Upconverting dvd is not HD-DVD

[RoLleRKoaSTeR]

Strange calls to customer support:

I don't know how, but seems to be from the "geriatric" group theses days. I am starting to get more people putting HD-DVD discs into a "regular" dvd-player/recorder.

No, no, no... It is NOT an HD-DVD player

[Jadedcarguy]

Strange calls to customer support:

I don't know how, but seems to be from the "geriatric" group theses days. I am starting to get more people putting HD-DVD discs into a "regular" dvd-player/recorder.

No, no, no... It is NOT an HD-DVD player

I shudder whenever my grandparents attempt to use technology.

Case in point: I used to install satellite dishes. My grandparents decided they wanted to get dish. They called and set up an appointment to get the work done. Dish gets installed, and then the phone calls start. For three weeks I was the go to guy because they would get stuck in a menu, couldn't figure out the remote, put the TV on channel 4, turned off the receiver, unplugged the receiver, were trying to use the TV remote to change the satellite, and on and on. I love my grandparents, but damn I wish they would just RTFM.

[HawaiianShirts]

At least some people are attempting new technology. My mom's still afraid of the CD player.

It would be nice if the manufacturer's of these "next generation" DVDs would make some more obvious distinctions between the various discs. I still have dozens of customers who don't know the differences between CDs and DVDs, let alone Dual-Layer DVDs, R versus RW, or how HD-DVD and Blu-Ray fit into the mix.

Some think that HD-DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs are the same thing. It's been surprisingly hard to explain the difference to them. I know all this new technology can be confusing--it still throws me off from time to time--but I shouldn't have to explain such a simple concept twenty times to a person who claims to need a new computer for graduate school and is curious about the possibility of burning CDs.

[Jadedcarguy]

...............and is curious about the possibility of burning CDs.

You can do that?

[PCGameGuy]

You can do that?

Yes, but it smells really bad. I prefer oak.

[TryNotToBeThatOne]

dozens of customers who don't know the differences between CDs and DVDs, let alone Dual-Layer DVDs, R versus RW, or how HD-DVD and Blu-Ray fit into the mix.

If the customer is old enough, you can use analogies like 45 RPM & 78 RPM records; they're both records but they play reallllly differently. Or possibly, reel to reel versus cassette tape. They're both tapes, right? But they are completely different and unless you have a very unusual set up, you can't play them on the same machine.

[ebonyknight]

I shudder whenever my grandparents attempt to use technology.

Case in point: I used to install satellite dishes. My grandparents decided they wanted to get dish. They called and set up an appointment to get the work done. Dish gets installed, and then the phone calls start. For three weeks I was the go to guy because they would get stuck in a menu, couldn't figure out the remote, put the TV on channel 4, turned off the receiver, unplugged the receiver, were trying to use the TV remote to change the satellite, and on and on. I love my grandparents, but damn I wish they would just RTFM.

Just imagine your niece/nephew saying the same thing about you in 50 years.

[bigjimaz]

I'm rapidly approaching the elderly stage but I'd like to think of myself as being fairly up to date, technologically speaking. (my wardrobe is another matter) I get baffled a lot lately because of all the rapid changes in technology. DVD/HD-DVD, RAM/ROM, +- RW/-RW, 780p/1080i...it's hard to keep up as things change so fast. I went to Best Buy looking for a new HD TV. The guy bombarded me with all kinds of information that was useless in my mind. Do I want plasma or LCD, 1080i is better than 780p, resolution this and contrast that, do I need speakers because this model doesn't have them, but this one does, not to mention he said all this while practically running through the department and I had a hard time keeping up with him physically, not to mention informationally. There's a lot to process and us "old dogs" have a hard time learning new tricks.

[Jadedcarguy]

Just imagine your niece/nephew saying the same thing about you in 50 years.

They're welcome to it.

[rvdammit]

You can do that?

Lighter fluid + match

[Pagan]

If the customer is old enough, you can use analogies like 45 RPM & 78 RPM records; they're both records but they play reallllly differently. Or possibly, reel to reel versus cassette tape. They're both tapes, right? But they are completely different and unless you have a very unusual set up, you can't play them on the same machine.

Not to mention VHS and BetaMax. It's been a couple of years, but I actually saw some blank BetaMax cassettes at Target!

[Cyphr]

Ahh the betaMAX - The format that woulda won if the tapes weren't shorter and more expensive that VHS (not to mention the porno industry adopted VHS and basically sealed the deal...) btw where does laser disc fit into the time line (I'm 19 and haven't a clue)

[Imprl59]

Laserdisc were available from 1978 until 2000. Never did catch on very well in the US though I understand they were more accepted in Japan. A lot of folks still swear that Beta was a better format. Like you said tape cost and length were killers and the "No Porn" dictate from Sony killed it off.

Steve B.

[Broomjockey]

the "No Porn" dictate from Sony killed it off.

Also the refusal to licence it out to other companies. They don't seem to be making quite the same mistakes with Blu-ray this time, but it's still early.

[Mike Taylor]

I'm rapidly approaching the elderly stage but I'd like to think of myself as being fairly up to date, technologically speaking. (my wardrobe is another matter) I get baffled a lot lately because of all the rapid changes in technology. DVD/HD-DVD, RAM/ROM, +- RW/-RW, 780p/1080i...it's hard to keep up as things change so fast. I went to Best Buy looking for a new HD TV. The guy bombarded me with all kinds of information that was useless in my mind. Do I want plasma or LCD, 1080i is better than 780p, resolution this and contrast that, do I need speakers because this model doesn't have them, but this one does, not to mention he said all this while practically running through the department and I had a hard time keeping up with him physically, not to mention informationally. There's a lot to process and us "old dogs" have a hard time learning new tricks.

Plasma is best if your primary use is for watching movies in high definition. LCD works better for video gaming. The numbers 720p/1080i/1080p are the number of lines on your screen at any given second. "p" stands for progressive scan, which means you get the whole screen drawn at once. "i" stands for interlaced, in which the TV draws half the image and then the other half so fast that your eyes can't see it. Just as a point of reference, a regular U.S. television draws images at 480i. In short, the bigger the number, the better the picture quality.