The development of modern technologies has been able to give people the possibility of changing their everyday lives by inventing newer ways to transmit information. Modern people have grown used to various digital technologies, as we deal with them every day, but at least 16 years ago digital format was a new experience for many people who had not seen it before. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, digital color techniques were being adopted in different fields, including television broadcasting, video recording, and video games development. Thus, the transmission of information was able to move to a new level in a short period. The problem of digital media development has been a subject of research for many authors. In his book, The Digital Television Revolution: Origins to Outcomes, Michael Starks tries to generalize all knowledge regarding the birth and development of digital television.1 The development of the video games industry is a major topic of another book, The Epic Evolution of Video Games, which contains the results of research on the causes and effects of changes in the game design process.2
Television broadcasting is one of the spheres that has greatly changed due to the development of digital color techniques. Developed to replace analog television, digital television provides a better image and improved sound quality, the possibility of adding subtitles, and the promise of many additional functions to come. Furthermore, it contributed to the development of HD television, which is the most high-demand product in this sphere. The advantage of HD television over analog television is its better color rendering and a greater number of middle tones that create an illusion of the depth of an image. This technology was applied for the first time in 1998 when the TV viewing public was able to see the Space Shuttle Discovery launch in a live television broadcast. Great Britain was one of the countries that introduced digital color television in 1998. The end of the 1990s was a period when analog television systems were no longer regarded as progressive. The transition from analog to digital color TV began with the start of the twenty-first century, and in some countries, it is still going on.3
The end of the 1990s was also significant concerning the sphere of video recording. In the early 2000s, digital cameras were becoming smaller and cheaper. The quality of the recordings was not equal to professional products, but the cameras remained popular as people were amazed at the possibilities for filming videos themselves.
The video game industry experienced digital distribution during the last decade of the twentieth century. With the rise of the Internet, it became possible for game producers to distribute games and additional content.4 One of the first games of higher quality that appeared at the end of the 1990s was Total Annihilation by Cavedog. Digital distribution and the use of digital color techniques helped to increase the complexity of game design along with the image and sound quality, and therefore, contributed to the growth of the video game industry.
In conclusion, the use of digital color techniques for television, video recording, and video game design changed the consumer’s attitude to media products. TV watching and gaming pleasure have moved to a new level due to the higher image quality, higher definition in-depth, and fast image transmission.
Bibliography
Forrester, Chris. The Business of Digital Television. Burlington: Focal Press, 2013.
Kaplan, Arie. The Epic Evolution of Video Games. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, 2014.
Powers, Matt. “A Brief History of Video Games Development.” Gamasutra. Web.
Starks, Michael. The Digital Television Revolution: Origins to Outcomes. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.
Footnotes
- Michael Starks, The Digital Television Revolution: Origins to Outcomes (New York: Palgrave Macmillan), 6.
- Arie Kaplan, The Epic Evolution of Video Games (Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group), 7.
- Chris Forrester, The Business of Digital Television (Burlington: Focal Press), 16.
- Matt Powers, “A Brief History of Video Games Development.” Gamasutra. Web.