Digital Art For Your Wall-Mounted TV

Makarand writes "According to the San Francisco Chronicle, if you own a plasma or LCD TV hanging on your wall, you could display high-definition video reproductions of famous paintings on your TV screen after watching your favorite sitcoms. Companies have begun selling devices that can display the work of world-famous artists and photographers on your TV screens. The art is stored on removable flash memory cards (sold separately) and is displayed onto high-definition TVs by electronics that cost around $500."

Comments

Or..

[Polly_was_a_cracker]

You could hook your computer up to your tv, and use a slideshow with things you probably already own!!!

Re:Or..

[starglider29a]

...get REAL art from a LIVING artist. I showed this article to a REAL artist, and her answer was, and I quote:

"instead of wasting hard earned cash on a picture of a painting, that you could actually buy a real friggin painting"

And I think her SIG says it all

"www.wrosson.com --Support a living artist cuz the dead ones don't need money"

My answer, as a geek, is that this would be a great usage of P2P sharing. We could get the EBSQ artists on eBay to provide art, formatted to fit the screen nicely. then, we could share them with each other, switch them out every couple days (or when you clean your mouse ;-). That way, artists who are ALIVE, need exposure and cash (if you like the image buy the paint) can benefit from such profligate use of technology. It's too late for Vincent Van Gogh... let's use the 'Net for something more beneficial than pr0n or hamsterdance.com

Starglider29a
"The Internet will not change the world... the people on the Internet will"

Probably not practical due to power consumption

[mozumder]

Plasma can draw up to 600 watts power.

Backlit LCDs or OLEDs would have to be the way to go.

Re:Probably not practical due to power consumption

[digital bath]

If you have ~$3-5k for a plasma TV, I doubt you'll be worrying about electricity costs.

My definition of "Fine Art"

[RobertB-DC]

I guess if you've shelled out $3k (more like $5-10k) for a freakin' television, another $500 isn't much more of a bite.

But for crying out loud, I could buy an entire collection of truly fine art for less than $500, and still have enough left over for the kids' room!

Re:My definition of "Fine Art"

[egomaniac]

I guess if you've shelled out $3k (more like $5-10k [plasma-tv-den.com]) for a freakin' television, another $500 isn't much more of a bite.

By the tone of your message, I assume that you feel $3,000 (much less $5K-$10K) for a television is a ridiculous extravagence.

Well, I have a $7,000 plasma TV. Of course, many of my friends drive nice cars -- BMWs, expensive SUVs, and the like. I don't. I drive a ten-year-old Camry with a hundred thousand miles on it. It's not flashy, and I could certainly afford a nicer one if I wanted, but I'm happy with it. And you know what? My car plus an unbelievably nice TV still cost a hell of a lot less than what my friends drive.

Personally, I feel that I got a much better deal. To me, the quality-of-life difference between a Camry and a BMW is much less than the difference between a 32" CRT and a 50" plasma. I have personally met people who think that I'm crazy for spending $7,000 on a TV, and then they turn around and spend $40,000 or more on a car. It's all about what you want out of life, I suppose. Plasma TVs are well within the reach of many middle-class folks, if they were just willing to spend a bit less on the status-symbol-on-wheels (oops, I mean "car").

Just my $0.02.

Didn't Bill G. do this ...

[burgburgburg]

in his super-duper wired house of the future years and years ago?

That's so ...90's man.

Re:Didn't Bill G. do this ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Someone needs to hax0r that system and put Mr. Goatse on every screen in the house.

sony

[ignipotentis]

I hear sony's come with the memory stick reader built in for digital picture viewing.

$500 for displaying pictures seems like kind of a waste.

Maybe makes sense for LCDs..

[mlyle]

But plasma televisions have severe burn-in issues. If this is something you'd regularly do, it seems like the quickest way to turn your $8000 big screen into a $20 art print with lower resolution and a cheap-looking plastic frame.

Not to mention that power dissipation/efficiency of plasma televisions is not -wonderful-.

Re:Maybe makes sense for LCDs..

[Merlinium]

Ok, I had a plasma screen, and we use plasma screens and LCD screens, as well as projectors here at work, and I can tell you burn in is a HUGE issue, these people will be out of business after they get a lot of burn in screen issues thrown back at them, the easiest way to turn a $3,000-$10,000 plasma screen into junk is to display static images on it.

Another issue is life of plasma screen issues, plasma screens as well as other video devices have a set life time before failure or unusability, to constantly run your screen for extended periods of time for nothing other then a few pictures is a huge waste, the technology for this type of thing is still 3-5 years away, the OLED screens with the flexibility and thinness (creates wallpaper) is still in its infancy, but when then comes into its maturity, then displaying art via electronic means will be worth while.

Imagine the possibilities, wall paper the becomes your TV screen, or change the color of rooms, or turn a wall into a ocean view with sunset. Life will be good then for the digital media, until that time, its just not a very feasible idea to waste your power and money on something like this.

Plasma

[SquiggsLDS]

I've seen plasma burn-in (see "reason screen savers were invented:") on a $15k plasma TV. I'm not so sure that putting a static image on a plasma screen is anything short of lunacy.

One use...

[Craig Maloney]

If they could figure out an RFID piece for this, this could possibly save many marriage squabbles. "Dogs Playing Poker" when he's in the room, and Anne Geddes photos when she's in the room. Just hope they're not in the room at the same time, or you might get fat kids in dog costumes playing poker.

600W?

[homer_ca]

Are you serious? That's more than a CRT television! I hereby nominate this for the California Rolling Blackout Wise Use of Electricity Award.

Re:Absolutely...

[bill_mcgonigle]

many of the channels I watch have those annoying little logos that burn the crap out of plasma...

Somewhere a lawyer reads this post
His keyboard shorts
soggy with drool
as he sits mesmerized
by two simple words
"Class Action"

Re:Absolutely...

[RobertB-DC]

If some of you don't buy this, just google "plasma burn-in"

That Google search looked pretty useless at first due to spam, but I found a great FAQ from Gateway:

Q: How do I correct burn-in on the 42 or 50-inch Plasma TV?
A: Note: This function only works on part number 2800308 - Gateway 42-Inch Viewable Area Plasma TV R1.

1. On the remote control, press the left arrow button for more than 5 seconds, and then release.
   
   
2. Press the right arrow button for more than 5 seconds, and then release.
   
   
3. Press the Favorite Channel (FAV. CH.) button, and then release.
   
   
4. A bright white eraser screen appears. This eraser screen refreshes the Plasma screen and reduces the visual effect of burn-in.
   
   Note: The eraser screen needs to remain active for a period of time. The more severe the burn-in, the longer the eraser screen needs to be left active. A light burn-in can be taken care of in about 12 hours. A heavy burn-in may require up to 50 hours. The test can be tailored by running the test for a given number of hours, and then making a judgment. If the result does not seem good enough, run the test again until satisfactory results are attained.
   
   
5. To shut down the eraser screen, press the Favorite Channel button, and then release it. If necessary, repeat this step until the white screen disappears.
   

Great! Not only do the instructions sound like DDR cheats, but Gateway is telling me to fight burn-in by burning in the whole screen for 50 hours! A few "masterpieces" later, and you've got a $10,000 night light.

No wonder they call it the "bleeding edge"...

Re:Let's buy some...

[ciurana]

netsharc wrote:
> and install the Matrix screensaver on them

That's exactly what they did at the Pyramid Cafe in Moscow, and uber-yuppie joint on Tverskaya avenue (think Times Square). A 250 ml glass of carrot juice there was about $10.00, plus tips, of course. The decor was rather nice, with the plasma screens showing The Matrix screen savers and looping through the movie in sync with techno music.

I don't know if the place is still there. It was so hip I'd guess it to be ephimeral. In case you visit Moscow, The Pyramid is on Tvyerskaya just a few steps away from the Mayakovskaya metro station.

Cheers!

Eugene (aka Zhenya)

Waste of Energy

[UnderAttack]

A plasma screen is not an LCD monitor. It takes MUCH more power to run then a TV. Some plasmas can take up to 1000 W !!! Thats about as much as a vacuum cleaner and 5-10 times more than a TV.

Plasma screens have to be much brighter then LCD monitors. While LCD monitors use less power then a conventional TV (or monitor), large format Plasmas chew up way more electrons.

Re:Waste of Energy

[Awptimus Prime]

Let's also not forget the heat output of these suckers. Plasma is plasma if folks didn't already realize it. I was looking at a 50" EDTV the other day and it had 4 75mm fans turning at ~3500RPM. I imagine that it releases about as much heat into a room as a vacuum cleaner, too. (The 1000w has to dissipate somehow)

Another issue is plasma's aging effect. Though it's hardly mentioned in HDTV forums and reviews, I've noticed a serious loss of brightness in ones used as display units and others used as signs. I suspect, after a good while, the things just burn out.

I'm sure the average videophile that owns a full HDTV resolution one (720p or greater) probably does not leave them sitting around displaying an image all day. Just doesn't seem prudent.

LCD, on the other hand, I know little about the aging process. I've had laptop displays get dimmer and look worse over time, but I think that was due to all the bending and daily beatings I gave them.

I'd suggest LCoS or DLP if you are going with static images. Much, much lower power requirements; something in the range of 120-180w and the displays don't age in a manner you can detect visually. Still seems like a waste of power.

Perhaps a trip down to the next local art festival and purchasing a couple of hundred dollars worth of real artwork would be a better idea? I mean, really, what's original about having the Mona Lisa or Last Supper in your pad when you can have some truely original work for very little money?

Ok, fine. You are too cheap to get an original. I've got another plan for you. Dig around on the web for ultra-high resolution PSD, PNG, and the like, then print them out on a photo printer. Slap it in a frame and you've got the same thing and get to save money on your power bill.

Don't get a flatscreen, get a projector!

[Adam Wiggins]

Seriously. I was looking at $3000 - $5000 flat TVs in the 40" range. I ended up going with a projector based on a friends recommendation, and now I will never go back to lame-o screen-based displays. $1000 for http://www.projectorpeople.com/hometheater/projdtl s.asp?itemid=1144&itmname=InFocus+X1low end projector and now I've got a home theater to die for. Screw plasma - I've now got a 120" TV which disappears when not in use! Plus it's smaller (about the size of a thick hardcover book) and lighter (~6 lbs).

Mount it on the ceiling and the thing takes up literraly no space in your living room (well, you do have to leave one wall blank of decorations). The picture is gorgeous and can be used for TV, DVDs, and video game consoles. Heck, it's got a VGA port too, I could bring out a laptop and plug it in to watch xmms visualization plugins.

The only downsides are that it has no sound built in (that's okay, I prefer running it through my stereo better), and doing the ceiling mount was a bit more effort than just plunking down a TV or hanging a flatscreen on the wall.

I highly recommend a projector - not this specific model, pretty much any one will do (though DLP seems like a better choice for watching TV than an LCD based projector, which most of the expensive ones are).

In other words.....

[Sowbug]

For $500, you can turn your $5,000 TV into a $5 poster.