From: myers@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Bob Myers)
Subject: Re: subliminal message flashing on TV
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Lines: 18

> Hi.  I was doing research on subliminal suggestion for a psychology
> paper, and I read that one researcher flashed hidden messages on the
> TV screen at 1/200ths of a second.  Is that possible?  I thought the
> maximum rate the TV was even capable of displaying images was 1/30th
> of a second.  (or 1/60th of a second for an image composed of only odd
> or even scan lines)

You are correct; the fastest "complete" image that could be presented on
TV would be one field, which is 1/60 of a second (approximately).  Of course,
the phrase "TV screen" is often thrown around in reference to any CRT
display, so perhaps this researcher wasn't using normal TV rates.  Might
even be a vector ("strokewriter") display, in which case the lower limit
on image time is anyone's guess (and is probably phosphor-persistence limited).


Bob Myers  KC0EW   Hewlett-Packard Co.      |Opinions expressed here are not
                   Systems Technology Div.  |those of my employer or any other
myers@fc.hp.com    Fort Collins, Colorado   |sentient life-form on this planet.
