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more on For High-Definition Sets, Channels to Match
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:30:23 -0400
Begin forwarded message: From: Bob Frankston <Bob2-19 () bobf frankston com> Date: June 9, 2004 1:45:35 PM EDT To: dave () farber net, 'Ip' <ip () v2 listbox com>Cc: 'Dewayne Hendricks' <dewayne () warpspeed com>, Monty Solomon <monty () roscom com>
Subject: RE: [IP] For High-Definition Sets, Channels to Match My HD STB producers SD as well as HD output for the SD channels and also DVI-D and component. I can use any TV or computer monitor to view the programs.One problem is that watching 1080i on a 1920x120 monitor is a total waste -- it's far below the capabilities of my monitor (currently $1700 but obviously will follow the Moore's law price curve). The broadcast industry is spending
a zillion dollars to rebuild itself completely for the 1995 interlaced videos streams.Already Microsoft is pushing 1080p on DVD and via the Internet and lots of experiments are doing whatever aspect ratio the want at any resolution they want. The broadcasters simply cannot maintain the necessary rate of change
because they are the anti-Internet -- everything in the middle must know about every format and detail. This is a sharp contrast to the introduction of Stereo records -- the distribution system was indifferent to the grooves on the vinyl and the content could be played on mono players which the same quality but just lacking the stereo (A-B) signal.All the effort Congress is putting into the dead broadcast model (remember that the CableCos are now pushing narrowcasting VOD) is effort taken away from extending Internet connectivity which does better-than-HDTV as a minor
after-thought. Voom is trying to reach the small marketplace of true believers but is another oh-so-special system for a temporary niche of people who want to explain why they overspent for an HD display. Makes more sense to buy HD-DVD's if you just want to watch movies (so why are most DVD's so lo-res?).And after all that you get lots of fat ESPN announcers -- they just stretch their 4:3 to 16:9 because Americans is to believe black area on the screen
(whether above or below) means that are getting less. Just look at the stretched CNN announcers at any airport club.Remember how long it took to move from VHS to DVD despite the lousy quality
of VHS ... but Beta to VHS was quick because image quality is not the priority. Convenience is. -----Original Message-----From: owner-ip () v2 listbox com [mailto:owner-ip () v2 listbox com] On Behalf Of
David Farber Sent: Monday, June 07, 2004 18:54 To: Ip Subject: [IP] For High-Definition Sets, Channels to Match Begin forwarded message: From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com> Date: June 6, 2004 1:10:54 PM EDT To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net () warpspeed com> Subject: [Dewayne-Net] For High-Definition Sets, Channels to Match Reply-To: dewayne () warpspeed com [Note: This item comes from reader Monty Solomon. DLH]
From: Monty Solomon <monty () roscom com> Date: June 5, 2004 11:08:15 PM PDT Subject: For High-Definition Sets, Channels to Match STATE OF THE ART For High-Definition Sets, Channels to Match By DAVID POGUE June 3, 2004 Correction Appended LET'S face it: those $5,000 plasma screens are popular not just because they're high-definition TV sets but also because they're status symbols. Look at Gateway's 42-inch $3,000 plasma screen, a runaway hit even though it can't actually display images in high definition. At this rate, someone will surely come up with a $200 plasma screen that doesn't even turn on. It would just hang on the wall and look cool. But however cool the screens, as the nine million people who have bought HDTV's have quickly discovered, the high-definition age is not yet fully upon us. If you buy an HDTV receiver connected to an antenna on your roof, you can enjoy a few hours of prime-time HDTV broadcasts each night on ABC, CBS and so on - if you're within about 50 miles of a big city. If you have cable or satellite, you can upgrade your plan to include a handful of high-def channels, like HBO HDTV and ESPN HD. Otherwise, what you'll mostly watch is low-definition shows, either stretched to fit your wide-screen set or with black bars on the sides. It will be years before the networks, cable and satellite outfits broadcast all HD, all the time. The executives at Voom, a new satellite service controlled by Cablevision and offered throughout the continental United States, don't think you can wait that long. Started in January, Voom already offers 39 HDTV channels, many more than you can get from any other source. Now, HDTV aficionados may already be furrowing their brows. "Thirty-nine high-def channels?" they're saying. "There aren't 39 high-def channels in the world!" Actually, there are now. For starters, Voom gives you those prime-time over-the-air network broadcasts, because Voom's installers put not one but two antennas on your roof: one satellite dish and one that picks up NBC, CBS, ABC and so on. (If you live in an apartment, check on your building's restrictions.) .... <http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/03/technology/circuits/03stat.html>
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