XPost: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com
On 10/25/25 08:54, Paul S Person wrote:
> On Fri, 24 Oct 2025 09:43:07 -0700, Bobbie Sellers
> wrote:
>
>> On 10/24/25 09:27, Paul S Person wrote:
>
>
>
>>> And this presumes that /Consumer Reports/ took the appropriate steps
>>> when I wrote into them about their first DVD player article. This had
>>> two problems:
>>>
>>> 1. It complained that it could not record, thus showing that the
>>> Consumer's Union believed each and every one of its members was in
>>> intentional and frequent violation of the copyright laws by recording
>>> over-the-air programming. IOW, it thought we were all thieves.
>>> 2. It asserted that P&S (pan-and-scan) films were for older 4:3 TVs,
>>> while LB (letterboxed) films were for 16:9 HDTVs.
>>
>>
>> No they though we were all time shifters i.e. watching shows after
>> the broadcast time. I used to do that but i figured out eventually I could
>> never find enough time to watch all the interesting sounding stuff.
>
> So did I, but I never fooled myself that I wasn't violating the
> Copyright Law. Or did the Courts rule this to be Reasonable Use?
I think they did back when the SCOUSA had somewhat reasonable members.
> Recording the whole program, with commercials (presumably), to be seen
> again later again and again and again if one wanted to?
>
> I had some hard-to-find movies on such tapes for some time before
> replacing them. I think they all came out on VHS, but any that did not
> were replaced with DVDs when they came out on DVD.
On VHS I had the Perry Mason movies from the 1930s.>
> OTOH, for a while I recorded six hours starting at midnight every
> Sunday. I did this because Dr Who would appear at some point in that
> timeframe. When it appeared varied because it depended on how many
> infomercials they had been able to sell air time to and when the
> owners of those wanted them to be seen.
I was luckier with Dr.Who which was on local PBS channel 54 back in the
day. I had horrible reception. 54 was located in the Southern Bay Area
to provide
the entertainment the engineers and engineers to be required. I got
into anime
because the Who program followed a hour or so of Japanese animation.>
>>> I wrote them a letter covering the first point and pointing out that
>>> letterboxing was not done to fit the screen, but rather to satisfy the
>>> market for films that were actually all there instead of being cut off
>>> on the sides. I, myself, replaced many P&S VHS films with LB VHS films
>>> (and then with LB DVDs) because I only buy films I really want to see,
>>> and I really want to see the entire film, not just the "important"
>>> bits P&S presents. This included an essay on aspect ratios which I
>>> will spare you all.
>>>
>>> I also suggested they find someone who actually understood this stuff
>>> to do the tests/reviews in the future.
>>>
>>> So it is possible that they did, in fact, find people who had at least
>>> some idea of what was going on and the review of TVs able to play
>>> "3d" (stereoscopic) films without special glasses was written by them.
>>> And the claim that the reduced resolution actually mattered when "3d"
>>> (stereoscopic) films were watched may have been based on actual
>>> comparison testing and not just "the resolution is halved, that /must/
>>> be a problem" thinking.
>
> I should have pointed out that this would been in the late 90s/early
> 00s, as I stop subscribing to /Consumer Reports/ after they insisted
> on limited online access without additional payment, would not
> consider a higher subscription price which would include the web-site,
> and, oh yes, started treating us as "customers" with "accounts"
> instead of Members of the Consumer's Union.
>
> My last annual issue (a summary of the preceding year, and a
> convenient reference as it was a PB book not a magazine issue) was 2/3
> the size of the year before, and mostly descriptive articles as
> opposed to articles with ratings. To get the ratings, you had to go
> online. And pay extra.
>
>> Personally I am happy with a decent HD screen on the TV but lately as the
>> weather undergoes changes I am lucky to have one good channel out of
>> over 50.
>
> It sounds like you are using an antenna. How quaint.
How economical.>
> Have you considered using a computer and a web browser? Several offer
> TV shows, organized in channels with fixed start times. I just checked
> Plex and it does, so other free streaming services probably do as
> well. Not 50 channels, perhaps, but then not mostly in a language you
> don't understand or religious (unless you choose that category)
> either.
I try to watch only certain shows from online sources as I prefer my 32" TV
screen for most things. I watch the PBS News Hour, BBC, DW, and TOH. On
another PBS channel I watch France 24.
>
> Judging from the films I have occasionally streamed from them, there
> are lots of ads. But what is TV without advertising?
Much more expensive.>
> I long ago realized that (at least at that time) the advertisements
> often had higher production values and were more entertaining than the
> programs, after all.
Some are at least when they start out. After i have seen enough of an
Advertisement on TV I just shut my eyes or start reading.
Speaking of reading I have something else to post.
bliss
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
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