Need help getting into this century!

ponymad_3

Basically I need to spend enough money within reason to get a decent picture. Pref less than £1k

I still have a 'big' tv ... a freeview box (which has packed up but in reality never worked properly as our signal in totally rubbish) and a dvd player - not recordable

This may seem very archaic to some, especially as I m not really that bad on technology!? But TV means little to me as I watch only a few programmes. But its a bit embarassing and now my TV picture is also not good.

I have visited a couple of shops but do get a bit lost.

I think Freesat would be better than freeview, we don t go digital till next yr, also I know this is available built in - is that only Panasonic (my parents have this)

Not sure about HD!

Please help this dummy out as really is ridiculous I have nt sorted before. Thanks for your help (and patience)

Pincher

I assume you have a 25 inch + CRT TV with a SCART socket.
You can see what HD is like just by walking into a shop.
HD or SD is only important if you see a big enough difference.

The most important thing is to get a decent signal to your TV point, otherwise you can spend £4,000 and it will still be crud.

Ask around the neighbours whether you are in a bad signal area. There is a North facing hill in Southgate, North London, that has no line of sight to Crystal Palace, AND NO line of sight to the Sky satellite which is south of us.

In the worst case scenario, cable TV or IPTV through broadband is the last resort.

ponymad_3

Thanks for the info so far... I already know that the signal round here is rubbish the are a the bottom of a hill in the dead zone. I understand that free stat would solve this but can t decide if I should try to get this within the TV or a separate box

Pincher

Get FreeSat built-in.

When you are not watching recordings, be it DVD or PVR, you just switch the TV on; otherwise you are condemning yourself to finding two remotes every time.

ukcarper

If you want to record I wouldn’t be to concerned about built in freesat as you will need a freesat PVR and freesat TVs are more expensive at the moment. You will have to use PVR remote to change channels so if that is a concern to you get a TV with built in freesat.

ponymad_3

Thanks I think the remote problem I will be able to cope with... I have different ones now.... Forgive my ignorance what is a PVR

I am wanting the simplest system to be able to record odd programmes when Im out mostly and watch a reasonable number of channels.

ukcarper

Personal Video Recorder the one most recommended seems to be the humax box, which comes with various size hard discs. http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5321832/Trail/searchtext%3EHUMAX.htm just for reference not recommending Argos.

Bare in mind you will need a satellite dish with two feeds.

macman

If you're buying a Humax Foxsat HDR (my recommendation) to record the Freesat channels, then no point in paying any extra for a TVset with a Freesat tuner, just get one with the normal Freeview and Freeview HD tuners.

ponymad_3

So am I right that in order to record programmes I need a box like Humax, the TV with Freesat would just allow me to watch the programme but not record... In that case I think I understand more now...The Freesat built in TV is more (only Panasonic that I ve found)

BTW what TV do recommend ... If it matters I m not really into films, do watch some sport ... In fact I guess I don t watch that much at all which is probably why I ve put up with the problems I have.

Pincher

You can plug your existing TV into most tuner boxes via the SCART socket. So you can delay the TV purchase.

Some TVs allow recording onto memory cards and USB drives nowadays, which means you don't need an external PVR. Only one tuner does mean that you have to watch what is being recorded.

Try to get a QUAD LNB on the dish. This gives you four feeds. A normal PVR needs two feeds, so you can watch one channel while recording another.

macman

Freesat or Freeview tuners are just the different platforms, if you want to have the PVR functions then you will need a separate box for the appropriate platform that you want to record.
No one can recommend a TV without knowing your budget, but the premium brands are generally Sony and Panasonic. LG and Samsung are more budget options.