Comments on: The art of competitive pricing

By: Chunk

Chunk — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 16:22:41 +0000

I just had the exact same experience with one of these ultra-annoying “computer experts” (for $40 we can install that stick of ram for you!). This time I looked him squarely in the eye and told him he was an idiot. Made me feel good. He “escorted” me out of the store blithering and blathering. I laughed at him the whole way.

By: Colin D. Devroe

Colin D. Devroe — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 15:49:54 +0000

Myron: TouchÃƒÂ©. I realize the way the technology works, but to say it is impossible shows considerable ignorance – and not everyone is blessed with your volumes of knowledge in this area. I don’t expect the guys at Circuit City (even the ones in the computer department since that is who I asked first, then went to the audio/video crew) to know everything there is to know about these types of things, but being willing to say that they don’t know would be nice.

Thanks for commenting though.

By: Myron A. Semack

Myron A. Semack — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 23:54:58 +0000

Technically, the Circuit City guys weren’t as far off the mark as you suggest.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: Study the meanings of all the pins on a VGA connecter. Then compare it to the pins on an S-Video connector.

S-Video signals are not VGA. You can’t turn VGA into S-Video without a converter device (and a power source).

So then, how does your cable actually work? Technically, it doesn’t “work”. The video card does the work.

Some modern video cards support the ability to also drive S-Video signals on their VGA connector. The cable isn’t automagically converting the signals. The video card itself creates the NTSC/PAL signal. What you bought is simply a cable, not a converter.

There are still a lot of video cards (particularly northbridge-integrated video controllers) that do not support this ability. That’s why there is a compatibility disclaimer on the page you linked to (http://www.computercasesandcables.com/ccc/CV-25120).

If you wanted to actually CONVERT VGA to S-Video, you would need a device like this. Notice that this device is much more expensive than the cable you bought.

In your posting, you didn’t specify which department of Circuit City you were in when you inquired about the cable. If you were asking someone working in the Television/Video department of Circuit City, then it is reasonable for him to not know how a PC’s video card works.

By: Mike Stickel

Mike Stickel — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 13:52:02 +0000

haha, be sure to take that cable to show the Circuit City idiot next time your in the area. I would.

As far as the Monster Cable thing goes, they’re doing the same thing the Circuit City guy is doing, just to a different market. 3/4 of the reasons to buy their very overpriced merchandise is a load of crap. Any AV freak out there needs to do themselves a favor and watch this video/read this article on making your own cables.

Where price gouging is involved, I’m always cautious because I’ve been bitten too many times by the extra fees at the end. The shitty thing is that all the extras are all “administration” style charges, and those charges always vary in incredible amounts Ã¢â‚¬â€ too bad there isn’t a way to regulate them or at least keep them in a range.

By: Colin D. Devroe

Colin D. Devroe — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 13:29:46 +0000

Dennis: I can sympathize. I was looking for a car charger for my ipod, and phone, on ebay. Same thing. The chargers were Buy It Now for $1.00. But the shipping price was $10. They did this simply to be at the top of the search results.

By: Colin D. Devroe

Colin D. Devroe — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 13:28:15 +0000

Chris Clark: sounds amazingly familiar to another company we love huh?

By: Dennis

Dennis — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 13:24:29 +0000

I agree, the retail world is a nightmare and it is just so much easier to do things at home. Regarding the hidden cost of shipping…I have seen this lately on eBay. I am shopping for a Mac Mini or a Power Mac G4 and I have seen attractive prices that have a $150 shipping fee attached to it. They must think people are idiots.

By: Owen

Owen — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 11:19:24 +0000

I was under the same impression as the Circuit City guy, though I woudl have said, “The only way I know to do that for sure is… …and I’ve never heard of a cable alone that would do it, but I’m sure it’s possible someone makes one.”

So, do you have more cable info?

By: Chris Clark

Chris Clark — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 08:38:07 +0000

A ‘race for the bottom’ would have to be the worst business to be in, but they seem to have made a living out of it by trying to trick consumers. Hooray.

Meanwhile, look at Monster Cable — they’re selling gold-plated whatevermajigs at ten times the price of ‘normal’ cables, and are making a killing because they can focus on the AV-freak market who demands quality above all else. The scales are different, but I’d sure sooner be selling competitive products than competitively-pricing crappy ones.

By: jakedahn

jakedahn — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 08:18:25 +0000

Yeah, It’s just about time to give up on physical stores. It’s all about the internet shops found in random places on the net.

I’d rather help myself than be mishelped by someone else

… is mishelped a word?

By: Daniel Nicolas

Daniel Nicolas — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 06:12:53 +0000

I went through the same thing trying to find the cable that let me use 2 monitors on my old eMac.

Everyone online wanted me to pay $25+ for the shipping and handling, Apple.com didn’t stock them anymore (something about the eMac not doing so hot), and all the stores that normally sell Apple stuff, well

“It Doesn’t Exist. Can I interest you in an iPod?”.

I finally tracked down one store that had one.

It’s very good advice to watch out for the “hidden” things that heavily affect the total price.