Cable Television Books

if your a fan , you will enjoy this immensely! much better than I had thought. It's also available on The Traier Park Boys website! gotta get me a Sunnyvale hockey jersey!

It's comprehensive and written so that even someone new to the field can understand. The author clearly has a passion for the subject which he wants to share with his readers.

Given that we're all switching to digital TV in the next few years, this book should be considered a "must read" for anyone who wants to feel comfortable with all the new technologies available to them.

This is a very well written book on digital TV for the intermediate student or reader. It steers a middle course between the more technical or professional level TV books, such as the well known Whitaker volume published by McGraw Hill, and the more basic books such as The Dummies guides. For me, it was just right since the more advanced books were a bit too hard for me yet, but the easier books were too basic.

The book is especially strong on the digital compression issues, and the chapter on middleware and operating systems is really exceptional, a subject that often isn't addressed as completely in some other volumes. The second to the last chapter provides a nice summary of the main features and differences between satellite, terrestrial broadcast, and cable digital TV.

It's still a fairly technical book, though, and you should already have some basic knowledge of what digital TV is and how the three main types, which are terrestrial, satellite, and cable-based digital TV, differ from each other. Obviously, there are many similarities, but they differ most in the use of different signal modulation techniques and the nature and extent of the error correction in order to best make use of the available bandwidth.

For example, obviously satellite and broadcast TV are most susceptible to multipath interference and other types of noise, hence the signal to noise ratio of these technologies is lower than cable. Cable has a much better signal (25 to 30 db instead of perhaps 6 db), and yet suffers from internal echoes due to impedance mismatches along the long segments of cable. This implies that broadcast and satellite TV need more robust and extensive error correction, which is true. However, satellite may reach areas too remote for typical cable.

The book also has several chapters dealing with the more technical aspects of compression, error correction, etc., for those who are interested. Overall, an excellent brief book (less than 300 pages), and it's also nicely bound on good quality paper in signatures so that the binding will hold up better over time and the pages won't fall out.

As a News Director at a top TV market, it is crucial I provide sound advise to my young reporters about their responsibilities and liabilities when pursuing a story. The First Ammendment and the Fith Estate should be requiered reading for all young journalists (and even some older journalists could refresh their knowledge with this book). I look forward to the next edition as we face a whole new world with Cybernews and DTV.

This is a good book for those who are thinking about getting into the film or television industry. Lots of job descriptions and advice.

Welcome to the Hollywood that your teachers, parents, and the media never told you about. It wasn't that these influential propagators of information didn't want to keep this information a secret from you: they simply didn't know any better. Janet Wasko takes readers on a journey through the history of the business side of Hollywood--who owns what, which companies are in bed with one another and how those hegemonic relationships influence which programs and information make it past these media "gatekeepers" into the mainstream. Be prepared to have your eyebrows raised and your jaw dropped when Wasko reveals the intricate relationships maintained between media outlets (such as Disney and ABC) that play up on their rivalry in public, but are partners on the sidelines. The title of this book does it no justice: this book is chock-full of information and is a must-read for media, journalism and film students and those interested in critical history.

The technology is going so fast. in fact, is necesary to know new concepts and techniques,

Thnx

The best analysis of the information age I have ever read. White ties a variety of sources into an exposition that is innovative and convincing. The author is bright, resourceful, thoughtful--a persuasive writer. A stimulating guide to the coming information boom.

Working in the entertainment production industry, the Producer's Masterguide gives me much needed info from pre to post production. It gives in-depth facts for the entire US and major producing countries. Could not live without. A must for producers and for those wishing to persue a career in the industry. Highly Recommended.

There is not much scholarship on public access television. Laura Linder's book is one of the few, so I was especially happy to discover that it is a piece of high-quality scholarship.

Linder surveys the many issues surrounding this complex institution, including: the philosophical vision, the way stations operate, their regulatory and funding frameworks, and their history. It is full of citations, too, which is very helpful.

I recommend this book not only for scholars but also for practitioners in the field who want a broad overview of the sector in which they work.