What the future holds, perhaps?
Posted: 07 Nov 2010, 17:28
I've had a bit of spare time this weekend so decided to have a run through some of the old posts on here. There's some fascinating stuff, particularly on the technology side of things - VHS was still in use and DVD players were still a bit pricey - this was causing arguments as to which format a legitimate Knightmare release should be on. Also, Knightmare clips were watched using Realplayer on dial-up modems, and YouTube didn't turn up on the scene until 2005...Contrast this with today:
- VHS is dead. Optical media is still thriving although there is a new competitor out there...
- Broadband speeds are fast enough to allow for fast download of files and even streaming of sound and video.
- YouTube is massive - I've been amazed at what is out there, especially the obscure stuff that turns up.
- Still no legal release of Knightmare
A reason given for not releasing Knightmare on DVD was that the demand wouldn't be there. Piracy was sited as one of the reasons, although I suspect that it was more of an excuse - getting commercial DVDs out on to the market was, and still is an expensive business with no guarantee of getting your money back let alone a decent return. This was years ago and things have moved on...
No one who has visited this site could fail to notice the new campaign to get legitimate copies of Knightmare episodes released. There are some big differences this time - fan-led, non-commercial, and looking to on-line distribution. Without the costs associated with DVDs and making a profit not the primary goal, the idea suddenly becomes viable. I can only hope that the time comes soon when Mystara decides to purchase the first episode. I believe that in turn would lead to demand for more given the decent audio and video quality compared to what you can find on YouTube. Please support it!
Even if this doesn't go far or doesn't happen at all, I think that sometime in the distant future there will be a chance of being able to download/watch episodes of Knightmare (and other programmes) quite legally. Before I explain, this would be years away so don't hold your breath or stop supporting the current campaign. It's also only a theory so may never happen:
Basically there's thousands of programmes out there languishing in the archives. All of the older stuff will be sitting on magnetic tape which will eventually degrade or may be destroyed for whatever reason (this has happened already with some programmes) and the machines that play them may break down beyond repair. The risk is that anything that wasn't considered viable for a commercial release could end up lost forever. A commercial release is no guarantee of quality, it is about what people will buy and thus make money. Just because a programme hasn't had a commercial release, it doesn't mean that it isn't important for whatever reason. Using Knightmare as an example, it could be considered important due to being the bringing in the highest viewing figures for a children's programme of it's time, the innovative techniques used in production, and also the unusually high production values. The solution is digital archiving, that is to say the transfer of all the old stuff on tape on to disc. This presents the following benefits:
- Preservation of television history. The archive will be electronic and if properly managed would allow for better record keeping, back-ups will be kept, etc.
- Raise revenue by opening up the archive so that people can watch what they want on demand - access could be charged for, although not necessarily by programme but by the day/week, etc. Adverts could be played at the start of programmes also.
- Selling or otherwise disposing of the original masters will save on physical storage space which is a lot more expensive than space on a server.
Obviously the above would be a massive undertaking in terms of time and cost but if there is any desire to keep recordings of old programmes then it has to be done, and if you are going to do it then at least try and recoup some of your costs. Ultimately I can see a time when I'll be able to go to the ITV or BBC websites and watch more or less anything in their archives on demand. Just to reiterate though, I can't see it happening for five, maybe ten years - don't hold your breath.
In the meantime though, the television companies are missing a trick - just go on to YouTube and check out the number of views that programmes like Knightmare or The Mary Whitehouse Experience are getting. DVD releases may be out of the question but downloads/streaming are now viable and are likely to be dominant way of distribution in the future. This leads to opportunities that never previously existed...
- VHS is dead. Optical media is still thriving although there is a new competitor out there...
- Broadband speeds are fast enough to allow for fast download of files and even streaming of sound and video.
- YouTube is massive - I've been amazed at what is out there, especially the obscure stuff that turns up.
- Still no legal release of Knightmare
A reason given for not releasing Knightmare on DVD was that the demand wouldn't be there. Piracy was sited as one of the reasons, although I suspect that it was more of an excuse - getting commercial DVDs out on to the market was, and still is an expensive business with no guarantee of getting your money back let alone a decent return. This was years ago and things have moved on...
No one who has visited this site could fail to notice the new campaign to get legitimate copies of Knightmare episodes released. There are some big differences this time - fan-led, non-commercial, and looking to on-line distribution. Without the costs associated with DVDs and making a profit not the primary goal, the idea suddenly becomes viable. I can only hope that the time comes soon when Mystara decides to purchase the first episode. I believe that in turn would lead to demand for more given the decent audio and video quality compared to what you can find on YouTube. Please support it!
Even if this doesn't go far or doesn't happen at all, I think that sometime in the distant future there will be a chance of being able to download/watch episodes of Knightmare (and other programmes) quite legally. Before I explain, this would be years away so don't hold your breath or stop supporting the current campaign. It's also only a theory so may never happen:
Basically there's thousands of programmes out there languishing in the archives. All of the older stuff will be sitting on magnetic tape which will eventually degrade or may be destroyed for whatever reason (this has happened already with some programmes) and the machines that play them may break down beyond repair. The risk is that anything that wasn't considered viable for a commercial release could end up lost forever. A commercial release is no guarantee of quality, it is about what people will buy and thus make money. Just because a programme hasn't had a commercial release, it doesn't mean that it isn't important for whatever reason. Using Knightmare as an example, it could be considered important due to being the bringing in the highest viewing figures for a children's programme of it's time, the innovative techniques used in production, and also the unusually high production values. The solution is digital archiving, that is to say the transfer of all the old stuff on tape on to disc. This presents the following benefits:
- Preservation of television history. The archive will be electronic and if properly managed would allow for better record keeping, back-ups will be kept, etc.
- Raise revenue by opening up the archive so that people can watch what they want on demand - access could be charged for, although not necessarily by programme but by the day/week, etc. Adverts could be played at the start of programmes also.
- Selling or otherwise disposing of the original masters will save on physical storage space which is a lot more expensive than space on a server.
Obviously the above would be a massive undertaking in terms of time and cost but if there is any desire to keep recordings of old programmes then it has to be done, and if you are going to do it then at least try and recoup some of your costs. Ultimately I can see a time when I'll be able to go to the ITV or BBC websites and watch more or less anything in their archives on demand. Just to reiterate though, I can't see it happening for five, maybe ten years - don't hold your breath.
In the meantime though, the television companies are missing a trick - just go on to YouTube and check out the number of views that programmes like Knightmare or The Mary Whitehouse Experience are getting. DVD releases may be out of the question but downloads/streaming are now viable and are likely to be dominant way of distribution in the future. This leads to opportunities that never previously existed...