"Are you worried about all those non-green colors on the radar?"

"Sam Spade" wrote:

Between WSI and TIS, I don't know how many more technological dead-ends I
can choose in one lifetime.


How about VHS and Beta Max all over again with the emerging Hi Def DVD
formats.

These folks love to hate each other and, in the process, screw the
consumer over until there is no tomorrow.

There is a real chance consumers will react to both with a big yawn.

Home videotape recording was a revolutionary product that everyone wanted.
On the other hand, the new DVD formats offer so small an increment in
display quality over a good 480-P player on an HDTV screen, I think few
people will care enough to upgrade. At least they can afford to wait and
see which new format survives.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

Dan Luke wrote:


There is a real chance consumers will react to both with a big yawn.

Home videotape recording was a revolutionary product that everyone wanted.
On the other hand, the new DVD formats offer so small an increment in
display quality over a good 480-P player on an HDTV screen, I think few
people will care enough to upgrade. At least they can afford to wait and
see which new format survives.


Once you see a Hi Def DVD properly connected to a compliant HDV set, you
won't consider the difference between that and up-converted 480P, to be
a "yawn."

Sam Spade wrote:

Once you see a Hi Def DVD properly connected to a compliant HDV set, you
won't consider the difference between that and up-converted 480P, to be
a "yawn."

OT, but I am definitely looking forward to this. Problem is, there are two
emerging formats of hi-def DVD and one will probably be the proverbial
technological dead-end. If you don't mind, I think I am going to sit on
the fence for a little while.

--
Peter

"Sam Spade" wrote:


There is a real chance consumers will react to both with a big yawn.

Home videotape recording was a revolutionary product that everyone wanted.
On the other hand, the new DVD formats offer so small an increment in
display quality over a good 480-P player on an HDTV screen, I think few
people will care enough to upgrade. At least they can afford to wait and
see which new format survives.


Once you see a Hi Def DVD properly connected to a compliant HDV set, you
won't consider the difference between that and up-converted 480P, to be a
"yawn."

I have seen it. It looks great to me: I want one. But it's not so
sensational that everyone will want it, as they did with home video
recorder/players. My daughter, a typical low-tech consumer, said she didn't
see what the big deal was.

I'll bet you that consumers will sit on the fence long enough waiting for
prices to come down that either Blu-Ray or HD DVD will die quickly; maybe
they'll even wait long enough that both will flop.

--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

Dan Luke wrote:
"Sam Spade" wrote:


I'll bet you that consumers will sit on the fence long enough waiting for
prices to come down that either Blu-Ray or HD DVD will die quickly; maybe
they'll even wait long enough that both will flop.

There is an awesome amount of industry power behind both formats. It's
like the bullies on the 4th grade playground splitting and fighting each
other instead of the little kids us ;-

There is no difference in quality, unlike Betamax and VHS. So,
whichever one wins will make no difference in that respect.

The big players are being complete fools by not having adopted
standards. Then again, they probably wouldn't have adopted the ATSC
standards had not the over-the-air regulators (such as the FCC) forced
them to do it. As it was, they kicked and screamed long enough that
digital HiDef overtook analog HiDef (for the unending benefit of all of us).

Similar issues are at play with RNAV avionics and MFDs. Unlike VOR and
ILS, which had (and have) an over-the-air component, only the aviation
regulators are involved. And, being high-tech stuff, the aviation cert
folks cannot comprehend it all.