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Web TV & PVR
I'm afraid my pay at AccountingWEB doesn't enable me to lay out £1.5k-£5k for a multiplex-sized TV screen. And our living room isn't big enough to accommodate it.
We make do instead with a paltry 32in Sony flat screen that is getting on a few years. Sadly, the Sony PVR we got to accompany it was one of the electronics giants duds. Like a crappy old PC it took ages to boot up, the controls were slow, and the recordings frequently skipped on us. Rather than send it to the WEEE centre, we plugged it into an old non-digital TV in the kitchen so we can now watch while we're there.
In its place I got a Panasonic DMRBWT720 Blu-ray recorder. This was the most ludicrously over-specced device on the market: multi-region disc player, wireless home network compatibility and some web apps, twin recording heads, USB and SD interfaces and all sorts of other stuff I haven't figured out yet. But the key component was the SCART socket - the only way to connect to our old Sony screen.
I tried the wireless networking so that I could watch pics and videos from my PC on the living room TV - but why bother? I can just as easily look at them in the office when I feel like it, or store my snaps on SD or USB memory and plug them into the PVR if I really want.
The thing that most impressed me though, was access to the BBC iPlayer, YouTube and Netflix. The Panasonic doesn't have a full web browser capability, but for passive living room viewing those options are just fine. I feel like I'm finally making the transition to the cloud in my personal media consumption habits.
And to pass on a plug for Richer Sounds, they had the machine I wanted and suggested I get a Roth soundbar for £120. The salesman admitted it wasn't as flash and high powered as all those 5.1 surroundsound arrangements, but was very good value for money. It's just a single straight bar with about 6 speakers that sits under the old telly, and it works just fine. I'm looking forward to cranking up the volume to watch Led Zep's 'Celebration Day' over the holiday period. Surfing for musical obscurities on YouTube has never been more enjoyable.
So you don't always need the newest and best kit to get a kick out of consumer electronics - I get more pleasure out of finding the most appropriate fit for my needs and budget.