? marketing jargon: 1080i, 480p, SDTV, upgradable ???

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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.

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Topic - ? marketing jargon: 1080i, 480p, SDTV, upgradable ??? - petew 09:32:18 06/11/00 (3)

Re: ? marketing jargon: 1080i, 480p, SDTV, upgradable ??? - Marconi 21:53:01 06/12/00 (0)

Re: ? marketing jargon: 1080i, 480p, SDTV, upgradable ??? - Marconi 20:38:06 06/11/00 (1)

oops, found the dictionary page in the catalog... - petew 07:44:26 06/12/00 (0)

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