All posts by MikeB
Below are all of MikeB's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Our Samsung rep has some lines about how the curve improves depth perception, and improves viewing angle, etc. Frankly, we are slightly dubious, and so was a lady customer on Sat., who said she wasn't keen (unlike her husband). However, she did mention that her room layout did mean people did have to look at the screen from relatively wide angles, and I pointed out that the improved angle of viewing was supposed to be a virtue of the curved design.
She tried it out, and totally agreed! It did make a difference, and its highly likely they will buy one. So the curve does have its uses.
On the other hand, we were watching snooker on the 65in 4K the other week, and were surprised at just how much the bottom of the table seemed to curve - but to be fair, we were watching an HD picture from just 8 feet away.
I suspect that TV's are now curved, because they can be, and certainly one or two people have bought curved TV's because they are a) different, and b) because the equivalent flat screen last year was actually more expensive.
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bored: And yet it does exist. And via a DAB/FM radio which can be bought for just £16.99, I could listen to 6Music, 4Extra, The World Service and those things which are only otherwise available on LW at huge cost to the licence fee payer.
If you only want analogue, thats fine. But do you just watch analogue TV? And is colour more than we need?
Brian M. Leahy: I'm not surprised that DAB got such views on an internet forum - DAB tends to polarise debate (as you can see). However, my Pure DAB/FM/Internet radio is fine, and if you ask to listen in a shop to two radio's of the same type, one playing on FM, and the other on DAB, while there will be a difference, its not as dramatic as some would have you believe. Remember that you want a portable radio - so the speaker is hardly going to be huge, only a couple of watts. The supposed difference in quality is not going to be particularly noticable. And DAB coverage will improve.
Its perfectly true that DAB does suck up far more power than FM (although the chips coming along will greatly reduce the power needed), but why not just use FM when out and about, unless you need DAB stations? But if you go for an FM only radio, you cannot listen to DAB only stations - and there are a fair number of them.
In fact, why buy a radio at all? Even the cheapest mobile phone has an FM radio, and if you have a smart phone, then you can listen to almost anything via an app, using relatively little data. Thats exactly what 'the youth' are doing.
I think J Peter Wilson made excellent points - and he's right, both systems will be needed for a fair while to come.
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Ian: They only curve a bit, and considering how many customers insist that their flat screen TV has to be in the corner, because 'thats where it goes', I suspect that a slightly curved screen might fit nicely. As for Chris Hewson's point - yes, most walls are flat (Samsung do supply a wall mount), but most people still their TV on a cabinet, so it really isn't a big deal.
Light bounce could be a problem (we've noticed it, but we do have high ceilings and bright lights), but thats not unique to curved screens. Still, it will be more of an issue.
I know what you mean about OLED, but until LG can really bring it down to a price/quality mix which really works for most customers, we'll have to wait. I've seen one in another of our stores, and they are a bit of a wow.
Anthony: I'm not sure the viewing angles are much different to flat screens - 35 degrees isn't perfect for a flat screen either, and as I've said, one very dubious customer was surprised at how good the viewing angle was, so perhaps its up to the individual. Certainly the sweet spot seems to be larger than first thought, and it seems fine from most angles.
John Martin: You be cynical, and you may even be right, but I suspect that curved is coming, and is here to stay (I'm not sure that HD TV sales are on the slide, its just that the UK has the highest market penetration in Europe).
Dont underestimate Samsung. They have consistantly pushed innovation in the industry. Their styling made sure all TV's were black some years back, and were the first with LED (don't mention Sharp). They originated Smart TV's, and their 8000 series changed how TV's looked a couple of years ago. They don't always get it right, but they are a very successful brand. If CES next year has lots of curved sceens, then thats where the market will be.
Alan Ripley: Thats excellent advice. Despite all the flannel from the web, newspapers, etc, the right thing to do is to actually look at them. If they work for you, then fine. Frankly, the Samsung 55in H8000 is currently £500 cheaper than the previous version was last year, so your not paying a premium for the curve, quite the opposite.
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KMJ: Its a good point, but frankly, manufacturers no longer regard even 32in as a size to lavish their top technology on, so its doubtful.
Samsung are making a curved 48in version of the H8000, so a 40in isn't impossible next year (and 5-6ft is increasingly a 40in distance for many people, although I think 8-10 ft is more suitable), but since a 46in Samsung was the single most popular TV my empolyers sold in 2013, I think bigger TV's are where the action is going to be.
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bored: ' In fact Sky has made more and better programs consistently. The BBC has 1 or 2 hit shows every 5-10 years. '
The Bafta's tell a different story -
BBC1 - 17 nominations. BBC2 - 17. BBC3 - 6. BBC4 - 3 (44 in total). ITV & ITV2 - 14. C4 & E4 - 29. Press Release: Nominations Announced for the BAFTA Television Awards in 2014
Sky got one nomination/award Television in 2014 | BAFTA Awards - for a David Attenborough documentary. A man who basically has spent his whole life working for the BBC, and was former controller of BBC2. The rest? BBC, C4 and some ITV.
' Channels promoting dangerous cults and other esoteria. ' .Umm - what?
' vauous drivel' - an excellent description of your case.
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MikeP: BMW is introducing streaming technology to its cars, and many people already use their mobiles to stream radio whilst in their cars - the audio is just bluetoothed to their car audio system, or (because my car is a couple of year old and low end), just connect it via a 3.5mm jack. Its how I connect my Ipod Touch.
In fact most manufacturers are now allowing smartphones to connect with their car systems via apps Aha radio explained: streaming audio hits the road | News | TechRadar As you can see, streaming is going to be big
The Future of Car Radio - CEA
I agree with the sound quality of portables - some are better than others, but they are a small speaker, in a small case. Of course if you want great sound, there are lots of portable speakers around, with the Bose Soundlink Mini being the current works favourite. Not cheap, but very good.
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Maggie: I assume your previous TV was really old, and you had to use the aerial connection. OK - your current TV (which is 12 years old?) does have scarts, so life is easier. In fact all this stuff should be in the Icecrypt manual.
Your Icecrypt is already attached to your aerial socket, so just get a scart lead and put one end in the scart connector labeled 'TV' on the back of the Icecrypt http://www.icecrypt.com/p…tml, and the other in the first scart socket of the Panasonic. If you have a recorder/dvd player, connect that via scart cable to the next socket, and so on. You apparently have 4, so you can attach a fair number of things. If you do need to get some more scart cables, Poundland seems to have some reasonably high quality Belkin ones for a pound (scart is now on the way out).
You simply select the box by using the AV button on the Panasonic remote. When you do replace this TV, a modern one will have Freeview HD included, so the box will no longer be needed.
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Sunday 15 June 2014 5:19PM
jayne: The only thing that might be happening is that the power supply has come loose from the back of the box (which does happen), or that the fuse has gone (which is unlikely).
If the box has a red light on it, then it is getting power, but its in standby. You've changed the batteries on the remote, but you can check if the remote is working by pointing it at a digital camera (the one on a phone is fine) and pressing a button. If there is a little flash on the picture, then the remote is working. If not (and batteries even come with the thing, and its only a couple of days old), then the remote is gone.
Try to make sure the power is plugged in properly. If it is, and still no joy, take it back and get it replaced. Frankly, they are not great (I've got one!), but they should work.