For example, television is broadcast in three different standards PAL, NTSC and SECAM, at three different frame rates . . . Newspapers and magazines are laid-out, then printed or bound and collected from newsagents or libraries . . . Music became available first on vinyl or magnetic tape, then CD from record shops . . . Movies were traditionally filmed on celluloid and distributed through cinemas . . . video originally rentable on VHS or Betamax, is now available on DVD and Blu-ray . . .
With so many mediums it was problematic to re-use material from one format in another, for example if you wanted to take an image from a video and use it for a print project, you needed to use a specialist telecine machine to scan the video image onto a photographic negative, from which the print house would then make four new negatives for each colour separation needed for the print press; This was extremely costly and so only within the means of large marketing budgets.
Digital convergence has changed everything, and it means that all media is now available on interchangeable electronic formats, so any one device can access it all.
Although media is now more easily transferable from one format to another, there are still technical essentials such as colour profiles, image resolutions, frame rates, aspect ratios and so on, that need to be managed properly, to deliver a professionally integrated campaign.
NEO uses the latest re-formatting and encoding software for merging the flow of both old and new content, across multiple media platforms.
We also offer account management services to plan, source, create, oversee and implement all your media requirements and delivery needs.
Advances in display hardware and software architecture are offering unprecedented media interactivity with smart TVs and touchscreen devices.
With virtually limitless potential, this fast moving and ever expanding sector is developing exciting opportunities to engage with consumers and use realtime feedback to deliver a richer, more targeted experience and thus, maximise the budget returns with more focussed communication.
NEO can bring many years of production experience and a cool head to find the best balance between technology and purpose; we offer design conception and consultancy to clients, negotiate with hardware suppliers and interactive media designers to develop the optimum combination of devices and user interfaces, ensuring that the usefulness, relevance and delivery of the content is the priority; which informs the decisions on the hardware, servers or API coding necessary, to meet the objectives of the project, to be cost effective and so, ultimately successful.
It is the central element around which to create your branding, which will link the quality and ethos of your business with your customers or consumers.
Keep it simple, think about a style and a colour palette that reflects the services or products you are offering, keep in mind how it will form part of an integrated multimedia strategy, will it include your website domain or address, how it will look in colour or black and white print, how it would animate on video, or be used on vehicle livery . . .
Assess the merits of conventional broadcast and print media against the new forms of delivery through websites and social networks, consider other options such as event sponsorship, large screen public displays, mail shots, publicity campaigns or viral advertising.
The future of delivery via digital broadcasting and the internet is already here, and is growing, with more and more consumers accessing media content through hand sets, smart and interactive TV, and other mobile devices.
Video is the most natural way for us to digest information accurately and intuitively; Demonstration is always better than explanation, it is more appealing and brings consumers nearer to a shop or showroom experience, than stills or print ever can.
Cisco Visual Networking Index, forecasts that global internet traffic will grow three-fold by 2017, with nearly 4 billion internet users. According to the new study, video will account for an unprecedented 84% of all internet traffic by 2018, the equivalent of over 6 million years of video viewing crossing the net every month . . . (Source: Cisco.com)
