A Look at Digital Broadcasting Digital broadcasting will have a fundamental effect on viewing patterns, popular culture and the identity of audiences. This will be done firstly by examining the history of the BBC and the original intention of public service broadcasting. We will discuss how, thanks to John Reith's successful approach to broadcasting, the BBC has become a national institution creating popular culture and a national identity. It will examine how these early steps and ideas play an important role in the introduction of digital broadcasting today and whether the initial "Reithian" values ​​have any meaning in today's society. It will finally conclude what effects these changes will have on British life as a whole and whether the fear of change is justified. In the 20th century the advancement of technology was fundamental to the way we live today. The recent introduction of digital broadcasting in Britain has left many technologists overcome with a sense of awe at the endless possibilities of the new digital age. In its early stages digital broadcasting is only available to a minority and will take around ten years to become a new way of life. Digital broadcasting has thousands of new services to offer its viewers and listeners. Instead of turning images and sounds into waves, the new technology turns them into a series of digits that are transmitted through the air and received by television or radio antennas. Digital transmission is more efficient than analogue, offering space for six channels where analogue would give one. Digital offers better pictures, better sound quality and more choice and cinematic style. The new era offers audiences greater interaction with the broadcaster and also the opportunity to shop, book holidays, bank and play games, all via remote control. It's not just television that's going digital. Radio will also offer the listener an experience transformed into what we like most. The sound quality will be crystal clear and free of interruptions. New digital radio sets will offer a built-in display that will show graphs, facts and figures relating to the program you are listening to. These are the things we expect from an 80-year broadcasting journey. New technological change is revolutionary......middle of paper......London; RoutledgeLEWIS, Lisa. A 1992 film in London, "The Adoring Audience"; RoutledgeNEGRINE, Ralph 1992 'Politics and the Mass Media'London; RoutledgeO'SULLIVAN, Tim 1994 'Key Concepts in Communication Studies'London; RoutledgePRICE, Stuart 1993 'Media Studies'Harlow; LongmanSTRINATI, Dominic 1992 'Popular Media Culture'London; RoutledgeTULLOCH, Sarah 1996 'Comprehensive Word Search'Oxford; Readers DigestWebsites'BBC Digital'http://www.bbc.co.uk'Pay TV Company British Digital Broadcasting...'http://www.itn.co.uk/business/bushttp://www.sky. co.ukPeriodicals'Put Quality 1st, Smith warns BBC'Daily Mail - Monday 12 April 1999'Sky Facts 1999'British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC