Widescreen TVs, when they are not showing a widescreen image, apparently leave the horizontal borders empty. This border presumably accounts for 19/64 of the screen (a little under a third). This is available for another use.

I propose that the TV display be moved over to one side, and on the other a small computer system would display its wares.
These would include games for bored children (Or adults during commercial breaks), channel guides or Teletext output. The system is not intended to compete with PCs or consoles on graphics (or sound), so the cost of the system is minimised. It does not use legacy PC architecture, being built around the simplest, cheapest structure possible to give the best balance between cost and display, and also maximise adaptablility and ease of programming development.

This could perhaps be most easily baked as a plugthrough box. The 5/4 TV input would be converted to a 16/9 output, alongside the computer's display.

To provide cheapest input devices and instant variety the sockets are compatible with whatever the new standard is called. There is a headphones/external speaker socket.

Games etc are probably provided on CD, being cheapest. The system is open, with the business model of the box-builder based on profit from boxes sold, as well as software sales.

It should also ideally be possible to link up two or three boxes to give multiple screen displays of the same or different programs.
-- Loris, Feb 05 2003

I presume you mean the *vertical* borders are left empty?
-- FarmerJohn, Feb 05 2003


Umm... maybe? The ones on the left and right - so horizontal... or the ones whose edge is up-down - so vertical. I guess I can see it either way.
I'm sure you all know what I mean, anyway.
-- Loris, Feb 05 2003


semi-baked... my friend's huge sony widescreen tv can be split down the center, each half being used by a different input, i.e. one half tv, the other half vcr/dvd/ps2/xbox/gamecube/colecovision, whatever you've got plugged in back there. yes, this assumes that you've already got a game console or video player, but the price of the tv+built-in-game system would probably come out about equal to that.
-- SquidInk, Feb 05 2003


> but the price of the tv+built-in-game system would probably come out about equal to that.

Aah, but this is a plug-through box, which has several advantages:
* usable with all makes of widescreen TV (wider audience for software sales)
* doesn't bump up price of TV
* people who already have widescreen (probably early adopters) may buy it but wouldn't buy a new TV

also, mixed things like TV+x (where x=video player, console etc) rarely do well, perhaps because people wonder what they'd do if one component broke.
-- Loris, Feb 06 2003



random, halfbakery