This is different from the old man angry at change meme. The change isn’t the problem; personally I like change and seeing evolutionary and revolutionary improvements.
The problem is that so many of these changes are for the benefit of the corporations involved in the product at the expense of anyone who ends up using it or is near enough to be affected collaterally.
The idea of a smart TV is nice. Except they put the underpowered hardware in it that struggles to display a menu. Maybe because of all the data it is gathering and sending home or the time it spends making sure the latest ads are downloaded.
Smart appliances are also a nice idea. Except most just want to connect to some proprietary web service so they can middle man every interaction to sell your data or a subscription.
A smart car also sounds cool. Except they are also designed to just make more money either via more expensive repairs, possibly even forced to go through a manufacturer approved mechanic because they use security features to protect them from competition, or by the usual selling your data and ads. Oh and also they can save money by sticking a bunch of controls into the software and not needing to make physical buttons. Also they save even more by also using underpowered hardware and probably not even bothering with UX design. Maybe even deliberately because bad experiences can be upsellers. Oh they also want to sell subscriptions to whatever they can, including to things that don’t even benefit from going through their services.
That’s just a commercial display. Most commercial displays don’t have an OS and require a separate device for showing video like an Nvidia Shield, PC, etc.
Is DVI completely out of the picture? I hate the connector, but I’ve had a lot of issues with DP, mainly around Linux support and multi-monitor setups.
I was kinda hoping USB-C/4/Thunderbolt would step into this space and normalize chaining and small connectors, but all of those monitors are stupidly expensive.
DVI isn’t capable of the bandwidth needed for higher resolutions. Even dual link maxes at about 8 Gbps and 2560x1600 @ 60Hz. This new HDMI spec is 96 Gbps for reference.
Ironically though HDMI is pin compatible with DVI and you could output HDMI to a DVI monitor with just a simple HDMI to DVI cable, or vice versa. I know a lot of people who like DP bit in order to convert you need active circuitry and that can impact quality if you don’t have native DP on both ends.
I was going to ask, but I just looked it up: it looks as if USB-4 has enough bandwidth to drive dual 4k monitors at 120Hz (and docks exist that support this).
USB4 uses something called DP-Alt where it’s actually DisplayPort over USB exactly what you’re looking for. I have a portable USB-C monitor that runs powered and video over a single connection
I also find USB to be limiting when it comes to range. I can go about 50 feet with a nice thick HDMI with copper wiring, but any further than 20 feet on USB necessitates fiber optics. Not an issue for everyone, but something I have been running into.
That’s one I hadn’t encountered. At those distances I start contemplating wireless solutions.
Got myself a nice outdoor POE camera, a bunch of appropriate CAT and power adapter… and then realized that since the previous owners had put in a sheet-rock ceiling (not complaining; drop ceilings make me fell like I’m living in a warehouse), I had no easy way to run the ethernet all the way crosswise across the house from where the switch was to where I wanted the camera. I’d been thinking since the utility room wasn’t finished I’d figure a way to thread it with a flashlight and a “step 3: ???”. The moral is that running long wires is not my favorite thing.
My next TV purchase will be based on which models have Display Port.
…And which don’t have smart features, but that’s a given.
No TVs have DP, and the largest monitors you can find now are below 55". I wish you luck.
That’s going to be harder and harder to find.
Sounds like a growing market to me…
The transformation into crochety old man is complete. This AI being shoehorned into everything can get off my damn lawn too.
This is different from the old man angry at change meme. The change isn’t the problem; personally I like change and seeing evolutionary and revolutionary improvements.
The problem is that so many of these changes are for the benefit of the corporations involved in the product at the expense of anyone who ends up using it or is near enough to be affected collaterally.
The idea of a smart TV is nice. Except they put the underpowered hardware in it that struggles to display a menu. Maybe because of all the data it is gathering and sending home or the time it spends making sure the latest ads are downloaded.
Smart appliances are also a nice idea. Except most just want to connect to some proprietary web service so they can middle man every interaction to sell your data or a subscription.
A smart car also sounds cool. Except they are also designed to just make more money either via more expensive repairs, possibly even forced to go through a manufacturer approved mechanic because they use security features to protect them from competition, or by the usual selling your data and ads. Oh and also they can save money by sticking a bunch of controls into the software and not needing to make physical buttons. Also they save even more by also using underpowered hardware and probably not even bothering with UX design. Maybe even deliberately because bad experiences can be upsellers. Oh they also want to sell subscriptions to whatever they can, including to things that don’t even benefit from going through their services.
It’s all just rent seeking.
I got a new Android TV for offline use. Most people say you get an OK experience if you don’t connect the TV into a network.
The biggest remaining annoyance is that it takes 45 seconds to cold-start. Almost as if it’s booting an OS desgined for a phone or something.
Dang. No way to jump straight to input mode? Probably not without a soldering iron.
That’s just a commercial display. Most commercial displays don’t have an OS and require a separate device for showing video like an Nvidia Shield, PC, etc.
The keyword is digital signage display/television.
Is DVI completely out of the picture? I hate the connector, but I’ve had a lot of issues with DP, mainly around Linux support and multi-monitor setups.
I was kinda hoping USB-C/4/Thunderbolt would step into this space and normalize chaining and small connectors, but all of those monitors are stupidly expensive.
The only problems I’ve had with DP are when I have to put it through an adapter to turn it into HDMI for a display that didn’t have DP input.
Video over USB-C just ends up being Display Port, doesn’t it? I guess it depends on the subtype of USB.
I guess? Protocol vs connector always throws me a little.
DVI isn’t capable of the bandwidth needed for higher resolutions. Even dual link maxes at about 8 Gbps and 2560x1600 @ 60Hz. This new HDMI spec is 96 Gbps for reference.
Ironically though HDMI is pin compatible with DVI and you could output HDMI to a DVI monitor with just a simple HDMI to DVI cable, or vice versa. I know a lot of people who like DP bit in order to convert you need active circuitry and that can impact quality if you don’t have native DP on both ends.
I was going to ask, but I just looked it up: it looks as if USB-4 has enough bandwidth to drive dual 4k monitors at 120Hz (and docks exist that support this).
USB4 uses something called DP-Alt where it’s actually DisplayPort over USB exactly what you’re looking for. I have a portable USB-C monitor that runs powered and video over a single connection
I also find USB to be limiting when it comes to range. I can go about 50 feet with a nice thick HDMI with copper wiring, but any further than 20 feet on USB necessitates fiber optics. Not an issue for everyone, but something I have been running into.
That’s one I hadn’t encountered. At those distances I start contemplating wireless solutions.
Got myself a nice outdoor POE camera, a bunch of appropriate CAT and power adapter… and then realized that since the previous owners had put in a sheet-rock ceiling (not complaining; drop ceilings make me fell like I’m living in a warehouse), I had no easy way to run the ethernet all the way crosswise across the house from where the switch was to where I wanted the camera. I’d been thinking since the utility room wasn’t finished I’d figure a way to thread it with a flashlight and a “step 3: ???”. The moral is that running long wires is not my favorite thing.
Mine would be as well, but tbh I don’t love the kodi UI. At least I didn’t a few years ago when I tried it.
Maybe Nvidia will drop a new shield with DP support, but not going to hold my breath on that