Welch Company
San Francisco, CA
S U M M A R Y
DIARY: April 15, 2005 10:10 AM Friday;
Rod Welch
Millie purchased a Panasonic plazma television at Circuit City.
1...Summary/Objective
........3000:1 Contrast Ratio
........Progressive Processing
........Cable CARD Technology
........Audio System Features
........Built-in Speaker System
........BBEr ViVA High-Definition 3D Sound
........Terminals and Connections
........Enhanced "Jack Pack"
........HDMI Input
........Component Video Inputs - 2 Back
........S.Video Input Jacks - 1 Front and 2 Back
........SD Memory Card Slot
........PC Card Slot
2...Literacy Rates Classical Period thru Middle Ages
..............
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CONTACTS
0201 - Circuit City Stores, Inc.
020101 - Mr. Chas F. Stanley; Sales Manager
020103 - Television Sales Department
SUBJECTS
Panasonic TH-42PX25U/P HD 42" Plasma Television HDMI Purchased from
0603 -
0603 - ..
0604 - Summary/Objective
0605 -
060501 - Follow up ref SDS 1 0000.
060502 -
060503 -
060504 -
060505 -
060506 -
060508 - ..
0606 -
0607 -
0608 - Progress
0609 -
060901 - Millie's television has begun to fail. The picture is no longer
060902 - filling the screen. She has been thinking about a plasma screen
060903 - system for about a year or so, reported on 040314, ref SDS 1 436G, but
060904 - held off. Now that the television is failing, there is renewed
060905 - interest to replace it, and upgrade the technology.
060907 - ..
060908 - We went to Costco and looked at a 42" plasma system that costs $2,400.
060909 - The manufacturer is Vizio, and the resolution is 1024 x 760. The
060910 - price does not include a stand nor installation, nor a warranty.
060912 - ..
060913 - Did some general grocery shopping, and took everything home for
060914 - storage in the refrigerator.
060916 - ..
060917 - Drove to Circuit City.
060919 - ..
060920 - Talked to Chas.
060922 - ..
060923 - He showed several systems priced at $4K - $6K.
060925 - ..
060926 - They have a 42" Panasonic model Vieta plasma system (TH42PX25U) that
060927 - is listed in the store at a cost of $3,600 with a 1 year warranty by
060928 - the manufacturer, Panasonic.
060930 - ..
060931 - Circuit City sells a supplemental warranty for 3 years that costs
060932 - $500, and a 5 year warranty that costs $800. Chas indicated the most
060933 - common form of repair is to replace the system.
060935 - ..
060936 - Research on 040314 shows that plasma televisions require repair about
060937 - every 3 years. The discussion at that time, the salesman indicated
060938 - that plasma has to be replaced, which costs $400. ref SDS 1 0039
060940 - ..
060941 - The picture looks very bright, sharp, and clear, even from an angle.
060942 - It has a split screen feature for watching multiple channels. It also
060943 - has a VGA port for a computer connection.
060945 - ..
060946 - Chas said this system comes with a stand. The cost for delivery,
060947 - installation, and removing an existing television is $60. Chas said
060948 - that Circuit City recommends using a high end surge protection system.
060949 - This costs another $100.
060951 - ..
060952 - We asked Chas to total everything up including tax.
060954 - ..
060955 - Research on the Internet shows this system is priced from...
060956 -
060957 - $4,200 - $3,700
060958 -
060959 - ...with appertenances, extended warranty, and installation, this
060960 - would price out at approximately $5,000.
060962 - ..
060963 - Specification...
060964 -
060965 - http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatv/panasonic-th42px25up.html
060966 -
060967 - The Panasonic Plasma TH-42PX25U/P features a high contrast
060968 - ratio of 3000:1, making for a super bright, razor-sharp
060969 - picture. With 1024 x 768 lines of resolution, the Panasonic
060970 - TH42PX25U/P is High Definition Television (HDTV) capable, and
060971 - includes an integrated ATSC/QAM tuner for receiving HDTV
060972 - broadcasts.
060974 - ..
060975 - Key Features of the Panasonic TH-42PX25U/P 42" Plasma Monitor
060976 -
060977 - Built-in NTSC Tuner for SDTV Standard Television
060978 - Built-in ATSC/QAM Tuner for HDTV Broadcasts
060979 - Cable CARD slot replaces your current cable box
060980 - Built-in 26 Watt, 3-D sound Speaker System
060981 - Lightweight, Ultra-Thin Design with sleek pedestal stand
060982 - 1280 x 768 pixel resolution
060983 - HDTV 1080i compatability
060984 - 42" Diagonal Screen Size
060985 - 2-Tuner Picture-in-Picture with Split-Screen Display,
060986 - Scalable
060987 - P-I-P Image Size
060988 - Motion-Adaptive 3D Y/C Digital Comb Filter
060989 - BBEr ViVA High-Definition 3D Sound
060990 - Artificial Intelligence Picture and Sound
060991 - 16:9 Widescreen Aspect Ratio
060992 - Anti-Reflective Screen Coating
060993 - Wide Viewing Angle (160§)
060994 - Progressive Processing
060995 - 1,070 Million Display Colors
060996 - 3000:1 Contrast Ratio
060997 - HDMI high definition digital interface
060998 - Component Video Inputs, S Video Input
060999 - Remote Control Included
061000 -
061002 - ..
061003 - 3000:1 Contrast Ratio
061004 -
061005 - A high contrast ratio provides deep blacks and bright whites,
061006 - and every subtle shade in between. With an incredible contrast
061007 - ratio of 3000:1, the TH-42PX25U/P delivers brilliant,
061008 - razor-sharp images that appear almost three-dimensional.
061009 -
061011 - ..
061012 - Progressive Processing
061013 -
061014 - Progressive Scan displays a full frame of video in 1/60th of a
061015 - second by de-interlacing the incoming video signal and
061016 - progressively scanning the image. With it, you generally don't
061017 - see the horizontal scan lines that are often visible in
061018 - ordinary television images.
061019 -
061021 - ..
061022 - Cable CARD Technology
061023 -
061024 - The Cable CARD feature of the Panasonic TH-42PX25U/P lets you
061025 - connect directly to your Cable CARD-compliant cable TV system
061026 - without the need for the standard bulky cable box. Check with
061027 - your cable provider for compatibility.
061028 -
061030 - ..
061031 - Audio System Features
061032 - Built-in Speaker System
061033 -
061034 - The TV's internal 2-way, biamplified stereo speakers are
061035 - powered by 13 watts total per channel and use 5 separate
061036 - drivers per speaker for extra richness and clarity. BBE ViVA
061037 - HD3D surround processing creates authentic-sounding 3D effects
061038 - from stereo speakers and exceptional sound-stage imaging,
061039 - helping to ensure optimal clarity for centrally staged audio
061040 - material such as dialogue. Artificial intelligence sound
061041 - automatically adjusts the volume level on your TV to prevent
061042 - wide variations in sound between different TV stations and
061043 - types of programming.
061044 -
061046 - ..
061047 - BBEr ViVA High-Definition 3D Sound
061048 -
061049 - BBE High-Definition sound provides true linear phase
061050 - correction and dynamic amplitude compensation, improving
061051 - speech intelligibility and the dynamic range of musical
061052 - passages, giving music a realistic, 'live' presence. No other
061053 - audio processor brings natural clarity and crisp definition to
061054 - the spoken work like BBE can. With BBE, the spoken word can be
061055 - heard clearly and easily, and at lower volume levels. BBE ViVA
061056 - is a new High Definition 3D Sound technology which integrates
061057 - a 3D enhancement effect with BBE High Definition Sound. BBE
061058 - ViVA creates an authentic and exciting 3D sound effect from
061059 - stereo speakers while preserving the clarity, definition,
061060 - presence and texture for which BBE High Definition Sound is
061061 - noted. An important feature of BBE ViVA is its ability to
061062 - maintain proper sound stage imaging. Ordinary 3D sound effects
061063 - often tear the stereo image down the middle, resulting in
061064 - centrally staged audio material, such as dialogue, becoming
061065 - fuzzy or even disappearing. BBE ViVA is different because it
061066 - maintains crystal clarity for solo vocals and movie dialogue.
061067 -
061069 - ..
061070 - Terminals and Connections
061071 -
061073 - ..
061074 - Enhanced "Jack Pack"
061075 -
061076 - The TH-42PX25U/P features an enhanced "jack pack" including:
061077 - one front and two rear A/V inputs; one front and two rear
061078 - S-Video inputs; and two rear component inputs and an HDMI
061079 - interface.
061081 - ..
061082 - HDMI Input
061083 -
061084 - The Panasonic TH-42PX25U/P display features HDMI input. HDMI
061085 - (High Definition Multimedia Interface) is the first
061086 - industry-supported, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video
061087 - interface. HDMI provides an interface between any audio/video
061088 - source, such as a set-top box, DVD player, and A/V receiver
061089 - and an audio and/or video monitor, such as a digital
061090 - television (DTV). HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or
061091 - high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on a
061092 - single cable. It transmits all ATSC HDTV standards and
061093 - supports 8-channel digital audio, with bandwidth to spare to
061094 - accommodate future enhancements and requirements.
061096 - ..
061097 - Component Video Inputs - 2 Back
061098 -
061099 - Provide outstanding resolution and color accuracy for video
061100 - images, and can accept either progressive or interlaced
061101 - signals from a variety of sources including DVD players and
061102 - DTV set-top receivers/ decoders. The three-wire connection is
061103 - comprised of the luminance signal (Y) and two color difference
061104 - signals, R-Y (PR) and B-Y (PB).
061106 - ..
061107 - S Video Input Jacks - 1 Front and 2 Back
061108 -
061109 - Allows you to connect a DBS (digital broadcast satellite), DVD
061110 - player, or other video source directly to the luminance and
061111 - chrominance circuits of the TV set. By keeping color and
061112 - luminance information separate, cross-color interference is
061113 - virtually eliminated from the picture.
061115 - ..
061116 - SD Memory Card Slot
061117 -
061118 - The TH-42PX25U/P features an SD Memory Card slot. Images from
061119 - a digital still camera or digital video camera stored on the
061120 - card can be viewed on the large screen, allowing users to
061121 - enjoy slide shows without needing extra connection cables or
061122 - other equipment.
061124 - ..
061125 - PC Card Slot
061126 -
061127 - By putting a memory card from a digital still camera into a PC
061128 - card adapter, and then placing it in the TH-42PX25U/P's PC
061129 - card slot, you can view JPEG images on your TV. Compatible
061130 - Memory Cards include: Standard SD Memory Card, CompactFlash,
061131 - Memory Stick, MultimediaCard and Smart Media.
061132 -
061134 - ..
061135 - Chas left the sales area to investigate. When Chas returned, he
061136 - advised that his research found that Panasonic will soon announce a
061137 - new model that replaces the display model TH42PX25U in the show room.
061138 - As a result, Circuit City is out of stock on the floor model, but
061139 - will sell the floor model, as follows...
061140 -
061141 - Panasonic plasma TV................ $3,600
061142 - Stand..............................
061143 - Surge protector.................... 100
061144 - 3 year warranty.................... 500
061145 -
061146 - ---------
061147 - $4,200
061149 - ..
061150 - sales tax 340
061151 -
061152 - ---------
061153 - 4,540
061155 - ..
061156 - Chas offered this system for.................... $3,840
061158 - ..
061159 - This is a nominal savings of about $700.
061161 - ..
061162 - We drove down the street to the Good Guys.
061164 - ..
061165 - We could not find a salesman, but examined a number of floor models
061166 - for 42" plasma televisions. Could not find a Panasonic. They systems
061167 - on display with comparable features cost over $4,000, with tax added.
061169 - ..
061170 - We returned to Circuit City and found Chas in the show room. He had
061171 - changed the list price for the Panasonic Vienta from $3,600 to $3,100.
061173 - ..
061174 - Millie purchased the Panasonic system for the total amount of $3,840,
061175 - which Chas quoted earlier as including tax, extended warranty for
061176 - $500, and the power surge protection. For some reason the invoice
061177 - shows the service contract costs $550. ref SDS 0 0V46
061179 - ..
061180 - Chas offered to sell a service for adding HD television service by
061181 - Comcast. Millie agreed. This made the total price $3,824.96, as
061182 - follows...
061325 - ..
061326 - Shop with us online at...
061327 -
061328 - http://www.circuitcity.com
061330 - ..
061331 - Documentation includes...
061332 -
061333 - 1. Cityadvantage Big Screen Performance Kit
061334 -
061335 - This manual has information on....
061336 -
061337 - a. Service, support and supplemental offers and coupons.
061339 - ..
061340 - b. Registration
061342 - ..
061343 - c. Cityadvantage protection plan
061345 - ..
061346 - d. Quick Start Guide................. page 1
061347 -
061348 - Register now
061349 -
061350 - 1. Product Code................... bstv1
061351 -
061352 - You must first register online to take advantage of all
061353 - the bonus offers in your Cityadvantage performance kit.
061354 -
061355 - http://www.cityadvantagekit.com
061356 -
061357 - ...and enter product code.
061359 - ..
061360 - Tried to register. The Circuit City website asks for a user name and
061361 - a password. There is no evident place to enter a product code.
061363 - ..
061364 - Circuit City's document continues...
061365 -
061366 - 2. Enter sales receipt. ref SDS 0 FT3F
061368 - ..
061369 - 3. Help and Service
061370 -
061371 - Contact support team....
061372 -
061373 - 800 442 2518
061375 - ..
061376 - Called this number and was given other numbers to call. They a voice
061377 - came online saying they are too busy to help, and asked to leave a
061378 - number.
061380 - ..
061381 - Called Circuit City....
061382 -
061383 - 925 827 5555
061384 -
061385 - ...talked to John.
061387 - ..
061388 - John said that Chas is the sales manager.
061390 - ..
061391 - John said that customers who purchase a Cityadvantage protection plan,
061392 - as Millie did, per above, ref SDS 0 0V46, are not required to register
061393 - the product, and so can ignore instructions in the Cityadvantage
061394 - Proection Plan manual, per above. ref SDS 0 6E4I
061396 - ..
061397 - John advised that Chas submitted the Cityadvantage Protection Plan
061398 - Manual in order to provide the bonus offers and coupons in the manual.
061399 -
061400 -
061401 - 2. Home Theater Instructions
061402 -
061403 - There is a general guide for using large screen televisions.
061405 - ..
061406 - 3. Digital Cable Starter Kit for Comcast
061407 -
061408 - Chas handed Millie a document for configuring Comcast cable
061409 - television service to support the Panasonic plasma television.
061411 - ..
061412 - Chas said that he will notify Comcast to change the
061413 - configuration for cable television service to use HDTV
061414 - capabilities of the Panasonic television. He advised that
061415 - purchasing the Panasonic television from Circuit City includes
061416 - $100 worth of services from Comcast. Ths is reflected in the
061417 - brochure he submitted that says in part...
061419 - ..
061420 - Get $100 worth of savings.
061422 - ..
061423 - When you sign up and redeem the coupon inside, you'll get $100
061424 - in savings good toward your monthly bill.
061425 -
061426 -
061427 -
061429 - ..
061430 - Literacy Rates Classical Period thru Middle Ages
061431 -
061432 -
061433 - Popular literature in ancient greece
061434 -
061435 - In the introduction we attempted to define popular culture, to
061436 - determine what qualities and characteristics of which it is
061437 - composed. We ran into considerable trouble. Everyone has a vague
061438 - notion, if not a determined opinion, of what modern popular
061439 - culture is. But when approaching history with these definitions
061440 - of popular culture, based more or less on modern-day conceptions
061441 - and examples, we run into further difficulties. Modern popular
061442 - culture is classified as "popular" according to a number of
061443 - variables: sales records, best-seller lists, awards, written
061444 - testimonies, and cultural satauration (that is, how frequently
061445 - the particular artefact appears in places where it is not
061446 - expected to. Star Wars is a good example. There is, first of all,
061447 - the film, whose popularity we can determine through ticket sales.
061448 - Following that there are the numerous articles written in
061449 - magazines, newspapers, and trade papers. Then there is the
061450 - enormous marketing: toys, clothes, books, candy and so on, which
061451 - is a type of controlled, or guided popularity which indirectly
061452 - reflects the popularity of the film itself.). All of these means
061453 - of determining the popularity of something are dependant on
061454 - written records (of which our hyper-literate society keeps
061455 - copious amounts, and is somewhat overdependent upon). How then do
061456 - we begin to determine what areas or artefacts of culture are
061457 - "popular" in societies that are not only far removed in time, but
061458 - also lacking, for the most part, the kind of evidence needed?
061460 - ..
061461 - The alphabet was introduced to the ancient Greeks in the eighth
061462 - century BC, but the oral tradition that had existed up to that
061463 - point continued beyond not only the introduction of reading and
061464 - writing, but through the Hellenistic age, through the time of the
061465 - Roman Empire, and well into the middle ages. The history of
061466 - orality is far longer than that of literacy, and much to our
061467 - modern surprise, oral culture was preferred over literate
061468 - culture. While classical Greece (5th - 4th centuries BC) had a
061469 - substantial body of written material, government documents,
061470 - inscriptions, and even some archives, the spoken word still had
061471 - precedence. Literature was intended for an aural audience, to be
061472 - declaimed or sung. Poetry was accompanied to music and sung
061473 - before an audience. Herodotus (485-425BC), known as the father of
061474 - history, wrote a substantial piece of narrative history called
061475 - Histories, but rather than have copies made to be distributed, he
061476 - read aloud to audiences. Politics were conducted orally,
061477 - evidenced in that the closest Greek word to 'politician' was
061478 - 'orator' (rhetor). In legal affairs written testimonies were
061479 - considered inadequate evidence, though oral testimonies were
061480 - taken as proof on their own until the later half of the fourth
061481 - century BC. Reading and writing were part of primary education,
061482 - but emphasis in higher education was given to rhetoric - the art
061483 - of public speaking. Socrates (469-399BC), who was later executed
061484 - for his public protestations of government figures, wrote nothing
061485 - down, and we know of his work only through what his students
061486 - wrote out. Plato (428-348BC), a student of Socrates, considered
061487 - the written word "an inadequate means of true education and
061488 - philosophy", and although he did write, he wrote in dialogue
061489 - form. It was the wealthy landowners who attended higher
061490 - education, who were expected to participate in politics, and
061491 - therefore were expected be proficient in public speaking. That
061492 - orality was preferred over literacy is underscored by the fact
061493 - that, from the 3rd century BC, it was slaves who were employed in
061494 - copying books and making records. It is also known that slaves
061495 - often were expected to read aloud to their masters. The dirty
061496 - work was given to the lowest in society.
061498 - ..
061499 - Presumably the reason that the mode of communication so highly
061500 - valued today was not immediately accepted into all levels of
061501 - society was that there was no real need. Orality had and would
061502 - continue to serve the ancient Greeks just fine. Studies of Homer's
061503 - Iliad and Odyssey, written copies of which date from about the
061504 - eighth century BC, quite close to the presumed date for the
061505 - introduction of writing, show that the versions we are familiar
061506 - with may be the final written culmination of a long tradition of
061507 - oral performance. There appears to be, in the repitition of a
061508 - number of phrases, phrase constructions, and occassionally entire
061509 - verses, a set template that made memorization of the very long
061510 - epics (several hundred modern-day pages) much easier. The formula
061511 - was memorized, and passed on through the generations of singing
061512 - bards, each performer improvising new words and phrases to fit into
061513 - the pre-set template. It is possible, though still hotly debated,
061514 - that the celebrated Homer was simply the first in a long line of
061515 - poet performers to write, or have written, the poems out on
061516 - papyrus. These studies are important because it helps us to
061517 - understand how oral culture can be passed on through the
061518 - generations. The transfer of history, religion, legends, and
061519 - values were comunicated through memorized verse and song. The
061520 - spoken word was lively, interactive communication, the written word
061521 - was dead, immobile.
061523 - ..
061524 - Literacy rates for any time period before the industrial age (when
061525 - records were kept somewhat more regularly than previously) are
061526 - notoriuosly difficult to determine. Often the factor used to
061527 - determine the rate is the ability to sign one's name. This, of
061528 - course, is problematic because the ability of someone to memorize a
061529 - certain configuration of shapes and repeat them does not
061530 - necessarily indicate that they are able to read or write anything
061531 - else. There are also numerous levels of literacy: rudimentary to
061532 - advanced. Furthermore, the ability to read does not necessitate
061533 - the ability to write. Obviously, however, because of amount of
061534 - written literature, government records, and other written material,
061535 - a certain percentage of the ancient population was literate. As we
061536 - have seen, slaves were taught to read and write, and there is ample
061537 - graffiti scrawled across the walls of ancient greek ruins, though
061538 - they are rife with spelling and grammatical errors.
061540 - ..
061541 - But even those who were literate do not seem to have been
061542 - particularly inclined to read. We know that written copies of
061543 - Greek literature such as the Iliad, were used in schools. The
061544 - Iliad is an epic poem consisiting of 24 books, or chapters so to
061545 - speak. Conventionally, each book was copied onto one papyrus
061546 - roll, so the complete Iliad would consist of 24 papyrus rolls. Of
061547 - the copies of epic surviving today, there are two times as many
061548 - fragments of books 1 and 2 as there are of books 3 and 4, and the
061549 - number of fragments for the rest of the books of the epic
061550 - steadily diminish thereafter. There are six times more fragments
061551 - of book 1 than book 24. According to Susan A. Stephens in "Who
061552 - Read Ancient Novels?", the surviving fragments indicate that
061553 - following the completion of one's education, which included the
061554 - reading and perhaps memorization of the first two books of the
061555 - Iliad, there was no desire to purchase, or have made for
061556 - themselves, the remaining books of the epic. It was not that
061557 - Homer's poems were not popular, quite the contrary. They were the
061558 - source of inspiration for many other poets, who borrowed
061559 - constructions, even entire verses for their own work. And we know
061560 - that Homeric bards continued to perform the epics for several
061561 - centuries after the initial written copy. Additionally, some 600
061562 - fragments of individual manuscripts of the Iliad have been
061563 - discovered in the Egyptian desert alone - a far greater number
061564 - than fragments of other manuscript found there. Presumably there
061565 - was no need to read the remaining books because they were readily
061566 - available through performances, and alluded to in speeches and
061567 - histories.
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061719 -
061720 -
061721 -
061722 -
061723 -
061724 -
061725 -
061726 -
061727 -
061728 -
061729 -
061730 -
061731 -
061732 -
061733 -
061734 -
061735 -
061736 -
061737 -
061738 -
061739 -
061740 -
061741 -
061742 -
061743 -
061744 -
061745 -
061746 -
061747 -
061748 -
061749 -
061750 -
061751 -
061752 -
061753 -
061754 -
061755 -
061756 -
061757 -
061758 -
061759 -
061760 -
0618 -
Distribution. . . . See "CONTACTS"