Development Status and Prospects of Digital Creative Technology in China

Lei Deng , Miaohui Wang , Leidong Fan , Yuan Yuan , Zhenzhong Wang

Strategic Study of CAE ›› 2020, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (2) : 63 -70.

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Strategic Study of CAE ›› 2020, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (2) : 63 -70. DOI: 10.15302/J-SSCAE-2020.02.009
Development Strategy of Emerging Industries (2035)
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Development Status and Prospects of Digital Creative Technology in China

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Abstract

As one of the strategic emerging industries identified in the 13th Five-Year Plan of China, digital creative industry lives in the digital and networked era; it focuses on culture, content, and copyright, and drives the development of surrounding industries through integration and penetration. The key to developing the digital creative industry is digital creative technology and creative design, where, however, China has weaknesses and does not have a clear development path. In this paper, by analyzing industry data, we systematically describe the current development status of digital creative technology in China, including enabling technology, application technology, and end-user device technology, and summarize the problems and weaknesses of China in ultra-high definition (UHD) video, 3D audio, virtual/augmented reality, and software for digital content generation and creative design. Our investigation suggests that it will promote the development of China’s digital creative technology by: (1) establishing national science and technology key projects and national engineering research centers on digital creative technology, (2) improving the quality of talents on digital creative technology, and (3) actively participating international cooperation and increasing the influence of Chinese culture.

Keywords

数字创意 / 文化创意 / 创新设计 / 超高清视频 / 虚拟现实 / digital creativity / cultural creativity / creative design / ultra-high definition (UHD) video / virtual reality

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Lei Deng, Miaohui Wang, Leidong Fan, Yuan Yuan, Zhenzhong Wang. Development Status and Prospects of Digital Creative Technology in China. Strategic Study of CAE, 2020, 22(2): 63-70 DOI:10.15302/J-SSCAE-2020.02.009

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1 Introduction

The digital creative industry is an emerging industrial cluster in the digital and networking era, which is supported by technology and design and is centered on culture, content, and copyrights, and is driving the development of surrounding industries through integration and penetration [1,2]. The digital creative industry covers many areas, including the ultra-high definition (UHD) video industry, virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR), design, media, gaming, digital copyrights, living-environments, culture and museum, fashion, toy, sporting and health, and tourism industries. The digital creative industry integrates modern information technology with the cultural and art fields, promotes cultural and artistic innovation and business model innovation, and promotes the mutual penetration and transformation of traditional manufacturing, cultural, and creative industries, as well as the design and service industries, thereby creating new economic growth and commercial models.

At the end of 2016, the State Council affirmed the key position of the digital creative industry as a national emerging strategic industry in the 13th Five-Year National Strategic Emerging Industries Development Plan, and proposed that the digital creative industry should become one of the five new pillar industries with an output value of 10 trillion yuan by 2020. This shows that developing a digital creative industry is an important strategic plan for China. In the digital creative industry, digital creative technology provides basic support capabilities, representing all forms of information and communication generated in the digital environment, and represents all forms of deep integration and application of new-generation information technology and creative industries. Digital creative technology includes three categories: enabling technology, application technology, and end-user device equipment technology [2].

Enabling technology refersto general basic information technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), big data, cloud computing, human–computer interaction, humanoid audiovisual technology, spatial and emotional perception technology, Internet of Things, and 5G network technologies. These technologies are prerequisites for digital construction in various industries and provide support for the development of their own applications in the digital creative industry. Application technology refers to the realization of technologies in various professional technical fields, such as integrated broadcast-broadband (IBB), digital content processing software, home entertainment software, game engine technology, interactive entertainment engine development, digital art presentation technology, media convergence broadcasting technology, and digital processing technology of cultural resources. Application technology is a core tool for improving the quality of content and innovative service models in various professional fields of the digital creative industry. Only when a breakthrough is made at the level of application technology can the quality of the content products be improved. End-user devices are the carriers of content consumption by users, including hardware and their embedded application software, such as 4K/8K UHD TVs, naked-eye 3D TVs, immersive audio devices supporting 3D audio, VR/AR devices, data gloves, game controllers and other sensing terminals, film and television recording equipment, laser projection equipment, and holographic projection equipment. End-user devices directly improve user experience, and their advanced level directly determines the presentation method of digital content and the using experience of audiences.

Previous papers have described some of these technical fields, including AI technology [3], big data technology [4], cloud computing technology [5], UHD video technology [6], and VR technology [7]. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have systematically and comprehensively introduced the field of digital creative technology in China. Meanwhile, most existing papers have described general technologies, but have not emphasized the role of these technologies in the digital creativity industry. To this end, in the present study, key technology subfields were selected and the development of digital creative technology in China is introduced in detail herein. Specifically, we will introduce enabling technologies, including artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, and future network technologies; application technologies including IBB, digital content processing, game engine software, and digital processing technologies for cultural resources; and end-user device technologies, including 4K/ 8K UHD video, 3D audio, VR/AR, and holography technologies, as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. Digital creative technology classification introduced in this article.

2 Development status of digital creative technology in China

2.1 Enabling technology

2.1.1 AI technology

AI is a new technical science for researching and developing theories, methods, technologies, and application systems for simulating and extending human intelligence [8]. Its main purpose is to understand the essence of human brain intelligence and produce a new intelligent machine that can react in a similar way as human intelligence. The main development stages of AI are computational intelligence, sensing intelligence, and cognitive intelligence. We are currently in the transition stage from sensing intelligence to cognitive intelligence. AI has become a new field of international competition and is a strategic technology that is leading to future developments. An increasing number of countries have adopted the development of AI as a major strategy to enhance national competitiveness and maintain national security. They are introducing emergency plans and policies, and strengthening the deployment around core technologies, top talent, and standards, among other factors, aiming at leading international technological competition. Among them, China and the United States are ahead of the world in the fields of computer vision, natural language processing, and intelligent robots. According to data from the Qianzhan Industry Research Institute [9], it is expected that the size of China’s AI market will reach 64.4 billion yuan in 2019 and achieve significant development potential (Table 1).

Table 1. AI, big data, and cloud computing market size in China, 2015–2019 [10–12].

At present, China has many products that apply AI technology to the digital creative industry. For example, Dreamwriter, launched by Tencent, generates news reports based on text rules. Luban AI designers developed by Alibaba can produce 8000 poster designs per second and can produce 40 million posters per day. It can be seen that AI will play an increasingly important future role in the digital creative industry.

2.1.2 Big data technology

Big data is a technology that can calculate and analyze large amounts of data by virtue of its powerful storage and computing capabilities and provides powerful guidance for forecasting. Big data have “4V” characteristics, i.e., volume, variety, velocity, and value [6]. UHD video technology has been one of the hottest technical topics in the global broadcast and television field in recent years, and various countries are actively deploying and promoting UHD technology.

The core components of UHD video equipment mainly include photosensitive devices, memory chips, codec chips, image chips, processor chips, and display panels. With the continuous improvement of system integration, memory chips, decoding chips, and processor chips have been integrated into SoC chips. In 2019, because Huawei’s HiSilicon chips are applied to Skyworth TV, we will gradually take control in this area. In addition, China has many independent intellectual property rights in LCD and OLED panels.

2.3.2 3D audio technology

Audio technology has gone from mono audio, two-channel stereo audio, 5.1 surround sound, and 7.1 surround sound, to the development of 3D audio, which is a sound with a 3D sense of space and sense of position, which enables the listener to not only locate the position and direction of the sound source during the listening process, but also to hear the movement trajectory of the sound source, which can bring an environment immersion to audiences [7]. AR is the seamless integration of real-world information with virtual world information, as well as physical information (e.g., visual information, sound, taste, and touch) that is difficult to experience within a certain time and space of the real world. Computers and other scientific technologies are superimposed after simulation, and virtual information is applied to the real world, which is perceived by human senses, so as to achieve a sensory experience beyond reality [1]. In the field of content applications, although China has conducted live VR broadcasts at major events such as the Spring Festival Gala, national celebrations, and international conventions and exhibitions, the scale of high-quality content is still insufficient. High-quality content is the core of enhancing the VR/AR user experience. Only when sufficient high-quality content is guaranteed will users be willing to purchase VR/AR products and spend time on consumption. China needs to vigorously develop VR/AR applications and apply VR/AR to key vertical industries such as education, healthcare, e-commerce, and industrial production.

3.3.3 Industrial ecological chain is imperfect

At present, VR/AR enterprises in China are mainly small- and medium-sized enterprises, and most of their products are aimed at certain hardware and software components in the industry. Overall, China does not have a complete VR/AR industry chain. It is necessary for China to address the industry defects of VR/AR and build a complete end-to-end industrial chain from hardware equipment to software applications in the vertical field.

3.4 Digital content production and innovative design software

For the production of digital creative content, digital content processing software support in China is insufficient. A large number of industrial design software programs mainly rely on imports, including 3D Studio Max, Maya, and AutoCAD. High-end digital content production and innovative design software, including VR content production, industrial design software, and game engine software are also lagging, and the domestic contribution rate of such software programs is not high. Reliance on foreign digital content production and processing software technology will inevitably bring about constraints to the digital creative industry in China. China should increase its R&D efforts, develop reward mechanisms, and organize relevant technical personnel to develop this type of software, as well as strive for independent research and development to eventually replace foreign software.

4 Suggestions for accelerating the development of digital creative technology in China

4.1 Establish key national science and technology projects for digital creative technology

It is recommended to set up key national digital science and technology projects on digital creative technology to catch up with international technologies and industries more quickly. China needs to increase the research and development of key technologies, key components, high-end products, innovative applications, software platforms, and tools in the field of digital creative technology, as well as solve the problems and break the bottleneck of key technology shortcomings. Through the implementation of key research projects, China can form an internationally competitive high-tech R&D and innovation system in the fields of digital cultural creative technology equipment, digital content innovation, and innovative design, and play an important role in the development of the global digital creative industry.

4.2 Establish national engineering research centers on digital creative technology

The digital creative industry is a highly cross-integrated industry that involves AI, big data, cloud computing, VR, super perception, and many other fields. It is a typical high-tech industry. At present, there are problems in the field of digital creative technology, such as a weak independent innovation capability, insufficient system integration capability, and a lack of depth in the application of new technologies. China needs to organize its universities, scientific research institutions, and enterprises with strong research and development strengths to build national engineering research centers for the development of digital creative technologies. Such research centers can conduct engineering research and verification on key technologies, equipment, and intelligent design systems of digital creativity. It can also establish a mechanism conducive to the transformation of technological innovation and achievement. By building a bridge between industry and scientific research, these research centers are expected to vigorously promote the technological progress and core competitiveness of the digital creativity industries in China.

4.3 Establish resource share platforms for digital cultural content

On one hand, the development of digital creative industries can create new economic growth. On the other hand, it can also inherit and vigorously promote Chinese culture. To this end, China needs to build a cross-department, cross-region, cross-industry digital content resource big data platform, and a sharing platform to realize the digitization of cultural artwork nationwide, with the help of VR/AR, UHD video, 5G, and other new-generation information technologies. At the same time, China needs to actively participate in international cooperation and exchanges, spread the nation’s excellent culture, learn from foreign experience, and absorb the essence of foreign culture and art. Going a step further, the relevant digital platforms and products constructed and developed in China and the breadth of participation in international cooperation will greatly promote the accumulation and inheritance of human cultural and artistic knowledge.

4.4 Improve the quality of talent working on digital creative technology

The digital creative industry involves many new-generation information technologies and is a typical high-tech industry. Technical innovation is an important foundational force for the development of digital creative industries. However, there is currently a serious shortage of talent in digital creative technology in China. China needs to actively set up digital creative technology majors, develop relevant disciplines, implement major first-class construction demonstration projects of digital creative technologies, and improve the quality of talent training in this field.

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Funding

CAE Advisory Project “Strategic Research on Emerging Industry Development (2035)” (2018-ZD-12)()

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