Everyone seems to know what satellite TV is, but often enough people are wondering why it is still so popular when there is already digital TV. In order to answer this question, it is necessary to explain the technology of both satellite and digital TV. Satellite television is a way to transfer video signals via satellites. The technology of satellite television is the most advanced and sought after of all others because it allows us to receive steady signals almost anywhere on the planet. The main advantage of the signal transmission is the largest bandwidth. This property specifies another obvious advantage of television. That is, the high-quality images and a large number of television channels are only possible with television. Given the affordability of television, you get the best price/quality ratio when subscribing to satellite TV services. This ratio has provided the most favorable conditions for the intense development of satellite television in recent years. The technology of satellite signal transmission is not new but is still incredibly popular all over the globe. All that broadcast geostationary data can be used by satellite television providers and distributors. Satellites are rotating at the height of 36.000 to 45.000 kilometers above the Earth surface. If we could see the satellites in their orbits, they would form a curved line on the horizon. The arc is called the Clarke Belt in honor of Arthur Clarke, scientist and writer, who published an article named “The Wireless World” in 1945. He was the one to propose the creation of global communications via geostationary satellites. Each has a point of standing in the geostationary orbit (GSO). In many cases, the names of satellites present a number corresponding to the point of standing in the GSO. The satellite only repeats the signal received from the satellite ground complex. Ground Complex or Space Communications Center carries out and controls the operation of the satellite. Ground Complex is also a source of satellite TV broadcasting. The signal is formed in TV studios and transferred to the Space Communication Center via special channels. All satellites have several transmitting antennas, which focus on those areas of the Earth’s surface where the massive reception is supposed to be. The signal from the satellite antenna is transmitted in a form of an electromagnetic beam with a maximum intensity at the very center of the beam. Depending on the intensity and quality of the received signal, it is possible to select the most appropriate antenna diameter. In order to facilitate this task, there are maps of the coverage area. These maps show the quality and intensity of the received signal in a specific area. The TV providers are trying to simplify the procedure of subscription to their broadcasting services. For this purpose, they offer special sets of equipment for better connection. The receivers in this set have built-in encryption and all necessary functionality to ensure uninterrupted signal reception. It should be noted that the quality and intensity of the received signal is calculated after adjusting the possible interference or loss of reception due to atmospheric phenomena.
Is Digital Technology Hurting Film Festivals?
The good news: Digital technology is now available to everyone. The bad news: Digital technology is now available to everyone.
There was a time not too long ago when if you wanted to make a short film and submit it to film festivals you had two choices. You could choose between shooting it in 16mm or 35mm. The people who made these films were either film students from universities or serious film makers who were confident risking their money (or someone else?s) to create their vision. For the most part, these people had a story to tell and a plan. Simply ?experimenting? or ?dabbling? in film was (and still is) a costly endeavor.
Enter the digital age. The cost of playing with visual images today is virtually non-existent thanks to inexpensive camcorders and simple desktop editing programs. Technology has created a way for anyone of any age to experiment with moving pictures. As film festivals grapple to keep up with this changing technology, many have begun to accept submissions made in digital format. This has created a challenge as festivals everywhere are now being inundated by home spun amateur material more suited for MySpace or YouTube. The sheer volume of these submissions is causing concern to many in the festival circuit. Polished film makers fear that quality films are being overlooked because the viewing staff simply can?t watch every submission. Other film makers worry about festival staff risking burnout, because the overload might cause them not to be able to recognize a good film when they finally get to one. Festival directors and coordinators are also feeling the pinch.
According to Mark Felicetti, a member of the board of directors of the Valley International Film Festival near Los Angeles, ?We once had 50-100 submissions. This past season we had approximately 500, give or take a few. Of the short films submitted, fifty percent were disturbingly poor.? He continues, ?The stuff we receive might have one clever idea or include a funny bit, but you can?t make a movie out of a bit. These things may be hilarious at family gatherings, but they don?t belong in a film festival.? The solution for some festivals has been to simply accept films only shot on traditional film format, which has proven to be effective in weeding out the dabblers and those less serious. For other organizations who accept digital formats including festivals/ showcases on line, they might have to re-define their criteria for acceptable submissions.