Will FLAT screen TV's spell the end for consul TV's?

[farmkid]

Zero Hour said:

Johnny Rico said:
I guess I should have told them that that anything less than a HD set by Feb. '09 would be more or less obsolete.

Eh, surely there'll be set-top boxes to decode and downsample the digital signal. I wouldn't worry about it.

It's the over-the-air analog signal that is being shut off and replaced by a digital signal. It's not SD that is being ended, it's just OTA analog signal. Granted, the digital signal broadcast will generally be HD, but that does not mean that a regular TV will be useless at that time. If one gets their TV by cable or satellite, then it may not even affect them.

There is no reason that a manufacturer couldn't put a digital tuner in a CRT TV, and as stated, there will be external tuners available. I remember hearing some time ago that an external tuner should cost around $40 or so. All one will miss by buying a cheap CRT TV is the HD picture, which doesn't matter to some.

 

[Mr. B]

Zero Hour said:
Does anyone remember dot matrix printers? The ones that made a hellish racket to print low-res pictures on chain paper?

You can still buy them new, with prices starting from $500, because they do have some advantages over newer inkjet and laser printers, for some purposes.

Those printeres can do multiple copies on carbon paper. CRT sets on the otherhand, don't have any circumstantial advantage. The technology is still used in some HDTVs, but i'd be surprised if anyone was still making them in 5-10 years.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

farmkid said:

Zero Hour said:

Johnny Rico said:
I guess I should have told them that that anything less than a HD set by Feb. '09 would be more or less obsolete.

Eh, surely there'll be set-top boxes to decode and downsample the digital signal. I wouldn't worry about it.

It's the over-the-air analog signal that is being shut off and replaced by a digital signal. It's not SD that is being ended, it's just OTA analog signal. Granted, the digital signal broadcast will generally be HD, but that does not mean that a regular TV will be useless at that time. If one gets their TV by cable or satellite, then it may not even affect them.

There is no reason that a manufacturer couldn't put a digital tuner in a CRT TV, and as stated, there will be external tuners available. I remember hearing some time ago that an external tuner should cost around $40 or so. All one will miss by buying a cheap CRT TV is the HD picture, which doesn't matter to some.

Here in the UK analogue and digital are currently running side by side. All channels currently broadcasting are SD.
Digital tuners have been on sale for something like 10 years now. A cheap one will cost ya about £17.99 but occasionally you'll find ones on sale for around £10.

 

[Brandonv]

Does anyone know if indium shortages are having an effect on the manufacture of LCDs? That is the only thing I see stopping them from scaling up to replace CRTs completely.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Brandonv said:
Does anyone know if indium shortages are having an effect on the manufacture of LCDs? That is the only thing I see stopping them from scaling up to replace CRTs completely.

Well OLED are probably the next big thing any way.

 

[Deleted 2]

Mr. B said:
Those printeres can do multiple copies on carbon paper. CRT sets on the otherhand, don't have any circumstantial advantage.

Yes, they do. Read the rest of the thread

 

[HULK]

Hulk makes all TVs flat when American Idol comes on.

 

[TerriO]

Hulk, if you could please try to refrain from the spammy posts, it would be appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

farmkid said:
It's the over-the-air analog signal that is being shut off and replaced by a digital signal. It's not SD that is being ended, it's just OTA analog signal. Granted, the digital signal broadcast will generally be HD, but that does not mean that a regular TV will be useless at that time. If one gets their TV by cable or satellite, then it may not even affect them.

It won't. Cable & satellite users will not notice any difference at all when the deadline passes. No new equipment necessary.

Granted, some cable & sat providers might one day decide to drop *their* analog signals, but they will only do that if they want to. And there isn't a deadline for that.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Babaganoosh said:

farmkid said:
It's the over-the-air analog signal that is being shut off and replaced by a digital signal. It's not SD that is being ended, it's just OTA analog signal. Granted, the digital signal broadcast will generally be HD, but that does not mean that a regular TV will be useless at that time. If one gets their TV by cable or satellite, then it may not even affect them.

It won't. Cable & satellite users will not notice any difference at all when the deadline passes. No new equipment necessary.

Granted, some cable & sat providers might one day decide to drop *their* analog signals, but they will only do that if they want to. And there isn't a deadline for that.

But that won't matter, because you will still have a set top box decoding the signals for you. Unless you're splitting the cable and using your TV instead of a box.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ You don't have to have a set top box for basic cable. For *digital* cable, yes. But not all cable providers have eliminated their analog signals, and there isn't a deadline that's making them do so.

 

[Arrqh]

Babaganoosh said:
^ You don't have to have a set top box for basic cable. For *digital* cable, yes. But not all cable providers have eliminated their analog signals, and there isn't a deadline that's making them do so.

While correct, there are other reasons for needing a cable box besides having digital cable. Lots of people had them before any sort of digital signal was going anywhere.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

ChanukahZombie said:there are other reasons for needing a cable box besides having digital cable

Like what?

Lots of people had them before any sort of digital signal was going anywhere.

Wasn't this mainly because TVs didn't used to be cable ready?

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Babaganoosh said:

ChanukahZombie said:there are other reasons for needing a cable box besides having digital cable

Like what?

Lots of people had them before any sort of digital signal was going anywhere.

Wasn't this mainly because TVs didn't used to be cable ready?

Satellite tv has always needed STBs. I don't know about cable, I've never lived in a cable area.

 

[I Grok Spock]

Babaganoosh said:

ChanukahZombie said:there are other reasons for needing a cable box besides having digital cable

Like what?

For premium services. HBO, pay-per-view, etc. Also, our local cable system used to use two coax lines to deliver their services, so you were forced to use their box regardless of whether your TV was cable ready or not. One of my reasons for delaying purchase of a new HD TV is waiting to see how the whole CableCARD/DCAS/OCAP thing plays out. I don't subscribe to premium channels or do PPV, so I really don't want to be forced into a set-top box again.


As for the original poster's question, how about this beauty?:

Zenith B27A74R 27" Traditional Console TV

Available as recently as 2002, but sadly no longer in stock. I can certainly see a niche market for custom-built retro console enclosures for modern projectors or flat screens. Many of us have fond memories of growing up watching the adventures of Kirk, Spock and the Enterprise gang on one of these oaken behemoths. Throw in a little faux-wood paneling, shag carpeting and a plaid sofa, and I'm there.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I Grok Spock said:Also, our local cable system used to use two coax lines to deliver their services

Now that does seem odd. Why did they do that?

 

[Johnny Rico]

I Grok Spock said:
As for the original poster's question, how about this beauty?:

Zenith B27A74R 27" Traditional Console TV

Available as recently as 2002, but sadly no longer in stock. I can certainly see a niche market for custom-built retro console enclosures for modern projectors or flat screens.

I wouldn't mind seeing an LCD or plasma built into one of these console mounts like this. BUT viewing a LCD or plasma from a low level like that is not how they're intended to be viewed. As they wash out from the backlight from watching it at a high angle. I know...when I first got my LCD I had it sitting on the floor. Backlight bled through something aweful...it wasn't until I stuck it up on my TV shelf at around the 5' level where the picture actually got really good. Why? Well because if you think about it, most flat panel TVs are mounted high up on a wall. And basically the TVs are designed to be viewed from a higher angle. Probably at around a 30-40 degree angle above your eye-line.

 

[I Grok Spock]

Babaganoosh said:

I Grok Spock said:Also, our local cable system used to use two coax lines to deliver their services

Now that does seem odd. Why did they do that?

I don't know for certain. I suppose it could be that they used to offer upwards of 120 channels (including premiums, etc.) so maybe they needed the extra bandwidth of two lines. They've since switched over to fiber optics or something like that, and around that time, the need for the cable box to get basic cable went away.

Johnny Rico said:

I Grok Spock said:
As for the original poster's question, how about this beauty?:

Zenith B27A74R 27" Traditional Console TV

Available as recently as 2002, but sadly no longer in stock. I can certainly see a niche market for custom-built retro console enclosures for modern projectors or flat screens.

I wouldn't mind seeing an LCD or plasma built into one of these console mounts like this. BUT viewing a LCD or plasma from a low level like that is not how they're intended to be viewed. As they wash out from the backlight from watching it at a high angle. I know...when I first got my LCD I had it sitting on the floor. Backlight bled through something aweful...it wasn't until I stuck it up on my TV shelf at around the 5' level where the picture actually got really good. Why? Well because if you think about it, most flat panel TVs are mounted high up on a wall. And basically the TVs are designed to be viewed from a higher angle. Probably at around a 30-40 degree angle above your eye-line.

Good point. I suppose now you could inset a flat screen into a beautifully paneled wall (complete with faux-drawer handles!)

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Better yet, why not have the flat screen actually *be* the wall? Some day... :thumbsup:

 

[Smiley]

Babaganoosh said:
^ Better yet, why not have the flat screen actually *be* the wall? Some day... :thumbsup:

I've been a little hesitant about that concept since reading Farenheit 451. Even if the cost and feasibility were okay, I don't know how good it would be for one's physical and mental health.