The falling price of a TV set • Hacker News Board

Re: The falling price of a TV set

#101

Post by mirimir » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 6:24 AM UTC

pmiller2 wrote: post #50

eikenberry wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No worries with sound. There are plenty of audio enthusiasts that will have nothing to do with a system like this and there will always be plenty of options because of them.

I know this isn't your central point, but you should know that a speaker can be used as a microphone, and vice versa. Granted, a speaker won't be a very good microphone, but it is possible one could design an exploit that uses this capability to record audio and send the results off to who knows where.

I doubt that anyone can listen through my old JBLs. Totally analog, back to the preamp input.

Re: The falling price of a TV set

#102

Post by zzo38computer » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 6:27 AM UTC

shmerl wrote: post #79

I'm waiting for HDMI cartel (run by major TV makers) to stop poisoning devices with HDMI. Time to adopt DisplayPort everywhere.

I don't like HDMI either, but I want Digi-RGB + analog audio + IMIDI (each on a separate cable).

Still, stuff such as DisplayPort is at least better than HDMI, I suppose.

Re: The falling price of a TV set

#103

Post by jquery » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 6:31 AM UTC

tbyehl wrote: post #96

seltzered_ wrote: post #72

If you look at a chart of TV prices over 50-80 years, this has always been a trend [1]. Institutes using this as an argument for declining poverty are missing the point that while most goods have gone down in cost over the years, services (childcare) and things of value (education) have gone up substantially [2]. [1]: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-the-incredib... [2]: Elizabeth Warren's classic "Twi…

What sucks is that the cycle of falling prices and models being replaced is so fast that they become not worth repairing -- or impossible to repair -- within a few years. I trashed an otherwise perfectly good 4-5 y/o 49" television last year because something on the IR receiver board failed. What leads I could find for a replacement board (a) had them listed around 50% of what a comparable replacement television cost…

TVs keep getting so much cheaper so fast, I keep putting off purchasing a new one. I still have a 9-years-old 640p(ish) 42-inch TV mainly used to rotate through my photo collection. It's still "good enough" and I don't watch that much TV on the big screen anyway, although once my daughter gets older I'll probably finally bite the bullet and get a modern, high end TV.

If I want to watch something with high resolution and good color accuracy, my iPad has been fulfilling my needs just fine. Feels surprising to say that, considering a few years ago I was poo-pooing the iPad and people who watched tv/movies on them.

Re: The falling price of a TV set

#104

Post by habosa » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 6:41 AM UTC

Ok here's a question: why do I care? Watching TV has always been an experience with ads in it. Netflix is going to know what I watch no matter what device I use. In fact, my TV is probably the most private way for me to watch a streaming service since it knows basically nothing else about me. So I got a beautiful TV for an affordable price and the manufacturer made some more money on ads in a way that I have not noticed. I'm cool with this trade.

Re: The falling price of a TV set

#105

Post by kube-system » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 6:43 AM UTC

gruez wrote: post #62

>With less demand for actual TVs, there’s less reason for manufacturers to price them even more highly. I don't buy this reasoning. Tablets and phones supposedly replaced laptops and desktops (or so I've heard), yet the prices for those hasn't really budged in the past couple of decades. >But the most interesting and telling reason for why TVs are now so cheap is because TV manufacturers have found a new revenue stre…

An entry level laptop was still ~$1000 two decades ago.

https://mobile.twitter.com/akpix/status/551801976267485186

Re: The falling price of a TV set

#106

Post by shmerl » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 6:44 AM UTC

zzo38computer wrote: post #102

shmerl wrote: post #79

I'm waiting for HDMI cartel (run by major TV makers) to stop poisoning devices with HDMI. Time to adopt DisplayPort everywhere.

I don't like HDMI either, but I want Digi-RGB + analog audio + IMIDI (each on a separate cable). Still, stuff such as DisplayPort is at least better than HDMI, I suppose.

I suppose something even more advanced like USB4 can bundle it all if needed.

Re: The falling price of a TV set

#107

Post by Danieru » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 6:45 AM UTC

dehrmann wrote: post #80

saagarjha wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That link has your ZIP in it, if you weren’t aware.

I like to use 10001 for this. It's valid, populated, easy to remember, and not 90210.

Oh that is a good one. Thank you for that. As an over seas person I otherwise just search for a company's own american zip code and give it back to them since surely their employees are using it as well and it must be valid.

Re: The falling price of a TV set

#108

Post by bsanr2 » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 6:49 AM UTC

wincy wrote: post #83

seltzered_ wrote: post #72

If you look at a chart of TV prices over 50-80 years, this has always been a trend [1]. Institutes using this as an argument for declining poverty are missing the point that while most goods have gone down in cost over the years, services (childcare) and things of value (education) have gone up substantially [2]. [1]: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-the-incredib... [2]: Elizabeth Warren's classic "Twi…

But how much cheaper is it to learn a profitable skill? In the 1980s I’d have had a much harder time learning to code. I learned essentially for free. A traditional, hand holding education is more expensive, but information is virtually free.

The problem today isn't access to information, it's access to time and focus. Because wages are so low and basic costs so high, it is very difficult for people who didn't manage to stay on the 1st-class career track to make way for development without jeopardizing their health, well-being, or job in the immediate future.

Re: The falling price of a TV set

#109

Post by zzo38computer » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 6:58 AM UTC

shmerl wrote: post #106

zzo38computer wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't like HDMI either, but I want Digi-RGB + analog audio + IMIDI (each on a separate cable). Still, stuff such as DisplayPort is at least better than HDMI, I suppose.

I suppose something even more advanced like USB4 can bundle it all if needed.

My own idea is to define a standard arrangement of the connectors, and allow the cables to be clipped together; the user can then clip or unclip them if wanted. That way you have the advantages of both: having separated cables, and having all stuff in one cable.

Re: The falling price of a TV set

#110

Post by pabs3 » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 6:59 AM UTC

dehrmann wrote: post #81

> If you buy a new TV today, you’re most likely buying a “smart” TV with software from either the manufacturer itself or a third-party company like Roku. The cut of the advertising revenue from those pre-installed video channels is big business for actual TV makers, as is the business of selling user viewing data and other information to marketers. Is there a good open source smart tv firmware?

There is one for Samsung TVs:

https://www.samygo.tv/