World Television Day

There is a lot of news on television, but television itself is in the news all the time. Just yesterday, I read a report that people who watch a lot of television are more likely to depressed than people who watch only a few hours a week. This study is nothing new, because there have been hundreds of studies on the power and impact of television.

Most people seem to be unable to live without the television, also referred to as the idiot box by some analysts and commentators. With hundreds of channels on tap and 24 hour coverage, it is not surprising that some people have the TV on all the time.

This is just one matter that we should ponder on, on World Television Day which falls tomorrow. It is perhaps the only media which has a day of its own, which attests to its power. Today, there's hardly a country without television (Sri Lanka has had television since 1979) and even if there are no terrestrial television service, satellite services and DVDs are available worldwide. In less than 75 years of its introduction, it has invaded the entire world and of course, nearly taken over our lives. When we think of television, we usually tend to think of the negative aspects of the medium. But the positives far outweigh the negatives, if television is used the correct way. A recent study in Canada found (not surprisingly) that television is the most "influential, effective and powerful" way to connect with audiences (Television Bureau of Canada study, 2011).

The Web is growing fast, but for the vast majority of people the world over, TV is still king. Broadband internet access has a long way to go before it can catch up with the reach of television.

There is no doubt that the two media are converging, but 'pure' television still rules. It is television that enables us to view an event on the other side of the world 'live'. From President Barack Obama's State of the Union address to the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics, television connects audiences across the world, instantly.

The power of television news is immense. An event in one country, televised worldwide, can precipitate a similar series of events elsewhere, as seen by the Arab Spring. Watching a news programme on a news channel can bring you up to date on what is happening around the world in less than half an hour. The educational value of television cannot be underestimated. Sri Lanka alone has two educational channels which reach some of the remotest schools via satellite.

This is a godsend to students who would not otherwise be able to access these teachers living in Colombo. Moreover, all the graphics and experiments can be animated on television, making them easy to remember. Apart from dedicated educational channels, plenty of channels telecast educational programmes on everything from wildlife to engineering marvels. Even a cookery programme is educational (and entertaining).

Even very young children can gain from television if they are exposed (a little bit at a time) to the right kind of programme such as Sesame Street, Bob the Builder and Barney. Sadly, most local television channels have failed spectacularly in this endeavour. They telecast crass teledramas and so-called reality shows from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. almost non-stop, with a few news bulletins thrown in. They have absolutely no programmes that enlighten us while entertaining. On the other hand, foreign TV channels have many programmes from which the viewers can learn a lot.

This situation has to change if we are to have a knowledgeable younger generation. Television is a potent medium, but it is also a remarkable technology. One cannot fail to be amazed by the pace of evolution of television from the rudimentary set exhibited by John Logie Baird. Had he been alive today, he would not even recognize a giant 65" LED backlit screen for what it is - a television set. The shift from black and white to colour in the late 1950s was a seismic one, but there has been subtle changes to the technology over the last few decades. TV makers first managed to make completely flat Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) displays in the early 1990s.

By the end of that decade, 42" gas plasma screens were available for around one million rupees. A little bit later, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) sets arrived, though they were a little cheaper and smaller. Two decades later, prices have plummeted so drastically that one can pick up a perfectly good 32" LCD TV for around Rs.40,000.

Television broadcasts too have gone high-tech, with the advent of High Definition (HD) signals, which use 720 or 1080 lines instead of the 625 lines used in traditional PAL broadcasts. Engineers are already working on systems that have 16 times more resolution than 1080 HD.

Several countries already have 3D TV broadcasts as well, though these services require stereoscopic glasses to render the 3D effect. TV makers such as Toshiba have already produced glasses-free 3D TVs, which could be commonplace in less than decade. Next generation screen technologies such as Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) screens, already seen in smartphones and digital cameras, could be the next big thing in screen technology. OLEDs require no backlight, thus reducing power consumption and they can be thinner than even the thinnest LED backlit LCD screens.

TV makers are already integrating the Web into their screens, but it is not fast or fluid enough yet. This is why most tech analysts are upbeat about the prospects of Apple Inc which is said to be readying an Apple branded TV set that will seamlessly integrate with the Web. With faster broadband access, web and TV could be almost indistinguishable just a decade from now. TV is already available on your smartphone; Imagine what it will be like in 2020. Television certainly has an exciting future and it is up to the viewers to use it in a manner that benefits them.