After giving details of the World Adminstrative Radio Conference plans for satellite broadcasting... more After giving details of the World Adminstrative Radio Conference plans for satellite broadcasting, the implications of direct broadcasting from satellites in the UK and the rest of Europe are discussed. The technical parameters of the composite television signals in use at present are considered in relation to their transmission via frequency-modulated satellite channels at 12 GHz, and a completely new transmission system (MAC, or multiplexed analogue components) is suggested. The MAC system is analysed in some detail, and shown to have many advantages over composite signals; ways in which the system could form the basis of a pan-European satellite television system are discussed. It is shown that MAC transmissions, in combination with suitable video signal processing, could eventually provide extended-definition high-quality television pictures with more efficient use of the RF spectrum than other proposed extended-definition television systems.
With the swagger of Mick Jagger and the ambiguous sexual magnetism of Freddie Mercury, the star m... more With the swagger of Mick Jagger and the ambiguous sexual magnetism of Freddie Mercury, the star makes his entrance into the space while, above him, adorned in leather, mesh, and mascara, a rock band blasts out power chords. Dionysus has arrived, and he brings with him a faithful yet flashy adaptation of a Greek classic. Though called "the best constructed of all of [Euripides's] tragedies" by H.D.F. Kitto, The Bacchae has remained something of a mystery to contemporary audiences (370). With this in mind, Peter Mills and Cara Reichel set out to revamp the classical Greek text, jolting new life and new understanding into Euripides's masterwork. In the summer of 2009, under the umbrella of its Premiere Musicals musical theatre development program, Indiana University and director-choreographer George Pinney presented a workshop production of this piece. With composer-lyricist/co-adaptor Mills and co-adaptor Reichel in residence, and with a combined cast of New York-based Equity actors and Indiana musical theatre students, this workshop exposed audiences to a much louder and wilder telling of The Bacchae than one typically expects. As the assistant director for this production, I had the opportunity to observe and participate in every step of the process, as well as to consider the connections between The Rockae and the Euripides original. Despite some alterations, and the addition of enough amplifiers and speakers to make Pete Townshend wince, The Rockae adheres remarkably closely to the original, preserving the intent and basic plot of the play, while launching it into the consciousness of a twenty-first century audience. Obviously much of The Bacchae focuses on the religious worship of Dionysus,
Performance and the Disney Theme Park Experience, 2019
Science fiction writer Ray Bradbury once referred to a Disney park as a “time machine,” and guest... more Science fiction writer Ray Bradbury once referred to a Disney park as a “time machine,” and guests of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom can experience six distinct historical periods in one brisk walk around the park. Future and past intertwine, and the guest draws connections across periods. Utopic promises of the future—particularly racial ones—inform the reading of historical areas, where diverse bodies can now harmoniously share spaces previously reserved only for a few. Less optimistically, however, Disney’s presentation of the future contains countless reverberations of Disney’s presentation of the past. In this chapter, Tom Robson explores the links between Disney’s most nostalgic, backward-looking land, Main Street, USA, and its ostensibly most future-looking land, Tomorrowland. By examining Main Street as the “lobby” of the Magic Kingdom, Robson argues that this area distances tourists from real time and molds them into participatory actors in Disney’s immersive theatre. Further, he argues that Disney’s destruction of linear time encourages a fundamentally conservative view of the future.
As the technology of television evolves, the challenge for engineers is to produce improved quali... more As the technology of television evolves, the challenge for engineers is to produce improved quality TV systems, at a price the viewer is prepared to pay, that will also be compatible with existing systems
... John Wentworth; Copyeditors: Barbara Walsh, Barbara Field; Proofreader: Coree Clark: Indexer:... more ... John Wentworth; Copyeditors: Barbara Walsh, Barbara Field; Proofreader: Coree Clark: Indexer: Gerry Lynn Messner; Graphic Designer: Robert Reuther: Graphic Artist: Francine Hamerski; Photo Man-agers: Carl D. Johnson. ...
After giving details of the World Adminstrative Radio Conference plans for satellite broadcasting... more After giving details of the World Adminstrative Radio Conference plans for satellite broadcasting, the implications of direct broadcasting from satellites in the UK and the rest of Europe are discussed. The technical parameters of the composite television signals in use at present are considered in relation to their transmission via frequency-modulated satellite channels at 12 GHz, and a completely new transmission system (MAC, or multiplexed analogue components) is suggested. The MAC system is analysed in some detail, and shown to have many advantages over composite signals; ways in which the system could form the basis of a pan-European satellite television system are discussed. It is shown that MAC transmissions, in combination with suitable video signal processing, could eventually provide extended-definition high-quality television pictures with more efficient use of the RF spectrum than other proposed extended-definition television systems.
With the swagger of Mick Jagger and the ambiguous sexual magnetism of Freddie Mercury, the star m... more With the swagger of Mick Jagger and the ambiguous sexual magnetism of Freddie Mercury, the star makes his entrance into the space while, above him, adorned in leather, mesh, and mascara, a rock band blasts out power chords. Dionysus has arrived, and he brings with him a faithful yet flashy adaptation of a Greek classic. Though called "the best constructed of all of [Euripides's] tragedies" by H.D.F. Kitto, The Bacchae has remained something of a mystery to contemporary audiences (370). With this in mind, Peter Mills and Cara Reichel set out to revamp the classical Greek text, jolting new life and new understanding into Euripides's masterwork. In the summer of 2009, under the umbrella of its Premiere Musicals musical theatre development program, Indiana University and director-choreographer George Pinney presented a workshop production of this piece. With composer-lyricist/co-adaptor Mills and co-adaptor Reichel in residence, and with a combined cast of New York-based Equity actors and Indiana musical theatre students, this workshop exposed audiences to a much louder and wilder telling of The Bacchae than one typically expects. As the assistant director for this production, I had the opportunity to observe and participate in every step of the process, as well as to consider the connections between The Rockae and the Euripides original. Despite some alterations, and the addition of enough amplifiers and speakers to make Pete Townshend wince, The Rockae adheres remarkably closely to the original, preserving the intent and basic plot of the play, while launching it into the consciousness of a twenty-first century audience. Obviously much of The Bacchae focuses on the religious worship of Dionysus,
Performance and the Disney Theme Park Experience, 2019
Science fiction writer Ray Bradbury once referred to a Disney park as a “time machine,” and guest... more Science fiction writer Ray Bradbury once referred to a Disney park as a “time machine,” and guests of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom can experience six distinct historical periods in one brisk walk around the park. Future and past intertwine, and the guest draws connections across periods. Utopic promises of the future—particularly racial ones—inform the reading of historical areas, where diverse bodies can now harmoniously share spaces previously reserved only for a few. Less optimistically, however, Disney’s presentation of the future contains countless reverberations of Disney’s presentation of the past. In this chapter, Tom Robson explores the links between Disney’s most nostalgic, backward-looking land, Main Street, USA, and its ostensibly most future-looking land, Tomorrowland. By examining Main Street as the “lobby” of the Magic Kingdom, Robson argues that this area distances tourists from real time and molds them into participatory actors in Disney’s immersive theatre. Further, he argues that Disney’s destruction of linear time encourages a fundamentally conservative view of the future.
As the technology of television evolves, the challenge for engineers is to produce improved quali... more As the technology of television evolves, the challenge for engineers is to produce improved quality TV systems, at a price the viewer is prepared to pay, that will also be compatible with existing systems
... John Wentworth; Copyeditors: Barbara Walsh, Barbara Field; Proofreader: Coree Clark: Indexer:... more ... John Wentworth; Copyeditors: Barbara Walsh, Barbara Field; Proofreader: Coree Clark: Indexer: Gerry Lynn Messner; Graphic Designer: Robert Reuther: Graphic Artist: Francine Hamerski; Photo Man-agers: Carl D. Johnson. ...
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