The Digital Media Revolution Will Not Be Televised


The most important changes in the next few years might not be in HTML itself, but in the audience you can reach with your HTML pages. Many web site developers are banking on Internet-based content gaining the appeal to become the mass-market successor to television and radio. Less optimistic observers note that the global communications network has a long way to go before it can even deliver widespread television-quality video, or reach a majority of the world's populace at all. However, the rapid proliferation of high-speed wireless networks, many of them free, is beginning to support the notion of widespread high-speed Internet access for everyone who wants it.

All communication industries, from television to telephony, are moving rapidly toward exclusively digital technology. As they do so, the lines between communication networks are blurring. New Internet protocols promise to optimize multimedia transmissions at the same time new protocols allow wireless broadcasters to support two-way interactive transmissions. The same small satellite dish can give you both Internet access and high-definition TV.

Add to this the fact that HTML is the only widely supported worldwide standard for combining text with virtually any other form of digital medium. Whatever surprising twists and turns digital communication takes in the future, it's difficult to imagine that HTML won't be sitting in the driver's seat, with XML riding shotgun!

Millions of people can already access the Internet without a "real computer"via TV set-top boxes and specialized Internet "appliances," not to mention all the mobile phones and pagers that are web-enabled. These devices are only the first wave of much more ubiquitous appliances that provide HTML content to people who wouldn't otherwise use computers. Full-blown handheld computers such as Treo, BlackBerry, and Pocket PC devices allow you to surf the Web from anywhere wirelessly. And for those less gadget-savvy, popular home video-game systems such as Xbox 360 provide web access in addition to their online gaming services.

By the Way

The prospect of mass-market HTML access is obviously a great opportunity for HTML page authors. However, it can also present a number of challenges when you're designing HTML pages because many people might see your pages on low-resolution TV screens or on small handheld devices. See the next section, "Preparing Yourself for Tomorrow," for some pointers on making sure that your HTML pages can be enjoyed and understood by the widest possible audience.





SAMS Teach Yourself HTML and CSS in 24 Hours
Sams Teach Yourself HTML and CSS in 24 Hours (7th Edition)
ISBN: 0672328410
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 345

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