"Digital"...the buzzword.

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centurymantra
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"Digital"...the buzzword.

Post by centurymantra » Fri Mar 31, 2006 10:38 am

Don't you love how so many manufacturers toss around the word 'digital' and incorporate it into product names or descriptions solely for it's use as a buzzword? With the whole notion that's been foisted forth that Digital=Better, (and it CAN be...I'm not starting that debate), it's slowly become one of the more tired buzzwords (closely followed by 'Extreme') I thought about this today as I was taking out a couple of Duracell "Ultra Digital" AA batteries. It seems especially ridiculous to employ that kind of tagline on what is truly an antiquated technology. But hey...they MUST be getting better now that they've got digital batteries!

I don't know...just my observation of the day. It's certainly overused in the audio community...kinda like the "Digital" earbud headphones I picked up awhile back.

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Post by msmith4060 » Fri Mar 31, 2006 11:25 am

Totally....And the funny thing is that the coin goes both ways...."Analog". Everything old and analog is suppossed to be magical now. There are plenty of things "analog" that Id be happy letting stay dead. Youll see something on EBay, oh I dunno, an old japanese 1/4" machine that runs at 7.5 ips, and was a POS before it was even off the assembly line---but hey-its analog--its gotta be good right....These items are always followed with a "warm up those ProTools mixes" tag.
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Post by RodC » Fri Mar 31, 2006 11:51 am

What! You mean my digital speakers are really the same ole design, a coil, cone and a magnet!! NO, there has to be some logic in there somewhere.
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Post by drumsound » Fri Mar 31, 2006 6:44 pm

Let's not forget tubes in this discussion.

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Post by ;ivlunsdystf » Fri Mar 31, 2006 7:47 pm

I'm confused. Do you mean 'digital', as in, 'of or pertaining to the fingers?' A really snappy audio device should be touted as 'otic' for maximum emphasis on the hearing faculties.

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Post by Cyan421 » Sat Apr 01, 2006 6:34 am

I love it when disney comercials come on about whatever old movie they are "releasing from the vault" and they say "DIGITALY RE-MATSTERED" Like that atomatically means its gonna sound and or look "BETTER", cause its digital now! I see this all the time on digital media these days.
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Post by mertmo » Sat Apr 01, 2006 8:05 am

My favorite is when you go to the movies and before the show, you get that little animated graphic thing and it says, "this theatre features DIGITAL SOUND...!"

I'm like, "yeah - so does my car."

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Post by sears » Sat Apr 01, 2006 9:02 am

Tatertot wrote:I'm confused. Do you mean 'digital', as in, 'of or pertaining to the fingers?' A really snappy audio device should be touted as 'otic' for maximum emphasis on the hearing faculties.
Have you heard of the new Digiotic earplugs?

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Post by dynomike » Sat Apr 01, 2006 9:26 am

Cyan421 wrote:I love it when disney comercials come on about whatever old movie they are "releasing from the vault" and they say "DIGITALY RE-MATSTERED" Like that atomatically means its gonna sound and or look "BETTER", cause its digital now! I see this all the time on digital media these days.
Dood, those new disney movies DO look better! Can't you see the "old" vs. "new" comparison immediately following said remastering schpeel? :wink:

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centurymantra
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Post by centurymantra » Sat Apr 01, 2006 10:40 am

mertmo wrote:My favorite is when you go to the movies and before the show, you get that little animated graphic thing and it says, "this theatre features DIGITAL SOUND...!"

I'm like, "yeah - so does my car."
Yeah, that one is the classic and possibly most abused use of the word. Once I really started noticing this, I would actually laugh out loud in the theatre when seeing this. Like I was saying, the average consumer has been trained to equate DIGITAL with BETTER. Never mind that sound is seems to be getting progressively worse in most theatres...at least those of the shoebox variety. I do also get a kick out of the way they will overstate notes of a film being digitally remastered. This is especially funny when you you see it on those $5.99 budget DVD's jammed in front of bins in checkout lanes at grocery stores. I'm sure those definitely look better than the original. :roll:

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Post by ChrisCo » Sat Apr 01, 2006 10:51 am

Digital stimulation is what a paraplegic uses to initiate bowel movements.

I guess that's one huge metaphor for this case, don'tchathink? :oneeye:

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Post by JGriffin » Sat Apr 01, 2006 12:43 pm

centurymantra wrote:
mertmo wrote:My favorite is when you go to the movies and before the show, you get that little animated graphic thing and it says, "this theatre features DIGITAL SOUND...!"

I'm like, "yeah - so does my car."
Yeah, that one is the classic and possibly most abused use of the word. Once I really started noticing this, I would actually laugh out loud in the theatre when seeing this. Like I was saying, the average consumer has been trained to equate DIGITAL with BETTER. Never mind that sound is seems to be getting progressively worse in most theatres...at least those of the shoebox variety. I do also get a kick out of the way they will overstate notes of a film being digitally remastered. This is especially funny when you you see it on those $5.99 budget DVD's jammed in front of bins in checkout lanes at grocery stores. I'm sure those definitely look better than the original. :roll:

Well,my digital cable definitely looks worse. Compression artifacts all over the damn place. And Comcast wonders why I won't use them for internet service...
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Post by nestle » Sat Apr 01, 2006 12:53 pm

it was like that in the 30's with the word Radio-
ex: Radio City Music Hall

it's also been like that

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Post by Bear » Sat Apr 01, 2006 2:27 pm

I just want digital food, then I'll be happy.
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Post by ;ivlunsdystf » Sat Apr 01, 2006 2:42 pm

nestle wrote:it was like that in the 30's with the word Radio-
ex: Radio City Music Hall

it's also been like that
Yeah, also 'cyber', 'semiconductor', and even in the early 1960s there was a big hype about 'electronic'.

Imagine: "Try massaging your sound with our state-of-the-art ELECTRONIC preamp!"

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