Friday, July 24, 2009




The Evolution of TV Programming

Television has entered what some may call a golden age, at least with regard to the variety of content and picture quality now available. One of the best things about television in recent years has been the explosion of quality interesting content available. Cable and satellite TV providers offer consumers dozens of different packages filled with interesting content to suit anyone's tastes. Hundreds of different channels mean that it's possible to find something for everyone.

In the past television was broadcast TV, which was transmitted via an analog signal with limits on picture and sound quality. Originally black and white, broadcast TV eventually changed to color and offered viewers a couple dozen channels to choose from. This allowed for broadcast of movies, sitcoms, news channels, and sports events, but the overall variety of content was limited. Still, a lot of great and treasured programs came out of that era. It's still possible to catch reruns of beloved shows like The Wonder Years, not to mention shows that are loved all over the world like The Simpsons.

Cable TV brought huge changes to the television industry. A couple dozen channels turned into dozens and eventually even hundreds. People could opt to pay for certain channels or packages, giving them freedom to choose between content they wanted and content they didn't. This gave producers unprecedented flexibility in the types of shows created.

Satellite television helped bring about further leaps forward in TV programming. As a new delivery system it was a perfect way to transmit hundreds of channels to houses all over the country, even in places that lacked the infrastructure for cable TV. Certain content producers emerged as real stars of the satellite and cable TV era.

A couple of the top producers of original TV series today are HBO and Showtime. Households and apartments full of people tune in via satellite and cable to shows like The Sopranos, The Wire, Weeds, and Entourage. Some of the latest popular and independent films can be found of movie channels. News networks bring in the latest information from all over the world. Sports fans can opt for packages that bring them every NFL or college football game, soccer matches, and more baseball than they have time for. Along with all these programming options, technological developments have made watching television a much more pleasant experience than it used to be.

In the days of analog television the picture and sound quality on TV were limited. The development of digital TV allowed for huge improvements in quality. All TV is now broadcast in digital. The highest quality signal available is called high definition television, which has incredibly sharp images and crisp digital surround sound. It also has a different aspect ratio, meaning that the picture can appear in the same form that it would in a cinema. These signals are especially easily transmitted by satellites to home receivers throughout the country.

New means of transmitting TV signals allowed consumers to access hundreds of new channels. Quality content producers arose to fill the new demand. At the same time, further technological developments improved picture and sound quality. It's an exciting time in the world of TV; it just begs the question: "what's next?"



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carina_Brantley

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