Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: NTSC-PAL (in)compatibility
Message-ID: <1989Jun28.162608.366@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <124@nisca.ircc.ohio-state.edu> <11170019@hpfcdj.HP.COM> <19790@cup.portal.com>
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 89 16:26:08 GMT

In article <19790@cup.portal.com> ISW@cup.portal.com (Isaac S Wingfield) writes:
>Interesting sidenote: despite all the "improvements" brought about
>by PAL or secam, the best commercially broadcast stuff around
>used to be (maybe still is) in Japan, where they use the old, kludgy
>NTSC system invented here. They just pay attention to the adjustments
>and keep it tweaked up real good.

Reminds me of Ed Tufte's plenary speech at CHI+GI 87, where he showed a
railroad time-vs-location chart and commented (roughly):  "This is what
they use to run the Shinkansen [the Japanese 120+ MPH trains].  In the
control room in Tokyo there's an electronic version of this.  If a red
light comes on, that means a train is one minute behind schedule, and
somebody is in big trouble.  [dramatic pause]  Amtrak thinks everything
is fine if the train gets to the end of the line within five minutes
of schedule, regardless of what happens at intermediate stations."
-- 
NASA is to spaceflight as the  |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
US government is to freedom.   | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu