Informal economies and audiovisual industries: histories, dynamics, legal and policy responses. This project will uncover new information about the connections between formal and informal media industries. It will generate valuable new knowledge about innovation in contemporary media, and will contribute to policy discussions in the lead-up to the National Broadband Network.
Making Australian TV in the 21st Century. Existing practices designed to enable Australian television to achieve national cultural and economic objectives have been deeply transformed by the impact of technological change and foreign ownership. This project investigates the intertwined implications of non-Australian ownership, technological adjustments, policy changes, and support adjustments enacted since the mid-00s that have challenged the making of ‘Australian’ television. The investigation ....Making Australian TV in the 21st Century. Existing practices designed to enable Australian television to achieve national cultural and economic objectives have been deeply transformed by the impact of technological change and foreign ownership. This project investigates the intertwined implications of non-Australian ownership, technological adjustments, policy changes, and support adjustments enacted since the mid-00s that have challenged the making of ‘Australian’ television. The investigation will develop data and analysis relevant to policy debates, terms of trade, and collective agreements useful to national policymakers, producers, content providers, industry bodies, media and communication researchers, and audiences.Read moreRead less
Making animals public: the changing role of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in building public value and interest in wildlife documentary. This project will critically assess the Australian Broadcasting Company's (ABC) changing role in building public interest and value in animals through wildlife programming. Historical and strategic industry analysis will document how the ABC contributed to the development of the wildlife genre in Australia and how new external production models are im ....Making animals public: the changing role of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in building public value and interest in wildlife documentary. This project will critically assess the Australian Broadcasting Company's (ABC) changing role in building public interest and value in animals through wildlife programming. Historical and strategic industry analysis will document how the ABC contributed to the development of the wildlife genre in Australia and how new external production models are impacting on its public charter.Read moreRead less
Electromagnetic field strength simulator (ELMO) for RF hazard assessment. There is significant community fear related to exposure to mobile telephone radiation. The computer program ELMO will be designed to accept information about all RF transmitters in the vicinity of cellular telephone towers from an existing database, and to calculate the total field strength. This will allow hazard assessment for both RF technicians working on the tower and adjacent residents.
Demonstrating Advantages of Smart Antennas in Indoor Wireless Communications Systems. The performance of indoor wireless communications systems is adversely affected by multi-path signal propagation. When the received signal drops below a certain level, the usual practice is that the receiving station requests the transmitting device to increase its output power. An adverse effect of this action is a reduced life of battery of a portable transceiver, more power being radiating towards users and ....Demonstrating Advantages of Smart Antennas in Indoor Wireless Communications Systems. The performance of indoor wireless communications systems is adversely affected by multi-path signal propagation. When the received signal drops below a certain level, the usual practice is that the receiving station requests the transmitting device to increase its output power. An adverse effect of this action is a reduced life of battery of a portable transceiver, more power being radiating towards users and an increase of interference. The aim of this project is to demonstrate an alternative method of maintaining good quality communication link. The proposed method employs a smart antenna system to mitigate adverse effects of multi-path and interference.Read moreRead less
Talkback radio in Australia: Content, audience and influence. This project is the most comprehensive study of talkback radio in Australia to date. It examines the content, influence and consumption of the programs as well as presenting a detailed investigation of the processes of production. Using evidence drawn from two high profile commercial sector programs and one ABC program, it will set out to explain the audience's interest in the format, the relations between the host and the callers, an ....Talkback radio in Australia: Content, audience and influence. This project is the most comprehensive study of talkback radio in Australia to date. It examines the content, influence and consumption of the programs as well as presenting a detailed investigation of the processes of production. Using evidence drawn from two high profile commercial sector programs and one ABC program, it will set out to explain the audience's interest in the format, the relations between the host and the callers, and the social, political and cultural placement of the format. The outcomes will be published in a series of articles in refereed journals and a monograph.Read moreRead less
Modelling Human-Body Effects on Indoor Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Channels for Broadband Wireless Systems. Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technologies use a number of antennas to send multiple signals as a way to significantly increase the speed, range and reliability of a wireless network. The upcoming IEEE 802.11n standard, which includes MIMO in its specifications, will offer up to eight times the coverage and up to six times the speed of currently available IEEE 802.11 products. T ....Modelling Human-Body Effects on Indoor Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Channels for Broadband Wireless Systems. Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technologies use a number of antennas to send multiple signals as a way to significantly increase the speed, range and reliability of a wireless network. The upcoming IEEE 802.11n standard, which includes MIMO in its specifications, will offer up to eight times the coverage and up to six times the speed of currently available IEEE 802.11 products. Through comprehensive measurement campaigns, this project will characterise the time-varying human body effect on indoor MIMO systems in populated environments, such as busy industrial and commercial buildings. Results will have a direct impact on future wireless applications, and are valuable from both scientific and economy-enhancement viewpoints.Read moreRead less
Design of Planar Microwave Components and Sub-systems for Wideband Applications. The present research proposal will support the development of the Australian wireless communication industries by providing them with new solutions of fully integrated low-profile and compact size wideband wireless sub-systems, as demanded by emerging wideband applications. This goal will be accomplished by applying a new technique to the design of planar microwave circuits. The proposed solution should lead to impr ....Design of Planar Microwave Components and Sub-systems for Wideband Applications. The present research proposal will support the development of the Australian wireless communication industries by providing them with new solutions of fully integrated low-profile and compact size wideband wireless sub-systems, as demanded by emerging wideband applications. This goal will be accomplished by applying a new technique to the design of planar microwave circuits. The proposed solution should lead to improved competitiveness of the Australian communication companies in a global wireless communications market.Read moreRead less
Enhancing the content and experience of Interactive Childrens Television. Interactive television (iTV) as a participatory, on-demand communication provides a unique opportunity to significantly engage, entertain and educate preschool children. Through considerable industry partner collaboration and participation, this project will evaluate three distinct interactive options produced from selected children's television programs with proven success in Australia. Usability studies employing a vari ....Enhancing the content and experience of Interactive Childrens Television. Interactive television (iTV) as a participatory, on-demand communication provides a unique opportunity to significantly engage, entertain and educate preschool children. Through considerable industry partner collaboration and participation, this project will evaluate three distinct interactive options produced from selected children's television programs with proven success in Australia. Usability studies employing a variety of surveillance techniques will evaluate content design and user response. Children's viewing habits will be evaluated within a social context (the home) and a mobile lab setting using qualitative and quantitative assessment. The results will identify effective ways to produce meaningful interactivity and will encourage future industry based research.Read moreRead less
The new screen ecology and innovation in production and distribution. The project aims to explore new models of online and screen content creation. Major United States information technology corporations are challenging Hollywood and television networks and are likely to come to dominate new screen services into the future. This project focuses on the most challenging and potentially disruptive and innovative forms of production and distribution this new screen ecology is taking. Processes of pr ....The new screen ecology and innovation in production and distribution. The project aims to explore new models of online and screen content creation. Major United States information technology corporations are challenging Hollywood and television networks and are likely to come to dominate new screen services into the future. This project focuses on the most challenging and potentially disruptive and innovative forms of production and distribution this new screen ecology is taking. Processes of professionalisation and monetisation of previously amateur content creation are underpinning an explosive growth of a lower-budget, more diverse and structurally innovative tier of advertising- and sponsor-supported online content. Centred on strategies of platforms such as YouTube, but international in scope, the project aims to contribute to innovation in Australian screen production and distribution.Read moreRead less