On-screen Display - Criticism

Criticism

Several problems exist with regard to on-screen displays. One of them is diagnostics if a television's display system is damaged. Without any external screens, it is almost impossible (without opening the TV) to determine the source of the error. TV accessories that depend heavily on OSDs, such as VCRs or DVD players, are also difficult to configure without the use of a TV. On older VCRs, it was possible to program recording timers without turning on the TV; a modern VCR requires the user to turn on the TV to do so. Usability is generally also decreased with OSDs, as it is necessary to control a multitude of parameters with a few buttons, where earlier, real analog controls with mechanical feedback were available.

The drawbacks of using OSDs do not outweigh their main advantage of being more cost-efficient, which has led to their widespread use. Although, in some underground communities the use of an OSD is regarded software bloat and is frowned upon.

Hobbyist use of OSD can provide significant benefit in terms of the amount of information that can be shown without resorting to specific displays (for example, dot matrix LCD or computer displays), as virtually every home has a TV.

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