broadcasters

Audiences flock to the BBC during moments of national importance. That’s the received wisdom, anyway. Think World Cup finals, the Queen’s Speech or big news days. After a career in commercial TV, I’d become resigned to this. Until I moved to Scotland, that is.

It’s different here. Partly, that’s because Scots watch more TV than anyone else in the UK, an average of 25 more minutes per day last year, to be precise (thanks for asking).

My name is Richard and I used to be a social media evangelist. Yes, I know, it’s shameful and hard to believe. But, back in the 2000s, the infant social media held such promise for broadcasters and audiences alike. In those sun-dappled days, we used to talk about the promise of interactivity, empowering the audience, real connection and insight into their thoughts and ideas. All this and free distribution!

The humble set-top box is poised to become the first of a new generation of domestic media servers at the heart of the next stage of the home entertainment revolution. Many in our industry persist in seeing STBs – originally introduced more than 20 years ago as simple devices for decoding broadcast signals – as a mere “techy” sideshow.

They have, however, emerged as one of the most important device classes in the consumer media landscape and, once again, they are driving disruption and strategic change.

Tech company Sharp has produced the first commercial 8K television which will show three dimensional images.

The technology is to be targeted at broadcasters and those interested in testing the format.  

Tech consultant Chris Green told the BBC that 8K screens could provide "a very interesting video alternative to today's shop window and billboard display."

Viewers will not have to wear 3D glasses, as the pixels in the screen will make the images appear three dimensional.