Be Excellent To Each Other

I solved my TVs stupid 'only one HDMI' input issue with an infa-red HDMI switch and a Logitech universal remote.

I put the money in my bank today. I still haven't decided which one to get (the less expensive or the shiny one) but I will treat myself to one or the other tomorrow. if I have to bribe my brothers to help me carry one back from Argos it's probably going to cost me an extra £20-30 to take them to Pizza Hut, anyway, whereas the shiny one is delivered.

Anyway, I'll work it out

You'd be able to carry the Samsung (and anything a similar weight) unless you are a weedy weedy weakling =) The box comes with a handle on top and I carried it with one hand very easily.

The smaller screened CRT it replaced was a heavy bast to get down the stairs.

Seriously, you'd be able to carry either.

You could also get Argos to deliver the non-shiney one for about £6 iirc. It might even be free on an order of that size.

My Harmony may be the best thing I've ever bought.

Have you got your new telly yet Mimi?

Telly question: I noticed in Lidl that they've got "camping" satellite receivers! There doesn't appear to be a card slot on the unit, like a sky box, and it says it's for free-to-air channels. What could you expect to pick up with one of these, if anything?

Camp TV.

Supermarket Sweep, Generation Game and Are you being served.

x

Freeview, but with poor reception?

Free To Air channels from the Astra satellite cluster Sky use. I ran a Sky box with no card in for a few months last time my Freeview box packed in. You can get most of the major channels from Freeview but some stuff is missing. Some channels are Free To View instead and they need a one-off payment card; you can pick these up on any Sky box but this cardless one wouldn't receive them.

There are channel listings here.

The main reason these exist -- and why you see quite a few caravans with Sky dishes on -- is because a lot of camp sites don't have even analog TV reception, let alone Freeview or anything.

No, we've had a bit of sad news and I had to return to Lancaster the day after I got to London so I was going to order it yesterday but ended up travelling back up north instead.

I think I am going to go for the Samsung, though - I may have it delivered to my brother whilst I am away so that he can drop it off in the car once I get back to London, as I won't be going back to London for a little while now and they might well sell out I suppose.

If you're mainly going to be watching freeview, then the quality of the panel used in an LCD may not be the main issue.

A lot of 'true' 1080p HD TVs are fantastic in HD, but rubbish at displaying other resolutions (eg, freeview/analogue TV).

It's worth trying one out in the shop before buying too. I found that some of the more expensive Japanese made LCDs have terrible EPGs/menu systems that make channel hopping and changing source inputs a real pain.

I ended buying a cheapo Bush because I found it had the easiest menu system and a decent freeview picture.

I plan on getting a 'proper' HD tele when there's actually some HD TV content being broadcast...and by then they'll they'll no doubt be a lot better - and cheaper too.

Although of course Meems does have one of those there 360 things...

True enough though, some of the cheap ones seem to have really good scalers for some reason, but the Acoustic Solutions looks very nice in Freeview as does my dad's 23" Samsung. A good scaler will also be a massive benefit to those with the Wii.

Hello.

Today I took delivery of the first step to my televisual viewing pleasure heaven.

I got a Thomson digital Tv recorder set-top tellybox thingamajig from Asda - reduced to £59. It's a Freeview box (mine stopped working after a long and happy life) but it also has a 160gb harddrive, which is plenty for what I want it for (actually, I wasn't specifically looking for one with a hardrive, but this records two channels at once, apparently and everything I want to watch is on at the same time as something else, so that could be mighty handy. Anyhoo, I have set it up and it works great. I hope to order my TV next weekend if all goes to plan.

Yeah, that's a decent little buy if you don't need more than freeview. It won't of course do the hidef freeview chans when they appear but that's no major trauma I'm sure.]

I look forward to the new, improved, sharper defined Mimi.

They'll probably try and play GTA4 and claim it's too dark.

The end came off of my RF lead cable type thingy when I was getting things all arranged nicely. It was one of those ones that will not screw on but is moulded into one piece. I have spent and hour and a half trying to get it to work, but it won't.

I was all set up to record The Patriot and Brookeback Mountain and now I can't do either and I am going to sob gently into my pillow...

If that was what you were using me to record, I'd have committed suicide too.

Does this lead run between the cable and a socket on the wall? If so it's at least cheap and easy to replace. I'd be surprised if they weren't for sale in your nearest Asda for less than £2. If it's just a piece of cable that comes in through the wall from the aerial, it's a bit more awkward I'm afraid. You'll need to buy a new plug bit from Maplins or somewhere similar and fit it. It's not complicated, although it can be a bit fiddly.

I can vouch for Samsungs, I've got the r71 and it's a superb TV. Doesn't stand up to the 1080P sets nowadays though but those are excellent too.

It's actually the cable that runs from the signal booster (I have an indoor aerial - don't mock, it works perfectly) to the tellyboxfreeviewrecorder. It's a male-to-male cable and will be easy enough to replace, which isn't really a problem, but it is too late to replace it for tonight, which is when two Heath ledger films come on TV simultaneously. I've never seen the Patriot, but I do love Brookeback Mountain so... I am used to replacing the ends of aerial cables - my stepdad was an electrician and used to get me to do them all of the time because I had steady, patient hands, but the cable that has broken has only got moulded ends, rather than one that I can split the cable down and fix on in three parts. They actually sell ends for these cables in little 'handy packs' at my local newsagents, but they only have the female ends in stock, so I will have to wait until tomorrow and pick me up a new cable then and just get DVDs, or something.

I use an indoor aerial too, Crystal Palace is an ace transmitter.

Ah yes, it's Crystal Palace that mine picks up. I have to have it secured down though, as an inch out of the 'magic spot' either way and I can't get ITV (no loss) nor Channel 4. I'm being a snob, but ITV is crap. I could get BBC if the aerial was dropped down a mine in a lead box, though.

C5's multiplex is usually the tricky one.

Channel 5 has a great reception for me - which is great for early morning Pocoyo!

If I'd seen this earlier I would have recorded them for you! I've just watched Brokeback Mountain for the first time and am recording the second film now because I've never seen it but it's really bed time.

I hate Pocoyo. It's too fast; it feels like having amphetamine-riddled Sunny Delight poured into my eyes. My bestest friend is really into it, but then she runs a cheerleading squad and likes all that trumpet punk nonsense.

I did like the episode where the duck refused to have a bath, though.

BBM2, Brokier, Backier, Mountainer.

"The Broke is Back"?
"I'm gonna quit you - and this time, it's personal."

Aw, thanks for the thought, anyway, GJ, but I wouldn't have had a video machine to play it on. I'll let you into a secret... I have brookeback Mountain on DVD. Yes, I do. But there I something about watching a movie on TV. I am less likely to watch it on TV because if it is on DVD I think, well, I am a bit tired, I can watch it anytime, and never do, but if it is on TV I think 'it's on, must watch it now or miss it' so I make the time. Brokeback Mountain can beak our heart, it is so lovely, I have never seen The Patriot, though.

But you were going to record it off TV, so you WEREN'T making the time!

I'm so confused!

I think that tomorrow I might just go into the Richer Sounds on my way home from work, throw them something in the region of 300-400 quid and let them give me whatever I can get for that money.

Or are they shysters that I should avoid?

Oh, no - I was going to watch one (and record it, too) and record the other at the same time, but I was all mentally ready with my big fluffy blanket and warm cuddly clothes and some hot chocolate to enjoy the movie when Brokeback Mountain came on TV.

There is no possible way letting a person either on commission or worse, on minimum wage, tell you how to make a major purpose could possibly go wrong.

Jolly good... sold!

[I will probably just wander in, see what looks nice for my price range, and buy it. I should have phrased the question more along the lines of, 'A friend said that Richer Sounds are decent enough on price... does anyone agree/disagree?']

For a retail shop maybe, but assuming you mean a TV (you haven't actually said), there will be many better, cheaper options than "something that looked ok in RS".

I did say, but it was aaaaages ago.



Yeah, looking to buy a TV, probably of the 32 inch HD variety.

Then you'll need a lot more than £300 in a store I suspect.

I bought a TV from Richer Sounds about 18 months ago. I'd like to think that I'd researched it and it was the best place for me to go without buying online (my old TV died, so I didn't really want to hang around).
The sales people are usually pretty helpful (although I agree this is an unusual situation, so they might be completely different in your store) and I don't think I've left there with something I didn't really want. You might be better off having a look on their website, so you have an idea of what you want before you get there and you should be ok.

Edit - Does the "there's been some more posts since you clicked post reply" thing not work anymore, or is it just me?

Edit again -

Their 32" tvs seem to start at £350 for a JVC/Philips model and they've got some Samsung ones for £400.
I just remembered that they'll price-match their website, so that's another good reason to have a look before you go.

You need to use the full reply not quick reply.

I'd go cruise HUKD for TV deals, as much as most of the posters there are objectionable they are generally very good about sniffing out bargains. I agree with other posters, although I've had a good experience buying hifi from them in the half dozen times I've been in there, I wouldn't get a TV from them.

Ah, that would explain it, thanks.

This JVC one is 350 on the web.

Cheapest option

Or a Samsung for 400 HERE

Is it worth buying the more expensive one? I'm going to be using it pretty much exclusively for playing 360 games on it in my spare room.

Looks like I couldn't read properly earlier as the £350 Philips one is only 26", but there is a Philips and another Samsung both for £400.

As for which one you should go for, I dunno. I think Samsung's are pretty highly regarded, and they both have a VGA input (at least according to the specs on the site, you might want to double check), which may be useful for your 360, they all have component/HDMI and if it's the only thing you're going to plug in then you don't really need to worry.
None of them do proper 1080p, but most 360 games are 720p anyway, so I don't think that should be a problem.
Might be worth going along and taking a look, depending on the size of the store they usually have all the tvs on, and they'll hopefully be showing something in HD so you'll get an idea of what your 360 will look like.

It might be worth googling the model numbers to see if anyone has anything good/bad to say about them.

I would always recommend a Samsung, my dad's is the 23" version of that exact TV and it's very very nice indeed.

Does the Samsung = good apply to monitors as well?
I'm quite tempted to pick one of these, but I was wondering if any of you had any opinions.

Both my Samsung monitor and HDTV are aces.