Why I hate HD TVs

"No, I don't thank you for the fish at all" (notindetroit)
08/16/2014 at 23:18 • Filed to: None

They take 15 seconds to go from button push to actual picture on screen, which yes is an eternity to me (#firstworldproblems). The old CRT sets at least started up more or less right away. I really don't understand why it takes so long for a modern TV to start up, unless it's just indicative that I've got a really, really old model flatscreen (#cheapbastard).

Also, these Xfinity remotes are junk. I can press the damn thing right up to the IR receiver and it still won't do a damn thing.

DISCUSSION (22)

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all
08/16/2014 at 23:24

I've noticed start up time depends on brand. The Vizio in out living room takes about 10 seconds, the no-name-brand in our basement takes about 15, and the Sony Bravia in my room takes about 5.

Jayhawk Jake > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all
08/16/2014 at 23:24

My computer is hooked up to my TV through my receiver. If I hit the button to turn on the receiver and tv and then hit the power button on the PC the PC is booted before the TV is ready. #ssdsrule

Nibby > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all
08/16/2014 at 23:25

Our Pioneer is 8 years old and takes 3-5 seconds to turn on.

GhostZ > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all
08/16/2014 at 23:25

Most HD TVs don't have this problem,but lower end and older ones do. The problem gets worse the larger the screen is. Plasma TVs also sometimes require warming up. LCDs aren't so bad. The hotter your TV is / more sunlight on it, the worse.

Also, check the source and the cable. That's a huge thing with HDTVs. Those 15 seconds of lag is probably more likely from the cable box. Make sure you're also using high quality HDMI cables, because junk/cheap ones (and the ones Comcast gives you, trust me, I know) take forever to initialize.

Unlike a CRT, HD tvs have to send a "handshake" signal to verify what the content should be played in. Every time you change the resolution (480, 720, 1080, widescreen 4:3, etc.) it has to send this signal. If you're using a shitty cable box, it likely takes forever for it to cycle through and figure out which resolution to dispaly. If you're using a shitty cable, sometimes that signal isn't strong enough (and older cables don't work on newer TVs, because the standards are slightly different).

I've been playing HD content from an old PS3 since they came out, on a variety of TVs (including one old HD TV that was literally one of hte first commercially available 1080p TVs. It was a CRT that displayed HD quality. Yeah. That also meant it weighed 450 lbs and messed with cell phone signals if you were standing too close to it. I learned very quickly that HD cannot be treated like SD, and the source box and cable both matter a lot.

What's your setup right now? What cables are you using with what components? If you have extra inputs, I would strongly advise plugging directly into the TV rather than routing through a cable box.

And fuck Comcast remotes. Damn them to hell!

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all
08/16/2014 at 23:29

don't replace it with a harmony. I fucking hate this remote. The delay between but click and response is forever, accidentally hit "watch a movie" and everything is screwed up. Tv times out and shuts off- fuck it, remote doesn't understand that.

*watch tv* something doesn't turn on *help* did that fix the problem? *no* repeat. FuckitIlldoitmyself!

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > GhostZ
08/16/2014 at 23:30

Also, Energy Star certified TV's are a bit slower, to "conserve" energy.

GhostZ > Jayhawk Jake
08/16/2014 at 23:31

I wonder if a USB 2.0 SSD would write faster than an internal SATA HD....

I'm seriously considering booting and running Linux from a USB SSD I have and keeping the main computer on windows. That way I could have an entire secret computer stored on my SSD partition. But the problem is if USB 2.0 is too slow to be able to run more than a very lite group of applications (no photoshop). Hm.

All Motor Is Best Motor > GhostZ
08/16/2014 at 23:33

Those old CRT HD TVs actually had great picture. They were better than the early LCD HDTV's. Jay Leno is right when he said "the last days of old technology are better than the first days of new technology."

GhostZ > All Motor Is Best Motor
08/16/2014 at 23:42

Not this one. It was also over 10 years old and eventually died altogether. But I'm sure a nicer/in better shape CRT HD TV in its prime wasn't bad at all. They were just so goddamn heavy . No TV should weigh more than a couch.

It was a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. That's was it was. A Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham of a TV.

mcseanerson > Jayhawk Jake
08/16/2014 at 23:56

Ditto. My PC is too fast now.

mcseanerson > GhostZ
08/16/2014 at 23:58

SSD over USB would be a waste unless it's USB 3.0. I have a portable 2.5" drive that's 7200 rpm and USB 2.0 and they match speed pretty well.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all
08/17/2014 at 00:08

I can't stand CRTs though because of the high frequency they generate when you turn them on 'cause I still have sensitive ears.

PatBateman > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all
08/17/2014 at 00:16

Most likely, the flux capacitor is taking too long to heat up the cable box fluid. The best way to remedy this is to call your cable provider and request a technician to change the fluid.

Pro tip: Ask them for synthetic.

All Motor Is Best Motor > GhostZ
08/17/2014 at 00:41

Well CRT TV picture gets worse over the years so that's probably the issue.

GhostZ > All Motor Is Best Motor
08/17/2014 at 00:43

It finally died and needed to be junked. Thankfully, it wasn't mine (it was in an apartment with other people) and I moved out shortly afterwards, so I didn't have to deal with lugging it's 450lb weight down 2 flights of stairs and out to the dump/recycling.

All Motor Is Best Motor > GhostZ
08/17/2014 at 00:45

I recently had to move a 300+ lb Sony CTR down a flight of stairs and into the back of a car so it could be recycled. I started with one TV and ended up with many smaller parts of a TV.

GhostZ > All Motor Is Best Motor
08/17/2014 at 00:47

Reminds me of this:

EDIT: Aw. It's censored. That makes me sad.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/17/2014 at 01:04

Yep the vizio lcd my parents have is the slowest tv in the history of the world. I have a panasonic plasma that is extremely fast.

To the op: You are saying that all hdtv's are slow because of your vast experience with ONE set? Come on man. Also, this isn't twitter (#stophashtagingitsreallyirritating).

Hirsch > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all
08/17/2014 at 09:36

You're obviously too young to remember having to wait for the tubes to warm up in TV's from the 70's and 80's. If 15 seconds is a long time to you, you're going to have some very disappointed sexual partners during your life...

Saf1 > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all
08/17/2014 at 09:44

Well I'll gladly trade you my CRT for your HD screen, I can finally play games the way they're meant to look in 15s (and it's beyond explanation just how much more engrossing it feels) and you can enjoy squinting at text, immediately :)

BansheeNornForgotHisBurnerKey > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/17/2014 at 09:51

ditto. Our Bravia and LG does take just a few seconds to come on while some brands like DeVant (it'a Philippine brand) takes ages compared to it.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all
08/17/2014 at 12:43

My mom's Vizio and my dad's LG are like that. Push the power button, wonder if the TV actually turned on, end up pushing the button several more times and jinxing it. Ugh.