Feedback #2

This is an improvement - well done. I am still concerned that you don't have enough quotations or depth and also need to consider issues of piracy, synergy with gaming industry and CGI / production issues.

1.Sixty seven per cent of the UK online population has tried some sort of digital activity, for example reading blogs.
2.Due to modern technology advances, it is possible for any person to produce their own films. It is unlikely to find a household that doesn't have at least one person owning a digital camera, recorder, or a mobile phone which enables them to film a video.
3.In 2004, one in four people had downloaded a film illegally.
4.84 per cent of households with internet access have a broadband connection.
5.At CES 2006, Microsoft announced that there would be an external add-on HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360 game console; this was released in November 2006.
6.HD DVD is currently in a format war with rival format Blu-ray Disc.
7.Digital cinema is distinct from standard video and high-definition video. In particular, it is not dependent on using television or HDTV standards, aspect ratios, or frame rates. Digital projectors capable of 2K resolution began deploying in 2005, and in 2006, the pace has accelerated. HDTV and pre-recorded HD disks will put great pressure on theaters to offer something better to compete with the improved home HD experience.
8.Digital Cinema Distribution (DCD) is the process of transmitting the DCP to theater servers via different methods that may include: hard drives, LTO data tapes, DVD-ROMs, or satellite.
9."There are many demands on people's time nowadays and people are able to get movies in all ways - on iPods, online, etc. But theatres will continue to work to give people the experience they want and can only get by seeing a movie in a theatre." - Dan Glickman, Motion Picture Association of America
10.An increase in various home entertainment systems, as well as an improvement in the quality has meant that more people would prefer to watch films from the comfort of their own home, and are able to watch films exactly how they want to.

Due to modern technology advances, it is possible for any public citizen to produce their own films. It is unlikely to find a household that doesn't have at least one person owning a digital camera, recorder, or a mobile phone which enables them to shoot a video.Journalism has changed a great deal in the recent decades, due to the introduction of blogging, where citizens are able to post comments or reports on events that have happened and are deemed as newsworthy. Journalism has also been changed by the advances in digital filming that have taken place. When 9/11 occurred, no professional footage was available of the event taking place because it was unexpected. However, there were many sources of video footage of the event and aftermath due to citizens using their digital camcorders or video mobile phones.After 9/11, there were many speculations that the event was not actually a terrorist attack. There were alternative explanations for what the "real" cause of 9/11 was, and who did it. The cospiracies pointed towards President Bush being behind the attacks. Many people did research and created their own documentaries using digital camera recording explaining these conspiracies, but it was not possible for them to be aired on television because it was against President Bush. However, due to internet companies such as "Google Video", documentaries were able to be uploaded and broadcasted to the general public and it wasn't long before thousands had seen the documentaries.The main conspiracy sourced from "kid and his laptop", beginning to make the documentaries. However, when the popularity of the documentaries began to grow, "Loose Change" was formed, including four members and they now have their own official website with their slogan being "Ask questions. Demand asnwers". The main priority associated with the publication of their documentary on the internet was to inform people of what they believed to be the truth about 9/11, and it is just as easy for anyone else to do so. To watch the "Loose Change" 9/11 documentary click here. It gives a good idea of how easily home video footage can be broadcast to almost anyone, the democratisation of filmmaking. No longer does it have to be film directors that can broascast their filming to the public, but any citizen who would like to.

Should be people buy HD TV's and DVD's or stick with what they've got?

Obviously it will be a harder decission for people with a smaller income to upgrade and to keep up with technology, and there would be less hesitation for wealthier people.
Also satellite companies such as sky have introduced HD channels which require a separate subscription which would urge some people to upgrade.
Apart from a much better viewing, having the latest technology is a status symbol for some people, which is why they would keep up with technology.
Ultimately these developments are just new ways to squeeze more money out of us. Bluray disks are almost double the cost of a standard DVD so is it worth buying?
There is also a converance into home entertainment systems, such as playstion 3 and xbox 360. These consoles will be HD and bluray which would encourage people to buy one rather than a bluray player.

What will happen with the increasing threat to cinemas with the constant development of home cinema systems?

Home entertainment has come a long way in the last 10 years. We have had the introduction of DVD's, LCD and Plamsa screen TV's and the ever better quality of dolby 5.1 surround sound. Now there is the introduction of HD TV's and HD and Bluray DVD's giving more and more realism to the cinema expearience.
With the latest technology in your own home, why spend up to £8.00 for a single ticket to see a movie at the cinema, unless the cinema could offer you something you wouldn't get at home.
The first pro why people still go to the cinema is the you get to see a film roughly 6 months before it would come out on DVD if you are keen to see the film.
Secondly is the feel of the cinema - Popcorn, Huge screen, loud sound.
But now the popcorn and other various snacks are highly overpriced which puts some people off goin.
With the introduction of digital distribution, this could badly effect cinemas and the film industry as people will be able to download the latest films in HD format and watch it at home, without even leaving the house. Also with internet file sharing sites, people are able to download the latest films, sometimes before they are even out at the cinema, with little risk of getting traced.

Should film directors change to HD digital from celluloid?
There are pros and cons for both HD and celluloid, both with different qualities. Most directors still prefer to use celluloid as it gives the film the organic look, where as HD offers a more crisp clear look.
The pros for using HD are it can help production by

• More creativity on set and using digital visual effects and sound.
• Digital filming reduces production costs.
• Surround sound - more complex ways of recording and replicationg layers of sound.

But the downside to HD film is that it doesnt have the organic film of celluloid.

It can help distribution by

• Developing surround sound, introducing more 3d technologies and use large screens.
• There would be much faster acecss to the films as they would be downloadable directly to the cinemas rather than waiting for a real of celluloid film.
• With celluloid the quality of the film decreases over time as the film gets worn and damaged, but with HD the film will always be the highest quality.

The down side to this development is the it would be very expensive for all the cinemas to upgrade to HD screens, which would push up ticket prices and decrease the number of attendance. With this new digital distribution from the internet there is an increased risk of piracy on the availibilty of the HD digital file at the time of the box office release of a film.

Feedback on research #1

Oli, this is a start, however this lacks detail and focus. You will find it very hard to revise from these posts. Summarise, don't cut and paste. There is not enough detail here.

Digital Rights Management
Blu-ray Disc has an experimental digital rights management (DRM) feature called BD+ which allows for dynamically changing keys for the cryptographic protections involved. Should the keys currently in use be "cracked" or leaked, manufacturers can update them and build them into all subsequent discs, preventing a single key discovery from permanently breaking the entire scheme. Blu-ray Disc also mandates a Mandatory Managed Copy system, which allows users to copy content a limited number of times, but requiring registration with the content provider to acquire the keys needed; this feature was originally requested by HP. [10]
The lack of a dynamic encryption model is what made standard DVD's Content Scramble System a disaster from the industry's perspective: once CSS was cracked, all standard DVDs from then on were open to unauthorized decryption. However this controversial technology, together with Self-Protecting Digital Content (SPDC), can allow players judged "bad" to be effectively disabled,[11] preventing their use by their purchaser or subsequent owners.[12] See Advanced Access Content System (AACS).
The Blu-ray Disc Association also agreed to add a form of digital watermarking technology to the discs. Under the name "ROM-Mark", this technology will be built into all ROM-producing devices, and requires a specially licensed piece of hardware to insert the ROM-mark into the media during replication. All Blu-ray Disc playback devices must check for the mark. Through licensing of the special hardware element, the BDA believes that it can eliminate the possibility of mass producing BD-ROMs without authorization.
In addition, Blu-ray Disc players must follow AACS guidelines pertaining to outputs over non-encrypted interfaces. This is set by a flag called the Image Constraint Token (ICT), which would restrict the output-resolution without HDCP to 960×540. The decision to set the flag to restrict output ("down-convert") is left up to the content provider. According to CED Magazine, Sony/MGM and Disney currently have no plans to down-convert, and Fox is opposed to it as well. Warner Pictures is a proponent of the ICT, and it is expected that Paramount will also implement it. Other studios releasing Blu-ray Disc content have not yet commented on whether or not they will use down-conversion. None of the titles released as of Dec 2006 include the use of the ICT. AACS guidelines require that any title that implements the ICT must clearly state so on the packaging.
In January 2007, it was reported that the AACS portion of the DRM protection had been cracked using technique similar to one used against the implementation of the same system on HD DVD.

Article from Cass Business School discussing how the film industry could benefit from embracing the new technology that has had a huge impact on music. A huge opportunity is created through digital technology, and if not taken advantage of soon by the film industry, may have disastrous effects. The film industry faces the threat of a massive drop in profits due to illegal trading.Lord Puttnam says "If people want something badly enough, digital technology enables them to get it – legally or illegally.” The film industry must take this on board if they are to continue to make profit in the near future. Although using digital technology can never abolish illegal file copying, it can reduce the impact that it will have on the film's economy.Benefits of digital technology in the film industry
Can reduce distribution costs...don't have to pay for film prints which usually cost $1000 each.
Improves the quality of special effects.
Disadvantages of digital technology in the film industry
Large costs involved with digitisation of cinemas.
Large costs involved to purchase digital filming equipment.
Training involved about how to use the new digital equipment.
In order for the film industry to maintain their level of success, it is important for them to take on board the fact that digital technology can provide many opportunities for them. The digital technology can clearly benefit the film industry a great deal. However, there are some disadvantages that come with the digitisation of the film industry, but without embracing this new digital technology the film industry is undoubtedly going to suffer, similarly to how the music industry has.