From owner-freebsd-chat Wed Apr 9 00:33:35 1997 Return-Path: Received: (from root@localhost) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.8.5/8.8.5) id AAA03527 for chat-outgoing; Wed, 9 Apr 1997 00:33:35 -0700 (PDT) Received: from rah.star-gate.com (rah.star-gate.com [204.188.121.18]) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id AAA03513 for ; Wed, 9 Apr 1997 00:33:33 -0700 (PDT) Received: from rah.star-gate.com (localhost.star-gate.com [127.0.0.1]) by rah.star-gate.com (8.8.5/8.7.3) with ESMTP id AAA00421; Wed, 9 Apr 1997 00:33:19 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <199704090733.AAA00421@rah.star-gate.com> X-Mailer: exmh version 1.6.9 8/22/96 To: Michael Smith cc: chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: FW: Unix Gurus shift to Microsoft (fwd) In-reply-to: Your message of "Wed, 09 Apr 1997 14:42:50 +0930." <199704090512.OAA24420@genesis.atrad.adelaide.edu.au> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Date: Wed, 09 Apr 1997 00:33:19 -0700 From: Amancio Hasty Sender: owner-chat@freebsd.org X-Loop: FreeBSD.org Precedence: bulk >From The Desk Of Michael Smith : > Amancio Hasty stands accused of saying: > > May I ask what is so stupid about WebTv? > > You ask this of someone with a predisposition towards 19" screens with > .26 or better dot pitch? I've used computers that are designed for TV > output (I love playing Descent on projection TV's 8), and I'm not sure > which of the thought of trying to browse the web as it exists on a TV > screen or considering what it will become in order to be usable on a > TV revolts me more. Okay, so you are a snob or an "elite". Does that mean that your average person who doesn't know anything about PC should invest lets say $2000 to get a decent web browser -- at least in the US you got to take into consideration the age factor which means that many can't read the small fonts on a small 17 inch monitor. Not that WebTV is that great but it is a great tool to start getting familiar with PCs and the Internet and then if they have a clue or care for they can get a box with a "real" web browser. Besides, TVs are not that bad for watching mpeg or better yet mpeg II (dvd) --- Just went today to WinHec 97 and I saw some pretty amazing PC gear playing mpeg II at full tilt on SVGA Monitors, TVs or both ... I just think that PCs will just simply cannabilize TVs and it is going to be pretty hard to tell the difference. You see you are talking to someone who is used to watching TV (mind you on FreeBSD) with his PC. What I want do easily is just to watch mpeg flicks on my TV --- you know for that good old couch potatoe feeling. I have a VGA to an NTSC converter however I hope that soon I can get all the gear in a single card: mpeg encode/decode, ntsc out, 3d, 2d, sound , modem, etc... Yes there are such beasts coming up for Christmas with *all* that functionality. As to what is going to deliver the high resolution / tv , I honestly don't know ;however, I don't think that the big tv manufacturers are going to sit around idle to figure out what is going to happen next. About Decent , I don't mind my 17 inch monitor and PC with my $5000 stereo . Well, it feels earth shaking 8) Cheers, Amancio