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Latency is the Enemy: Why Aren’t We Fighting It?
Manage episode 381135247 series 2826672
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Is latency a new issue? No, in fact, in the days before transistors, television sets operated with vacuum tubes, which required a warming up period before they worked. It could be five or 10 seconds before the picture tube lit up after turning the set on, something which was sufficiently annoying that many manufacturers built a system called “instant on”, which was a major selling feature.
To achieve this, the TV manufacturers simply kept the tubes warm at all times, drawing considerable energy, but allowing the picture tube to light up immediately when viewers flipped the switch.
Why would manufacturers put such an energy wasting feature into a product just to save the user from five seconds of inconvenience? Because five seconds is an eternity when you’re waiting for something to happen. Latency matters, yet it is still with us. Why?
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