Topic 2 - Home Entertainment

Examples of Home Entertainment

• Interactive TV
• Gaming
• Digital photography
• Webcam services
• Social networking
• Music and sound
• Mobile phones

Interactive TV

Digital TV offers more facilities such as:

• Pay-to-view services, e.g. films, football matches and other sporting events
• Interactive services, e.g. shopping, betting, voting and dating

Services available through Interactive Digital TV

• Sending in comments
• Viewing extra new stories of sporting activities
• Booking cinema tickets
• Playing games
• Shopping
• Email
• Voting on programmes
• Weather forecasts

Advantages of online betting

• Can do it from home
• Better deals online
• Quick and easy collection (money sent straight to credit card)
• Easier and quicker- you don't need to travel

Disadvantages of online betting

• You need to create an account with a credit card before you can bet
• It can become addictive
• May gamble more money because you are not physically handing over the money

Advantages of online dating

• Some people are shy and this helps them meet people
• Some people are busy so they do not have time to go out and meet people
• You can get to know them before you decide to meet them

Disadvantages of online dating

• You need to be careful, people can easily lie
• People could have fake pictures
• They could be meeting lots of other people

Advantages of voting online

• Encourages more people to vote
• Cheaper because people are not needed to manually count the votes
• Results can be obtained faster
• People who are away can vote

Disadvantages of online voting

• Not everyone has interest in it
• Would have a high inital cost

Advantages of computer games

• Young children can learn from them
• They can make learning fun
• Some are played online as a team, it encourages teamwork
• They can lead to well paid employments as a game designer, programmer etc.

Disadvantages of computer games

• They can be addictive
• They are often sedentary activity where little physical activity takes place and this can lead to obesity
• They can be violent and some people believe this can cause teenagers to act violently
• They waste time- school work can suffer through time spent playing games
• Health problems- repeated use of input devices such as a joystick or mouse can lead to RSI, also incorrect posture when sitting can lead to backache

Storing digital photographs

• SD cards secure digital
• Compact flash (CF) cards
• Memory sticks

Output devices used in digital photography

• A computer screen
• A printer (ink-jet printers are the best type for printing photographs)
• A TV (some have memory card readers)
• The screen of a mobile phone
• A digital photographic frame

Webcam uses

• Distance learning
• Ability to allow parents to check on their children in a nursery
• Security purposes
• Checking the weather in another part of the world

Disadvantages of webcams:

• Sometimes webcam sites show innapropriate content (e.g. ***********, torture etc..)
• Webcams in combination with chat rooms have been used by paedophiles
• Terrorists have used webcam services to promote terrorism
• Signal to webcam isn't always good so camera can freeze
• People can hack into the websites displaying webcams

Sites such as FaceBook, Tumblr, MySpace, Bebo, Twitter etc... offer a variety of servcies such as:

• Email
• Bulletins
• Blogs
• Friends comments
• Photographs
• Groups
• Videos
• Music
• Chat

Disadvantages of social networking sites

• Many employers and schools ban their use because some people get addicted to them and spend too much time on them
• Paedophiles have been known to surf networking site pages looking for their next victim
• Many young people share too much information on these sites and they do not realise that their teachers, potential employers, etc can view the information
• There is a danger of identity theft
• You have to be on all the sites your friends use if you want to take advantage of the services they offer

Music and sound

Downloads are where you transfer files from a website and then store them on your computer and portable music player. You can listen to the radio on the internet.

Disadvantages of downloading

• Viruses could be introduced
• Many people use file sharing sites to avoid having to pay for downloaded music tracks
• People who use download music or films illegaly could be cut off from the internet by their internet service providers
• You do not have a physical CD that can be sold at a car boot sale or on e-Bay

Advantages of internet radio

• The quality of the sound is good and there is no aerial to adjust
• You can listen to radio station from around the world
• You can listen to prgrammes you missed

Disadvantages of internet radio

• You need a broadband connection
• The service is not completely reliable

Services obtained through mobile phones

• Send and recieve text/picture messages
• Make phone calls
• Take digital photographs
• Take/play short video clips
• Surf the internet/Online Banking
• Watch live TV
• Send and recieve email
• Download and listen to music
• Download and play games
• Torch/Calander/Alarms/GPS/Voice Recorder
• Connect to social networking sites
• Video conferencing

Advantages of mobile phones

• You can be contacted in case of an emergency
• Plans can be changes at the last minute
• Parents like children to have a mobile phone because they feel it is safer

Disadvantages of mobile phones

• Many people use their phone when walking along and this has caused accidents
• Calls can disturb other people
• Many people still use hand-held phones when driving which is dangerous and illegal
• Expensive to buy and monthly contracts are expensive
• Health concerns
• Battery needs charging frequently
• Can not always get signal