[opendtv] Re: Continuous performance improvements or not
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:48:42 -0500
Craig Birkmaier wrote:
> Last time I looked, consumers were buying millions and millions
> of computing appliances for their homes...
>
> Is a video game console a consumer electronics appliance?
>
> Is a Media Center PC a consumer electronics appliance?
>
> Is an iPod Touch a consumer electronics appliance?
>
> Is Apple TV a consumer electronics appliance?
Some of these, like iPods and game consoles, are fashion statements
meant to be thrown away after a year or two. At most three. Should we
take a vote and see whether the population at large considers TVs (and
refrigerators and toasters and washing machines) to be the same
category?
Should we take a vote to see if the average consumer considers TVs to be
in the same category as PCs, including whether they consider that TVs
should become DEPENDENT on a media-center PC?
> You missed my point entirely. What's new?
>
> The lack of performance did not cause my computer to crash and
> burn. It did provide an incentive to get a new computer so that
> I could do more stuff.
That's a really silly comment, Craig. Old analog TVs won't crash and
burn either. By themselves, they will simply not work for their original
intenbded purpose. That's all. Just like my old 486 machine. Or just
like an ATSC TV if H.264 becomes incorporated. You fix this with an STB,
if necessary, until you buy the new set. Big flippin' deal.
As with the NTSC bypass, let's not become overly dramatic. It sounds
really clueless, Craig. All these supposed insurmountable obstacles are
easily overcome, WHEN it becomes necessary. Meanwhile, to reiterate, the
real-world improvement of H.264 hardly seems to justify all the hype
heeped on it, for TV applications. So why the fuss? Don't worry about
it. Be happy with MPEG-2, knowing that in practice it's just as
efficient, and wait until the next big innovation comes along.
Even your example of HD-DVD is off base. If you had a PC, you'd still
need to change the disk drive and drivers, and toss out the HD-DVD drive
and plug in the BluRay drive. What's the difference? In your home video
system, you do exactly the same thing, by thowing away the entire HD-DVD
box. I can guarantee you that if people had to make this HD-DVD to
BluRay change with PC hardware, they'd be JUST AS PISSED.
It's just a matter of perspective.
Bert
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