What's MUSE?

[Infinite Mind]

Hello!

Recently, I picked up an old Mitsubishi CRT TV. Apparently the owner had brought it with him to North America from Japan. It's a 1995, widescreen TV with built-in MUSE.

From what I can tell, MUSE is the Japanese version of HDTV. I'm not sure how it works or if I can take advantage of it here in North America.

Can anyone share some insight? Is the built-in MUSE in my TV an ATSC receiver?

Thanks!

I.M.

[Duane]

Muse was an early Japanese high def format.I believe is was analog,but I could be wrong.Unfortunately,it is not compatable with ATSC.

There was a significant interest in this system in Japan. There was Laserdisc players and discs available back when.Once in awhile you can see these players and discs show up on Ebay..very costly.

[Zeromancer]

Muse was an early Japanese high def format.I believe is was analog,but I could be wrong.Unfortunately,it is not compatable with ATSC.

There was a significant interest in this system in Japan. There was Laserdisc players and discs available back when.Once in awhile you can see these players and discs show up on Ebay..very costly.
In 1991, several manufacturers announced specifications for what would become known as MUSE Laserdisc, representing a span of almost 15 years until the feats of this HD analog optical disc system would finally be duplicated digitally by HD-DVD and Blu-ray. Encoded using NHK's MUSE "Hi-Vision" analogue TV system, MUSE discs would operate like standard Laserdiscs but would contain high-definition 1125-line (1035 visible lines) video with a 5:3 aspect ratio. The MUSE players were also capable of playing standard NTSC format discs and are superior in performance to non-MUSE players even with these NTSC discs. The MUSE-capable players had several noteworthy advantages over standard Laserdisc players, including a red laser with a much narrower wavelength than the lasers found in standard players. The red laser was capable of reading through disc defects such as scratches and even mild disc-rot that would cause most other players to stop, stutter or drop-out. Crosstalk was not an issue with MUSE discs, and the narrow wavelength of the laser allowed for the virtual elimination of crosstalk with normal discs. In order to view MUSE encoded discs, it was necessary to have a MUSE decoder in addition to a compatible player and a MUSE-compatible TV set. Equipment prices were high, especially for early HDTVs which generally eclipsed US$10,000, and even in Japan the market for MUSE was tiny. Players and discs were never officially sold in North America, although several distributors imported MUSE discs along with other import titles. Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Lawrence of Arabia, A League of Their Own, Bugsy, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Bram Stoker's Dracula and Chaplin were among the theatrical releases available on MUSE LDs. Several documentaries, including one about Formula One at Japan's Suzuka Circuit were also released.

[Zeromancer]

Pioneer XO laserdisc was the most well built laserdisc player produced.
It originally sold for $8,000
Weighed around 80lbs.

[jlindsey86]

Damn, nice pickup. I've been looking for a MUSE capable TV for a long time. They are very rare.

MUSE was the first high definition standard for consumer use. It is analog and was broadcast in Japan only, I believe. As said there are also a very small number of MUSE laserdiscs, players, and decoders. Though they have to be imported from Japan. I have seen one MUSE setup and imo it blows Blu-Ray away. If you have the funds it would be interesting to put together a MUSE playback system but we are talking about several thousands of dollars and the format has been dead for several years.

[Zeromancer]

Damn, nice pickup. I've been looking for a MUSE capable TV for a long time. They are very rare.

MUSE was the first high definition standard for consumer use. It is analog and was broadcast in Japan only, I believe. As said there are also a very small number of MUSE laserdiscs, players, and decoders. Though they have to be imported from Japan. I have seen one MUSE setup and imo it blows Blu-Ray away. If you have the funds it would be interesting to put together a MUSE playback system but we are talking about several thousands of dollars and the format has been dead for several years.
http://www.x0project.com/welcome.php

[HomerJ]

Isn't that when Joe Pesci gets really pissed off on Goodfellas (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099685/)?
"Do you think I’m funny? How am I funny? Do I fucking MUSE you?"