Re: DTV antennas?

On Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:37:55 -0700, "Joel Koltner"
<zapwireDASHgroups@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"Jeff Liebermann" <jeffl@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:31hp74l8spkasv6poo3g5eh8japf4tp48t@xxxxxxxxxx
Actually,
that does tend to be a problem as it adds yet another IR remote
control. (I have 5 on the table).

I don't have a specific model for you, but I do recall reading the manual for
at least one converter box that claimed it used "common" remote control
signals that "any universal remote" would likely already have preprogrammed.

Yep. That saves the cost of supplying a remote control.

You seem like you might be the kind of guy who'd have one of those really
fancy unviersal remotes with an LCD, USB connectivity, etc. anyway? :-)

That was last year. This year, I'm into downsizing, simplification,
and de-trashing the house.
<http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/pics/home/slides/LivingRoom01.html>
The number of boxes in the 19" racks and on the "home entertainment"
pile has grown since I took that picture.

I do have a Radio Shock universal remote control buried somewhere in a
box. I bought it because it would run some obscure C band satellite
receiver I found at a thrift shop. However, for running the TV, I
have several Windoze Mobile PDA's setup with IR remote software. I
also have a home made IR repeater in an other room. The big advantage
is that I can setup the screen with only the buttons I want, and not
have to deal with buttons that I'll never use. Macros are also handy
so that I have a "shutdown" button that turns everything off.

It would have been so nice to be able to do OTA (over the air)
firmware updates, but that might have added a few pennies to the cost.

Plus a security concern that, if the private keys got out, any kid in the
neighborhood with the a laptop and a "black box" could drive around the
neighborhood and disable a bunch of the converters.

Yep. Security is a real problem. I'm sure some manner of security
arrangement can be contrived, like having the customer go online and
authorize a firmware update.

Soon, every kid will have an ATSC 8VSB modulator and transmitter in a
black box. Actually, I did a search for a do-it-thyself 8VSB
modulator or transmitter, and couldn't find one. Lots of professional
broadcast equipment, but nothing suitable for the neighborhood TV
hacker. One the kid has the transmitter, he needs to guess the
channel the receiver is watching. Since the encryption will probably
be keyed to the unit serial number, he also needs to break in and
obtain the serial number.

Once upon a time, I personally tested and ran QA on approximately 100
radios prior to shipping. About 5% of the radios were deemed
"defective" by the recipients.

This just reflects that fact that, on customer returns, there's usually no
differentiation given between "hard defects" (it isn't working as designed at
the factory) and "brain-dead designer defect" (it's so cumbersome/annoying to
use that it's little better than nothing at all).

True. Most stores do not have personnel that are even capable of
determining if it's defective. That's one reason for why the
existence of the Geek Squad and Fire Dog people attached to the US
electronic retailers. The stores have realized that the abilities of
the salesmen are limited and need some expertise.

These days with so much
software running the show, the later show up far more often than the former...

My test and example was for a device that had absolutely no software.
Todays versions would be exactly as you described, and probably have
additional software issues. This was strictly the customers
perception of proper operation. Incidentally, when I traced the
source and complaints on the 5 units that were returned, I found 3
operator errors, and 2 that simply changed their minds and wanted
their money back. The only way to do that was to claim the units were
"defective" and to not accept a replacement.

I think I've mentioned on here before how much lobbying it took to get some
software guys to not use something like a 1/4 second "debounce" for
pushbuttons on a standard LCD/directional keypad widget, having to convince
them that "expert users" who had memorized the path to their desired function
could press buttons a lot faster than four times per second. :-(

I didn't catch that posting, but I can certainly see the problem. User
hostile interfaces are all too common. Unfortunately, many such user
interface requirements have undesired consequences. For example, one
product received complaints that the button labels were too small and
difficult to read. The revised model had larger buttons and labels
that could be read from about 3m away. The result was that sales
dropped like a rock. My job was to figure out why. It didn't take
long to discover that the customers perceived anything with huge
buttons and labels as something suitable for a child. In other words,
it looked like a toy. The buttons were replaced with the older
smaller versions, and sales resumed at their normal pace.






---Joel

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@xxxxxxxxxx
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
.