Our 3 and ½ years old plasmas tv received an update wiring last weekend. I had the TV hookup with mixed new and old technologies couple years ago. Once was new technology is now pretty much obsolete, superseded with newer technology.
It had a HDMI (video only) port; the technology was so new 3-4 years ago, the $2500 Panasonic Plasma offered only 1 hookup, Today’s Panasonic succession model offers 3. It old TV didn’t even offer digital NTSC tuner either back then.
Old plasma tv also had an optical audio output for home theater/surround sound stereo setup. I am not sure whether my parents had used that feature at all. Today, HDMI version 1.3 replaces that optical interface.
Remember the “smart card” as the cable set top box equivalent for viewing HD program? Well, the optional “cable card” isn’t compatible with the local cable service provider. Now it’s a useless piece of technology.
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We went back to the basics: Don’t have a new Blue-ray DVD player just yet, sticking with old faithful technology. The back panel setup is now configure to
- Component 1 – DVD
- Component 2 – Satellite Dish Ku Band (NOT DDS DishNetwork, Direct TV).
- Composite 1 – VCR
- Composite 2 – Cable
- Air – Antenna Local HD
- HDMI (video)– (open, may a PC video at a later time
- No more plugs for karaoke LD player. We can’t sing anyway, sure going to miss the $200 mic.
I also notice elderly parents placed a portable boom box next to the stereo rack equipment. I realize the system was too complicated for them to operate; they had resolve to a $50 simpler device. I dump the surround sound Kenwood Home Theater with a nice bookshelf Panasonic stereo I had since 1990’s – I said nice because, there weren’t that may bookshelf systems with separate wiring for cross-over speakers. The system costs $750 in 2009 dollars, it’s not cheap considering it doesn’t even have the surround sound speakers, but it makes up the difference by giving accurate clear sound reproduction, pretty tight bass and easy to use interface.
