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drooling all over the hang-on-the-wall plasma screens at the local mid-fi store, I became aware that though I thought I was a savy techno geek about TV-hardware, having waited for HDTV (any day now) since '85, in reality, I'm completely lost. I don't even know what HDTV means anymore.These things are not even HDTV capable--what they are is "HDTV ready" or "HDTV upgradable", whatever that means, but I think it means that they are just monitors, and don't have a "tuner" or "receiver" built-in--since HDTV hasn't been invented yet, and nobody is going to broadcast in it even if it was. I did not see any HDTV tuner/receiver boxes lying around. No matter, who would want to see an HDTV broadcast of a TV show recorded on video tape, even pro video tape? The networks will have to dive into the archives and bring out all the shows from the 60's that were recorded on film to show off the HDTV technology.
I think I know what "Digital TV" means, but it's used interchangably with HDTV, or used to confuse the consumer into thinking he's getting HDTV. Yea, I want a digital TV, so I can watch 6 broadcasts of Bob Vila demonstrating how to bugger a nut with his Sears Vice-Grips, all on the same frequency. Oh but wait, I can watch the live digital broadcasts of WHYY's pledge drive. I'll bring the popcorn...
Then I see something I've never heard of: What the heck is "SDTV"?
I can't even guess at this one: super definition? simple digital? stupid daytime? something dangerous?I'm looking thru the Bryn Mawr catalog, hoping to find some explainations. What I see is that every single TV has some technological jargon that no other TV has--so you can't possibly compare them. Some are 1080i. But this one, at the same price, is 550:1. Another one has a built-in line doubler, another progressive scans, and another has horizontal resolution. I suppose they all have 15kHz to 100kHz, and 3DY/CcomponentHDRGB inputs with electronic lens shifting, but what about 480p? or 1080p? Is it good to have alot of p, or can you last longer with less p ? And most important, can I lift the thing myself, because I'll never buy a TV that I can't lift myself. A man has to have limits. I don't need help moving my amps or my speakers, so I'll be dammed if I'm gonna call the neighbor to help me move the tv everytime a porno tape slides off the top.
Yep, I've got $15000 in my pocket, and I sure like the looks of them flat-screen 16:9 machines, but I'll be dammed if I'll buy something that I don't know what the heck it is. Until the industry adopts a universal standard for advertising bullshit, I'm sticking with my 19" Sony Triniton pushbutton, circa 1980.
Yep, I still can't get over how television got so damn popular...I have seen two full-hdtv rear projection television sets, one was a pioneer elite and one was a Zenith(believe it or not Zenith really had a say in the developement of HDTV)ICQ64. Both were stunning when feed a hdtv signal and both looked great with progressive scan dvds. If I'm not mistaken the both have hdtv tuners on board. Also, they're coming down in price. If you have time I would recommend you turn off your radio and go down to the local a/v monger and take a peek.
Well Said...I couldn't have said it bettre myself. I have a bachelor degree in Radion and Television and in 1984 I wrote a paper about an emerging technology calle High Definition Television. At that time some people in the "know" were sure that by 1989 this technology would be available to the public, hahaha!!!
I am in the business and I'm advising most of my clients to either buy hd projectors or wait. Like all new technology the more time lapses the more the prices will go down. By then they should have more than 2 channels available.
For the record SDTV is standard definition television and I think it's equal to 720 lines of resolution, it's all so damn confusing...
thanks Mr. Marconi. I was not aware that you are still with us.I found this definitions page in the Bryn Mawr catalog this morning. Now I can clear up some of these confusing technobabble words:
SDTV Upgradable -- These TVs are just regular televisions. They don't have a tuner with all the new high-end technology. Perhaps sometime in the future you could attach a digital tuner to get a better picture, but don't hold your breath.
Interlaced Scanning -- This is just a regular television, using the same technology that's been around for 60 years. More marketing bullshit.
Progressive Scanning -- You're looking at it right now. This is what your computer monitor is doing. Once again, no gee-whizz technology here either.
3D Y/C Digital Comb Filter -- this is supposed to keep the dots from crawling off the screen. Drains all the color from the black and white signal. I have no idea what they are talking about.
Aspect Ratio -- you know when you rent a video and right after the FBI copyright warning there's the bit about " This film has been modified/edited.."? That means about 40% of the film you paid for has been removed--usually from both edges, although sometimes they have to remove an entire side to get it to fit. This makes for some facinating special effects that the director never would have thought to do--like the scene in "The Graduate" where for about ten minutes all you see is Dustan Hoffman's nose and Ann Bancroft's knee and an empty hotel room. No, you don't get a corresponding 40% reduction on your rental fee. With this new technology, the 16:9 aspect ratio will make that empty hotel room even larger, and stretch Dustan Hoffman's nose to Pinocio-like dimensions. Expect to pay 10 or 20 times more for this. Still, no discount on tape rentals.
Component Inputs -- I know what you're thinking...the new digital technology will enable us to connect all the gear with one wire--like a fiber-optic cable, that carries all the information quickly, perfectly, without interferences and distortions, and free us from the nightmere of cables behind the TV. Forgedaboudit! They have found new ways to make us buy even more cable--three, four, even 10-times more wires behind the TV, any one of which if improperly connected will send the whole thing crashing. Even professional installers can't get all these things sorted out on the first visit. If your TV has this, better face the screen towards the wall and the back towards the couch, and get a strong light and some good reading glasses and study the manual. Yes, the manual was written in Japanese, translated to English by an Indian computer word-processor, and the TV was built in Mexico. If it was easy, they would have done it at the factory.
FLCD -- Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Display. If you don't know what this means, you can't afford it.
HDTV Upgradable/Ready -- Have you seen the pattern yet? Any time you see the term "upgradable" or "ready", you should now know that you are getting a regular tv that is missing some vital high-technology device which would enable it to do what you think the marketing people are telling you it will do. By substituting the word "NOT" for "upgradable/ready" you can get a better sense of what they are selling you. For example: if you see "HDTV Upgradable", you should read: "HDTV--NOT!" This, is the same as an SDTV Upgradable, in other words, it's just a very expensive, regualar TV.
CRT -- Cardiac Recessitation Technology. This television has output jacks that will accept standard cardiac recessitation electrodes used by EMTs around the world. Once you see the price sticker on these TVs, you'll know why.
Horizontal Lines of Resolution -- A measure of a TV's ability to produce detail. In a typical showroom, you will find long horizontal rows of decals stuck on the TV screens, each proclaiming what seems to be some spectacular kind of new and essential star-wars technology. No two television screens will have the same decals, even from the same manufacturer. Expect to pay more for this kind of detail and resolution though.
Plasma -- A flat panel display usually less than 6 inches thick. This technology allows large screen TV's to be placed virtually anywhere--on a wall, shelf, or even a fireplace mantle. Even so, they are still very heavy. Plasma is what you see waifting out of your wallet when it comes crashing down to the floor.
WEGA -- a Sony propriatary term, difficult to translate into English. Similar to the Texan, "Yee--Ha!" In the late '80, sales of the Triniton line began to level out. Marketing was told to come up with a new techno-term to replace "Triniton". Thought to originate from the Sony board room. An approximate meaning is : "Those Americans will buy anything with "Sony" on it, and pay triple the price, even though it's made in Nogales".
XBR -- (see "Yee--Ha!)
If anyone's interested, I can look-up some other terms and post them here.
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