My Retro TVs

79 points 15 comments 3 hours ago
deivid

Some years ago I got hit by the retro TV bug and made one for my dad's 50th birthday [0].

It's fairly simple to put a Pi inside a tv and hook it up, but it does feel almost like the real thing

[0]: https://blog.davidv.dev/posts/revamping-an-old-tv-as-a-gift/

kbrannigan

I just realized that we went from Knob turning -> Channel Flipping -> Infinite Scroll.

It just that with a limited set of channels, we just watch whatever was most interesting.

With Infinite scrolling you're always hoping for something better that might come.

alnwlsn

Also a good example at how technology has made things slower. An analog TV can change channels mid-frame; try that on a digital TV and you're met with a 0.5 to 1 second delay, just like on this site. It's not much, but it adds up.

Klonoar

If you believe in stereotypes, men were always on infinite scroll.

disillusioned

Oooh, this is like a rebirth of YouTube Time Machine, which went defunct awhile back. Ads end up being my favorite... they're such a weird bit of the zeitgeist: prices, style, attention seeking techniques... so interesting.

throw0101a

If anyone is interested in seeing the real thing, there's an 'old TVs' museum in Toronto, Canada with a bunch:

* https://mztv.com

* Virtual: https://mztv.com/tour/

fanatic2pope

Wow, Moses Znaimer was a cornerstone of my early media consumption with CityTV and MuchMusic. Next time I am in Toronto I am definitely checking this out. Thank you.

actionfromafar

Second that

readdit

I'm prone to nostalgia and love projects like this. It's a very unique feeling that's hard to describe. I wonder why we feel these things for the past we've experienced.

ivape

Because it’s the closest thing to proof that people truly do live entirely different realities. Whoever you were staring at those shows at that age is simple not you now and can never be you again. It’s almost supernatural. If you follow this line of thinking, it’s possible to live entirely different existences, almost in another body (you can take that however far you want, reincarnation, life after death, being unplugged from the simulation, etc).

It’s a mystical way of asking “what exactly was the past really and how transient am I now at this exact moment?”.

lacoolj

more addicting than cookie clicker. good god

someone give me the strength to CTRL+F4

JCM9

This is great. Commercials brought back memories.

chrisco255

Tough to use on mobile.

ishan_kunam

very cool but a bit awkward to use on mobile

mainecoder

I love this

Made by @calebRussel