new panasonic TV - soooo disapointed....

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#1337354 5-Jul-2015 17:12

stevenz: Even if you "only" have DVI, some sets (such as the Samsung unit in front of me) will have a HDMI port which will have a matched 3.5mm or 2xRCA input for the audio so you can run a DVI->HDMI cable for video and analog cable for audio.

It's about time monitor manufacturers stopped supporting VGA\RGB\D-SUB connectors as well. Ditching the usually sub-par analogue\digital conversion hardware required for the support of it is a good thing for all involved.

HDMI + CEC = much simpler setup and as mentioned above, much higher WAF.

That's a lot of people with legacy equipment who would look for another brand if you managed to persuade some one. There's still a lot of old kit around that is perfectly servicable (satellite decoders, PS2 consoles, Wii consoles ...... heck I even know a couple of people who still make use of VCRs). What's the big problem you have with manufacturers including some connectors for legacy kit?

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#1337357 5-Jul-2015 17:14

joker97: Wait Till you try and view sd content on a 4k tv

Actually, I thought that too. However, I recently had to replace my telly from 2008 when it died, and I went with a 4K set. To my surprise SD material (Sky box, DVD etc) looks significantly better than it did on the old panel. I think the upscaling engines have got a whole lot better.

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#1337359 5-Jul-2015 17:15

richms: Vga is hard to do well at 1080 we people all have smoothed fonts on which screw up with the locking onto the signal.

4 port hdmi switches are dirt cheap. Even 5 port ones are under $20. Not sure how cheap the vga ones you have been getting are. That will deal with your audio too. I have 5+ year old dinosaur laptops with hdmi on them, older ones had dvi which is just a cable or a converter plug away from hdmi.

The only reason VGA ports have persisted on portable computers so long is businesses and their cheapass projectors. But they are gone now. Best you can do on most PCs is a passive adapter into a DVI I port if so equipped. Worse you will need a cheap hdmi to vga active adapter. Worst is an overpriced mini display port to vga one.

The plug is large. It needs analog to digital converters that will be idle allways on most displays sold. It's a much larger plug making slim screens thicker.

I am glad to see the back of vga on digital displays. Taken 10 years to many to die tho. Now if only they didn't cheap out on only 1 HDMI 2.0 on so many displays. And how about some display port too?

I agree fully. Can't keep supporting old tech. If there are adaptor sthat allows the old tech support, fine But not default support

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#1337365 5-Jul-2015 17:25

richms:

4 port hdmi switches are dirt cheap. Even 5 port ones are under $20. Not sure how cheap the vga ones you have been getting are. That will deal with your audio too. I have 5+ year old dinosaur laptops with hdmi on them, older ones had dvi which is just a cable or a converter plug away from hdmi.

When I last looked into it (admittedly quite awhile ago), there did not seem to be much choice. Another problem for me is mixing HDMI with VGA. Yes, I can upgrade old display adapters but I can also just choose to go with VGA, which I did. At the time it seemed the cheapest and simplest solution. I am still happy with it, so not really motivated to change everything around. Nor do I want to have to. Legacy tech has a place and that is the point I am trying to make.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

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#1337370 5-Jul-2015 17:30

+1 for the quest for thinness killing the speakers. My 65" Viera's speakers aren't a patch on the much older 42" it replaced. Not an issue as I use external speakers, but a good example of not always newer is better in all respects.

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#1337393 5-Jul-2015 17:39

dafman: +1 for the quest for thinness killing the speakers. My 65" Viera's speakers aren't a patch on the much older 42" it replaced. Not an issue as I use external speakers, but a good example of not always newer is better in all respects.

I can see that. I use HT for audio. But your right. Why is thinner lighter always better? TV wise it makes no sense. It's on the cabinet or on the wall. Who really cares? Marketing does

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#1340824 10-Jul-2015 19:51

sbiddle:
joker97: Wait Till you try and view sd content on a 4k tv

As I sat watching an awesome 4K demo on a 85" TV yesterday I couldn't help but wonder what a low bitrate SD Sky channel would look like!

I wonder if George Lucas will release a 4k or 8k version of Star Wars

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#1340853 10-Jul-2015 20:16

If you can afford an 85" UHD TV, surely, you could afford a MySky subscription...

tangerz

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#1340900 10-Jul-2015 22:46

Dunnersfella: If you can afford an 85" UHD TV, surely, you could afford a MySky subscription...

Unfortunately still far too many low bitrate SD channels even with a MySky... ;-)

richms

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#1340921 10-Jul-2015 23:30

With how long it took them to get rid of 4:3, we are probably due for another 10 years of low bitrate SD.

Richard rich.ms

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#1340993 11-Jul-2015 09:24

Rikkitic:
richms:

4 port hdmi switches are dirt cheap. Even 5 port ones are under $20. Not sure how cheap the vga ones you have been getting are. That will deal with your audio too. I have 5+ year old dinosaur laptops with hdmi on them, older ones had dvi which is just a cable or a converter plug away from hdmi.

When I last looked into it (admittedly quite awhile ago), there did not seem to be much choice. Another problem for me is mixing HDMI with VGA. Yes, I can upgrade old display adapters but I can also just choose to go with VGA, which I did. At the time it seemed the cheapest and simplest solution. I am still happy with it, so not really motivated to change everything around. Nor do I want to have to. Legacy tech has a place and that is the point I am trying to make.

How much more are you prepared to pay to have legacy adapters? The TV market is a zero sum game - there are very few players making any money out of it and prices are continually being pushed down. Part of the price squeeze is legacy adapters. The TV manufacturers are more likely to sell a TV with a YouTube app than a VGA adapter so that's what they invest in providing.

There are generally more legacy ports on more expensive sets, but the type of user who is clinging on to their vga connection often isn't willing to pay for a higher end set.

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Dunnersfella

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#1340994 11-Jul-2015 09:26

Handle9:
There are generally more legacy ports on more expensive sets, but the type of user who is clinging on to their vga connection often isn't willing to pay for a higher end set.

This.

Rikkitic

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#1341092 11-Jul-2015 12:28

Agree. Good point.

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tdgeek

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#1341094 11-Jul-2015 12:30

Dunnersfella:
Handle9:
There are generally more legacy ports on more expensive sets, but the type of user who is clinging on to their vga connection often isn't willing to pay for a higher end set.

This.

And you'd expect the purchaser of a high end telly, will have other gear that is modern enough to be HDMI

JimmyH

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#1341146 11-Jul-2015 15:08

I am actually surprised that no one has trued to cater for that market by releasing an box with a ton of legacy ports in (multiple composite, component, VGA), a remote control, and HDMI out.

There's probably a good market for that. Not all of which is cheap-ass people with old equipment. Some will be gamin enthusiasts who want to keep old kit connected. Plus, for instance, I know businesses that still spec VGA for new displays/projectors in conference rooms, to ensure that anyone who turns up with a laptop etc for a presentation can deliver it. People in both of these markets would presumably pay a reasonable sum for a solution, and I would have thought there was enough for a niche.

(And yes, I know there are individual converters available, but one that added the lot, plus a couple of extra HDMI ports for good measure, would be quite useful. I also know done HT amps will do this, but I'm talking abut a straight all-in-one converter box).

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