How will the Digital Britain report affect broadcasting?
There has been a dichotomy between the easy availability of often poor technical quality content online and ever-increasing display standards. Every flat-panel television in the shops today is 1080P-ready, but the only way to see the quality is using Blu-ray discs. Organic light-emitting diode displays are coming and they will give even better contrast and colour. Access to broadband must be accompanied by higher speeds so that we can encourage IPTV and online video to strive for quality.
What impact will it have on consumers?
It is heartening to see the push for next-generation home access. It opens up the prospect of higher-quality content and interactivity.
How will it affect transmission standards?
Technical standards already exist for broadcast services, and we have to hope that they will be extended to online services. The issue is not just beautiful pictures: it's also about matters such as the potential for flashing images to induce epilepsy and other episodes. Remember the fiasco of the Olympic logo launch? Television caught the flashing sequences and did not use them, but online services caused real health issues.
What next for technical quality?
Those of us who care about the quality of television should be pressing for transmission of 1080P - we could be left behind by more forward-looking countries. And Sky is already experimenting with 3D: that calls for even tighter quality control.
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