Digital Television: Sharpening the Focus on Children
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MedC H I L D iR EaN N ow Current Research on Children and the Media Digital Television: Sharpening the Focus on Children Since the first television set was the program, surf a Web site or even introduced in the 1930s, innovations purchase merchandise. What Is DTV? in technology have dramatically changed the way people watch As television transitions from analog In 1997, the federal govern- television. From black-and-white to digital, questions arise as to how ment allocated an additional to color, and low-definition to high- to best meet the needs of children. six megahertz of bandwidth definition, television has come a long What are the potential benefits of digital to every television broad- way. The newest transformation is television? How can the technology caster as part of a digital the introduction of digital television. be used to serve children and families, spectrum giveaway valued at With features such as interactive while at the same time protect them approximately $70 billion.4 program guides, Internet services and from possible harm? The transition This authorization was the enhanced audio and visual quality, to digital television offers a unique first step in a comprehensive digital television offers viewers a opportunity to shape how this new plan to convert the United richer television experience than ever technology can serve our nation’s States to a digital television before. children. This issue of Media Now (DTV) system. focuses on digital television and This new technology comes at a time its implications for kids and the Digital television is a broad- when children of all ages are heavy programming designed for them. casting technology that offers media consumers. According to the viewers sharper picture and Kaiser Family Foundation, children Putting Kids First in a Digital enhanced sound quality com- ages 8 years and older consume three World pared to existing analog tele- and a quarter hours of television vision by transmitting large daily1; children who use computers Educational/Informational quantities of data in compact spend close to an hour and a half Programming form, just like in personal daily.2 Even children under the age of Despite the amount of time children computers, compact disc six are immersed in media, spending spend watching television, they have players and the Internet. close to two hours a day watching limited options for educational pro- television, using computers and gramming. Numerous research stud- Enhanced Audio/Video playing video games.3 In the digital ies have shown that exposure to edu- Quality environment, children will soon be cational television can have positive DTV provides CD-quality 5.1 able to view television and access effects on the social, intellectual and Dolby Digital surround sound, the Internet from the same platform educational development of young immersing the audience with with the simple click of a mouse. children. For example, one study audio similar to a theater or Young viewers will be able to link found that preschool-aged children cineplex. to the Internet during a television who regularly viewed educational Continued on page 2 show to access information about Continued on page 3 A Children Now Newsletter Spring 2004 |1 Digital Television What Is DTV? continued from page 1 broadcasters to air up to six of homes in an area are able channels at the same time. to access DTV programming. Digital television also offers Multicasting essentially allows Federal law requires television more than twice the screen each station to become its stations to broadcast on both resolution and clarity of analog own mini-network, giving it analog and digital channels television. DTV is displayed in a the flexibility to choose how to until digital television service wide-screen format with a 16- allocate its bandwidth to provide and equipment are widely unit width by 9-unit height ratio, varying levels of A/V quality available and the transition is the same ratio as most theater across its various channels.5 Each completed. Consumers may screens. broadcaster will most likely provide purchase a converter box to different combinations with varying receive DTV signals on their Interactive TV overall hours and quality. current television sets or buy When television and computer a new television already technology become available Datacasting wired to receive those signals. on one platform, viewers will be Also known as “enhanced TV,” The Federal Communications able to obtain more information datacasting enables additional Commission reports that, as of or purchase merchandise by information (such as stock quotes, May 2003, more than 1,000 clicking information links or disaster warnings, sports scores, stations were on the air with products on the screen. closed captioning and educational DTV signals and every major TV material) to be displayed on the market was served by at least Multicasting television screen while viewers are one DTV station.6 Given the compression power watching a program. Eventually, of digital transmission, viewers will be able to select the additional six the type of data they want megahertz of What the Public Thinks to have broadcast, thereby b a n d w i d t h creating a personalized allows digital A survey conducted by the experience. For example, Benton Foundation shows that using a remote control, the American public overwhelm- viewers can choose to play ingly supports (84%) the idea of games, check sports scores extending the responsibility of or stock quotes, or read an article related to the show they broadcasters to provide at least are watching. three hours of E/I programming on new digital channels they Deadlines for Transition create. A majority of those sur- to DTV veyed (79%) also favor a pro- Congress recently set December posal that requires broadcasters 31, 2006 as the deadline to allocate 5 percent of their for commercial television proftis into a public broadcast- stations to broadcast ing fund to increase more edu- d i g i t a l l y. cational and noncommercial The date programming (Lake, Snell, Perry may be e x t e n d e d & Associates, January 1999). until 85 percent 2| Digital Television: Sharpening the Focus on Children Digital Television three percent of their total broadcasting Helping Parents Navigate Continued from page 1 time. With digital technology, a Digital World broadcasters can potentially multicast up programming increased their readi- to six channels, enabling them to offer Raising Parent Awareness About ness for kindergarten and had superior considerably more programming to their the Current TV Ratings System high school grades in English, science audience. Thus, the coalition proposed One of the potential benefits of 7 and math. Another study showed two ways broadcasters could meet their digital television is that it could that children ages two to four from public interest obligations to children. be used to help better inform low- and moderate-income families, One proposal would require broadcasters parents about the programs their who watched Sesame Street and other to devote three percent of their total children watch. The TV ratings educational programs, performed broadcasting hours to children’s system has had limited success better on vocabulary, school readiness, educational programming.10 The other in helping parents control their pre-reading and math tests than non- proposal would require broadcasters to children’s viewing habits because 8 viewers as long as three years later. air the three-hour minimum on their parents often do not understand primary channels and provide additional how it works.16 With datacasting, Furthermore, an analysis of research services to children. These services however, a program’s rating could on the effects of pro-social television could include offering supplemental E/I be shown throughout the length content found that the addition of programming on other channel streams, of a program. Parents could also guided lessons, games and general datacasting educational information click the ratings link to learn why discussion related to the program or providing financial support for a program is rated “V” for violence, “significantly strengthened” the noncommercial educational children’s “S” for sex, “L” for language or “D” promotion of pro-social behaviors programming.11 for suggestive dialogue. such as cooperation and honesty 9 among child viewers. The Impact of Interactivity Providing Parents with More While programming for children in Options for Ratings Systems With the transition to digital the digital environment is in the early Another benefit of digital broadcasting, questions arise as to stages, researchers are exploring how technology is that it can be used to how broadcasters should meet their interactivity may impact children’s support a range of ratings systems. public interest obligation to children. cognitive development. Research has Television sets equipped with In April 2003, Children Now led the found that interactive components existing V-chip technology allow Children’s Media Policy Coalition, in technology have the potential to parents to use ratings to block comprised of public health, education increase children’s ability to learn television programming they deem and advocacy groups, which made collaboratively by communicating with to be unsuitable for their children. recommendations to the Federal peers to solve a problem.12 Interactive Currently, V-chips only interpret Communications Commission about games have been found to be effective two ratings