One of my public speaking topics in recent years was “Why Your Next Computer Will Be a Television.” Even without the network-connected “Smart TV” features that are commonplace now, HDTVs have long relied on powerful processors and other components that outperform the standard desktop computers of not-so-long ago. But even back when I gave this [...]
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HDTV Almanac - HDTVs Get Smarter
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alfredpoor
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Roger Halstead
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Re: HDTV Almanac - HDTVs Get Smarter
This will be a very handy gadget for the general public, "but" I look at them as being more of a smart phone with a very large screen. Or if you'd prefer a very sophisticated entertainment center. OTOH if people look at their photos from a camera phone on one of these, it'll bring back real cameras. Sure, I'd like to have one, but my computing (as opposed to surfing) would still stay with the dedicated computers where I run state of the art, 4 and 6 core machines with as much as 8 to 16 gigs of RAM, several Terabytes of storage, and CPU core speeds well past 3 Gbs. These are full size tower cases that are *full*.
There's computing and then there is playing. The vast majority of users (TV and computer) are playing, which is fine, but computing takes far more horsepower than the smart TVs so I think the real computers will be around for some time to come. I play too and it'd be handy to check some things from my easy chair with the click of a button. I have 60 Mbs Internet service which *should* be fast enough for streaming video to 4 or 5 computers, yet I still get interruptions, video hang or freezing, pixelization, and sound going out of sync with the video. Last week I was downloading 4 files at once and the sustained speed for nearly a half hour was about 68 Mbs but something has to be interfering with the streaming which could be anywhere along its path.
My degree is in CS and it was my profession. I avoid the cloud like the plague and would much prefer to do my own computing even if I have to do my own repair which although usually on the simple side is well beyond the average user. My ISP even offers me 10 T of "free" cloud storage, but I'm not willing to trust the storage of my information or that of some one I do some work for to the cloud. IE some one elses equipment and security.
There's computing and then there is playing. The vast majority of users (TV and computer) are playing, which is fine, but computing takes far more horsepower than the smart TVs so I think the real computers will be around for some time to come. I play too and it'd be handy to check some things from my easy chair with the click of a button. I have 60 Mbs Internet service which *should* be fast enough for streaming video to 4 or 5 computers, yet I still get interruptions, video hang or freezing, pixelization, and sound going out of sync with the video. Last week I was downloading 4 files at once and the sustained speed for nearly a half hour was about 68 Mbs but something has to be interfering with the streaming which could be anywhere along its path.
My degree is in CS and it was my profession. I avoid the cloud like the plague and would much prefer to do my own computing even if I have to do my own repair which although usually on the simple side is well beyond the average user. My ISP even offers me 10 T of "free" cloud storage, but I'm not willing to trust the storage of my information or that of some one I do some work for to the cloud. IE some one elses equipment and security.
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jordanm
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Re: HDTV Almanac - HDTVs Get Smarter
HTPC running Win 7 Ultimate x64 HDMI into AVR, which is HDMI into our Pioneer Kuro Elite Pro-151FD. Windows says its sound is Pioneer 7-channel. The GT 430 GPU plays 1080p, 720p, 1080i, etc. and DTS-Master, plus TrueHD. The BD-RW unit plays back all Blu Ray disks via PowerDVD 11, VLC Media plays back all 720p and 1080p DTS or DD files I have made, and WMP plus codecs plays back 720p and 1080p DTS-Master or TrueHD files, plus I have the Internet, Slacker Radio, and whatever.
I just don't leave it with a static image too long. And, it works fine.
Now find me a better screen for this. A 60" PC 1080p 24fps or 60fps. I can do both.
BTW, the Xtreamer Pro media unit can also play Master and TrueHD, but its network DLNA function is more troublesome than the HTPC's. So I use the Xtreamer but the HTPC gets more use. I see no reason to replace this.
I just don't leave it with a static image too long. And, it works fine.
Now find me a better screen for this. A 60" PC 1080p 24fps or 60fps. I can do both.
BTW, the Xtreamer Pro media unit can also play Master and TrueHD, but its network DLNA function is more troublesome than the HTPC's. So I use the Xtreamer but the HTPC gets more use. I see no reason to replace this.