On Sat, 30 Apr 2011 22:48:26 +0100, "Stephen"
wrote:

I can assure you that PAL refers to an analogue broadcast standard.

No one doubts that. It's also a DVD standard too iiuc.

What the
Americans call a "PAL connector" is really strictly speaking a Belling Lee.

I think it can be two things at the same time, and it's hard to be
just a Belling Lee when I for one had never heard of such a thing. I'm
sure that's true of many people who sell them in the US too.

It sounds like "PAL connector has become everyday language in USA, just
like "Hoover"

Hoover means vacuum cleaner in some other countries, but in the US
it's just another brand. Gerber means baby food in general some
places.

or "Xerox" whereas strictly speakign they are vacuum cleaner
and photocopier respectively.

Xerox does indeed mean photocopy here. I think a small part of my
jaunt in law school dealt with trademarks, but I've always thought the
rule was backwards from what it should be. If people use xerox as a
synonym for photocopy, that should strengthen the trademark and not
weaken it. Then the Xerox company, or the Scotch tape company
wouldn't have to waste their efforts defending their name, except in
advertising for another brand.

But when someone actually uses a Xerox machine or real Scotch tape,
making them call it Scotch brand tape or Xerox brand photocopying
seems silly.

And if someone on the news, for example, said the company released a
xerox of some document, just assume they used a real Xerox machine or
something living up to its standards.

Just my rant.

Here in Great Britain, the F- connector is used for connecting satellite
dishes to the recievers or by the cable TV networks.

I persoanlly prefer F connector to Belling Lee as the latter can easily fall
out of the socket whereas F connectors dont.

Stephen.


"Geoffrey S. Mendelson" wrote in message
...
Stephen wrote:
PAL refers to the type of analogueTV standard rather than he type of
connector

Not in the US. They were called PAL connectors because only PAL TV sets
and
VCR's used them. They were only sold in shops which catered to foreign
tourists, Indians and saliors. All three of which bought them in the US
because of the low taxes and then took or sent them "home".

Over the years I've referred to F connecters as NTSC connectors when
someone
called the Belling-Lee ones PAL connectors, but no one got the joke. :-(

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to misquote it.