 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
Andrew's whine about the collaboration system reminded me of one thing
I've wondered. Whenever there's a need to show a DVD on a meeting with a
projector, why everyone thinks immediality that they need a laptop? This
used to happen pretty much at work and even the people who have a home
theatre come to the IT department "Hey guys, I'll need to show a DVD,
would you have a laptop?". Why won't they think of a.. dunno, maybe a
DVD-player? A normal DVD-player works 100% sure under one minute from
starting it and costs under 100€. Why would anyone want to replace one
with a 10-times more expensive laptop, which boots for half eternity and
might eg. upgrade itself for 20 minutes, when they're not going to do
anything more than just show the DVD? Is a laptop something cool? Is it
a feeling that you can't hook anything but laptop to the projector?
This ain't anymore a problem at work for me - I started directing the
people asking a laptop for this to the department that buys the
non-IT-stuff we use at work to ask for a DVD-player. Today most of our
meeting rooms (at least the ones with a projector) include a DVD-player
and some kind of audio equipment and people are happy, because those
dedicated devices just work - they just couldn't think of it themselves.
-Aero
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
> Andrew's whine about the collaboration system reminded me of one thing
> I've wondered. Whenever there's a need to show a DVD on a meeting with a
> projector, why everyone thinks immediality that they need a laptop? This
> used to happen pretty much at work and even the people who have a home
> theatre come to the IT department "Hey guys, I'll need to show a DVD,
> would you have a laptop?". Why won't they think of a.. dunno, maybe a
> DVD-player?
Maybe because most companies have tons of laptops lying around, but very few
(if any) DVD players. Also a DVD player needs some external components to
work, like amplifier and speakers, which I have not seen in many meeting
rooms (apart from in companies that actually make audio equipment).
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
Because they often need to show Powerpoint presentations as well.
--
Chambers
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
Eero Ahonen wrote:
> Whenever there's a need to show a DVD on a meeting with a
> projector, why everyone thinks immediality that they need a laptop?
I have yet to see anybody have a need to show a DVD in a meeting. It's
much more usual to need to show PowerPoint, or some WMA-encoded file on
the file server / intranet, or a VNC/RDP session or something like than
than a plain ordinary DVD.
Also, I would imagine most companies have lots of laptops around the
place, but approximately 0 DVD-players.
But sure, in principle, if showing a DVD is what you actually want to
do, a DVD player is, sockingly, the most efficient way to do this.
Unless you have my mum's DVD player. In that case, using a light
microscope to transcribe the pits and flats by hand and perform the DCT
with pencil and paper would be far, far faster than waiting for the
player to start up. :-P
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
> Unless you have my mum's DVD player. In that case, using a light
> microscope to transcribe the pits and flats by hand and perform the DCT
> with pencil and paper would be far, far faster than waiting for the
> player to start up. :-P
LOL
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
>> Unless you have my mum's DVD player. In that case, using a light
>> microscope to transcribe the pits and flats by hand and perform the
>> DCT with pencil and paper would be far, far faster than waiting for
>> the player to start up. :-P
>
> LOL
I guess you needed that this early in the morning, eh? ;-)
Seriously though. From pressing the ON button until the disk tray will
open is about 45 seconds. I've seen plenty of laptops that will get to
the Windows logon prompt faster than that. Hell, my laptop at home has
God-damned *Vista* and it gets TO THE DESKTOP faster than that.
Once you insert the DVD, you must wait a further 35 seconds before it
attempts to play it. All of which is quite absurdly slow.
I wouldn't mind, but it was expensive...
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
> Seriously though. From pressing the ON button until the disk tray will
> open is about 45 seconds.
It's probably running Linux internally or something :-)
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
scott wrote:
>> Seriously though. From pressing the ON button until the disk tray will
>> open is about 45 seconds.
>
> It's probably running Linux internally or something :-)
You laugh, but that's probably not actually far from the truth...
My dad's WiFi access point is actually running Linux. You can telnet
into it and run shell commands if you want. (But we just use the HTTP
interface; I have *no idea* how to program the settings manually!)
I think the BT Vision Box might be Linux too...
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
Eero Ahonen wrote:
> Andrew's whine about the collaboration system reminded me of one thing
> I've wondered. Whenever there's a need to show a DVD on a meeting with a
> projector, why everyone thinks immediality that they need a laptop?
...
Maybe because very often all they can/could find on the table is/was a cable
with a male 15 pin D-sub connector. No way to connect it to a DVD-player.
(Yes, I know - all this is changing with new DVI and HDMI connectors.)
--
Tor Olav
http://subcube.com
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
scott wrote:
>
> Maybe because most companies have tons of laptops lying around, but very
> few (if any) DVD players.
I don't think so. Even our paragliding teacher first asked for a laptop,
even though he has a fully equipped home theater and he doesn't work for
a big company.
> Also a DVD player needs some external
> components to work, like amplifier and speakers, which I have not seen
> in many meeting rooms (apart from in companies that actually make audio
> equipment).
Most of the laptop speakers are so pathetic they can't be called
speakers - at least not at a meeting room, there's simply just not
enough sound. Pretty many projectors, especially the meeting room models
have more decent audio equipment themselves.
-Aero
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
Invisible wrote:
>
> I have yet to see anybody have a need to show a DVD in a meeting. It's
> much more usual to need to show PowerPoint, or some WMA-encoded file on
> the file server / intranet, or a VNC/RDP session or something like than
> than a plain ordinary DVD.
Yes, that certainly is more usual. But it's not rare that at my work
people are eg. showing commercials from a DVD. At paragliding course we
watched educational DVD.
> Also, I would imagine most companies have lots of laptops around the
> place, but approximately 0 DVD-players.
That's also possible. Not us, though. If you need a laptop, your
superior has to explain why you need one, after that IT department
orders it.
> But sure, in principle, if showing a DVD is what you actually want to
> do, a DVD player is, sockingly, the most efficient way to do this.
Yep. It just seems that nobody thinks of it, if you're showing the DVD
off with a projector. If you hook it to TV, people think DVD -player and
don't even realize that laptop can be hooked on TV.
> Unless you have my mum's DVD player. In that case, using a light
> microscope to transcribe the pits and flats by hand and perform the DCT
> with pencil and paper would be far, far faster than waiting for the
> player to start up. :-P
Why yes, it's a HiFi-model, it needs to warm up first to make sure the
picture won't have 7th harmonics on the signal!
-Aero
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
>> I have yet to see anybody have a need to show a DVD in a meeting. It's
>> much more usual to need to show PowerPoint, or some WMA-encoded file on
>> the file server / intranet, or a VNC/RDP session or something like than
>> than a plain ordinary DVD.
>
> Yes, that certainly is more usual. But it's not rare that at my work
> people are eg. showing commercials from a DVD. At paragliding course we
> watched educational DVD.
OK, fair enough then.
> Yep. It just seems that nobody thinks of it, if you're showing the DVD
> off with a projector. If you hook it to TV, people think DVD -player and
> don't even realize that laptop can be hooked on TV.
I think that's just it: People think you can only connect computers to a
computer projector, and only video equipment to a TV.
>> Unless you have my mum's DVD player.
>
> Why yes, it's a HiFi-model, it needs to warm up first to make sure the
> picture won't have 7th harmonics on the signal!
...it's HDMI? :-P
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
>> Maybe because most companies have tons of laptops lying around, but very
>> few (if any) DVD players.
>
> I don't think so. Even our paragliding teacher first asked for a laptop,
> even though he has a fully equipped home theater and he doesn't work for
> a big company.
Again, they are probably just expecting that it is more likely you carry
around or have available a laptop rather than a stand-alone DVD player.
Stand alone DVD players tend to be wired in to systems and not easily
portable, whereas laptops are designed to be portable.
> Pretty many projectors, especially the meeting room models
> have more decent audio equipment themselves.
Oh I didn't realise that, most of ours that are remaining (they are
replacing them all with big TVs now) are fixed to the ceiling and have the
SVGA cable routed somewhere that pops up on the table. Connecting up 3.5mm
stereo audio or some cable from a DVD player is going to be tricky.
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
scott wrote:
> Oh I didn't realise that, most of ours that are remaining (they are
> replacing them all with big TVs now) are fixed to the ceiling and have
> the SVGA cable routed somewhere that pops up on the table. Connecting
> up 3.5mm stereo audio or some cable from a DVD player is going to be
> tricky.
I could fancy some of that... How much does it cost to buy a decent
ceiling-mounted projector these days?
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
> I could fancy some of that... How much does it cost to buy a decent
> ceiling-mounted projector these days?
Dunno, our old ones are huge monsters that look like they have come from the
80s. I bought a portable desk-mount one a while back to take to customer
meetings and was really impressed how it knocked the socks off our old huge
beasts. It was around 1000 euro IIRC, from NEC. But saying that we just
got a 52" TV for our meeting room for about the same price and it means you
don't have to close the blinds when it's sunny to see anything, nor is there
is loud hum from a fan right above your head. FOr a small to medium sized
meeting room it's perfect, but for anything larger you'd want a beefier
projector I would imagine which is going to cost a lot more.
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
scott wrote:
>> I could fancy some of that... How much does it cost to buy a decent
>> ceiling-mounted projector these days?
>
> Dunno, our old ones are huge monsters that look like they have come from
> the 80s. I bought a portable desk-mount one a while back to take to
> customer meetings and was really impressed how it knocked the socks off
> our old huge beasts. It was around 1000 euro IIRC, from NEC. But
> saying that we just got a 52" TV for our meeting room for about the same
> price and it means you don't have to close the blinds when it's sunny to
> see anything, nor is there is loud hum from a fan right above your
> head. FOr a small to medium sized meeting room it's perfect, but for
> anything larger you'd want a beefier projector I would imagine which is
> going to cost a lot more.
Our projector is... shagged. It leans to one side, it's never ever in
focus properly, it's not very bright, you have to repeatedly press the
resync button to get the whole picture in shot, and it sounds like a
coffee grinder.
I really want to replace it with something better... but I suspect I'll
never get authorisation to spend the money. :-(
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
> I really want to replace it with something better... but I suspect I'll
> never get authorisation to spend the money. :-(
Just make sure that one day it stops working completely... You could use a
BOFH-approved mains AC plug to 15-pin SVGA converter cable :-)
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
scott wrote:
>> I really want to replace it with something better... but I suspect
>> I'll never get authorisation to spend the money. :-(
>
> Just make sure that one day it stops working completely... You could use
> a BOFH-approved mains AC plug to 15-pin SVGA converter cable :-)
Maybe I should just switch it from 240V to 110V? >:-)
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:03:08 +0100, Invisible wrote:
> scott wrote:
>
>> Oh I didn't realise that, most of ours that are remaining (they are
>> replacing them all with big TVs now) are fixed to the ceiling and have
>> the SVGA cable routed somewhere that pops up on the table. Connecting
>> up 3.5mm stereo audio or some cable from a DVD player is going to be
>> tricky.
>
> I could fancy some of that... How much does it cost to buy a decent
> ceiling-mounted projector these days?
I bought one in December (the Mitsubishi HC5500), with the ceiling mount
and screen it ran about $2K. It was a special bundle deal (and there was
a rebate), but that should give you a good ballpark.
It throws a 106" image, really nice for the home theatre. I do have a
technical issue that I need to call Mitsu about, though, periodically I
can't turn the projector on without unplugging it. Which is a pain for a
ceiling mounted projector.
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
Invisible wrote:
>>> Unless you have my mum's DVD player.
>>
>> Why yes, it's a HiFi-model, it needs to warm up first to make sure the
>> picture won't have 7th harmonics on the signal!
>
> ...it's HDMI? :-P
Well, you sure don't want to have negative bits or anything on HDMI
interface!
My DVD-player has HDMI and upscaling to 720p. It's also free of area
codes and it gives really nice image even on S-video (my projector and
amplifier doesn't have HDMI) and cost me about 200 euros couple of years
ago. And it boots in couple of seconds.
-Aero
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
> My DVD-player has HDMI and upscaling to 720p. It's also free of area
> codes and it gives really nice image even on S-video (my projector and
> amplifier doesn't have HDMI) and cost me about 200 euros couple of years
> ago. And it boots in couple of seconds.
That sounds like mine, amusingly it is a Sony one that doesn't have any
region code lock :-) Anyway, it's been stored away now ever since I got the
PS3, I watch everything (DVD, BR, DivX, etc) on there now.
PS: Remote controls that work via Bluetooth rock!
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
scott wrote:
>
> That sounds like mine, amusingly it is a Sony one that doesn't have any
> region code lock :-) Anyway, it's been stored away now ever since I got
> the PS3, I watch everything (DVD, BR, DivX, etc) on there now.
Yes, it is. Mine is Sony DVP-NS76H. It needed to be hacked to be region
free, but that was pretty cheap and the official service made it, so it
didn't even burst out the warranty.
> PS: Remote controls that work via Bluetooth rock!
I'm sure of that!
-Aero
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
