Long Life to History and Audiovisual Technology!

Article - ----.- - -..- .- --.-.---.---~ , -- - - -... - ... - --- - - . - -- -- - - -- -- - -- -- - - - -- . --- .--..- -- t - -- - - - . - - ..- -- -.- --- - -- - - - -- - - - There are three possible roads to ruin - women, gambling and technology. The most pleasant is with women, the quickest is with gambling, but the surest is with technology' Georges Pompidou (1968) Long Life to History and Audiovisual Technology! Soul Mate-Cid, Belgium Paper given at the IASA conference, Aarhu5, 2002 Abstract Generally speaking, technology may be considered a cornerstone of twentieth- century life, especially in the Western World . However, because there seems to be a need for a healthy and wide appreciation of industrial and socio-cultural issues that relate to technology in general and audiovisual archives in particular, this article basically proposes to give some thought to this. Some of the issues include education and university-industry partnerships, problems of manufacturers and users, standardisation, and obsolescence of products. As a recent member of IASA, the author would like to acknowledge the relevant work of the Association in strengthening an increasingly popular aim to make history live healthily. In order to increase the efficiency of collaborative efforts in the preservation and dissemination of audiovisual material, the nature of the problems relating to technology should be pondered. This article is thus intended to call the reader's attention by expressing an overall view of both the new configuration of the audiovisual sector and the process of rapid change throughout the world. And it is within academic and industrial contexts that the article has been written since the author is a student of audio technology, and has just finished a one-year placement in the acoustical predevelopment laboratories of a multinational company. Furthermore, it is also intended to highlight the significance of actual and prospective developments in digital technology since the start of the world-wide liberalisation of telecommunications in 1996. The expansion of private service providers in the telecommunications industry and the convergence on information technology may be considered the main reason for the impending digitalisation of technology. The result of this being a larger capacity to deal with information. Before continuing, it should be noted that the performance of a system, which denotes here a set of essential elements or subsystems, is dependent on the interactions of its elements and not on the individual performance of the parts (this resembles teamwork).According to Andrew [200 I], the synergy that makes the entire system (the team) greater than the sum of its parts (members of the team) is a factor of the relationships between its subsystems. Consequently, the presence of controlled entropy (disorder) should be recognised-and managed by paying sufficient attention to each other and the rest of the world . --.- -.-.-. ·--------·--------··-- ··---·----··---(44 .·~--·-----·---------------- iasa Journal no20 - December 2002  - --,, - - -- - - ---.-- .- ~ -'--------- ------ - - - ----- --- .._ - --- ---- ---- -- - - - - _ . _ - ---,,-- - - ,- - --- ---. -- - . ----- ----- ---- - - - ~,- ..- - - -- - - --- - --.--- ___ _ • _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ~,, __ .~. __ _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~ .l._ _ _ __ _ _ • _ _ • _ _ __ _ _ __ _.. ,_ _ ., ______ _ _ __ _ _ _" _ .,_ _____ .- - - -- ~- - - ,- - --- - ..- -- . - - - -- - - - Some contribution towards the development and construction of audiovisual systems or products maybe expected from students. This is because there is a general necessity of both qualified constructors of new systems and maintainers of old ones, but no way of graduate students who know a bit of everything and nothing about the technical procedures, which may be taught in a professional environment such as a vocational qualification or an industrial placement. Since a few years ago, the innovation of education systems has constituted an essential factor to control the rate of technological changes and its repercussions on the organisation of work.The appearance of new technologies and active consumers has originated a great amount of products and services to handle a great amount of information, which powers the creation and development of companies that evolve towards new strategies of promotion, commercialisation and distribution of audiovisual products. From transnational policies of production, changes, and new developments, new formative necessities are deduced to obtain both a suitable qualification and a capacity for fast adaptation to the new organisation of the product creation process. In this respect, decisions made by Research and Development departments affect manufacturers of electronic equipment. In other words, economic strategies transform audiovisual markets, as explained below. We are floating along in a stream of industrial revolutions, the current one being the result of improvements in information processing. Human capital plays a vital role in the digital transition and training people, as part of the economic strategy, costs money.As a consequence of economic changes and the complexity of digital techniques, it is crucial to qualify people who are able to make good use of technological innovations.At the moment, society has a great capacity to process information, which has always been highly valued in order to manage situations. These may range from trivial everyday duties to more important matters, such as problems persisting from generation to generation. One of the problems is disorientation that makes access to suitable information difficult; this problem is now more acute due to the increasing flood of messages that engulfs us. Another example is the lack of critical capacity to distinguish between veracity and manipulation. Nevertheless, the solution to these problems requires the training of people in the first instance. Turning back to the product creation process, Bekesy [1960] has characterised the path of scientific research as follows : 'Of great importance in any field of research is the selection of problems to be investigated and a determination of the particular variables to be given attention. No doubt the verdict of history will be that the able scientists were those who picked out the significant problems and pursued them in the proper ways, and yet these scientists themselves would probably agree that in this phase of their work fortune played a highly important role.When a field is in its early stage of development [as it seems now to be the case with digital technology in audiovisual archives], the selection of good problems is a more hazardous matter than later on, when some general principles have begun to be developed. Still later, when the framework of the science has been well established, a problem will often consist of a series of minor matters.' ----- 45 .0--- ----- -..- ----------- - -.- --------- - - iasa Journal no20 - December 2002  He goes on to enumerate some of the forms scientific problems may take. These range from the "classical problem", which has been under attack, unsuccessfully, for a long time, to the "pseudo problem", which results from alternative definitions or methods of approach, and is not really a problem at all. Bekesy warns us to beware of both the "premature problem", which is poorly formulated or not susceptible to attack, and the "unimportant problem", which is easy to formulate and easy to solve, but does not increase our fund of knowledge. Two types of problems produce most of the worthwhile scientific results. First, the "strategic problem", which seeks data to support an intelligent choice between two or more basic principles or assumptions. Second, the "stimulating problem", which may open up new areas of exploration or lead to re-examination of accepted principles. Of course, the strategic problems when attacked and solved, lead to great steps forward. But one must not spend so much time and effort searching for strategic problems - they are very hard to come by - that one does nothing at all except search. It is really the "stimulating problem" that comprises most good research. A series of stimulating problems may, in the end, lead to a "strategic result". Midwinter [2000J has also noted that a few decades ago, the challenge in engineering appeared to consist in trying to find a technical solution to a well-defined problem. Innovation at this level often spawned highly detailed work at the component level leading to new components, which could be used to solve the problem. Today, one finds that the major activity is much more market focussed, concerned with identifying market niches for new products and then selecting the best possible solution out of many possible ones in terms of cost-benefit and rapid delivery to a global market ahead of one's competitors. There seems to be an eagerness for moving quickly towards solutions rather than spending more time understanding the problem.And the solution is likely to involve a complex system that draws upon a wide range of different disciplines for its implementation. At this point, particular attention should be paid to the concept of technology. McOmber [1999J delineates three meanings of the term technology assumed in popular and academic discourse: technology-as-instrumentality, technology-as-industrialisation, and technology-as- novelty. • Technology-as-instrumentality: 'One might refer to stone tools as a technology together with technologies of cooking, agriculture, writing, and all the objects and practices that any culture deploys to manage its existence. This definition emphasizes the instrumentality of technology [ ... ] That is, what makes something a technology is simply its status as a tool [ ... ] A more academic use of the instrumental definition [ .. .]: "the organisation of knowledge for practical purposes'''. • Technology-as-industrialisation: 'Considering the social significance of technology, often assumes a more specific meaning. To many scholars, technology as an object of criticism or analysis dates from the eighteenth or early nineteenth century. In other words, many assume that technology is coexistent with the industrialisation of the West. [ ...] Technology is the product of a specific historical time and place.' --- -,46 iasa Journal no20 - December 2002  Technology-as-novelty: 'Considering a headline in the Chronicle of Higher Education: Survey shows record number of professors use technology in their teaching [...].According to the first [definition of] technology, the classroom is a technology.According to the second, classrooms have been pervaded by technology for at least a century. [ ... ] In much popular discourse, technology refers simply to the newest or latest instrumental products of human imagination, and especially to devices not yet widely available or understood. [ ... ] A clear example of this definition and an implied ahistorical narrative arises in the U.S. business press. One can read about and invest in "technology stocks" that trade frequently on the NA5DAQ exchange. Interestingly, whereas IBM and Microsoft are technology stocks, General Motors and Consolidated Edison are industrials. If it appears strange that automobiles and electric power are not technological, this is perhaps because of the pull of one or both of the two definitions of technology discussed above:To be labelled a technology stock, apparently, a corporation must be involved in the manufacture of something novel, widely inaccessible, and perhaps even mysterious. Although automobiles or electric power once shared these characteristics and could have been considered technologies, their availability and relative age have removed them from the menu of technological options for investors. [ ... ] One often finds that developed nations have now plunged into "the computer age", the "information age", or, at a somewhat earlier time, "the age of television".The ahistorical character of such labels arises from the way in which the profound social importance of older technologies is forgotten once new technologies take hold. [ ... ] In popular discourse new technology often becomes both amoral instrumentality that differs little from its predecessors and radically new instrumentality that holds the promise of revolutionising everyday life.' According to McOmber, a definition of technology-as-cultural-practice, which stresses the way in which all technologies arise in the interest of solving problems for some person or group, needs to stand alongside technology-as-instrumentality, technology-as-industrialisation, and technology-as-novelty. So far, it may be said that we are in a 'knowledge-based economy', in yet another 'industrial revolution', and at the risk of experiencing product obsolescence due to 'the business system'. In general, the driving force for all current technological changes appears to be an economic (and hence political) one since the demand of the audience for new standard products feeds product planning and manufacture. The following increase of sales and product innovation gives rise to a more competitive manufacturing industry. Additionally, it is well known that all technology that affects the public and the equipment they buy affects social habits and consumption directly. Therefore, in the view of the inevitable avalanche of future developments through the 'information highway', some multimedia products should, perhaps, be considered. This reflection will help people to realise superfluities and therefore control the digitalisation at industrial, domestic and educational levels. ConclUSively, electronic products have developed into a mature field for a wide range of audiovisual applications and the role of standardisation is decisive.As Sikora [1997] summarises, the increasing commercial interest in audiovisual communications creates the need for international standard products and services. Commercially, there are two purposes for the -- --- -- - ------- 47 --- - iasa Journal no20 - December 2002 - - -- - - ------- ------ - - --.--- - -- --.--- .-.-~ --- - --. -------- -- --------- -- - - ------- ~---------, _ _ _ _ _ _ •._ _ ._ __ _ _ __ _ I ~ _ _ _ international standardisation of audio-visual communication system:;: interoperability and economy of scale. Interoperability allows smooth international data exchange via storage media and communication networks. This is desirable for users and equipment manufacturers. Further. the increasing attractiveness and demand for buying and using communication equipment generates economy of scale. that is a reduction in costs because of an increase in the scale of production. Although prospective developments for the twenty-first century seem hard to visualise, Handy [200 I] predicts how the coming years will see an increasing division between large engineering organisations (elephants) and their smaller counterparts of self-employed individuals (fleas) . According to Handy. we are leaving behind a century of institutions and employees and entering a more fluid world of independence. partnerships and coalitions in which the elephants will have to think their structures and their relationships with the fleas. Further. it is the latter that will increasingly own the intellectual capital and provide the flexibility and innovation essential for the elephants' survival and growth. The structures of society, and in particular the systems of education. Handy believes. are still designed for a world that is passing and they too need urgent reform. For Handy industry-based training is of key importance to develop the competencies of newly qualified graduates to fit them to become leaders of R&D in academe as well as in industry. Some technological analysis has been hitherto outlined regarding economy and society. If the reader is wondering why computerisation is becoming so pervasive. the following may also help to better understand the commercialisation of digital services and products.The question is whether there will exist any other choice apart of computers. To tackle this question, it may be worth saying that humans have always had the aptitude to expand or transform the status quo. Particularly. engineers or technicians are prone to enhance somehow the stimuli perceived from their surroundings. This especially applies to the mass media. through which the average spectator receives the world we live in and then shapes or transforms it according to their perception. At the end of the day. life is all change and motion . Are not then our 'e-motions' and feelings what make everybody move and everything change? No Mr Spock here - the stimuli we receive and perceive keep us moving and we tend to transform what is surrounding us. So it is as if we are going round in circles. spinning. spiralling round the central pillar of our emotions. One example of this may be the development of the telephone. Apparently, the driving force behind the commercialisation of the telephone was actually musical, rather than speech transmission. The telephone made it possible to broadcast a musical performance to many people about one century ago. At that time it caused a sense of wonder. it was amazing. Nevertheless. it is said that there are around four E_imQ.l]_ p~0.pJ~ on Earth who have not yet made a telephone call. Finally. it may be appropriate, briefly. to place some time perspective on the evolution of electrical technology. The reader is encouraged to refer to Bray [2002], who writes about the origins and development of the technology that has transformed telecommunications and broadcasting and created the Internet. The book shows the impact of each innovation upon today's world of communications technology, and looks to the future for the innovations to come. Moreover,Andrew [200 I] states that the use of electrical energy dates back to at least - - - - ~--------------- -------- - --- --------- ------.------ --- -~:48 ~-- ------------- ----- ----------- - - -- iasa Journal no20 - December 2002 --- "-_.-_._ -- -- --_.,----._ - - - - -- _._- -- _ _" _ _ _ _ _ _ __ "_ _ _ _ ". _ _ _ __ . _ __ _ _ _ _ _c _ __ _ ~ _ " " ~ _ . " _ ~ ~ _ - - - - - -~-- - - ~---- - - --. -- - - -- ."" - - - - - . - ~ - --- ~ --~ -- - - - ---- --- ~- - ---- ---~- ----~~ -~ ~--- +-- - - --- --~ - - --- --- ------ -- -- --- ~- - -~--- -- ------------ - 500 BC.We know that during the period 625-546 BC the Greek mathematician and philosopher Thales postulated the idea of electricity. We also know that the abacus was first used in 500 BC, and that in 1642 Blaise Pascal invented the first mechanical calculator. In 1667, the physicist Robert Hooke created the tin-can-and-wire telephone, and in 1876 Bell patented the electrical telephone. When one considers the current state of the art in the computing and telecommunications worlds in relation to these inventions, one begins to get a picture of the explosive evolution of electrical technology. It took approximately 200 years from the tin- can phone to Bell's telephone, but just about 130 years from the telephone to where we are now in terms of communication technology. It took2142 years from the abacus to Pascal's mechanical calculator, and a little over 350 years from this calculator to where we are now. Extrapolating over the next 20 years, Moorer [2000] concludes that the main problem faCing digital audio engineers will not be how to perform a particular manipulation on sound, but how the amount of power that will be available at that time can possibly be controlled. The quest for power over the medium will lead us into situations of unprecedented complexity. It will require significant ingenuity to package this power into something that human beings can understand and manipulate. In this kind of progress, it is the techniques and discoveries from the professional industry that gradually become accepted into the consumer markets. What is done today in the studios will determine what will be seen in the home in the next 20 years. Interestingly enough, the synchronoptic World History Chart [Nothiger] , which includes 3000 years of world history timelines, as well as numerous biographical lifelines and maps, has been credited as a fantastic use of technology to enable us to leap backward in time and expand our intellectual horizons. Karl Marx said 'The one who forgets history is condemned to repeat it', so he would be certainly amazed by such a handy chart! A glimpse at the timeline of the twentieth century pairs audio with the speeches of representative figures ... and why not John Lennon's famous song Imagine? ~--- ~ ~---- - -------- ~-- - ------- ~~---- ---- -- ----------------- --- i4 9}------------ ----- ---- ----~--- --- -- --- ---- ~----~-- - ~-----------~--------- --- iasa Journal no20 - December 2002 References AN DREW,T., A systemic Overview ofthe Evolution of E/earical Engineering: a South African Perspeaive, www.iee.org/onComms/CompForum/articles.cfm Publication date: 19-0ct-200 1 (accessed July 2002) BEKESY, G., 1960. Experiments in Hearing, New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. BRAY,J., 2002. Innovation and the communications revolution: from the Victorian pioneers to broadband Internet, London: lEE, Contents list: www.iee.org/OnComms/pn/communications (accessed July 2002) HANDY, C., lEE News 200 I, 'Consultants PN welcome Charles Handy to Savoy Place', September MCOMBER,J. B., 1999. 'Technological Autonomy and Three Definitions of Technology' Journal of Communication, 49, 137-153 MIDWINTER,j. E., 2000. 'Something old, something new and something just in time: dilemmas for EE education and training', Eng. Sci. Edue. J., October, 9, (5), 219-230 MOORER, J. A., Audio in the New Milenium, Richard C. Heyser Memorial Lecture Series ~v.y~.a~~ ~_o[g/~~c~nic:.aI/Ij_eys_~r.t'-tr:!11. Presented on 21-Feb-2000 (accessed July 2002) NOTHIGER,A., World History Chart, wwyv.hypechistgry._co.rD (accessed July 2002) SI KO RA T. I997.'MPEG Digital Audio- and Video-Coding Standards', IEEE Signal Processing Magazine - Special Issue on MPEG Audio and Video Coding, 14 (5) September, 58 50 iasa Journal no20 - December 2002