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Recently I opened a Full HD video in a web browser, connected my laptop to a TV using an HDMI cable, moved the browser window over to the TV screen, and watched

by adwn 4y ago

Recently I opened a Full HD video in a web browser, connected my laptop to a TV using an HDMI cable, moved the browser window over to the TV screen, and watched the video. And it just worked, with sound and all. I didn't have to download or configure anything, neither on the computer nor on the TV. That would have been utterly unbelievable 20 years ago, bordering on magic (especially the no-download/no-configuration part).

Dylan16807 4y ago
I'm pretty sure XP let you hot plug displays? You could simply open windows media player and stream video 20 years ago. The resolution would have been the main impressive thing, along with how much money you spent on that high speed internet connection. But far from utterly unbelievable. I'm not sure anyone would have cared which program you used.
- adwn 4y ago
  In theory, maybe. In practice? Something would have broken, or you'd have to fiddle with some settings, or you'd have to download the video (somehow) before you could play it in a standalone program – the experience would have been much less streamlined, at least. Also, which single cable would you have used to carry video and audio, and which could be plugged into a laptop and a TV?
  - Dylan16807 4y ago
    > Something would have broken, or you'd have to fiddle with some settings I don't remember any trouble with screens or moving windows around or doing streaming video around that time. > Also, which single cable would you have used to carry video and audio, and which could be plugged into a laptop and a TV? Oh, I didn't realize you were suggesting the audio moved to the TV. Well HDMI came out a couple years later and didn't really blow minds.
    - adwn 4y ago
      > Well HDMI came out a couple years later and didn't really blow minds. Of course not. All of those improvements were, taken on their own, iterative and evolutionary – as nearly all technological development is. But taken together, they make a big difference.
      - Dylan16807 4y ago
        Except I'm saying all those other things already worked fine. Your scenario is an incremental change between then and today. If you want that super impressive effect you need to compare against longer ago than 2002. If you do that in 1992, wow. You could still do a 20 year comparison if you wanted, 1992 vs. 2012. Since the experience has barely changed in the last 10 years.
cudgy 4y ago
An ActiveX control or Netscape plugin accomplished this just fine 20+ years ago.

by adwn 4y ago

Dylan16807 4y ago

I'm pretty sure XP let you hot plug displays? You could simply open windows media player and stream video 20 years ago. The resolution would have been the main impressive thing, along with how much money you spent on that high speed internet connection. But far from utterly unbelievable. I'm not sure anyone would have cared which program you used.

adwn 4y ago
In theory, maybe. In practice? Something would have broken, or you'd have to fiddle with some settings, or you'd have to download the video (somehow) before you could play it in a standalone program – the experience would have been much less streamlined, at least. Also, which single cable would you have used to carry video and audio, and which could be plugged into a laptop and a TV?
- Dylan16807 4y ago
  > Something would have broken, or you'd have to fiddle with some settings I don't remember any trouble with screens or moving windows around or doing streaming video around that time. > Also, which single cable would you have used to carry video and audio, and which could be plugged into a laptop and a TV? Oh, I didn't realize you were suggesting the audio moved to the TV. Well HDMI came out a couple years later and didn't really blow minds.
  - adwn 4y ago
    > Well HDMI came out a couple years later and didn't really blow minds. Of course not. All of those improvements were, taken on their own, iterative and evolutionary – as nearly all technological development is. But taken together, they make a big difference.
    - Dylan16807 4y ago
      Except I'm saying all those other things already worked fine. Your scenario is an incremental change between then and today. If you want that super impressive effect you need to compare against longer ago than 2002. If you do that in 1992, wow. You could still do a 20 year comparison if you wanted, 1992 vs. 2012. Since the experience has barely changed in the last 10 years.

cudgy 4y ago

An ActiveX control or Netscape plugin accomplished this just fine 20+ years ago.