The New York Times today reviewed upsampling DVD players. What I found remarkable was the balance between making a somewhat difficult concept easy to understand for non-enthusiasts, while still being technically accurate. As a bonus, it was a reasonably vigorous review, and even offered clear conclusions. But this exception to the rule highlights just how bad a job the consumer electronics industry has done complicating the products and the jargon. Even efforts to simplify things on a practical and technical level come in acronym form with compatibility notes back to other acronyms (think HDMI and DVI).
The industry as a whole needs to do a much better job of demystifying this stuff. My brother, apparently, reads Home Theater View; his feedback on the column on Intel’s LCOS fiasco/TI’s direct-to-consumer DLP advertising? What the heck is DLP, LCOS, and OLED? Clearly, some of his confusion is my fault (and the expected readership of this site). Still, my brother’s a smart guy, but he can’t possibly know from a discussion on microdisplays to buy one of these TVs if he doesn’t know that TVs are the subject of the discussion…
-avi
