I needed a good laugh ---

[RJ Kanary]

Here's my $64,000.00 Question concerning this Next Big Thing,
I n
B and
O ver
C hannels.

Why does this technological boondoggle compare so poorly to the introduction of Color Telecasts in the Fifties & Sixties? Those who wished to attempt to enjoy this new technology could buy the equipment and find out that often NTSC stood for Never Twice Same Color............but at the same time, the folks that opted out could STILL use their old monochrome sets, virtually unaffected.

{BTW, my uncle was on the design team at Raytheon that conceived the last piece of the puzzle for compatable color......the chroma mod / demod scheme that was in use for fifty or so years.Industrial espionage netted Sarnoff and company that prize. }

With all the past experiences in design, engineering and application could no one see that this just wasn't going to work as advertised? And now that it obviously is having crippling effect on AM service, and HD receiver's aren't exactly flying off the shelves.........what does it take to step back from what's happening and reconsider?


Here in the Pittsburgh market we have a legacy 50KW blowtorch that's effective handcuffed at 35KW by this Next Big Thing.What am I missing here?

RJ

 

[Play Freebird]

With all the past experiences in design, engineering and application could no one see that this just wasn't going to work as advertised? And now that it obviously is having crippling effect on AM service, and HD receiver's aren't exactly flying off the shelves.........what does it take to step back from what's happening and reconsider?

Perhaps the radio industry needs to disassociate from NAB and form a new organization that isn't controlled by television interests.

If AM licensees could have access to now-vacant low-band TV spectrum and transmit digital signals there (preferably under an open standard like DRM+), we would avoid the entire AM IBOC interference mess, finally solve the daytimer/critical hours problem and other skywave-related issues, eliminate the need for multi-tower directional arrays (and the required maintenance and real estate), greatly increase building penetration, allow for single frequency networks to fill areas of poor coverage, migrate out of the naturally noisy medium wave band, and provide more reliable service to the public. In other words, actually SOLVE PROBLEMS rather than simply make the silly claim that "it's DIGITAL", so now we're all set to compete with the Internet, cell phones, iPods, satellite, etc.

This is the plan which should have been adopted in the beginning, but "Project ACORN" fooled too many overpaid radio group executives into believing digital signals would fit directly on top of analog in the same band without adverse effects.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

The latest commercial - they are comparing HD radio to HEAD LICE?! I thought I had heard wrong the first time, but I've heard it TWICE since then! No joke, I heard the HD radio promotion on KRBE Houston. It is supposedly promoting HD radio, and they really do compare it to head lice!

 

[Savage]

Good to see that the Alliance is finally getting something right.

 

[stormy01]

The latest commercial - they are comparing HD radio to HEAD LICE?! I thought I had heard wrong the first time, but I've heard it TWICE since then! No joke, I heard the HD radio promotion on KRBE Houston. It is supposedly promoting HD radio, and they really do compare it to head lice!

Couldn't locate the audio yet, however here's the script: http://www.hdradioalliance.com/spotsdb/final_q3_scripts_20090624.pdf

Here's some other Highly Dumb commercials: http://www.hdradioalliance.com/local_market_commercials/

 

[Savage]

Just when you think HD can't get any dumber, they surprise and amaze you yet AGAIN.

Un-freaking-believable.

It's like they're actually TRYING to drive away possible purchasers.

 

[KB1OKL]

Is someone actually getting paid to make these commercials?

 

[Silkie]

If you guys put half the effort into sane, sensible solutions to improve and market something that's out there so it isn't a complete waste, when tons of money has been spent on it, that you do on an HD board ripping HD radio, maybe something productive would happen.

Two words:

Muntz TV

 

[Savage]

Muntz was a brilliant marketer. Incredible success story. Believe me, he never ran commercials likening his TVs or car stereo cartridge tape (4 and 8-track) to breast implants or head lice.

 

[SUPERCASTER]

As the HD Alliance ads are so fond of saying, HD radio is like a "boob job" and "head lice".
HD radio sales and demand are sagging and the digital noise infestation is annoying.

 

[Silkie]

Muntz was a brilliant marketer. Incredible success story. Believe me, he never ran commercials likening his TVs or car stereo cartridge tape (4 and 8-track) to breast implants or head lice.

Brilliant marketeer, true; however, you couldn't get a signal around the block with all the tweaking he did to keep it cheap. Lose a capacitor here, snip a wire there, rig it all up like two tin cans and a string, and presto, you had real basic tv.

 

[Savage]

Muntz TVs worked pretty well in urban areas - as long as you didn't live too close to the transmitters, since the sets were prone to RF overloads. You're right - they were worthless in non city-grade signal areas. But they also sold for less, so there was a market-appropriate application.

Legend has it when TV was in its meteoric-growth stage in the late 40s and early 50s Earl "Madman" Muntz bought some name-brand TV, set it up and turned it on. He pulled the back and started pulling tubes while the TV was in operation. Much to his amazement the set would keep working; then he'd remove another tube or two. (Presumably he didn't try to pull the 1B3 or 2X2 HV rectifier or he would have become Earl "Deadman" Muntz.) When he got to a stage where the set would stop working, he's replace the tube to restore operation.

Then he called in technicians and told them to build a prototype with the minimum number of tubes that left the TV working. More or less.

 

[Silkie]

You might also say that Muntz TVs brought families closer together, literally gathered round so that they could see the fishbowl screens headon. We had one of those in Florida. Great for watching Sea Hunt.

 

[Chuck]

Muntz. "Yeah, that's how long it will work, a couple of months." That's a quote from my first employer who ran a TV shop in the 1960’s. Muntz made gutless wonders, but they were cheap by the standards of the day. He really did take an RCA 630 chassis and strip it down to see how many components could be removed before the set stopped working. Muntz had its place, but they were the harbinger of the "disposable electronics" we all know and love today.

Do we need more of that?

 

[KB1OKL]

Great read.

http://www.freeenterpriseland.com/MUNTZ.html