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Fifty Years of Color Television
peter303 writes "The Houston Chronicle notes that color TVs were first manufactured on March 25, 1954 at a price of $1000 (about $4000 in today's dollars). Some of the older folk here remember the excitement of your first neighbors acquiring one of these in the 1960s and as the TV series one-by-one switched to color. Ironically, for such a high tech nation, there hasn't been a major quality improvement in TV broadcast images for a half-century until the 2006 changeover to HDTV."
Ironically, for such a high tech nation, there hasn't been a major quality improvement in TV broadcast images for a half-century until the 2006 changeover to HDTV.
Was HDTV really even necessary? Our tax dollars were spent mandating its deployment, our money will be wasted purchasing the receivers (which are going to have to be in all TVs), and what does it do for us? Nothing.
We worry about the effects of lack of exercise, overeating, diabetes, etc, yet we mandate better TV signals and are double paying for it.
They did it right back then. Good technology (lasted 50 years), allowed the market, not the government, to push adaptation. Somehow I doubt we will still be using HDTV (at least what the current incarnation is) in 50 years.
I don't know about the TV image qualities where you are, but Cable TV certainly improved image qualities. Ok, ok, this is not an improvement on image quality, but on transmission, but to the people sitting at home, it didn't make a difference. Why do I bring it up? Because Cable TV allowed for additional channels and offered image quality good enough that people are willing to pay to subscribe to it. And quite frankly, no matter how good the pictures, if you don't have good transmission/reception, it's still pretty crappy.
I concur, reading /. is much more productive.
But what about digital TV broadcasts, we've had these for a few years, and they've certainly made a big difference to the old analogue signal. Plus there's also audio improvements including Mono -> Nicam Stereo, and Doly Digital 5.1 broadcasts through digital satellite transmissions (using Sky+ for example). AND we also have receiver improvements, including CVBS -> S/Video -> RGB -> Component, and 100Hz TVs, widescreen TVs...
So your problem is with people, and not tv, right?
Give life
Ironically, for such a high tech nation, there hasn't been a major quality improvement in TV broadcast images for a half-century until the 2006 changeover to HDTV.
Assuming HDTV actually switches over in 2006...
I would argue that there were two major quality improvements in TV with the advents of video tape and digital compression. The first was a revolution of time, since people could now watch what they wanted when they wanted regardless of when the stations/theaters were showing it. The second enabled a revolution in distribution, as it allows cleaner transmission in smaller channels and arbitrary additional content. This is mainly manifested in DVD but is equally applicable to digital cable, video on demand, and online distribution (legal or otherwise, with anime fansubs and other non-domestic shows being the most striking application). Thanks to digital tech you can bundle on a ton of extras, edit with ease, and lower the cost of distribution and replication to inconsequential levels.
HDTV is a nice improvement in video quality to theater-grade levels. But the video and digital revolutions are far more significant, and will continue to trump HD where both can not be accomodated. After all, what matters the most is not the presentation but content.
---If you can't trust a nerd, who can you trust?
As someone who is extremely interested in DV production, HDTV and more specifically HD DV are going to be a boon to the industry.
Consumer and pro-sumer cameras are going to get a whole lot better in terms of color sampling and resolution. The ability for the start-up movie maker or videographer to turn in a superior product will prove to be much better with this technology, also.
I don't know how much different the standard is for HDTV between different countries, but I'm sure if pros and the like don't have to choose between NTSC, PAL, and SECAM, there will also be quite a few happy people out there.
Actually the solution to too much Tv is a MythTV or for the incapable the Tivo or tivo types.
Tv watching in my home has dropped by at least 90% cince we got the mythtv server and playback units running. My daughter watches her 2 shows within the timespan of one show and spends more time playing outside or with the dog, whatever.. Myself and the wife are spending more time together, the house is cleaner, we eat better as the evening entertainment is cooking, talking and other tasks.. we spend 1 hour to watch 3 TV shows we usually WANT to catch at the end of the night. skipping all the commercials and the boring parts makes it cool. the rare times we dont watch mythtv and watch live tv we all get annoyed as we cant skip commercials or pause.
you can have your TV and a real life too.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
1) Anything about Americans
2) Anything about not owning a TV
3) Anything about being superior
That was not a troll comment, it was a sad commentary on just how much TV people watch. I think you might be a troll however...
--rhad
Slashdot needs to interview Natalie Portman.
Books aren't a waste of time. Well, unless they're vitriolic political commentaries about the evils of the left or the evils of the right.
TV doesn't encourage you to think, it's just sitting there in front of you, a lot of it full of mind-numbing reality TV garbage. Now if PBS was winning the ratings war, I wouldn't be worried.
Drill baby drill - on Mars
Keep your eyes to the sky.
I disagree. Just as there are bad television programs, there are also bad books. _Lots_ of bad books. Most books are indeed a waste of time. I'm sure you can name a list that aren't, but that list would only encompass a small fraction of the number of books out there.
The thing about the anti-TV elitists that I've noticed is that, unless you read the same list of books as they do, you are a "lesser" man. "Oh you haven't read ?" as they look down on you.