Post date: Aug 1, 2015 3:15:42 AM
Sony sold the world's first high-definition (HD) studio production equipment in 1984. The research and development efforts received support from the Japanese government, in part because of HD's potential for "technology fusion" (its likelihood to impact a broad range of other technologies) [see here]. In 1987, Japan's public broadcasting company demonstrated their HDTV system to the FCC in USA. Developments laden with politics and an occasional engineering accomplishment then drove the spread of HD to the US [see here].
The phrase, "high definition," is refers to the property of having a resolution that is higher than some standard definition. Don't worry about the "standard" part of this meaning. Focus on the term "resolution." Resolution is a property of a visual representation (colloquially, an image). Specifically, it is the amount of detail the representation carries. OR SO ONE WOULD THINK.
Two years ago, while visiting my nieces for Christmas celebrations, I noticed that someone had given them an HD coloring book. Bear with me. If you search "HD coloring book," you'll likely get results for lots of apps that let you "color" on a mobile device. But that's not what my niece had. She had a physical, paper-based coloring book. It bore the letters "HD" proudly on the front cover, along with a nice image. Inside, there were regular old coloring book pages. I wish I could find that book to post a picture. But the best I can do is testify that, when I compared the inside pages of this coloring book to a "standard" coloring book, the resolution was pretty much the same -- objects outlined in black ink with otherwise white-ish colored pages.
I quipped at the time that "HD" would become a marketing gimmick, and that we could look forward to all sorts of products being called HD--even ones for which varying resolution is impossible, and even ones that are not visual representations.
Lo! In light of my wife having made several HD product sightings in the past few months, herewith I go on the public record with our observation. And I invite others to participate in the fun of noticing the kinds of products that now come as "HD."
Revlon Ultra HD Lipstick, where the color of the lipstick is "high definition." (Whatever that means: color is not a visual representation, and so at best they are equivocating on the meaning of "high definition.")
New York Color's High Definition Liquid Eyeliner, where the key ingredients include "highly intense pigments." (Intensity is more akin to saturation levels than resolution levels: saturation is a matter of how much energy is emitted, and that is fairly independent from amount of detail.)
Crest Pro-Health HD Toothpaste, which is supposed to give you a more "luminescent" smile. (This seems to use the same conflation as NYC's HD eyeliner. Luminescence is a matter of how much light something emits, which happens to be fairly independent from amount of detail.)
Ruby Kisses HD Gel Liner, to be used carefully and with their HD Gel Liner Brush. (They don't explain why this gel is HD, but this review says it is "very pigmented." I think the reviewer's idea is that the gel is very saturated or luminescent. So, once again, we have an equivocation on "high definition.")
Timberline HD Shingles, with "High Definition(R) shadow bands for exceptional depth and dimension." (At least this company has the courtesy to register the phrase "High Definition" as a trademark. Consumer Tip: The (R) means they can have the word mean anything they want. Fun Observation: Because they use (R) rather than (TM), we know that the US Federal Government officially recognizes their usage.)
HD Shampoo, for your carpet-cleaning needs. (They don't explain what "HD" stands for. So they get this link as their comment.)
Feel free to add your own HD product finds in the comments. I'm waiting for the HD products targeted to men. I predict a line of HD deodorant body sprays by AXE ("get the hi-def extension for your low-def intension") and HD Bacon Seaweed Strips ("oh dulce! it's HD dulse")
Also, feel free to petition various companies for "next generation" HD products. Imagine: The HD2 Roadster (an HD motorcycle by Harley Davidson); or the HD3 Roadster Repair Kit (issued by Home Depot for the HD2 Roadster); or the HD4 Roadster Repair Kit Instruction Manual (book for the HD3, using only words from the poet H.D.); or the HD5 Roadster Repair Manual Recovery System (a special oil-flavored Haagen-Dazs ice cream for when you decide the HD4 is incomprehensible).