Techy Pressie

basil

don't mention the blinds
She is fast approaching a momentous birthday and i'm going full belt into the 21st century (and beyond) with a stunning idea for a present. i've seen some ads for free-sat which looks bona, what i would like to do is install an all singing all dancing TV set. Now what i have in mind is flat screen (lcd) high definition (hd) which a easy to find but and i need some help here can i get this TV with a built-in hard drive? i already own a stand alone version and it is so simple even the cat can operate it so to have one in a shiny new set nailed to the wall would be fantasmagorical, so plese if they exist where can i get one and importantly how much could i expect to pay?....
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Never seen a TV with a HD in it? They prob do exist but everyone uses a seperate. I take it this is for DiVX stuff, as the freesat boxes usually have HDs in?
 

basil

don't mention the blinds
you mean hard drive (hd) not high defenition (hd)? DiVX is alien to me and do you mean the freesat box has hard drive or high defenition...bloody hell this is getting scientific!...
 

Rikki

Well-Known Forumite
High defenition = better quality picture
Hard drive = ability to record / playback tv or movies (storage space)
DiVX is basically i type of video file

I would assume Tek was assuming you either wanted to be able to play downloaded movies/tv through your telly or record what you were watching like sky plus. Which requires a hard drive.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Right, hang on. I meant HD as in Hard Drive, like you get in a sky+ box. You can get freesat viewers or recorders, the recorders come with a hard drive in to record the TV onto (so essentially is a sky+). Thats what I'd go for, apparantly Humax do the best ones although I've never used one so can't be sure. This would mean the one remote for the freesat box also does your recording, rather than a seperate unit.

As for HD, all are nowadays pretty much. Although 1080p is the better version, as its got mre detail, it will be a few years before anyone in the UK broadcasts in this quality. Therefore a 720p set will be fine, but if you can get a 1080p at a good price get it for futureproofing. How much do you want to spend on a TV, and what size screen?
 

shoes

Well-Known Forumite
You'd be hard pressed to find a non HD ready TV set these days, as Tek mentioned above.

A lot depends on what size and price point you are aiming at. For example a low end, but still very viewable 37" will cost you upwards of £350, however a good 37", one with say a samsung or sony panel in it will cost around £500.

As you go up in size the price goes up exponentially. I currently have my eyes on this puppy (and with my shiny new job I should be able to get one soon so will be able to post a review). The reviews are awesome and it's the baby brother to Tek's TV set, which I have played Grid on and well... what can I say? It's the reason I looked at Toshiba TVs at all, it's superb!

Edit: A bit too pissed and stoned to be dealing with all this tagging....english is a challange without going g33k
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
I've seen 37" sets from £300, but they don't look as pretty. Call me a snob, but I don't want an ugly TV! Mine is nice as it has a very slim bezel (the border around it), so despite it being a 40" its only as big as some cheaper 37" sets.

Sony make some VERY sexy ultra slim TVs, more like a picture frame with just one wire to it. All inputs etc. go to a CD player size box, and one HDMI leads to the screen. Amazing toy, but also rather high price.
 

basil

don't mention the blinds
I am totally flummoxed.. i thought i was asking a simple question and now i am bamboozled with all this techno-babble and i appreciate i was going some with two questions but i canna see the answer to one of them ... i can only assume that my leap into the 21st century is doomed , unless i can invent a TV that does what i want it to do....
 

Markerat

I'm no gynaecologist...
I should change my name to Manuel and be clipped around the ear a lot by Basil.

Usually the television has either a DVD player built in or a freesat receiver. The DVD is for playing disks (cd's/dvd's) but not for recording on to them or a hard disk either usually. Same story with the receiver it can decode but not record.

A free sat box may be purchased quite cheaply with a recording function and every non subscription channel may be viewed.

Channel 4 does not work however (word of warning). Channel 4 +1hour works fine and you can watch your programme then.

Also channels like:

http://www.freesat.co.uk/index.php?page=whatson.Main

please look to see what is available, i am not typing out 140 channels.

I hope this answers your questions completely.

Markerat aka Manuel Quai ?
 

Markerat

I'm no gynaecologist...
Basil it may interest you to know such a product you require may be found at:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5321832/c_1/1|cat_12108813|Digital+boxes+and+services|12108960/Trail/searchtext%3EFREESAT.htm

* Hard disk recorder.

* Digitally interactive.

* Digital text.

* RF loop for older tellys with round aerial.

* Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB).

* Auto setup.

* Auto detection of new channels.

* Auto scan for new channels.

* Now and next electronic programme guide.

* 7 days electronic programme guide.

* Maximum recording time 200 hours.

* 2 SCART sockets.

* SCART lead included.

* HDMI output socket

* 1 HDMI lead.(high def lead quite expensive)

* Upscales to 1080i. (resolution for high definition)

* Access over 140 Freesat digital channels and radio stations.

* Remote control requires 2 x AAA batteries, included.

* Size (H)4.5, (W)28, (D)20cm.

* Weight 2.3kg.
 

shoes

Well-Known Forumite
basil said:
I am totally flummoxed.. i thought i was asking a simple question and now i am bamboozled with all this techno-babble and i appreciate i was going some with two questions but i canna see the answer to one of them ... i can only assume that my leap into the 21st century is doomed , unless i can invent a TV that does what i want it to do....
Basically you need two devices. A standalone recording device like a Sky+ box or whatever, which i presume you have already got by your first post. This leaves you with just the need for the flat panel TV which is what we're discussing.

I'm not sure if such a device exists for your needs but I'd avoid it anyway as hard drives are temprimental and more likely to break than anything else and then you have to have it repaired which means no TV at all anyway.

So now you're down to a) how much money you wish to spend b) how large you wish the screen to be and then c) balancing those two factors to get a screen which will give you the viewing quality you are happy with, some large screens looks utter bollocks but cost pennies whereas you may find a smaller screen of a better standard a better purchase. I'm pretty anal about AV so I'd opt for the smaller screen with higher quality but thats just personal preference.
 

Markerat

I'm no gynaecologist...
As a small aside which i hope doesnt upset anyone.

Humax the box i selected in my previous post is one of the best manufactres to date for amateur satellite enthusiasts such as myself. (dabbled for a few years in it)

Humax are renown for their ability to be easily reprogrammed. I had a receiver which any one with any basic computer knowledge could easily watch television broadcasts intended for other countries.

I know the idea of watching terry and june in greek doesnt imediatly grab you but let me explain.

Most Humax boxes have a multi language stream button. Similair to a dvd menu system where you choose the languge if your familiar with that concept English/French/German/Italy etc

A few foreign broadcasters show upto date movies on there channels in english as an option in High Def.

Although this is technically against uk policy for watching televison.

Known in the trade as a 'DirtyBox'
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Markerat said:
I know the idea of watching terry and june in greek doesnt imediatly grab you but let me explain.
When I lived in Cyprus we used to get the Magic Roundabout in Greek, and it seemed to make just as much sense. Pre Terry and June, I know, but I wonder if the same effect would be apparent?
 

Markerat

I'm no gynaecologist...
I watched flash gordon in the pictures when it first came out in spanish in barcelona.
We were on holiday at the time and i wanted to see the film.
Hundreds of spanish kids in the cinema shouting as loud as they could "VIVA FLASH" and "ONDELA FLASH".
Watched it in a english cinema when we got home to blighty...just no atmosphere.
English audiances are hard to motivate lol.

Just looked it up 1980 Flash Gordon, i was 7.
 

db

#chaplife
i think everyone is massively over-complicating this for poor basil.. from his OP, all i gather he wants is:

a high definition lcd tv
the ability to record programs and schedule viewing, like sky+

as others have mentioned, this will require two devices.. you may be able to find one that does everything, but as shoes says it will doubtless be some cheap chinese construction, shoe-horned into a box and you are just opening yourself up for a world of pain..

32" is a perfectly good size for an average living room.. people get carried away with wanting bigger and bigger screens these days, but it really isn't necessary.. especially if all you are going to do is watch TV and the odd film (don't listen to anyone who tells you you need bigger, and insist you've "never played Paedo Killer IV: Maddie's Revenge unless you've seen it running at 1000fps in 1080p on a 50" screen, dood!!!11").. if, however, you do have a large living room, and your seats are positioned more than about 9' from the screen, you perhaps do want to consider 37"..

as for the box that does your sky+ style recording - i've got sky+ so this is something i have never looked into.. by the sounds of things, markerat is your man for that kinda advice..

so, in summary:

1) get any LCD TV you like the look of; make sure it says HD Ready
2) get whatever PVR markerat is about to advise

that's all you need, and you should be able to get the whole lot for around £500 imo.. keep an eye on hotukdeals for some good TV deals..

Markerat said:
Channel 4 does not work however (word of warning). Channel 4 +1hour works fine and you can watch your programme then.
eh? are you saying that you can't get ch4 on freesat? or are you saying that ch4 is somehow encoded so that you can't record it with PVR boxes?

i've never heard either of these said, so if that's the case i'm intrigued!
 

My Name is URL

Well-Known Forumite
The Humax Foxsat is the daddy of all freesat....

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=1500001501&productId=1500342065&langId=-1&engine=froogle&keyword=Humax+Foxsat+HD+Freesat+Digital+TV+Recorder

(Argos probably aren't the cheapest though so shop around....)

Looks cool as funk too......

If you already have Sky+ then it will be a straight swap jobbie, if not then you'll need a dish installing and setting up.
 

db

#chaplife
oh, and if you want to keep initial costs down as well as making your life easier, just bite the bullet and get sky.. it's completely free installation for your basic sky+ and is only £16.50 a month.. then you will have all your sky+ recording shenanigans, all the channels you could want, and no worries about freeview reception or anything..

why anyone doesn't have sky these days is beyond me.. what's £16.50 a month in this day and age? that would barely buy you a pint a week.. and it's so easy even my sister can use it - and she recently couldn't understand why a blu-ray disc wouldn't work in her dvd player, so that's saying something..
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Not all freeview channels are free on sky, for example Dave is in a paid for package. Also I believe (but could be wrong) that freesat will have HD channels that sky don't? Oh, and its free of course, and if you cancel sky your box can no longer record even the free channels. £16.50 per month for less channels than you get for free on freesat aint that great a deal, although I love the sky+ interface.
 

db

#chaplife
tek-monkey said:
Not all freeview channels are free on sky, for example Dave is in a paid for package. Also I believe (but could be wrong) that freesat will have HD channels that sky don't? Oh, and its free of course, and if you cancel sky your box can no longer record even the free channels. £16.50 per month for less channels than you get for free on freesat aint that great a deal, although I love the sky+ interface.
eh? i'm pretty sure that you will get more channels with the basic sky+ package than you will with freesat.. sky 1 and 2, for instance.. dave, paramount, living, fx, etc.. the list is pretty long..

it's worth the £16.50 for sky1 and paramount alone imo.. and, as you say, the sky interface is unrivalled.. plus, someone will come and install it all for you, so it's hassle free for those of us (i.e. basil) who are less technologically inclined!
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
You don't bet Dave with the basic package, or paramount? They are in the entertainment pack aren't they? I know my GF had to pay for them seperately?
 
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