Producing Interactive Television (Charles River Media Internet & Web Design) [Paperback]

Annesa Hartman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1584500220 | ISBN-13: 978-1584500223 | Publication Date: October 15, 2001 | Edition: 1st

The concept of Interactive Television (ITV) is not an easy one to pin down. It has taken many forms, spurned good and not-so good connotations, and has confused the public and experts alike. Producing Interactive Television aims to unravel the confusion by taking an in-depth look into how the merging of digital and Internet Technologies is changing the way people receive, watch and react to TV, and the way TV producers plan and develop productions. For easy understanding and clarity of the topic of ITV and its content development process, the book is divided into three parts. Part One offers the necessary background information on ITV's origins and future. Part Two is a start-to-finish guide to the enhanced TV development process, including hands-on lessons for the prototyping and HTML implementation of ITV interface designs. In Part Three, TV producers and ITV developers share their real-world ITV projects, providing insightful advice on the pitfalls and successes of ITV content creation and the overall industry.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What do you get when you cross the interactive abilities of a computer with the information delivery power of a television? No one is quite sure, but Annesa Hartman attempts to define the field, the process, and the experience of not just viewing but Producing Interactive Television.

Hartman presents a history of the development of television, the rise of the computer as entertainment, and the events taking place that are merging the two. Then she covers the technical process of developing an ITV project--the necessary ingredients, the tools used, the process involved, and the various delivery and execution methods.

Tools and methods change over time, but the information in the last section of the book is timeless and valuable. It is a showcase of real-world ITV projects, including images and interviews with the creators and producers of such projects as SpinTV, Spiderdance, the AFI Enhanced TV Workshop, and Showtime Networks. Not many people are producing ITV projects, but rest assured that everyone is watching the field.

There are certainly some major issues yet to be resolved on both sides of the screen. The formats for an interactive production are far from standard, and the definition itself is still up for grabs. Producing Interactive Television validates and defines this new medium, shedding light on a growing innovation. This book should be read by anyone who sees that the future of entertainment and education lies in the elusive offspring of the television and the computer. --Mike Caputo

About the Author

Annesa Hartman holds a Masters in Teaching with Internet Technologies, focusing her attention on instructional design for online technologies as well as web and graphic design concepts and programs. Currently she is an Instructional Designer for Landmark College's Institute for Research and Training in Putney, Vermont, where she designs and develops online courses for educators. For more than 10 years Annesa has taught computer graphic courses while creating graphic design for clients around the world. She is the author of Exploring Adobe Illustrator, Exploring Adobe Falsh, and of Producing Interactive Television.

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: Charles River Media; 1st edition (October 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584500220
• ISBN-13: 978-1584500223
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #403,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Annesa Hartman holds a Masters in Teaching with Internet Technologies, focusing her attention on instructional design for online technologies, and Web and graphic design concepts and programs. Currently, she is a Content Development Specialist for Kaplan University, where she designs and develops online courses for Kaplan educators. She also teaches online computer graphic courses for Modesto Junior College in California and the Community College of Vermont. As well, for over 14 years she has been a freelance graphic designer with clients from around the world. She is the author of Exploring Adobe Photoshop CS4, Exploring Adobe Illustrator CS4, and Producing Interactive Television. When she is not pushing pixels, she is performing in community theater and teaching yoga classes. Visit www.cengage.com/community/mediaarts&design for more information.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dangerously Inaccurate, basicly incoherent, December 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Producing Interactive Television (Charles River Media Internet & Web Design) (Paperback)

If you are a working professional in this field, much better is Interactive TV Technology & Markets by H.O. Srivastava. If you are a consumer getting your feet wet, some of the WebTV or AOL TV books are a better bet. However, if you enjoy pre-internet-crash style needless boosterism combined with a complete lack of understanding of the technologies and business models surrounding interactive television, this is probably the book for you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Navigating through a complicated landscape, April 15, 2002

By 

Gali Einav (New York, ny United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Producing Interactive Television (Charles River Media Internet & Web Design) (Paperback)

Navigating through the complex landscape of ITV is difficult to do. In an industry that finds it hard to define itself, it's very helpful to get a broad picture that clarifies the basic concepts and issues.
In very clear, user friendly words,Annesa Hartman manages to provide a trail through the ITV world I found easy to follow.

The book provides an historical context that is very helpful for understanding the connection between television, the Internet and ITV. It provides an overall picture of the different industry aspects through easy to understand examples of production, technology, standards and content issues. You can also get a "hands on" experience through the CDROM. All of the above allow you to then choose which aspect of the industry you wish to explore further.
The interviews with industry players provide a valuable "inside" look , which I found particularly helpful and interesting.
Great for anyone who is starting out in this field - producers, content creators, technically non-savvy people and students. ( I have used it for my graduate school work)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor Guidance for ITV Developers, April 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Producing Interactive Television (Charles River Media Internet & Web Design) (Paperback)

This book makes it appear as if one can simply write Web applications that will run on Interactive Television - an egregious error. The book fails to mention a number of the major players and products in the industry. It also fails to discuss implementation details (such as headend components) and limitations of which developers must be aware (such as bandwidth restrictions).

This book is simplistic at best and is not worth the investment.