The Audience
People may complain about New Media Technology, in that it is too complicated and quickly goes out-of-date, but convergence generally means that the audience has more choice, or an enhanced experience, or both! Games consoles illustrate this point. You can have a machine that plays games… or you can have a machine that plays games, CD’s, DVD’s, allows you to edit your home video footage and put it on the internet for others to see, record your favourite television programme, connect you with others so you can play against them, and use the internet. Or at least, in theory you can have a machine that does all this and more. Why? Lagely because computer technology has seeped into almost every aspect of our lives. And the future? It won’t be too long before your home is a wireless network with a high-speed internet connection (many homes are already like this!).Through this system, you will be able to download and access music, films, and information from any room in your home. If you think this sounds fanciful, look up ‘freestyle’ or ‘Mira’ on Microsoft’s website. These technologies will make this sort of integration possible, at the same time as significantly altering media consumption habits. Microsoft views the PC as the centre of this technology, whereas others, such as Moxi Digital, see the set top box as the answer. Whichever system becomes the accepted standard, the principle behind it is perhaps the ultimate example of cenvergence, with computer technology at the heart of the delivery and distribution of all your media consumption.
The Institutions
Media institutions have grasped new technologies and the concept of convergence for the benefit of audiences, right? Wrong! One thing drives these institutions – Money!
Sony is a good example. In offering Playstation 3, it is doing more than selling a games console. It is selling a Sony BluRay Player, a Sony stereo system and a Sony system capable of connecting with other Sony products such as a digital camera or camcorder. If you have a Playstation 3, you can play music by artists belonging to the Sony record label, possibly bought over the internet using the Playstation 3 itself! Sony is seeking a market dominanceand brand loyalty, made easier through convergence. Convergence also allows a widening of the range of products a company can sell. Who makes a television that works well with a Sony Playstation 3?
Convergence also allows media companies to enter new areas in which they may not have had a strong position. The internet concerns media institutions for a number of reasons. It isn’t regulated, other people are making lots of money using it, and it provides entertainment in a way they don’t usually operate. This list could be longer. Some companies have attempted to solve this problem through convergence. Sky, for example. In some ways, the internet takes custom from Sky in that people can be entertained in other ways. But what if you are using the internet through your Sky Digital connection? Sky not only enters the internet arena, it also finds out where you go, what you like to see and presumably then uses this information to modify its existing output. You pay Sky and it gets free market research. And not only that. Sky has ‘SkyActive’, a ‘safe’ connection to the internet and e-commerce. Companies have to pay Sky money to be part of this, but the rewards aren’t just for Sky. People trust televisions a lot more than computers. They understand them; televisions are familiar. This means they are more likely to buy from them. In this example, the convergence of television and internet technologies has clearly benefited Sky.
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