Television graphics

For years, both the film and television industries have used high production values, often connected to substantial budgets and high-quality visual effects, to offer a polished and professional feel.

Rotating globes and world maps are visual elements used in the opening sequences of many television newscasts; these are used to visually represent the global nature of the news.

The news studio set backdrops include a world map, a skyline and a newsroom.

Before Saul Bass' title sequences in the 1950's, titles were generally static, separate from the film, and were usually projected onto the theatre curtains, only to be raised right before the first scene.

During the pre-Saul Bass era, titles featured cards, ruched satin backgrounds and page turning books.

However, as a response to the rising popularity of television as a threat to the film industry, Saul Bass established modern title sequence design as an art form.

John Oxberry's eponymous animation company has its eponymous animation stand, used before (and even) when digital computer gaphics arrived

Backlit animation and slit-scan techniques are in the Oxberry animation stand.

In the past, Oxberry has made innovations, including the first commercial animation stand, the first aerial image optical printer, the first digital-to-film recorder and the first film scanner.

Having been pioneers in bridging the gap between digital and analog animation, Oxberry is a name known for high-end animation.

Evans & Sutherland is a pioneer in 3D computer animation and computer graphics.

In 1969, Evans & Sutherland introduced the Line Drawing System-1, the first graphics device using a graphical processing unit (GPU), which is shortened to LDS-1.

Just four years after LDS-1 began in 1969, Evans & Sutherland began the Shaded Picture System, the first commercial product producing real-time shaded 3D graphics, in 1973.

LDS-1, from Evans & Sutherland, led to more advanced graphics systems and user interfaces.

The Quantel Paintbox, introduced in 1981, changed the way television graphics are being made.

Using its tablet and its pressure-sensitive pen, the Quantel Paintbox has been the most-widely known Quantel product and the worldwide industry standard graphics kit.

Plus, the Quantel Paintbox spawned a number of products from Quantel, like the Quantel Harry.

In some ways, the Quantel Harry did for video editors what the Quantel Paintbox had done for graphic designers, giving them a tool for moving their trade forward by leaps and bounds.

Both the Quantel Paintbox and the Quantel Harry begat both the Quantel Henry and the Quantel HAL.

The Quantel Henry is the first digital multilayer compositing system, which doubles as the worldwide industry standard for television commercials.

Plus, the Quantel HAL is the first video graphics and compositing centre.

Before Quantel, slides were made using card, Letraset and spray mount; animated sequences were also created using film-based cel animation or video-based Scanimate, before Quantel as well.

Quantel's innovative systems, including the Paintbox, Harry and Henry, were influential in shaping the visual look of television, especially in the 1980's and 1990's.

In the 1980's, Ampex developed a digital video effects system which mimicked expensive, film-based special effects: Ampex Digital Optics or Ampex ADO, used by television networks and producers.

Abekas, which Junaid Sheikh and Phil Bennett co-founded, is one of the post-production pioneers.

Some of the Abekas products include the Abekas A-62 and the Abekas A-84.

Likewise, during the early-to-mid-1980's, computer animation was produced with minicomputers, but shifted to cheaper desktops with 3D graphics capabilities during the late-1980's.

The NYIT Computer Graphics Lab, which was founded by Alexander Schure in 1974, has innovated many features in computer graphics.

Ed Catmull, Alvy Ray Smith, Jim Clark and Jim Blinn are some original members of the CGL team.

Robert Abel and Con Pederson co-founded Robert Abel & Associates before 1972.

During its long run, Robert Abel & Associates had created some of the most advanced and impressive computer-animated effects, like full ray-traced renders and fluid animation.

In addition, Robert Abel & Associates had some innovative effects, like creative slit-scan and backlit animation.

Moving to raster graphics in the 1980's, Robert Abel & Associates used software being developed by young individuals.

Wavefront is one of the projects being made by people from Robert Abel & Associates.

The Advanced Visualizer (TAV) is Wavefront's flagship product.

Mathematical Applications Group, Inc. (MAGI) and Digital Images are some early computer animation companies based in New York.

Triple-I had early computer graphics work through the Motion Pictures Product Group (MPPG), which made contributions to early CGI.

One of Triple-I's contributions to early CGI was its Digital Film Printer (DFP).

Digital Productions (DP), founded in 1981, was more innovative than Triple-I.

While Triple-I's plan was to define the commercial perception of the computer graphics field, Digital Productions focused on breaking barriers in this field.

By utilizing the Cray X-MP, with its Digital Film Printer (DFP) being connected, Digital Productions paved the way for more sophisticated visual effects in later films.

Omnibus was co-led by Clifford J. Brown and John C. Pennie.

The Toronto office of the Omnibus Computer Graphics division featured Kim Davidson and Greg Hermanovic.

Richard Chuang, Carl Rosendahl and Glenn Entis turned PDI into a major force in computer graphics.

As opposed to film output done at all early computer graphics studios active in the 1980's, Pacific Data Images focused on direct-to-video production; it modified the interface to a Sony BVH machine.

Having outlived all the other computer graphics studios active in the early-1980's, Pacific Data Images became successful, never getting into debt by purchasing expensive hardware.

While other studios acquired or leased supercomputers, Pacific Data Images bought cheaper hardware, treating it as a commodity which could be replaced, enabling lower operating costs.

Softimage|3D was released in 1989 as the Softimage Image Environment for SGI workstations.

Between the 1960's and the 1980's, the structure and graphics of television news changed.

For newscasts, a presentation style in which scrolling graphics or video consuming the solo screen has evoled into smaller text-to-picture composite graphics positioned alongside the anchor.

During the 1980's, television news presentation changed again (mainly due to advances in production technology and increased competition).

Many of the news studio sets have incorporated elements resembling a command centre, in particular since the 1980's, including video monitors and displays.

The BBC won the Queen's Award on numerous occasions for its worldwide achievements.

Large foreign sales by ITC during the 1960's and beyond led to ACC winning the Queen's Award for Export on numerous occasions.

Quantel won the Queen's Award on numerous occasions for its innovative software being utilized on motion pictures and television.

EMI won the Queen's Award on numerous occasions for its work in the music industry.

In 1972 or before 1973, Ikegami introduced the HL-33, the first ever compact hand-held colour video camera for the electronic news gathering business.

Before ENG, film was the primary medium for recording and broadcasting news footage.

Television stations in the Western Bloc utilize a modern and contemporary look/feel, with a loose and energetic presentation, modern graphics and modern production techniques.

Plus, television outlets in some neutral nations use the same values as in the Western Bloc.

Simply put, television stations in the Western Bloc use high production values, as do many others in neutral nations.

Global television stations have been influenced for years by public and private television broadcasters from core Anglosphere nations, Latin America and mainland Europe.

Until aggregation in 1989, while Australia's metropolitan-based television outlets used a modern and contemporary presentation style, its regional assets looked like being stranded in the past.

However, with aggregation, television stations in Australia's regional/rural areas would use the same presentation style (logos, on-screen graphics, etc.) as its metro counterparts.

During the Cold War, television broadcasters behind the Iron Curtain looked like being stranded in the ancient past, with Chyrons and slides invading the screens.

With the end of the Cold War, television broadcasters located behind the Iron Curtain started to have a more contemporary feel as opposed to the strictly autocratic style they used before.

Television channels behind the Iron Curtain after this Cold War utilize younger and sexier personalities using modern and casual clothes, more modern graphics and a looser, more energetic presentation.

Some of the other television elements behind the Iron Curtain in the post-Cold War era include modern production techniques eventually used and more field reports with visible anchors/staff.

Plus, the influx of the high-end 3D computer graphics formula for television stations behind the Iron Curtain came in the early-1990's during this post-Cold War era.

Many television broadcasters located behind the Iron Curtain in this post-Cold War era spiffed up their presentation to be on par with their Western counterparts.

Spiffing up television presentation for stations behind the Iron Curtain in the period after the Cold War reminds people of Australia's regional television industry in the post-1989 era.

Huge changes for television behind the Iron Curtain in the post-Cold War period have made production values become more in line with Western broadcasters and more appealing to younger viewers.

Meanwhile, during the Cold War, television outlets across Yugoslavia looked like being stranded in the past, with Chyrons and slides invading the screens.

Following the Yugoslav Wars, television assets in Yugoslavia began using a more contemporary feel as opposed to the autocratic style used before.

Yugoslav television has younger and sexier personalities who use modern and casual clothes, more modern graphics and a looser, more energetic presentation in an era after the Yugoslav Wars.

Some other elements for Yugoslav television in the period after the Yugoslav Wars include modern production techniques eventually used and more field reports with visible anchors/staff.

Plus, the influx of the high-end 3D computer graphics formula for Yugoslav television was after the Yugoslav Wars.

Many of the Yugoslav television broadcasters in the period after the Yugoslav Wars spiffed up their presentation to be on par with their Western counterparts.

Spiffing up television presentation around the former Yugoslavia in the era after the Yugoslav Wars reminds people of Australia's regional television industry in the post-1989 era.

Huge changes/improvements for Yugoslav television after the Yugoslav Wars made production values become more in line with Western broadcasters and more appealing to younger viewers.

Filipino television broadcasters in the post-EDSA era use younger and sexier personalities donning modern and casual clothes, more modern graphics and a looser, more energetic presentation.

Some of the other elements for many Filipino television broadcasters in the post-EDSA era include modern production techniques growingly used and more field reports with visible anchors/staff.

Many Filipino television outlets in the post-EDSA period spiffed up their presentation to be on par with their First World counterparts.

Spiffing up Filipino television presentation in the post-EDSA era reminds people of Australia's regional television industry in the post-1989 era.

Huge changes for Filipino television in the post-EDSA period made production values become more in line with Western broadcasters and more appealing to younger viewers.

South Africa is more advanced in television graphics than other African nations.