OT and FOAK: Television sets

Our crappy little CRT TV is attached to an old VCR that no longer works
and a Freeview set-top box.

We want a new telly. Reasonably big - say 30" or more. Not massive.

We want an 'all-in-one': freeview and terrestrial TV channels. No
interest at all in cable, Sky or anything else. Want a decent recording
function too - digital? Onto disc? I know nothing of this sort of thing.

Can one get this all in one box, as it were? If not, suggestions? Say
£700 as a price point.

 

Don't know if you can get an all-in-one - I suspect not.

We're doing Sony 32" with onboard 'Freeview' for £279.99 at the moment.
Which is insane VFM.

 

Internet tellie, ykims

 

You can, but you shouldn't - that tends to be the domain of the no-name
brand crap.

Best buy at the moment is probably a Sony Bravia where you can claim the VAT
back.
http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/1237479399273
Possibly from John Lewis with a "free" five year guarantee.
http://www.johnlewis.com/Electrical...3MjQ2JTdjMTc4NTCafmxckcpuh3G7VC1AkaNVV0ygzg==

For the recording, buy a Humax PVR.
If you want Freeview HD then you need the FOX-T2 HDR
If you are happy with the standard definition channels then the PRV9300T

 

it's wi-fi'd up if you buy a USB adapter

 

I'd get something like this
http://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/product.asp?ProdRef=10072&cat=stb
and spend the rest on an HD TV.

 

Welcome to the world I was in a couple of years ago. Talk about not
keeping up with a changing world.

Other experts here will give you far better advice than I can. I opted
for a Sony (only 26" which is tiny but my living room isn't large)
Bravia which was been fine.

I also treated myself to a combined VCR/DVD/Hard Disc recorder by
Panasonic. I bought this at John Lewis. It also included a freeview
receiver in it although I already have Sky [1]. These are expensive-ish
machines but they give total flexibility in terms of any collections of
VCRs. Apart from one tiny glitch it has worked flawlessly.

[1] and even my old Sky box, which at one point looked to be on its last
legs, has kept working OK too. It will now, of course, fail in a few
hours time!

One tiny bit of advice - if you decide to buy at John Lewis they operate
an appointments system for buying a telly! Certainly the Oxford Street
store gets incredibly busy and I suspect Kingston (probably closer for
you) will do so too. Oh I see they now have a home store at Croydon and
that does tellies too.

 

Tsk he already knows that a Panasonic 50" plasma screen is the dogs nads
www.richersounds.com/product/plasma-tv/panasonic/viera-txp50s20/pana-txp50s20b

THAT is a screaming fucking bargain TOG. Next generation of mine for
a_lot_less than I paid

and though the sony recorder looks good this gives you the Viera link
control
www.richersounds.com/product/dvd-recorders/panasonic/dmrex83/pana-dmrex83-blk
or maybe
www.richersounds.com/product/dvd-recorders/panasonic/dmrxs350-mr/pana-dmrxs350

Really, £700 for that TV, it's incredible.
So incredible in fact <gnnnnnnnnnnnnnng>

 

+1

<spam>

wiv Skype of course.

</spam>

 

Jamie Oliver does our telly ads.

Big orange logo.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Mike Barnard

He is? COOL! I'd like a stasis field please. Preferably one that's
automatically activated by a high-G deceleration.

 

Be proud

Did anyone else find the picture of Blumenthal and Smith on the cover of
the Metro this morning *really* creepy?

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 GTV TS GT 3.2 V6
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

I really never know whether you play up to this or whether you actively
try to be insulated from common culture, or what!

I detest JO and won't watch his programmes. I also detest adverts when
I'm watching something, so hardly ever watch stuff on the commercial
channels at the time they are broadcast.

But even *I* know that JO does TV ads for Sainsburys, FFS!

 

And as culture goes, it doesn't get much more common

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 GTV TS GT 3.2 V6
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

I couldn't have told you that either so it isn't just Champ. Perhaps he and
I have something in common, that we don't consume Adverts. Not one. Ever.

 

I've corrected your post for you.

 

I didn't know, either. Just because someone doesn't watch a lot, or any,
TV, it doesn't mean they're insulated from common culture, it just means
they're not interested in puerile, boring 'entertainment'.

It's no different to you not knowing who 'The Wanted' are or what they
sound like.

--
Veggie Dave
http://www.iq18films.co.uk

"To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim
that Jesus was not born of a virgin." Cardinal Bellarmine

 

There are loads of things that I am not interested in because I find
them to be puerile and boring entertainment[1], but it doesn't mean I
dont know *anything* about them because I pickthings up from other
sources, e.g. radio, newspapers, other people, etc.

And anyway, Champ has previous for this kind of thing!

They're a "boy band" aren't they? If so, that's all I need to know.
If not, they might be worth investigating.

 

Basically you want a TV to watch TV on and the occasional DVD/Blu-ray?

In which case you really don't want to be spending huge amount of cash
because you'll be paying for stuff that really holds no interest or
advantage to you.

If you were a film junkie then spending huge amounts on a TV can be
justified, but to just watch Freeview/standard TV you really can choose
any named brand and will be happy.

Don't get sucked into all the big numbers being banded around these
days, either. TVs with two million to one contrast ratios ... it's all
bollocks. Black is black, white it white. IMAX (film, not digi), the
highest resolution format in the world, only has a contrast ratio of
500:1. Even the IMAX 3D digi projector is only 5500:1

Go to the shop, see which one you like, ask for a demo using a DVD or
Blu-ray player, buy it or don't buy it. Don't waste your money buying
something with all the big numbers because they don't mean anything at
the best of times, and definitely don't mean Jack Shit if you're only
watching Freeview.

--
Veggie Dave
http://www.iq18films.co.uk

"To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim
that Jesus was not born of a virgin." Cardinal Bellarmine

 

I honestly have no idea, I just heard their name on the TV when I was
replying to you.

--
Veggie Dave
http://www.iq18films.co.uk

"To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim
that Jesus was not born of a virgin." Cardinal Bellarmine