TV DIGITALISATION IN SERBIA – MYTH OR REALITY
Contemporary researchers believe that, in the near future, a convergence will be developed towards all portable networks having sufficient capacity to transmit all kinds of messages – from data to video, in real time, and towards a choice of devices allowing certain contents to be followed depending on circumstances. In other words, all content will be available on all types of terminals. News will be followed on PCs, e-mails sent from TV receivers and databases will be searched on mobile phones. Moreover, it seems that viewers will create their programmes, programme schedules and receive information when suitable to them. “On demand” services will be dominant services in future. This situation leads towards the division of the audio-visual sphere into two categories: on the one side, there are creators and owners of content and on the other there are transmitters of content. If we know that each portable channel and terminal device has its own characteristics, we can conclude that a producer and an owner of content have to process it in such a way that it can be adapted i.e. easily adapted for distribution over various channels and reception at various terminals. At the moment, televisions and production houses still have a certain type of monopoly over the production of audio-visual programmes. Exploiting and sustaining this advantage is one of the important challenges imposed by the development of digital communication. Due to everything mentioned above, the authors of this paper are conducting a survey on consumers of the media content. So far the pilot survey is carried out only in Vojvodina, and the purpose of the survey is to find out whether respondents are familiarized with the digitalization process.
