High-Definition Technology: More Than Just Entertainment
Chicago recently opened a new high-definition high-tech center that monitors high-definition cameras in place all over the city. These cameras aid emergency service personnel in getting to the emergency, deter crime in high-crime areas, assist with weather-related problems and are in place to aid in disaster response. Chicago, as well as other major cities, also has high-definition cameras installed in their public transportation busses.
Mayor Richard Daley isn’t finished with the high-definition camera wave either. If he gets his way, there will be high-definition cameras installed inside and outside all Chicago businesses open 12 hours or more daily. Some business owners are fighting this proposal though, fearing the installation costs would be prohibitive. Some of them have threatened to shorten their business hours if this proposal becomes mandatory.
On July 7, 2005 there were a series of bombings in London’s rail system. Because high-definition cameras were in place, authorities were able to view the footage, which was an enormous amount, and determine that the four suicide bombers had indeed died in the blasts. Sadly, they took 52 innocent lives with them. Several weeks later another bombing attempt was made but this time only the detonators went off. Again, because of the high-definition cameras, authorities were able to quickly solve the crime and this time arrest the would-be suicide bombers.
Video surveillance cameras have become commonplace but before the advent of high-definition technology, the images were often grainy and the perpetrators hard to identify. With today’s technology however, those perpetrators have become much more easily identifiable, yielding more arrests and convictions.
New York City is considering mandating the installation of high-definition cameras in some of the bars and clubs. Parking lots and parking garages all over the country have installed these cameras to help insure the safety of their patrons.
High-Definition technology has integrated itself into the interior decorating business. Recently, in a two hundred million dollar luxury condominium in Coconut Grove, Florida, a High-Definition Aquarium was installed in the lobby. Grovenor House was initially planning a live-fish aquarium, but developers decided the High-Def version would be easier to maintain and easier on the eyes. Two 65″ plasma high-definition TVs have been placed into the wall behind two cut out portholes with a continuous feed of High-Definition. Many visitors mistake it for the real thing. These high-tech high-def fish are also being placed in the ceilings of some elevators and in other new high-profile buildings designed by the forward thinking.
Have you been house-hunting lately? Whether you’re hunting locally or cross-country, many realtors as well as individuals are using the internet to showcase their property. In many cases, you can even view apartments and condominiums for rent. With the pictures and videos having been taken with high-definition cameras, the images are clean and crisp. You can easily see plenty of detail. The virtual tours are a lot of fun as the camera pans slowly and you are able to see the entire residence in relation to adjoining rooms and hallways and such. If you’re considering showcasing your property in high-definition, take heed. The detail is so clear, make sure you do your homework and everything is clean and clutter-free. Additionally, tattered furniture stands out like a sore thumb so make sure you aren’t showcasing anything you don’t want others to see.
Some people aren’t crazy about this high-def stuff. Who? Some of the stars who have been used to “ordinary” make-up covering wrinkles, age spots and blemishes. These techniques don’t work in high-definition and make-up artists are scrambling to make up the difference. Make-up is taking longer now and more training as the Airbrush technique is being used to cover up what we never saw in Standard Definition broadcasting.
High-Definition is here to stay, the technology having exploded across many grains. It’s not just entertaining us anymore, it is literally changing the world.
