Microsoft has removed the “use offline account” option when installing Windows

Re:Microsoft has removed the “use offline account” option wh... by Silhouette on Sunday September 29, 2019 @02:29PM (#21108744)

The irony is that you can still buy just a good screen with good connectivity options and basic controls, but the market is advertised as "display screens" intended for things like advertising or video walls.

I don't understand why the same manufacturers/distributors offering these products don't also pitch them as TVs with well-defined specs and no junk, probably with some sort of "expert"/"pro" branding that makes them look like a high-end choice.

You could pitch one of those, a basic 2.1 home sound system or the like, and maybe a small control/switching box that everything plugs into and that also accepts your source feeds, and you've got a mini home-theatre-style arrangement that could be quite attractive to those who value decent gear but don't have the budget and/or space for a full home theatre setup that would cost at least 2-3x as much for entry-level equipment.

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Re:Microsoft has removed the “use offline account” option wh... by 0xcde4c3db on Sunday September 29, 2019 @08:22PM (#21110634)

> The irony is that you can still buy just a good screen with good connectivity options and basic controls, but the market is advertised as "display screens" intended for things like advertising or video walls.

That used to be an obvious possibility, but recent products in this category tend to run variants of Android/Tizen/webOS complete with Wi-Fi to support remote management. There are still a few relatively "dumb" models of commercial displays out there, but they seem to be a dying breed.

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Re:Microsoft has removed the “use offline account” option wh... by jamiek88 on Sunday September 29, 2019 @02:45PM (#21108854)

Because only two manufacturers make large OLED screens and maybe three make advanced LED screens and they are all massive conglomerates that control the market.

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Re:Microsoft has removed the “use offline account” option wh... by Silhouette on Sunday September 29, 2019 @04:06PM (#21109337)

I suppose my implied question here is why control the market in that way even if they do have the practical ability to do so? If there is a market for simple, good quality products and people willing to pay a fair price for them, why would you exclude it, particularly in favour of a market where more of your revenue comes from dubious sources that could backfire in terms of PR and/or be less reliable in terms of future potential earnings?

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