Question about Carousel of Progress

[jeters_boy]

In the last scene, the grandfather mentions High Def TV as one of the cutting edge technologies. My understanding is the script hasn’t changed since 1994, but I don’t remember hearing the term High Def TV or HDTV until 2010 or so. Am I remembering this wrong?

 

[Noodlez]

I was curious so I looked it up. Apparently the term has been used since 1933! It just means TV that is higher resolution than the previous generation.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

The dialogue has not changed since those voice actors recorded it.

 

[jeters_boy]

Thanks. I didn't get my first HDTV until about 2011. I remember seeing them marketed to the general public in the late 00's, but I had no idea HDTV technology was well-known enough in 1994 to be included in a WDW attraction script!

 

[ftbaker1313]

In 1988 when I was finishing my BS in electrical engineering, my final class was on electronic communications. The last question on the final was to list and define the parameters of a High def TV system. The systems we were discussing then were the 480p and 720p. these were the forerunners of modern HDTV.

 

[BrianL]

In 1988 when I was finishing my BS in electrical engineering, my final class was on electronic communications. The last question on the final was to list and define the parameters of a High def TV system. The systems we were discussing then were the 480p and 720p. these were the forerunners of modern HDTV.

Yes, the concept has been around for a while and "high definition" could mean any significantly higher resolution display. The industry term "HD" began to be used specifically around the transition to 720/1080 display units for the consumer market. Technology usually well predates when it becomes available to the average consumer. Like CDs and such existed back in the 1970's, but they just weren't consumer ready, either due to technical limitations or prohibitive cost.

I like the line - it's one thing that people can actually relate and makes it seem more current than it is.

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

In 1988 when I was finishing my BS in electrical engineering, my final class was on electronic communications. The last question on the final was to list and define the parameters of a High def TV system. The systems we were discussing then were the 480p and 720p. these were the forerunners of modern HDTV.

I got my first high def TV in 2005 (still remember the first program I watched on it!). I had watched high def once or twice before that and as a sports fan, there was just no going back once you saw a game in high def! But I also first heard the term in late 1998

 

[IndyToThere]

I recall doing a multimedia project for a college course, and I mentioned Hi-Def TV being the Next Big Thing. I think this was in '98 or '99 when I did that project, so while HDTVs weren't available for public consumption then, it was already known that it was coming. The companies that plan and build the sets (or even more importantly, come up with the official standards) obviously were working on these years earlier than that.

 

[PanamaMike]

The first place I ever saw flat big screen HDTVs was at display at Epcot in '93 or '94.
I remember watching footage of butterflies and thinking it was like I was looking out a window.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

If all of a sudden the grandfather mentions Ai then we know the robots have taken over.