🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1990Mar15.090214.9871@spectre.ccsf.caltech.edu> gbrown@tybalt.caltech.edu (Glenn C. Brown) writes:
 
>  It must be really frustrating trying to come up w/ a HDTV standard:  I mean
>these guys (the ones making the standard) have to come up with the LAST WORD
>in TV standards.  The standard has to be something we're willing to live with 
>for AT LEAST the next 50 years!  Sure, 50 years from now, the things will be
>cheap to make, but now they're going to be VERY expensive.  Especially if they
>make no compromises so we'll still be happy with the standard in 50 years...

We've already had current video standards for 50 years (though the color
portions a bit less than that) and it's time for a change.  If you consider
that the LP is virtually dead now, it only lasted 41.
 
>  I'd be perfectly happy to settle for the telivision picture tubes of today!
>It's the signal that's so horrendous!  I mean:  If you've ever seen the
>output of a laser disc player, it's awesome!  It shows what your picture tube
>can do.  It's the low signal to noise ratio of the broadcast signals that we
>receive that's horrendous!

The output of a laser player isn't awesome.  It's good, but you can surely see
the limits of NTCS video if you watch it on anything bigger than a 21" set.  I
have had a laser player for several years now.  The early discs are poor
compared to today's technology, but we are pretty much at the limits.  I
assume you are a recent disc convert.   S/N is only one problem.   Have you
ever noticed how the color is in little dots at the transition points, how the
resolution isn't as good as a clean 16mm print, let alone 35?
 
>  I commend the FCC for requiring that the new format signals be backwards
>compatible, but I think that the standard could easily offer more than just
>backwards compatibility.  .....

I spent years in broadcast, and have seen many changes in the FCC, and I am
not too particularly impressed with their performance in the past few years.
They seem to be a non-regulatory regulatory agency.  Part of the time it's
hands off, other times its hands on for the wrong reasons.  They totally blew
the AM stereo standards by refusing to take a stand.

Years ago, here in Orlando, a disk jockey "locked" himself in a radio station
control room and played Sheb Wooley's "Monkey Fever" for 24 hours straight.
His name was Mark Fowler.  He didn't do much better when he was chairman of
the FCC.


-- 
Bill Vermillion - UUCP: uunet!tarpit!bilver!bill
                      : bill@bilver.UUCP