CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

ecrabb · Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:38 pm Post subject:

Curt,

Here's a Word doc with the revised graphics, and also all the GIF's zipped up for Kal.

I was trying to figure out where to put 9kids' suggestion (I think it's a good one, and there will undoubtedly be an ever-increasing number of people buying and using HDMI-switching receivers)... Could decide where it should go, and in the process I decided it might be good to build a figure that showed three configs: all digital, mixed, and all analog - kind of a compare/contrast thing. I thought it would be good as a "Figure 4" and labeled it as such, but you can put it wherever you'd like. Wink

I found a couple of other issues and fixed them. Lemme know if you find anything else.

SC

**kal** · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:36 am Post subject:

Curt: So is this document done now? Can I move it to the main site and "HTML" -ize it?

Kal

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 3:31 am Post subject:

Yes please.. Smile

**kal** · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 4:46 am Post subject:

Consider it done!

(Speaking of which, you're due for another newsletter.... you could focus on this new update!)

Kal

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX

I doubt I'll have time to work on the Word doc (since I've supposed to have been writing this for a year). However, I did get to the outline stage. In thinking of it, I think you must position the decision of which to do as a cost/desired resolution one. So, I think you need a couple discussions:
1) A good resolution discussion.
2) A detailed refresh rate discussion.
3) The options, their trade offs, and relative cost.

This way, you give everyone the info they need to make the decision since they know why they would choose one thing over another.

**kal** · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:01 pm Post subject:

I have to agree with Dave. While the document is useful I think it ends up people asking even more questions. Unless that's what you want Curt as then people end up calling you and you sell them a new projector. Smile

Kal

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX

Oh, and one critique of what is in the document the whole DVI and HDMI being equivalent on the video side is incorrect. They are functionally equivalent today because nothing takes advantage of the extra video features of HDMI today, but maybe they will tomorrow. Smile

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:09 pm Post subject:

Have at it, as for writing it.. Smile

Dave, you're the resolution/tweaker expert around here, you're a far better guy to write such an article.

Part of the problem with expanding the website is based on what little time I have available vs can it generate me some income? Putting up tech info allows people to self diagnose in order to send me parts, and since that's taking up 60 hours a week or so, I rarely have the time to deal with source/resolution issues. Heck, I've even had to change my autoreply to tell people that I simply cannot answer third party item questions, I get about 10 a day of those.

See your other thread re dropping profitability <grin>

Post part of what you write here, so others can critique and add. THen Kal can post it on the site.

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 6:38 pm Post subject:

In THEORY your points are valid. In REALITY they don't hold up. I swear, 20% of my time answering emails is directing people to the right area of my website for answers to their questions that are already there.. People are inherently lazy, and don't want to look through a large site themselves.

If someone here wants to write it to contribute, great. It won't be coming out from me for a long time, as I'm still only at about 20% of technical output from my brain to the site.

garyfritz · Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 12088 Location: Fort Collins, CO

If you're spending that much time sending people to the right section of the site, maybe you need a huge fluorescent red flashing bouncing "READ THIS STUPID" type of link on each & every page, which leads to a "here's where you find all the answers" guide page?

**kal** · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 8:18 pm Post subject:

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX

Clarence · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 9:07 pm Post subject:

I like these graphics:
http://www.etherealhometheater.com/hookup.aspx

They could easily be cut/paste modified to include a transcoder, BNCs, HDFury, then scalers, switchers, etc.

**kal** · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 9:11 pm Post subject:

Hey Curt, I'm confused.

Right now in the CRT Primer pages 17-20 (inclusive) cover a whole pile of this stuff already.
Here's page 17: http://www.curtpalme.com/CRTPrimer_17.shtm

I thought you were taking those pages and updating them. But you didn't. Instead you kind of started over and created a whole new set of information from a slighly different angle, which includes a lot of overlap. There's stuff in your new document that isn't already on pages 17-20, and vice versa.

So I don't want to just replace pages 17-20 with your new stuff, nor can I really tack on the new stuff to the CRT primer as there's tons of repeat. I'm confused as to what to do here. How did you envision this fitting in?

Kal

**kal** · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 9:26 pm Post subject:

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 9:41 pm Post subject:

Yeah, I kinda cheaped out. I figured we'd keep the pages as is on the FAQ, but then do an 'applications' area (as per the new writeup).

The reason I duplicated the source type of signals is again due to people being lazy. How much you wanna bet when we announce that there's a website FAQ update that they'll bypass the main FAQ, then bombard me with questions? I figure a quick duplication isn't abig deal.

As for the rest, check out another quote that came in on an email that I got while typing this. Very funny and ironic:

In reference to your latest news mail I got an NEC PG9 with switcher so you could send me some info on the comparable card for mine. I know its all at your wonderful website. But I'm kind of lazy. It wouldn't take much persuasion for me to fork over the bucks for an NEC HDMI card.

Thumbs Up

Since profits are down somewhat, I do limit myself in what emails I answer. Just got an email from someone else whose repair just came in via mail last night. Today I got the email: "I saw you got my box yesterday, what's the scoop?"

I just ignore those now, unless there's some spefiic delay why I can't turn something around within a week or so.

Ditto for the third party stuff, etc. (yes, I will update the auto reply Kal!.. Smile

)

Someone in sales yesterday from a supplier said something to me: [b]It's only customer service when they become a customer.[/b]

That's pretty profound, and yes, I could tell people: Paypal me $25 to assist in troubleshooting, then we'll get started, but I think that would be a pretty negative way to introduce myself to people that find me through the website or through eBay. I do have a pretty good return ratio on inquiries vs parts/service/CRT sales. Still, no question that most repair shops that deal with consumer electronics have either a minimum charge, or charge some fee up front when you drop the unit off.

For now, things are fine, but I do need to watch the bottom line more than ever before. I don't want this site to turn into.. www.crt.... Buehller? Buehller?....com. Shocked

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 9:48 pm Post subject:

Buahhaahaha, Kal, you posted the same example, and I didn't know you received that email... that was funny!

**kal** · Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 5:21 pm Post subject:

Ok, I think I'm going to try and merge the stuff together or replace what's on pages 17-20 for the most part. Most of the stuff on pages 19/20 is old and useless.

I'll put a link right from the front page to this section however as it's what people want to see.

SC: There's an error in figure4.gif - the top setup shouldn't have the "HDMI/DVI to RGB Converter" in the picture as it's installed in the CRT projector directly.

Do you mind including the original files as well so that I can make changes easily if I need to? Thanks!

Kal

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX