[mythtv-users] Interesting Reading: Windows Secrets reviews AppleTV and GoogleTV

[Ben Kamen]

On 12/9/2010 12:29 PM, Brian Wood wrote:
>
> You forget that digital TV was pushed in the US as the solution to
> emergency communications problems (like what was claimed during 9/11),
> with the balance of the freed up spectrum being auctioned off to solve
> the government debt problems.

I did forget about the auctioning -- but I didn't know about the "emergency comm" thing. I'll have to go look that one up.

> Another case of using fear after 9/11 to generate bigger profits for the
> corporate world. Of course HD was on the drawing board before 2001, but
> 9/11 was used to push it over the edge, since consumers were not
> sufficiently clamoring for it.
>
> But somehow the only beneficiaries are the media companies, cable
> companies, broadcast equipment manufacturers and consumer electronics
> manufacturers.

yep! I had considered that. We the consumers gets some "flashier" stuff that doesn't really
add much to the experience of TV viewing.

However, electronics makers get to sell us new stuff.
Movie makers get to sell (in some cases RE-sell) us new media.
The supply chain (broadcasters) have to buy all new stuff...

Yup.

> No emergency first responders have seen any benefit, nor have consumers,
> none of whom were clamoring for "more resolution", most were quite happy
> with VHS.
>
> Bad programming will not be helped by HD, and good programming does not
> need it, as you alluded.
>
> It's getting harder and harder to not be a conspiracy theorist.

(nod)

      -Ben