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TV Controls (rant)

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Renegade:
that's called progress....
-Target (July 05, 2010, 05:28 PM)
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Progressive? Not interlaced? ;)

Target:
I suspect the interlacing part has to do with the amount and complexity of the controller manipulations needed to operate the set. :o

 

Innuendo:
Bah! Your parents either need to hook their stuff up in a more optimized fashion or invest in a universal remote that can manage powering up all the components for you.

Most set-top boxes, for example, have a switching power outlet in the back so that when you turn on the box the TV comes on as well automatically.

4wd:
Next, the onscreen TV guide is sluggish beyond comprehension. DVD players are similarly sluggish too though. I suppose a 2+ second wait is reasonable for most people? It certainly isn't for me.

Then, when it turns midnight, it takes a half hour to update the time in the onscreen TV guide...

I remember YEARS ago when I was a kid and changing the channel was INSTANTANEOUS! Turning now is like waiting for the next ice age.-Renegade (July 05, 2010, 02:27 PM)
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Welcome to the digital age!  The TV now has to sync itself with the digital packets that are sent, decide which is a better signal if it's received via multipath, etc, etc.  Instead of the good old analogue days where the signal was 'just there' and the poor old TV had nothing much to do except turn it into a moving picture, (along with any ghosts).

Now days there's error correction, "don't let anyone record this" broadcast flags, 7+ day EPG and probably a whole lot more the TV has to decipher.  The EPG is updated as the data is sent, (unless you happen to have a TV that can store it all in memory for all channels as it's received).  I'd liken it to Teletext in the analogue era - to see it updated you'd have to wait until that particular page was sent again in the cycle.  And even then it depends on how diligent the TV programmers are - in Australia they are atrocious.

I can't say I've ever noticed the clock being 30 minutes late at midnight though, then again I've never been staring at the guide at midnight, (or watching the TV for that matter).

Finally, the best thing on the tube is Jerry Springer with "You slept with my baby's daddy".
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You're wrong - the best thing on a TV is the Off button.  I watch only two things on the TV 'live' - SBS World News, (the bit before all the sports crap), and Dr Who, (and only because it's on the ABC, ie. no ads); the only other thing I watch recorded is the WRC.

Most set-top boxes, for example, have a switching power outlet in the back so that when you turn on the box the TV comes on as well automatically.-Innuendo (July 05, 2010, 07:43 PM)
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Most STBs here are too small to incorporate a switched mains output - I've yet to see one.  Plus almost all TVs I've seen go to standby when power is applied, (as I would have thought be required under 'Green' design/laws/legislation/etc).

40hz:
Most set-top boxes, for example, have a switching power outlet in the back so that when you turn on the box the TV comes on as well automatically.
-Innuendo (July 05, 2010, 07:43 PM)
--- End quote ---

Actually, many TVs have relay-type power switches. If you have a set like that, cycling AC power to the line cord will turn your set off, but it won't turn it back on since the relay switch will default (by design) to the off position when power is restored.

(EDIT: Ooops! sorry 4wd. I just noticed you already commented on that!  :-[ )

Many service supplied remotes get around this by sending simultaneous ON commands to both the cable/sat box and the TV set when you hit the main power button. One of the reasons why most cable and satellite boxes ask you to set up your TV for their remote controller when you install their box is for precisely this reason. You know the drill: enter a mfg code and then try turning the set off with the remote until you find the correct code.

Using a relay-type AC switch is actually a very good design decision in may instances even though it can be annoying.

In the event of a power failure it can prevent your home wiring - and the power company's lines - from experiencing a huge surge when power gets restored.

Having a few thousand houses come back online with all of them simultaneously trying to power up their TVs, ACs, and other big appliances could easily create enough of a surge on the utility's grid to cause a second blackout. Should this happen, there's a very real risk that a Catch-22 situation could develop.

Major demand surges can also cause a temporary low voltage condition. This could cause problems since running below their rated input voltages causes many electrical devices to 'run hot.' Air conditioners, with their power hogging compressors, are the biggest worry. Low voltage conditions can cause AC compressors to prematurely fail due to overheating. This is why modern AC units no longer automatically restart after a power failure: it's potentially bad for the compressor and the local electric utility.

 :)

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