[MEncoder-users] Encodes for slow laptop

[Scott W. Larson]

> On Mon, 9 Jun 2008, Loren Merritt wrote:
> I think the FCC just
> had existing proposals for analog HDTV, saw an opportunity to "free up"
> (that is, sell off) bandwidth by going digital and rushed to a hybrid
> standard which is pretty much universally despised.

If you want to know what really happened, read the book "Defining Vision"
by Joel Brinkley.

Briefly, all of the competing analog HDTV broadcast systems proposed to
the Advanced Television Laboratory (not the FCC) over the years were
absolute failures. The digital systems were the only ones that worked.
Eventually the "Grand Alliance" of competitors decided on MPEG-2. This
process took almost ten years -- hardly a "rush".

They chose 1080 lines for compatibility with NHK analog HDTV equipment
which was the only HD equipment available at the time. This allowed
broadcasters to start purchasing equipment, caused no problems, and is not
"universally despised" at all in the television industry.