Chapter 2 - Home entertainment

Chapter 2 - Home entertainment

1. Services

   • Online serivces
     • Popular ones are eBay trading and shopping with Amazon
     • Available by using a computer that is connected to the internet
   • Gaming
     • Some games are free and others you will have to pay for a subscription
     • You are able to join in on games with people all over the world
     • You can often adopt a persona, an imaginary character rather then yourself
     • To play fast action computer games you will need to have...
       • A fast processor
       • A fairly large screen
       • High quality graphics card
   • Pay per view
     • PPV
     • PPV tv services are generally associated with cable and satellite tv services .
   • Interactive TV
     • Voting
       • If young people coild vote online via the internet, it would encourage and make it easier for them to get involved in the voting system
     • Betting
       • On the internet there are a large number of betting websites containing casino-like games such as roulette and poker
     • An interactive system is where the user is able to make requests to the system and the system is ablke to react to those requests.
     • With interactive tv you are able to use many services that were only able to do with the inrenet
     • Dating
       • On the internet there is a huge amount of dating sites, adding convenience to people with busy lives who can find out information about potential partners through profiles of users
   • Game Consoles
     • Specialist devices for playing games
     • Often allow you to link to a TV screen
     • Gamepads have special controls to help play games
     • Some allow you to move around physically and simulate playing game. E.g. Wii's
   • Input and Output
     • Input - Needed for data to be input into the system.
     • Output - allow data out of the system

2. Music/Sound

   • MP3
     • Music file format
       • Uses compression to reduce the file size
       • Why this format is popular which portable music players such as iPods and mobile phones
   • Downlaods
     • Where you transfer files off a website and then store them on your computer/device

3. Mobile Phones

   • Advantages
     • You can be contacted in case of an emergency
     • Plans could be changes at the last minute
     • Parents feel children are safer with them
   • Disadvantages
     • Can cause accidents
       • Driving - illegal
     • Can disturb others
     • Could damage health

4. Digital photography

   • Input devices
     • Image sensor
       • Picks up the light from the image
     • USB
     • Memory card
   • Storage devices
     • Secure digital cards
       • SD
     • Compact Flash cards
       • CF
   • Output devices
     • LCD screen
       • Where you view the image
     • Printers
     • A digital photo frame
     • Mobile phone screen
   • Pixel
     • A little dot of light for a digital image
   • Megapixel
     • One million pixels (1 million dots of light)

5. Webcams

   • A digital camera which is used to capture still images and video images
   • Examples of webcams used across the globe:
     • Distance learning
     • Advertising
     • Checking on children in nurseries
     • Checking on weather in another part of the world

6. Social networking

   • A website that is used to communicate with friends and family and to make new friends ans contacts
   • Examples
     • Facebook
     • Twitter
     • Bebo