Survey of UK’s Digital Media Evolution – A Hewlett-Packard UK survey into the evolution of digital media in Britain reveals that the Isles are far from being in the Space Age. In a survey of 1000 British consumers between 16 and 60 years old, people were found to be still wedded to physical formats such as CDs and DVDs. They attach little monetary or emotional value to any digital content they may own. While 86% access some form of digital media, 68% still prefer photographs to be physical rather than digital, 64% for music, 75% for films and 95% for books. 39% of even the youngest age group still purchase CDs and DVDs alongside digital formats. 73% said they can never see a time when they would move to a 100% subscription model for their music and movies.
Brits’ have a different approach to digital vs. physical. 71% said they have never lost their media library and are not concerned about security, while 27% put their digital media collection’s value at less than £50. However, the survey showed that the benefits of being able to access and enjoy a broader range of contact thanks to the Internet is clearly appreciated. 86% of Brits enjoy some form of digital media, with desktop PCs (56%) being the main access device, followed by laptops (47%) and DVD players (28%). 14% did not access any form of digital content.
Pianist Hank Jones Dies – One of the most respected jazz pianists of the postwar era died Sunday in the Bronx at age 91. Hank Jones spent much of his career in the background while his younger brothers Thad ran a celebrated big band and Elvin became an influential drummer – first with John Coltrane. Hank was accompanist for Ella Fitzgerald for some time. About the time he turned 60 he began to get more attention, often as a two-piano team with Tommy Flanagan. He accompanied Marilyn Monroe when she sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. He was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 1989 and received a lifetime achievement Grammy Award in 2009.
Recorded Music Sales Still Down – A new report from record label trade group IFPI shows that worldwide recorded music sales fell 7% last year and sales of physical products such as CDs dropped 12.7% globally. Global digital music sales were up 9.2%. Digital downloads now account for about 25% of all music sales globally, and 43% in the U.S. market. 80% of the losses were in the U.S. and Japan, and the IFPI reported that the sharpest declines in revenue last year were send in Italy and Spain, which have “some of the world’s weakest legal defenses against piracy.” Despite revenue gains from live music, performance rights and songwriters’ music copyrights, the broader music industry – including radio advertising, live performance sales and audio equipment sales – declined 8% in 2009.
3D Health Risks? – Some risks for certain people watching 3D TV are being confirmed. UC Berkeley recently found that visual disparities in 3D TV images can cause some problems. They advised that consumers with a 3D TV should have a central seat far from the screen and keep the room dark. The Optometrists Association of Australia is investigating the effects of 3D TV on eyesight. Investigators at the University of Washington said certain disparities in 3D viewing can cause mental strain akin to vertigo. A display technology consultant said if 3D were confined to animations there wouldn’t be a problem since the brain doesn’t have the same expectations about cartoons. The conflict arises due to 3D displays often causing distortions in perceived 3D structure when compared with the perception of the real scenes that the displays depict. A UC-Berkeley professor said “The only thing we have any data on is what we call the vergence-accommodation conflict, which our lab has shown really does cause fatigue, discomfort, eye strain and headache in some cases.” When viewers direct their eyes at nearby objects, their gaze converges. When they gaze into the distance, their eyes diverge. Focusing of the eye muscles to bring something into sharp focus is called “accommodation.” The Berkeley researchers have reached the same conclusion after two studies: that 3D TV induces a vergence-accomodation disparity in the brain that manifests itself in a statistically-significant number of viewers as fatigue, discomfort, eye strain and headaches. Test subjects have been between 18 and 30, but they plan to test seniors next to learn if they are immune to the vergence-accommodation conflict, since older eyes do not focus as well.
