Intellistar Background suggestion...

[Dan]

I would like to throw this idea out there for everyone...


How hard would it be for the background images used on the HD Star to be linked to the location you are watching from? For example if you live in San Francisco image of the Golden Gate Bridge or in New York a picture of the Statue of Liberty?

[WeatherWitness]

I would like to throw this idea out there for everyone...


How hard would it be for the background images used on the HD Star to be linked to the location you are watching from? For example if you live in San Francisco image of the Golden Gate Bridge or in New York a picture of the Statue of Liberty?

I wouldn't think it would be that hard; in fact, I thought that's what they were going to do in the first place.  It's a little weird if you live in the city and see a farmland background, or vice versa.  I also don't like seeing a bright sunny background in the middle of the night.

[gt1racerlHDl]

From the mock-up video they did show Boston with the Skyline and the Prudential Tower so i'm not sure why they haven't integrated it.

[HulkieD]

I would like to throw this idea out there for everyone...


How hard would it be for the background images used on the HD Star to be linked to the location you are watching from? For example if you live in San Francisco image of the Golden Gate Bridge or in New York a picture of the Statue of Liberty?

I wouldn't think it would be that hard; in fact, I thought that's what they were going to do in the first place.  It's a little weird if you live in the city and see a farmland background, or vice versa.  I also don't like seeing a bright sunny background in the middle of the night.

This.

My star constantly displays farmlands and canyons and meteor showers.  Maybe, maybe some foggy city background.  I'll get backgrounds of something in the middle of the day at 1:48 at night, or the meteor shower background at 2:08 in the afternoon.  I don't mind the variety at all, mind you, but it'd make more sense to at least have it match the time of day?

As for the Boston mockup, keep in mind, it's probably not running on actual Intellistar 2 hardware.  Granted, the IS2 should theoretically be able to look like that, but I think they want to keep the IS1 and IS2 as identical as possible for some reason.

[WeatherWitness]

As for the Boston mockup, keep in mind, it's probably not running on actual Intellistar 2 hardware.  Granted, the IS2 should theoretically be able to look like that, but I think they want to keep the IS1 and IS2 as identical as possible for some reason.

This could probably be a whole separate discussion in its own, but I've always wondered what the maximum capabilities of the IS and IS2 hardware are.  I'm assuming the IS2 is more powerful that the IS and can probably handle the animated backgrounds and such.  But it just confuses me to see these fancy, flashy mockups and then have the actual product be sub-par.  I'm pretty sure you're right in saying that the Boston mockup was not running on IS2 hardware, and I remember the mockup of the IS2 they made before it ever came out was not on IS2 hardware (I think someone mentioned After Effects).  So, to me, that sounds like the IS and IS2 cannot handle that much "pizzazz," if you will.

[TWCToday]

As for the Boston mockup, keep in mind, it's probably not running on actual Intellistar 2 hardware.  Granted, the IS2 should theoretically be able to look like that, but I think they want to keep the IS1 and IS2 as identical as possible for some reason.

This could probably be a whole separate discussion in its own, but I've always wondered what the maximum capabilities of the IS and IS2 hardware are.  I'm assuming the IS2 is more powerful that the IS and can probably handle the animated backgrounds and such.  But it just confuses me to see these fancy, flashy mockups and then have the actual product be sub-par.  I'm pretty sure you're right in saying that the Boston mockup was not running on IS2 hardware, and I remember the mockup of the IS2 they made before it ever came out was not on IS2 hardware (I think someone mentioned After Effects).  So, to me, that sounds like the IS and IS2 cannot handle that much "pizzazz," if you will.

The proof of concept videos are typically made in a graphics editor like adobe, etc. Its one thing to make a pretty mockup but entirely different to program and code it for a working product. The IS2 can certainly handle a lot more than what its doing now in my opinion but thats by design. It's built to have a very long lifespan and needs to accommodate future unforeseen graphic needs. Also remember you don't want these machines running at 100% power all the time. Efficiency is important for longevity. It's quite amazing if you think about it... some of the machines have been running with fans blowing, drives whirling, etc for 10 years!! That's what I call a quality product. 

[TWCToday]

From the mock-up video they did show Boston with the Skyline and the Prudential Tower so i'm not sure why they haven't integrated it.

One reason might be that these units typically serve huge areas. A cable headened isn't going to spend lots of money to install multiple units for each city. When people see images of another city... potentially 20-30miles away, they might get the wrong impression about the forecast. Still.... I would like to see custom images though for at least metro areas. I think its a cool idea