Arts And Entertainment
Autograph Values – Identifying the Value of an Autograph – So, What’s It Worth?
November 10, 2011 | 
Author Perhaps the most commonly asked question I hear is; “So, what’s it worth?” The question may pertain to a four language ship’s paper signed by James Madison and James Monroe, a signed photograph of movie star and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe, or a hand-written letter by Union General (posthumously promoted) Samuel K. Zook. Frequently it is an innocent request for a “ball park figure” on a specific item. As a professional appraiser it is difficult to formulate a simple one-word answer.
Each item has many different values. The Madison / Monroe document, for example, will be shown to have at least four different values — and each one will be correct. How can that be? It depends upon the market.
You are probably familiar with the term “market.” A market is any place or system for exchanging property between buyers and sellers. A market can be a retail gallery or a flea market. It can be a bankruptcy liquidation sale or a mail order catalog. The internet and other on-line services are markets for the buying and selling merchandise. The “value” at which the item is sold may be different in each market. The term “Fair Market Value” is a legal definition used in a variety of instances. Charitable contribution, dissolution of marriage, or estate tax liability, may be circumstances when fair market value is required. “Fair Market” does not mean “reasonable.” The term “fair” comes from old English law, meaning open and free market, as in a “market” or “fair” where goods are bought and sold.
This value may be very different than retail value. In situations when someone is interested in insuring an item, a retail replacement cost may be most appropriate. It all seems quite confusing, but once you identify the reason you want to know “what its worth” then a value can be provided. The “reason one needs to know” is referred to in appraising as the “function” of the appraisal. It is also called the “intended use” or the “assigned use.” With a known “use,” the appropriate market can be researched.
Markets range from high-end, high-quality, retail autograph galleries to flea markets and garage sales. Various quality and all types of material can be found within any market. An example is the multi-million dollar Dunlap copy of the declaration of independence reported to have been found behind and old picture at a garage sale.
Here are some examples of situations where the value is dependent upon “use” or “need.” The market researched is based on the use and value required.
If the report’s function is to obtain insurance coverage, the appraisal will identify the estimated replacement cost. The market to research is the gallery where the item was purchased.
If the report’s function is to liquidate a bankrupt business, the appraisal will identify the liquidation value. The market is the courthouse steps.
If the report’s function is to establish a potential tax deduction for a charitable contribution, the appraisal will identify the Fair Market Value. The market is most likely a well advertised auction.
As an example, we’ll use Madison/Monroe four language ship’s paper. If an owner and the insurance company need to know what it will cost to replace the item with a similar piece, an appraiser might research its original source, the gallery where it was purchased. The Estimated replacement cost in a mid-to-high-end market is $7,500.00. This may be the valid value for this need.
If that same owner filed for bankruptcy and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge ordered the sale of the item, it may bring $1,200.00. This may be a valid value for this situation.
If the owner decided to donate it to the National Archives, it might have a value of $3,350.00. This may be a valid value for that appraisal “use.”
Finally, if the gallery owner was robbed his insurance company would compensate him at his or her cost. This value could be $1,750.00. Perhaps an accurate value for this
situation.
As you can see, the same item has four different values. Each may be accurate and appropriate for the “intended use” and “purpose” of the valuation. There is more to determining value than picking a price. Anyone providing values must understand the autograph, manuscript, and historical document market as well as the reason for asking the question; “So, what’s it worth?”
By: Brian Kathenes
Posted in Arts And Entertainment | 
Tags: Autograph, Ball Park, Ball Park Figure, Buyers And Sellers, Charitable Contribution, Dissolution Of Marriage, Flea Market, Innocent Request, James Madison, James Monroe, Madison Monroe, Mail Order Catalog, Marilyn Monroe, Movie Star, Professional Appraiser, Retail Gallery, Retail Value, Sex Symbol, Tax Liability, Word Answer | 
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Introduction to Determining the Value of Art
The value of a work of art is a peculiar beast, a schizophrenic chameleon. It is witnessed in a myriad of perplexing personas, corporeal and otherwise. Non-the-less, affixing a monetary claim to an art work is a necessary evil in a pragmatic sense and its worth is influenced remarkably by the hat you are wearing. To understand this matter more, one must realize that these values are transient within societies and cultures. Consequently, they must be adjusted over time and in accordance with one’s rules and role as an evaluator or art patron.
So, you say: “What in da tar nation eez you talkin’ ’bout dude?”
Let me try to explain. The title of this discussion, “determining the value of art”, leaves an open ended definition of “value”. As a former gallery owner, practicing artist, and as a professional art educator responsible for e-value-ating art daily, I know that there are two distinct classifications of value; tangible, or corporeal, something to which a price tag can be attached. The other, obviously, being ethereal that cannot carry a monetary fixation, but non-the-less, has definite “value” from a variety of standpoints. Within both of these there are also distinctions.
To initiate a dialogue on “value” in reference for money, let’s assume you’re an artist and want to sell a painting. How do you affix a sales price? This should be helpful to those wanting to know how initial prices of a painting are determined.
To start with, you have to consider legitimate expenses: outlay of materials, approximate rate of utilities while producing the work, expenses for research and photography, travel, fees for models, studio space rental, copyright use, framing, storage, etc. These are all things you can document with a paper trail and receipts. Next, you have to consider a wage for your time in production. How much is your time worth and dependent on your skill? Should you reasonably expect to get more if you have a master’s degree in painting, or are a beginner? (It may be interesting to note that most artists in the U.S. do not even make minimum wage on the sales of their work.) Which brings up another issue, how do you recoup your expenses for classes and education or training in art? If you have limited edition signed and numbered reproductions of a painting made, how much should the price of the painting be raised?
These are just some considerations. Some artists simplify this by using a formula, like $6 per square inch plus the cost of framing.
So, you have a price in mind and want to be represented by a gallery. You go to a few galleries and find out their commissions vary from 30 to 50 percent of the sales price. After evaluating gallery requirements and expectations you decide that in order to get the price you had in mind, for example $850, now must become $1,140 with a 40% gallery take included. Other issues involved are not limited to whether or not the gallery can expect to sell it at that price in its market and the galleries’ insurance liabilities and limitations.
Here are some other questions regarding artist’s pricing. Suppose you have some paintings in galleries and try to liquidate some others yourself. From an ethical standpoint, can you sell a similar work for $850 (knowing it would sell easier at that price), or should you charge the same as the gallery, $1,140? Can a similar painting sell for more in a different location of the country? Watercolors typically sell for less than oils of comparable size, therefore, how do you adjust prices? What do you charge in adjustment for a vignette of the same dimensions as a full composition piece? Additionally, suppose you have participated in some juried exhibitions and some of your works have won awards. Do you now raise the prices of these, and if so, how much (I’ve known some who double the price.)?
The artist also sees value in their art as a possible source of residual income. This comes in two forms. One is through royalty payments with the paid use of their copyrighted and licensed materials. The second and more obscure to most, is through percentages of repeated sales of the same art work. This is accomplished in a contract purchase where the artist or their estate is guaranteed a certain amount of the purchase each time the work is bought by a different patron. Both of these require the use of a good attorney that specializes in art sales contracts.
Since I mentioned insurance before, let’s look at value from under that hat. Dollar amounts may reflect differently from the insurer and the insured. What you think a piece is worth may need to be documented with a certified appraiser’s estimate and even appraisers amounts will vary. Another method is to verify a “track record” of sales amounts. An owner of an art purchase will need to show a receipt. Since values of art vary over the years, one should get updated estimates that reflect inflation. On the other hand, an insurer of a gallery may just take a gallery owner’s document on total amounts of consignment contracts.
Suppose you own art and want to donate it to a non-profit organization. Now the federal government has stepped in. If you want to claim an amount for tax purposes you have to verify a claim with a receipt. Unless you are the artist, then it’s a whole other ball game. Uncle Sam now says you can only claim the actual value of the tangible materials that make up the piece. Your time and other expenses are null and void. So, your piece basically becomes worthless, which brings us to the next three berets of value I can relate to under the voice of experience, 1) estate of the deceased, 2) bankruptcy , and 3) loan value.
In the event of settling an estate, unless one has receipts to verify worth, you can expect to get, or list, garage sale prices (GSP). Here you also have the option of using a professional appraiser to assign a value. In the unfortunate case of a bankruptcy, you can expect to keep art listed as “wall coverings” also valued at “garage sale prices”, to sell it at the GSP level, or at minimum, much lower values than your track record of sales. Banks have their own capricious policies in terms of the value of art as collateral. Some won’t accept it, some require a certified appraised estimate, which will be in a range from “X” dollars to “X” dollars and as you can rightly guess, the lower amount will be used. Furthermore, you can expect the bank to allow no more than 75% of that number as collateral value. Some will have their own value of several art pieces (note the plural here) by stating that they will accept the art for a $500 loan, this is, in effect, actually a signature loan and the art has no collateral value.
Take the stance of an investor now. Several years ago “Money” magazine published their best long term investments for 15 and 30 year periods. Ranked at numbers 2 and 3 over these periods was original, contemporary art. If you are looking at long term strategies, then a serious glance at art values is important. As an investor, unless you purchase art at auction, you can generally negotiate a purchase price with a gallery or an artist. This demonstrates there can be a difference between perceived and real value for a work. If you buy art just because you like it, it may not be a monetary investment. Prior to investing in art, you need to consider all of the topics mentioned above in deciding what to look for as “value” in buying art. Two things here that also affect the value of art is the notoriety of artist in combination with market supply and demand.
With all this said, the ultimate monetary value of any art work is only the highest amount at any given time that someone is willing to pay.
Up to now we have taken a cursory look at art in terms of tangible market values. Here are a few non-monetary assessments of art work worth: cultural significance, educational and instructional relevance, historical documentation and study, therapeutic value (which can also be seen as an investment), and aesthetic attachment. Each one of these deserves their own treatise at another time.
The “value of art” to each person is a rough diamond. Increasing its worth will depend on the skill of the cutter to weld a working philosophical construct of value with practical applications to be employed as a tool to expose its many exquisite faces. Undoubtedly, theoretical physicists will prove a string theory for the universe before there is any global “value of art” recognized throughout all societies and cultures.
By: Robert Bear
Posted in Arts And Entertainment | Tags: Approximate Rate, Art Educator, Art Patron, Art Work, Chameleon, Definite Value, Evaluator, Fixation, Initial Prices, Legitimate Expenses, Necessary Evil, Outlay, Photography Travel, Price Tag, Professional Art, Studio Space, Talkin Bout, Travel Fees, Work Expenses, Work Of Art | No Comments »
Myths About Real Estate Agents
There are some myths about real estate agents, many of which are not so flattering. But when it comes down to it, realtors are not too out there, and there is a logical explanation to each misconception. Let’s straighten out a couple myths and facts.
Myth #1: They have big hair.
Fact: Though occasionally real estate agents do have big hair, most are regular people who get up in the morning just like you do, and go to work just like you do. Many realtors, in fact, are going bald due to stress related hair loss. Same with the fancy dagger-shaped manicures; in actuality, many real estate agents have bitten their nails down to nubs.
Myth #2: Realtors drive luxury cars while talking on their cell phones.
Fact: It’s true that realtors are often trying to do too many things at once, but they like to be careful about it. And though realtors would like to make a good impression on you, more often than not they drive Hondas and Toyotas and hope that their hard work will sell you, not their Lexus.
Myth #3: Realtors know your area.
Fact: Just like normal people, realtors can’t know everything. Though they do spend a lot of time driving around town, they can’t be in all places at once, and they themselves probably have preferences for one neighborhood versus another. Make it clear to your realtor what kind of area you want to live in, and they can help you look within that section of town.
Myth #4: Realtors live outside of time.
Fact: Real estate agents have lives too, and those lives happen to take place in the same physical realm as yours does. While it might seem like they spend a strangely disproportionate chunk of time speaking with you, they are actually trying to be as time-conscious as possible, so that you can move more quickly into your home and they can move more quickly to helping their next client.
Myth #5: Real Estate Agents just want your money.
Fact: What real estate agents actually want is an easy life. They want to help you find a home you love, and they want to make their (often small) bit of commission off of it (and that’s off the sale, not out of your pocket). They do not want your soul or your firstborn, just some patience, consideration, and a positive home-buying experience for all.
By: Ki Gray
Posted in Arts And Entertainment | Tags: Actuality, Big Hair, Chunk, Hair Loss, Hondas, Lexus, Logical Explanation, Luxury Cars, Manicures, Many Things, Misconception, Myth 2, Myth 3, Myths And Facts, Nails, Neighborhood, Real Estate Agents, Realtor, Realtors, Toyotas | No Comments »
Online Photography Courses – Luminance Meters
For those that wish to take their photography to the next level, an off camera light meter will be required at some point. The in-camera light meters are fairly sophisticated these days, but you are still locked into the camera body with many limitations. Professional photographers – both studio and onsite – use specialist light meters that are more suitable for their work.
The following article deals with the terminology you will come across when researching light meters, measurement and conditions.
definition:a device that measures the light available and has a computer that calculates an exposure based on light intensity and film speed or ISO.
There are two styles of light meters:
1. Incident
An incident meter measures light falling on the subject before the camera. This meter is hand held and is separate from the camera.
2. Reflected
This meter measures light reflected from the subject. This meter may also be hand held and is often an integral part of the camera.
Many light meters on the market today offer both systems in a single light meter. You can also purchase professional specialist meters in one unit.
Interpreting Light (definitions)
1. Pre-visualization
Pre-visualisation is the act of observing a scene with the physical eye and seeing in the mind’s eye how a medium can render the subject.
This may be aligned to the photographer’s creativity.
2. Zone
A ‘Zone’ is a visual unit of measurement for luminance. It is arrived at by altering the standard exposure of a light meter by one stop more or one stop less.
3. Luminance Meters
Luminance meters are useful for pre-visualisation, they measure light reflected from surfaces and carry various scales by which exposures are indicated.
4. Value Scale
The term ‘value’ refers to the degree of lightness and darkness of a colour. In a photographic print the display of greys or values is known as the scale.
To aid pre-visualisation the continuous value scale is arbitrarily divided into nine steps.
5. Value Rendering
The term rendering is used rather than recording because photographs are generally gross approximations of the actual values found in the originals.
Rendering suggests that there may be a choice among possibilities of interpretations. Value rendering is planned and pre-visualised in tones.
6. Zone System
With pre-visualisation and value rendering, a system is developed to allow the photographer to:
1. Translate subject values into print values.
2. Resolve problems to provide the best photographic interpretation of a real object.
3. In viewing and processing, complete image plans before an exposure is made.
By: Roo Du Jardin
Posted in Arts And Entertainment | Tags: Article Deals, Camera Body, Camera Light, Divided Into Nine, Exposures, Film Speed, Light Definitions, Light Intensity, Light Meter, Light Meters, Luminance Meters, Measure Light, Nine Steps, Photographic Print, Photography Courses, Physical Eye, Professional Photographers, Professional Specialist, Unit Of Measurement, Visualisation | No Comments »
How to Use Odds Percentages to Identify the Best Bet Soccer Value
How to identify value in your bets? That’s the big question. My friend, Alex Napier who operates the Best Bet Soccer website, has asked me to write this article to explain how bookmakers’ percentages are calculated and how they provide a guide to assessment of value in the odds on offer. He has asked me to look at soccer betting, where, due to the few possible outcomes (three choices – win, lose or draw) the odds offered are short in any event.
What I’ll show you is:
1.?????? how to calculate the bookmakers percentages;
2.?????? what these percentages tell us;
3.?????? how to assess value in the odds;
4.?????? how to allocate your stake.
How to calculate the bookmakers’ percentages
The following data are taken from a Europa League qualifying match in July 2009 between Bangor City v Honka. The two bookmakers selected are the two that offered the best price for the draw:
Bookmaker 1
????????? Home win 4/1 – 20.00%;
????????? Draw 11/4 – 26.67%;
????????? Away win 8/15 – 65.22%;
????????? Total – 111.89%.
Bookmaker 2
????????? Home win 11/4 – 26.67%;
????????? Draw 11/4 – 26.67%;
????????? Away win 8/11 – 57.89%;
????????? Total – 111.23%
Best odds
????????? Home win 4/1 – 20.00%;
????????? Draw 11/4 – 26.67%;
????????? Away win 8/11 – 57.89%;
????????? Total – 104.56%
To calculate the percentages divide 100 by the odds on offer plus one. Where the odds are A/B: 100/((A+B)/B). For example, 4/1 is 100/((4+1)/1) or 20.00%. For 11/ 4 the percentage is 100/((11+4)/4) =26.67%. For 5 – 2 what would the percentage be? 100/((5+2)/2)=28.57%.
What these percentages tell us
A perfectly “balanced book” where the odds offered exactly reflect the chance of each team winning or the draw would produce a total of 100.00%. Theoretically the bookmaker will profit by the total percentage on the match less 100.00%. In the above table bookmaker 1 should profit by 11.89% of turnover on the match and bookmaker 2 by 11.23%. At first sight there doesn’t seem to be much between them but when we compare the theoretical profit of each the margin on the bookmaker 1 odds?(i.e. 111.89 – 100.00 = 11.89%) is 5.84% higher than the 11.23% margin on the bookmaker 2 odds! Where the odds on offer produce a theoretical profit for the bookmaker the book is said to be “over round”. The bookmaker 1 book is over round by 11.89% and the bookmaker 2 book by 11.23%.
Where the odds on offer total less than 100.00%, which never actually occurs with the odds offered by any individual bookmaker as they’d in theory be certain to lose on the event, they are ?”under round” .?The losing percentage would be 100.00% less the total odds percentage. Not surprisingly this doesn’t happen. Individual bookmakers do not offer odds on the possible outcomes that would give them a loss. What does happen, although very infrequently, is that the odds offered by a selection of bookmakers may vary to the extent that you can find a combination where those for the three possible outcomes are under round. This means that you can bet on all three possibilities – win, lose and draw – and provided you allocate your total stake in the correct proportion you will make a profit of the percentage by which you can bet at under round odds.
Identifying value
From the above data it’s fairly obvious that the 4 – 1 offered by bookmaker 1 in respect of the home team winning is the best price, there is no difference in the odds offered for the draw but bookmaker 2 offers the best odds for the away win. The question then arises, which is the best value? Obviously the 20.00% offered by bookmaker 1 on the home win is the lowest percentage so could be the best value, but this is too simplistic. There has to be a yardstick to measure the odds against. That is your own assessment or your advised assessment of the chance of each outcome. If you give each possibility your own percentage rating you can compare this with the bookmaker odds percentage to establish where the value lies. How you assess the chances of each outcome is not for this article. It deserves more in depth treatment than can be given here where we are dealing with bookmakers’ margins and value bets.
Assuming that the true reflection of the chances on the above match were?home win 20% (bookmaker 1 had that about right and bookmaker 2 was under priced), a 20% chance of a draw (although these were the bookmakers offering the best odds on the draw they were still under priced) and a 60% chance of an away win (where bookmaker 2 quotes a price that gives a lower percentage chance so offers value) consideration should be given to an away win bet with bookmaker 2.
Stake allocation
There may be occasions when it is necessary to allocate your stake between different outcomes. This could be the case where a selection of bookmakers odds produce an under round opportunity or where there is a strong reason to include two of the three possible outcomes so it’s necessary to allocate the stake between them. In the illustration below the odds have been exaggerated. ?It’s very seldom in reality that an under round opportunity arises but the illustration is a good one to show how to use percentages.
Bookmaker 1
????????? Home win 5/1 – 16.67%;
????????? Draw 11/4 – 26.67%;
????????? Away win – 66.67%;
????????? Total – 110.01%;
????????? Combined draw and away win – 96.34%.
Bookmaker 2
????????? Home win 7/2 – 22.22%;
????????? Draw 5/2% – 28.57;
????????? Away win 4/6 – 60.00%;
????????? Total – 110.79%;
????????? Combined draw and away win – 88.57%.
Bookmaker 3
????????? Home win 7/2 – 22.22%;
????????? Draw 4/1 – 20.00%;
????????? Away win 4/9 – 69.23%;
????????? Total – 111.45%;
????????? Combined draw and away win – 89.23%.
Best odds
????????? Home win 5/1 – 16.67%;
????????? Draw 4/1 – 20.00%;
????????? Away win 4/6 – 60.00%;
????????? Total – 96.67%;
????????? Combined draw and away win – 80.00%.
Bookmaker 1 offers the best price for the home win, bookmaker 2 for the away win and bookmaker 3 for the draw. The combined odds of the best offers?(5-1, 4-1 and 4-6) produce an overall 96.67%. That’s under round by 3.33%. If you stake 16.67 units on the home win at 5-1 with bookmaker 1 the return for the win would be 100.00 units, 60.00 units stake with bookmaker 2 on the away win would also return 100.00 units for the win and 20.00 units with bookmaker 3 on the draw would return 100.00 units for the draw. For every 96.67 units you stake split in that way you’d receive a return of 100.00 units. It doesn’t seem much but where else can you get this sort of return on your money invested for less than a day?
A word of warning though.
Where this situation arises there can be heavy, high stake betting. This results in the bookmakers changing the odds they offer. You therefore need to take great care that you place all of your bets at the identified under round odds. This means checking the relevant bookmakers’ accounts simultaneously. Open them up in separate windows on your screen, complete your betting slip for each and when you begin placing the bets complete the process as quickly as possible. There’s no guarantee that any of the bets will not be refused as the odds may have changed after you completed the slip so there is an element of risk but you can minimise this if you streamline the way you place the bets.
What may be more useful is the assessment of the percentages for the two most likely outcomes.
For instance, if both teams are strong defensively?although the away win is the probable result the draw may be considered to be a distinct possibility. If you (in your own assessment) totally discount the likelihood of the home win ( as the odds in the illustration more or less do) you may wish to bet on both the away win and the draw.
The best odds for the away win are the 4/6 (60.00%) offered by bookmaker 2 and the best for the draw the 4/1 (20.00%) offered by bookmaker 3. So if you stake 60 units on the away win with bookmaker 2 and 20 units on the draw with bookmaker 3 provided the home team don’t win you’d have a100 unit return for a 20 unit profit.
You need to use your own judgement to determine if there’s any value in the bet by comparing with your own assessment of the likely outcome of the match but it’s this analysis of the percentages against that assessment and then covering yourself with the second most likely possibility that, although it may reduce the profit on an event by event basis can lead to higher overall winnings in the longer term.
Summary
It is generally obvious which bookmaker is or bookmakers are offering the best odds. All you need do is compare them. Identifying value is another matter. For this you need to calculate the odds percentages to compare with your own, or your advised, perception or assessment of the chances of each outcome. By comparing the available percentages with your assessment you can identify where the value lies and make your selections accordingly – and perhaps now and again identify a no lose position where a selection of the odds offered by the various bookmakers produce an under round position!?Disciplined use of percentages should form a major part of your strategy in identifying value in the odds offered and contributing to your betting profits.
FINANCIAL DISCLAIMER
There is no guarantee that you will earn any money or make any profit using the techniques examined or the information provided in this article. The examples included are for illustrative purposes only and no claim is made that any bet has been made, profitably or otherwise, the author accepts no responsibility, financial or otherwise, for any loss you may suffer, of whatsoever nature whether from using techniques or strategies discussed in this article or the services of any linked website, blog, third party or other resource. Please remember by gambling you are risking your stake on the uncertain outcome of a future event or occurrence and do not stake more than you can afford to lose.
By: Nigel Moysey
Blu-ray and The Alternatives For Viewing High Definition Movies
Blu-ray is an optical disk format similar in principle to DVD but due to developments in technology it can carry much more data. The format was developed by the Sony Corporation and licensed to other manufacturers to produce the hardware and software compatible with the system. The main purpose of Blu-ray is to carry high definition programming with data storage a secondary use. The disks are the same size as a conventional CD or DVD at 12cm in diameter, but due to the use of a blue laser technology they can hold up to 50GB of data. For comparison a CD can hold around 650MB of data whilst a dual-layer DVD can hold 8.5GB.
Blu-ray launched in mid 2006 with the first films being released on 20 June 2006. The initial eighteen months of the formats life was dominated by a bitter rivalry with the completing HD-DVD format launched by Toshiba just a few months before Blu-ray. Sony won in the end with Toshiba finally admitting defeat on 19 February 2008 when it announced that production of HD-DVD equipment would cease. Many cite the inclusion of a Blu-ray drive on the Sony PS3 games console to be a major factor behind the formats victory.
Following the demise of HD-DVD Sony had the next generation disk based high definition market to itself. Naturally one would think that Blu-ray was the future of home entertainment and Sony would certainly likely to think so, but could Sony’s victory in the HD format war turn out to be a failure? What is the likelihood of Blu-ray becoming the pre-eminent home entertainment format? We take a look at the potential alternatives.
The first potential rival is downloaded HD movies. This is not currently officially available but the most common method of delivering this form of entertainment would be over the internet through devices such as the Xbox 360, PS3 or a home computer where the movie is downloaded to an internal hard drive. With the rising speeds and fallings costs of broadband phone lines this type of HD media delivery is becoming more and more realistic. Standard definition movies and TV programs are currently delivered via Microsoft’s Xbox Live service and Sony’s PlayStation Network. The leap to full length high definition movies is not far away. The advantages to this format is that many people already own the hardware and broadband lines so the only cost involved would be paying to download the film. The downside is that you won’t actually own physical media like you would with a disk giving a perceived lack of value, although it is likely the downloaded films would be cheaper than Blu-ray media.
A second potential rival is on-demand HD movies. This is very similar to downloaded material above but the film is actually watched as it is streamed over the internet. The pros and cons are very much as above but the user would also need a fast internet connection to keep up with the speed of the data. Also it is possible that the film will not be saved to the users hardware so re-watching the material may not be an option. Existing hardware (as above) is likely to be used for viewing the media and many top of the range TV’s being released have the built-in ability to stream data for viewing such movies.
The third contender is HD material transmitted through the airwaves or via cable. This technology has already been available for a few years with services in the UK such as Sky HD, Virgin Media’s cable HD service or the recently launched Freesat satellite HD service. The advantages of these services is that there is often plenty of content available 24 hours a day and a lot of it is free. On the subscription services such as Sky HD or Virgin the equipment is either free or heavily subsidised. The downside is that you are restricted to the programming that is currently being shown (there is no on demand service) and newer films are often delayed by up to a year for pay-per-view titles or even longer for free viewing. There is also a subscription to pay for such services (with the exception of Freesat – although initial equipment costs would be higher here). A monthly subscription could be as high as ?50. For this figure you could buy three or four Blu-ray disks each month.
By: Mac Jones