Multimedia and Interactive Digital TV: Managing the Opportunities Created by Digital Convergence

Rating:
Summary: Not a very useful book for me
Review: First of all, note that the other 4 reviews (as of when I am writing this) are ALL by the same person, although they range from 4 stars to 5 stars. *This could be an Amazon bug*, or else someone is trying hard to promote this book.

I had to return this book, first time I have ever done so. The writing is odd and the content really only appropriate for someone interested in a broad-brush European perspective on interactive television, someone without much background in the area. If this is you, then this may be the book for you. There certainly isn't much else of this sort, as far as I know.

One paragraph selected at random: "Digitalisation consists of the simple but enormous technological phenomena by means of which it is possible to translate data, sounds, and images into a single format, the digital binary format (i.e., transformed in a binary sequence, of numbers 1 and 0) or byte. The analog signal, through a series of successive procedures aimed at applying numerical algorithm, is transformed into a digital signal unencumbered by any spatial or temporary redundancy."

I tried to type this exactly as it appears in the text. I think it should have about six "sics" in it, but I'm not an editor. I'm afraid this book badly needed one.

Rating:
Summary: First of its kind!
Review: I think that this book is the first work which offers an accurate analysis of interactivity, and all opportunities created by digital convergence which can be exploited. This book has a dual utility: I think it is the first book which measures the potential for IT convergence (chapter 2) and that describes various digital services which can be broadcast through different systems. It identifies unsolved problems (chapter 3), trying to estimate the economic implications of digital technologies (chapter 4) and giving a definition and a whole analysis of digital interactive television and its positioning along the multimedia value chain. This work interests not only an academic audience but also middle management and executives of media companies which want to understand their new business opportunities (chapter 6) and particularly the repositioning of content provider, the new role of network provider and the "dictatorship" risk of service provider.

Rating:
Summary: Coherent Vision of Multimedia & Interactive Digital TV
Review: Professor Pagani offers the researcher and practitioner an interesting book where topics like convergence, digital economy and the development of ICT (Information Communication Technology) show critical elements to keep in mind in order to understand digital interaction and a complex and changing business in the digital environment.

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and Authoritative
Review: The book is an invaluable resource for any student of 'digital divergence' and presents accurate, clear and highly significant strategy solutions.

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and Authoritative
Review: The book is an invaluable resource for any student of `digital divergence' and presents accurate, clear and highly significant strategy solutions.

Rating:
Summary: Original study about interactive Tv
Review: The book Multimedia and Interactive Digital TV: Managing the Opportunities Created by Digital Convergence is an original study about interactive digital TV since the strategic and economical aspects besides the technological aspect can be found in this volume.
Every important definition to understand the interactive digital TV concepts can be found in this book.
This book has strong points related to the definition of the most important concepts and to the structure of interactive digital TV into a strategic environment.
This book provides an up-to-date background for European interactive digital TV research and a starting point for any further research into the all analog to digital transation in the world context.

Rating:
Summary: Innovative and Compelling
Review: This Book provides an essential insight to the opportunities created by the digital convergence. Ease of explanations for non-technical readers and completeness of the treated subject make it a must reading for anyone wishing to make the most of these opportunities.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting vision of digital TV
Review: This books really offers an interesting and coherent vision of Multimedia and Interactive Digital TV. This is an oustanding job which summarizes different approaches that contribute to analyze a complex and changing business in the digital era.
ICT (Information Communication Technology) and the new value chain of emerging multimedia market are showed in a coherent and clear way in this interesting book.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting introduction with a European focus
Review: This is an interesting book to read if you're trying to figure out the European market for digital TV or you're new to the field. The book explains the different roles of players in the market, how they interact and where the opportunies are in each sector. A high level overview of the different technologies is also given with particular focus on the economics. The writing is a little bit too academic and slow at times, however it's definitely worth the money.