The text and images on a computer monitor may seem fuzzy
compared to high-quality print, but they're guillotine-sharp compared to
what appears on a television set. TV's resolution is
far more coarse than that of a monitor, and its color gamut -- the range
of colors it can display -- is much narrower. Display a finely detailed,
vibrantly colored graphic on a TV set, and it becomes
a mass of vibrating lines and garish hues.
Blame it on Fifties. That's when pioneering television engineers and
the Federal Communications Commission put their Vitalis-slicked heads together
and developed the technical standards upon which television is based. When
color television became a reality, the FCC mandated that broadcasters transmit
a signal that could still be received by black-and-white sets. This led
to compromises in the video signal-encoding technique that remain today.
Graphic designers working in television have long learned how to work
within TV's limitations. But many desktop video producers haven't, and this
can result in on-screen graphics and titles that not only look hideous on
a television but are literally illegal: unable to be broadcast because they
would create a signal that exceeds FCC regulations.
My December 1996 "Media" column focuses on the challenges behind
designing graphics for TV. If you haven't read the column, it's available on Macworld Online. After you've
read the column, you can use your browser's Back button or Go menu to return
to this page. (Tip: Because my column relies heavily on graphics and how-to
illustrations, you'll get more out of it by reading the print edition of
Macworld.) |