Why do we still have SD (Standard Definition) TV channels? (1 Viewer)

[Stan]

I sold my previous crt. But that was in 2009. So there was still a little market for one.

I just want to get rid of them.

Using a brand new lap-top, yet I still keep my old PC with its floppy drive to play old games on, plus it can read/write DVDs. No Wi-Fi, have to use an Ethernet cable, but it works. Enormous 20" CRT monitor (black, not the usual boring computer beige), but it's a good back up. Really just taking up space, probably time for a yard sale

 

[TJPC]

We have a brand new computer with windows 10 in my wife's office plus iPods and iPads, but I still keep my Windows XP set up in the man cave. The keyboard, monitor, Norton and mouse are new.
I use this as a burner for DVDs, making covers etc. It still works as well as it ever did, and intend to keep it for that function until it dies, when I will replace it with my wife's old XP for the same functions.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Low-power analog stations weren't affected by the digital mandate a few years ago, but a number of them have either switched to digital or gone off the air since then. We have just ONE remaining low-power analog station here that's been showing color bars for the past few weeks. Most of the standard-def digital channels (subchannels, that is) are horribly compressed and look worse than good analog pictures did.

 

[Stan]

We have a brand new computer with windows 10 in my wife's office plus iPods and iPads, but I still keep my Windows XP set up in the man cave. The keyboard, monitor, Norton and mouse are new.
I use this as a burner for DVDs, making covers etc. It still works as well as it ever did, and intend to keep it for that function until it dies, when I will replace it with my wife's old XP for the same functions.

My old putt-putt has Windows 98. So much more user friendly, I really despise Windows 10. I liked XP, but 98 was so much more comfortable.

 

[CraigF]

^ I'm surprised. I really liked XP, and *love* W10. W7 was decent and I still use it a lot, but IMO it is unnecessarily complicated for home/small network use. Then there was 8... W10 requires a completely fresh installation, preferably on a new device, to be fully appreciated. I feel sorry for anybody who tries to "update" to W10 over a previous OS, there will be issues, sooner than later. And no, I don't like the idea of forced updates at all, but it's been amazingly painless.

As for your TVs, I see your prob, they sound really large, the size you'll likely have to pay to have removed.

Unfortunately for me, I dismantled my proper "analog TV" antenna, so I can't really judge the broadcast quality of the nearest U.S. SD TV channels. They must be 40 miles away at the closest I think, and if their power is low too, well that isn't a good combo for an indoor HD-sized antenna i.e. they look like crap. The U.S. HD channels OTOH are really excellent.

 

[TJPC]

The good thing about HD channels over the air is they either come in perfectly or not at all. Before the all digital revolution, my mothers HD TV, which she had in her nursing home across the lake from the US, received about 10 perfect channels. She was delighted.she didn't have cable in the facility, and got them with "rabbit ears"

 

[DaveF]

My old putt-putt has Windows 98. So much more user friendly, I really despise Windows 10. I liked XP, but 98 was so much more comfortable.

I can only suggest to give Win10 another go. I use it for my HTPC and it's the best Windows ever. The interface is still basically the same UI introduced with Windows 95 coupled with the stability and capability introduced in WinNT (and then merged in WinXP). Plus, almost 20 years of improved security, stability, power / memory / storage capacity.

I'd think if you liked Win98, then WinXP, Win7 and Win10 are easy upgrades.

 

[TJPC]

My problem is that some of the programs I use heavily, are not compatable.

 

[Stan]

I can only suggest to give Win10 another go. I use it for my HTPC and it's the best Windows ever. The interface is still basically the same UI introduced with Windows 95 coupled with the stability and capability introduced in WinNT (and then merged in WinXP). Plus, almost 20 years of improved security, stability, power / memory / storage capacity.

I'd think if you liked Win98, then WinXP, Win7 and Win10 are easy upgrades.

Been with Win10 for over a year, pre-installed, not an upgrade. I'm still adjusting. Had terrible problems at first, but got a lot of help from HTF. All kinds of goofy things, much of it because my system kept defaulting to something like a touch-screen setup, everything was rotated 90°. Drove me insane for a few months.

There are still days when I want to take my laptop outside, throw it in the air and watch it smash to pieces when it lands, but I behave.

 

[CraigF]

My problem is that some of the programs I use heavily, are not compatable.

That's what "they" would like you to think. Even though I must have bought at least a half dozen newer versions of Word/Excel/etc., I still use the versions I bought for Win95 with Win10. (Win95 was great...if only it had proper USB support, NT too...awkward when just about all peripherals used USB, eventually you needed new peripherals.) Of course it doesn't want to install etc. them, just like almost all the other perfectly functioning programs I bought in the days when they came on CD. But they almost certainly will install. How is something "I" need to be there to check for myself, but it's never difficult. I would go so far as to say that Win10 is the most all-round compatible Windows yet, another thing I like about it. Not everything older I install under Win10 is that old, but that's about the oldest stuff, and it works excellently, so I used it as an example.

Hint: don't use the default installation method for the old programs. The "front" program usually checks some stuff then chokes on a new system it obviously can't understand. What you want to do is start by running the program that front program calls when it decides everything's OK. Or a fully manual installation for the adventurous. I have not tried running a true DOS program under Win10, but Win95 was practically just a DOS shell, so maybe they'd work too if Win95 programs do.

 

[Stan]

That's what "they" would like you to think. Even though I must have bought at least a half dozen newer versions of Word/Excel/etc., I still use the versions I bought for Win95 with Win10. (Win95 was great...if only it had proper USB support, NT too...awkward when just about all peripherals used USB, eventually you needed new peripherals.) Of course it doesn't want to install etc. them, just like almost all the other perfectly functioning programs I bought in the days when they came on CD. But they almost certainly will install. How is something "I" need to be there to check for myself, but it's never difficult. I would go so far to say is Win10 is the most all-round compatible Windows yet, another thing I like about it. Not everything older I install under Win10 is that old, but that's about the oldest stuff, and it works excellently, so I used it as an example.

Hint: don't use the default installation method for the old programs. The "front" program usually checks some stuff then chokes on a new system it obviously can't understand. What you want to do is start by running the program that front program calls when it decides everything's OK. Or a fully manual installation for the adventurous. I have not tried running a true DOS program under Win10, but Win95 was practically just a DOS shell, so maybe they'd work too if Win95 programs do.

Ugh..... Mega computer nerd, 30+ years in IT, but eventually hit the burnout point.

Kind of like my TV. Just plug it in and deal with it. No fancy sound system, just the basics. Even my laptop, turn it on and it better work. No upgrades, no downloads, it's fine. Don't even own a smart-phone, absolutely refuse to follow the herd. Life goes on fine without one.

Lots of new hardware/software out there, but unless I'm absolutely forced to upgrade, not going to happen. No need to keep up with the Jones' and always have the latest/greatest stuff that's out there. Corporations are sucking up money from us over and over, I refuse to play the game.

 

[Tino]

What game? Don't you want to watch your tv shows in the best way possible? You get what you pay for.

What are you watching on again? A 20" CRT display? Wow.

 

[Stan]

What game? Don't you want to watch your tv shows in the best way possible? You get what you pay for.

What are you watching on again? A 20" CRT display? Wow.

Everything is fine, have a very nice 42" HDTV. I do however have the ancient 20" CRT in my bedroom from 1983, but it's just a back-up, usually just fall asleep watching an old Columbo episode

 

[Stan]

Low-power analog stations weren't affected by the digital mandate a few years ago, but a number of them have either switched to digital or gone off the air since then. We have just ONE remaining low-power analog station here that's been showing color bars for the past few weeks. Most of the standard-def digital channels (subchannels, that is) are horribly compressed and look worse than good analog pictures did.

Built up enough points on a credit card and got this cute little tiny TV, about the size of an old transistor radio. Could pick up all kinds of stations, had maybe a 2" x 2" screen. Just fun to use, way before smartphones. It was great when traveling, could pick up local stations, not stuck with whatever the hotel provided.

Sadly, maybe a year after I got it, everything went digital, the old analog devices died.

 

[Kevin Hewell]

I have a 27 inch Philips crt tv in my bedroom. It has a beautiful picture.

This is it.

https://www.ebay.com/p/Philips-27PT6441-27-CRT-Television/48205347

 

[CraigF]

I have a 27 inch Philips crt tv in my bedroom. It has a beautiful picture.

So do I. [Have the Philips 27" TV in the bedroom I mean, I myself don't have a beautiful picture.] I don't actually watch it, I mainly use it for when I need to access settings for AVR and music disc player.

And a really nice-looking Sony Trinitron "portable" from 1980 in the basement, old enough it only has RF input, so I have all the adapter gizmos needed over the years to get games and DVD into it...they work surprisingly well too, they're "newer" designs and work much better than the ones back in the day did.

 

[Tino]

In this day and age I find it hard to believe any 27" CRT has a "beautiful" image.

20 years ago perhaps but in this age of HD? Although Sentimentally and nostalgically beautiful I do believe.

 

[TJPC]

In this day and age I find it hard to believe any 27" CRT has a "beautiful" image.

20 years ago perhaps but in this age of HD? Although Sentimentally and nostalgically beautiful I do believe.

Don't forget that it is 27". That was large for its day. A picture on the 27" would look like crap blown up to today's sizes. That's why people switch to Blu ray. Take a thumbnail picture from the internet, and try blowing it up to 8 1/2 by 11.
If people were satisfied with 27" tvs, there would not even be a need for DVD let alone 4K.

 

[Mike Sulzle]

SD broadcast still exists, because there are still a lot of people out there with SD sets.

This, there are still millions if SD sets out there and advertisers need their ROI.
As usual, follow the money.
My cousin had her CRT until last year till it finally died, the picture was so bad it was unwatchable, but she refused to buy one if those new fangled flat screens until she had no choice.

 

[Thomas Newton]

In this day and age I find it hard to believe any 27" CRT has a "beautiful" image.

20 years ago perhaps but in this age of HD? Although Sentimentally and nostalgically beautiful I do believe.

There were some CRT-based HDTVs in sizes as large as 32 – 40 inches. They had mixed aspect ratios (some 4:3, some 16:9). I can believe that the best of those sets could match the picture quality of a LCD-based 1080p HDTV.