[Ham-Computers] Re New Computers And Lack Of Ports

[Karty, Steven]

Preston,

As I've already mentioned, the FCC did not require compatibility between B&W
and color TV.  It was only by the hard work of the outstanding engineers at
RCA that this occurred.  B&W TV sets weren't cheap in the 1950s and
consumers did not throw away their existing B&W sets just to go to color,
especially because the first color sets were extremely expensive.  If the
color and B&W systems weren't compatible, color TV would have been retarded
by at least a decade.  Our B&W and color TV systems were developed years
before the corresponding systems in other countries.  Other countries looked
at what we had and then changed it.  Personally, I don't see the extra 75
horizontal lines as worth waiting another ten years for.  

There is a very good technical reason for having interlaced scanning in TV
sets, but it doesn't apply to computer monitors, so your comment about
goverment regulation doesn't make sense.

Steven    

-----Original Message-----
From: Preston Graham [mailto:w4fda at pobox.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 10:35 AM
To: Computers (or other) used for amateur radio, communications, or
experimenting
Subject: Re: [Ham-Computers] Re New Computers And Lack Of Ports

Well, there is good news and bad news about the compatibility issue.  If the
FCC had not required compatibility, we may have had a MUCH better system
than NTSC (never twice the same color) and a different standard with more
horizontal lines on the screen.  Better color, better definition, better tv
all around.  Sometimes it's not good to be so well protected by the
government.  Have you ever seen PAL (perfection at last)?  Just comments
from a long time TV broadcast engineer who hated NTSC with a passion!! If
the government regulated computer monitors, we would probably have
interlaced scan.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Karty, Steven" 
To: <ka4inm at tampabay.rr.com>; "'Computers (or other) used for amateur radio,
communications, or experimenting'" <ham-computers at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 9:37 AM
Subject: RE: [Ham-Computers] Re New Computers And Lack Of Ports

> The FCC did not decide that "color tv shall be compatible with B/W."  The
> original FCC decision (in the early 1950s) was for the incompatible CBS
> mechanical color-wheel system.  RCA finished its compatible
> purely-electronic color TV system several months later, and CBS agreed to
> rescind the CBS application.  If a similar situation developed today, CBS
> would probably hire an expensive law firm to fight RCA.
>
> The point here is that the FCC has been consistent in its decisions to
> approve incompatible systems, and color TV and digital TV are just two
> examples.  Unfortunately, we no longer have a viable RCA coming in to
> rescue us with a compatible digital TV system now.
>
> Supposedly this will help our economy by forcing all of us to buy new
> digital TVs when the FCC-mandated shutdown of analog TV broadcasting
> starts.
> But it will just cause us to send more of our money to foreign countries
> since we don't manufacture TVs here anymore.
>
> 73, Steven - N5SK
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ronald KA4INM Youvan [mailto:ka4inm at tampabay.rr.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2004 10:18 PM
> To: Computers (or other) used for amateur radio, communications, or
> experimenting
> Subject: Re: [Ham-Computers] Re New Computers And Lack Of Ports
>
> > Remember that when color tv came out it had to be compatable with black
> > and white sets.
>
>    I think you will find the FCC decided color tv shall be compatible with
> B/W.
>
>    They did NOT decide the same when it came to digital TV, in 6 to 10
years your current TV shall become useless without a converter box.
>
> > I believe no manufacturer should render existing equipment usless..but
> > what do I know..Im only a consumer.
>
>    I think you will find the core reason for XP is to make you buy a new
> confusor and new peripherals.
>    LINUX still runs great on a 386.
> -- 
>
> _______________________________________________