure Netflix is one of the companies that jumped on the boat for that new technology. So one could only think that it would only be fitting to have a Netflix capability on phones. The clear connection between the content of the article and the example that I gave about the television applications is that, Netflix is rapidly expanding onto to all and upcoming available platforms. In chapter 10, we're introduced to online video and audio programming. As you read, streaming is starting to be mentioned (the digital distribution of audio or video in near-real time, the closest thing to conventional television programs). The book is a little dated because Netflix is only mentioned once and its not listed in the top Movie Streaming/Download Services. (Page 317 & 334)

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/26/which-android-platform-is-netflix-working-on/

Interviews/Interactions with Electronic Media Professionals

For my second interview, I spoke him a close friend of my dads. His friend's son, Brian Haug, currently, works on NEP's utility schedule for the 2010 Golf Channel season. Recently he worked on the 2010 Vancouver Olympics for Canadian firm, Broadcast Services International (BSI), as part of BSI's cable crew. BSI was contracted by Olympic Broadcast Services (OBS) to provide cabling expertise at the largest Olympic venues: Alpine and Whistler Olympic Park, the ski runs at Whistler Creekside, and the cross-country, biathlon, and ski jumping venues in the Callaghan Valley. He started by working logistics for NBC Olympics, Inc. A close friend of his family approached him towards the end of his junior year of college with the opportunity to go to Athens Greece and work in support of NBC's broadcast efforts. He had no knowledge of broadcasting prior to the arrival in Athens. Logistics was simple enough: inventory control, asset management, shipping and receiving. This is a direct quote from him, "Power will continue to shift into the hands of the consumer as we distance ourselves from ad supported media. This means consumers will dictate more and more how they interact with the media, namely: what they access, how they access it, when they access it, and whether or not they take an active role in contributing to it. Consequently, data mining is going to be a huge segement of the industry moving forward. Marketers will sift through tons of metadata to develop targeted campaigns directed at the wants and needs of groups of individuals." His advice for students is to be not afraid of getting involved with anything related to your field of study and to try things outside your comfort zone. One thing that he told was to just pick up a camera and start shooting anything. The more you record, the more you will learn the use of lighting and your editing ability.

nterviews/Interactions with Electronic Media Professionals

For my first interview. I actually interviewed my cousin, Bobby Fleming. I've known him since i was born and it wasn't until I started college that I knew his job was in the communication field. He works for Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His job title is an Audio Visual Technician. His job entails maintaining, operating and designing conference rooms. He contributes to the installation of video production work, contructing fiber optic networks and phone bridges. He first started out in a cooperative industrial education program. What sparked his interest at first was that he started as a stage lighting technician. We worked his way on to TV sets controlling switch boards and the lights. He went from a master control operator to an engineer. His job with Oak Ridge now he loves. All good things to say about his job and not a single complaint. He enjoys seeing first hand break throughs in the newest conversational sciences and nano material research. All of the technology that his company comes up with is designed to make the way we live more efficient. His advice to students is to start internships in television stations. They're always looking for new employees. The pay is a little low but the experience is well worth it. It's a great learning experience for anyone starting out in the communication field. As for when you get an internship, he advised to show good effort and initiative. For his job he suggest to look at AV Technology magazine. It is a good asset to his job and advertises new products for aiding him in his job.

This is the companies website. It includes produced videos by the company to show what they do. http://www.ornl.gov/ornlhome/video/video.shtml

blog #2

Later 2010, big time TV manufacturers will be releasing, 3 dimensional televisions (3-D). "TV finally becomes real" in three dimensions, said Robert Perry, an executive vice president at Panasonic. "You're in it. It's the next frontier." This new platform to watch TV will change the way any consumer will watch TV ever again. It's a new experience that will take the audience deep in the program, whether it's, a movie, a sitcom or even sporting event. The downside to this major step forward in technology is that there will be too much data being sent through the bandwidth. It could possibly too much and possibly distort the viewers full 3-D experience. As for the audience, there is a video that I am posting that will give a full background on the viewers experience. All that have watched this new technology, could not believe their eyes. It went straight from the big screen to straight to your living room.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/18/3D.home.television/index.html <-- link to article

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/18/3D.home.television/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

^-- link to video

blog #1

AT&T is now offering U-verse. A new television application that will allow the view to watch up to 4 different channels at once. It was designed most currently for the debut of the Vancouver Olympics. It will allow the viewer to watch multiple events all at once so they never miss a minute of the action. This feature was an award winning application that was introduced in the fall of 09. The way this could impact AT&T, by enabling them to have more features enabled on their services. It seems like this feature is more geared towards the major sport enthusiasts, that could be a possible downside for AT&T mainly because there may not be as money sport enthusiasts out there as they think there are. As for the audience's impact, FOR the sport enthusiasts, it would be extremely beneficial. Mainly because of the fact they can watch everything they would like, all at once.

http://www.rbr.com/tv-cable/tv-programming/21106.html