Television set deals in Galway

cranky bollix

Sponge Bob wrote: »

It means you can now pick up Digital Telly in Galway ( nice crisp picture widescreen) as well as Analogue Telly (what we have had for 50 years ) on a proper modern telly. The analogue will stop working in two years anyway.

Many shops , most notoriously Lidl and Aldi , import UK Digital TVs with the wrong software for Irish Digital TV....meaning they cannot show a broadcast digital picture and are therefore not televisions although they could sell them as expensive PC Monitors I suppose

The digital signal is available in all of the City and East Galway, in parts of West Connemara ...not yet. Only east of a line from Oughterard to Ros a Mhíl pier.

RTE are already broadcasting HD Digital Tests IF you have the right telly. It is a proper 1080i picture not that 720p cack that is passed off as HD sometimes.

has this tv got DTT Irish digital - i dont see it anywhere in the spec
http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5296417/c_1/1|category_root|Home+entertainment+and+sat+nav|14419512/c_2/2|cat_14419512|Televisions|14419667.htm

Sponge Bob

cranky bollix wrote: »

has this tv got DTT Irish digital - i dont see it anywhere in the spec
http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5296417/c_1/1|category_root|Home+entertainment+and+sat+nav|14419512/c_2/2|cat_14419512|Televisions|14419667.htm

Most Argos TVs will not work properly here as Digital TVs , some will ( the LG range will I think) At the bottom of that link you see

"Please note that the digital and Freeview features of this TV are not available in the Republic of Ireland"

Look out for that line. Also read this note on claiming all your money back from Argos if you bought a Digital TV there since 2008 and it will not display the Irish picture. They should not be selling this crap here, disclaimer or no disclaimer.

I rescanned mine Whimsical and then it corrected the channel names and stored them. Thanks.

TerrorFirmer

On this topic, anyone know where I'd get a cheap older TV? Was looking for about a 28 or 32" for the kids at my girlfriends house (they have a big sitting room and the current 21" is ludicrously small), but as luck would have it, none for sale in Galway at all over on adverts....I guess I might have to just get a reasonably priced 32" LCD but for the moment, it'd suit better to just get an older one (it's on a deep stand in the corner of the room, so being flat screen isn't an issue).

Sponge Bob

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

On this topic, anyone know where I'd get a cheap older TV? Was looking for about a 28 or 32" for the kids at my girlfriends house (they have a big sitting room and the current 21" is ludicrously small), but as luck would have it, none for sale in Galway at all over on adverts..

Lots of people think there is no market for older CRT tellys...but there is . Why not put a Telly wanted 28 or 32 inch will collect ad on adverts ...and donedeal

cranky bollix

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Most Argos TVs will not work properly here as Digital TVs , some will ( the LG range will I think) At the bottom of that link you see



Look out for that line. Also read this note on claiming all your money back from Argos if you bought a Digital TV there since 2008 and it will not display the Irish picture. They should not be selling this crap here, disclaimer or no disclaimer.

I rescanned mine Whimsical and then it corrected the channel names and stored them. Thanks.

cheers spongebob, that one completly passed me by, thats shocking behavior from argos,

you would think that in ireland they would have just gone with the same system as the uk

TerrorFirmer

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Lots of people think there is no market for older CRT tellys...but there is . Why not put a Telly wanted 28 or 32 inch will collect ad on adverts ...and donedeal

I did, no joy, which surprised me!

fish fingers

O Connors on the Sean Mulvoy Rd do 28" crt widescreen's second hand. Well they're ex-rental, but its the same thing. I got a nice Panasonic 28" flat screen crt a few months ago.

TerrorFirmer

fish fingers wrote: »

O Connors on the Sean Mulvoy Rd do 28" crt widescreen's second hand. Well they're ex-rental, but its the same thing. I got a nice Panasonic 28" flat screen crt a few months ago.

How much did you pay if you don't mind me asking? That sounds like what I'm after

fish fingers

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

How much did you pay if you don't mind me asking? That sounds like what I'm after

I think it was around 120, don't hold me to that. The old memory is not too good. They have Black Diamond also, but try and get a panasonic if you can.

gerryo

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Most Argos TVs will not work properly here as Digital TVs .

If it says Freeview HD - does that make a difference?

Even though Argos say the digital features do not work, ISTR reading somewhere that Freeview HD might work here.

I think freeview HD is MPEG-4 AVC Level 4.

Sponge Bob

gerryo wrote: »

If it says Freeview HD - does that make a difference?

I think freeview HD is MPEG-4 AVC Level 4.

If it says "Freeview HD" not Freeview and HD separately then it does make a difference. Argos have a number of these in stock and they can work here. If you order a French TV from Pixmania ...and they are damn cheap, make sure it says "TNT HD" somewhere in the specs ...it is usually a graphic beside the picture. These generally work here because TNT HD uses MPEG4 as well. Course the menu could be in French

Freeview and TNT on their own will not work here, simples.

However you are at risk of dodgy firmware ( the software inside) that will not work here or else does peculiar things if you set the TV up as if it were in the UK or indeed France.

Fortunately there is a special thread on Boards where you can search for these models and where you can ask about a specific model before you buy. Remember that a single letter or number somewhere in a VERY long model name will make the difference betweeen it working and not working, it is that specific.

A very good example is Panasonic models where generally ones ending in L will work and generally ones ending in B will do weird things ..or not work at all.

Search this thread first and if the model is not already mentioned then ask. If you have a TV working perfectly and displaying the RTENL test channel as well thereby proving it will do HD in Ireland, then add the information to the special thread to save someone some hassle in future.

This is the thread

Sponge Bob

Lots of people have older TVs and out of subscription SKY boxes that only do SD and they may wish to upgrade some or all of them in future but not quite yet. This unit below is the best deal around for them given all its features.

It will pick up all standard and high definition channels from RTE and Satellite(s) and will record programmes to a USB output ( hard drive or stick) as well. Costs €169. Great all in one unit.

It is not a substitute for a subscription SKY box, it will not take the card.

http://www.saortv.com/shop/Digital-TV-Receivers/Combo/Edision-Argus-mini-2-in-1-IP-Combo-HD-Satellite/DTT-Receiver/prod_72.html

cranky bollix

so my friend got a 32" samsung mpeg 4 tv today from did electrical. i did a scan for digital channels but nothing came up, no channels at all.

now, i may have been doing the scan wrong or something, im not quiet sure, but im gonna give it another go later on.

is there a particular setting i need to have it on, in order to pick up the digital channels

the house is located in castlawn heights, is digital tv available in this area

all help is very much appreciated

Sponge Bob

Possibly the digital tuner is not automatically turned on in an Ireland profile. There is a transmitter in Tonabrocky only 2 miles away at most. If you change the country to UK does the tuner come on and do the channels stay there if you change back to Ireland??

Digital is called DVB-T and is there a DVB-T menu anywhere ?

Samsung and LG, in fairness to them, supply regular firmware upgrades for their tellys and perhaps you should look for one and download it to a memory stick or SD card and bring it with you .

cranky bollix

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Possibly the digital tuner is not automatically turned on in an Ireland profile. There is a transmitter in Tonabrocky only 2 miles away at most. If you change the country to UK does the tuner come on and do the channels stay there if you change back to Ireland??

Digital is called DVB-T and is there a DVB-T menu anywhere ?

Samsung and LG, in fairness to them, supply regular firmware upgrades for their tellys and perhaps you should look for one and download it to a memory stick or SD card and bring it with you .

thanks for the tips, ill follow up on them later

Sponge Bob

OH! and does he have an aerial ?

cranky bollix

Sponge Bob wrote: »

OH! and does he have an aerial ?

aerial? i assumed it was built in

Sponge Bob

Bring a coat hanger

Discodog

If you are buying anything for a specific purpose get the retailer to confirm that it will serve this purpose. Ideally do this by email as you will have a copy. If not ensure that you have a witness. This way you can then return it for a full refund.

By the way if anyone is looking to replace a Sky+ box with a free to air alternative the Foxsat PVR is superb & gives HD as well.

Amik

An update on my end:

I'm still on the lookout for a good 32"+ but in the meantime bought my daughter a lovely 22" Grundig for my kid's room:

http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=30001&catalogId=1500002451&langId=-1&searchTerms=grundig+22

It's not in the Argos print catalogue, but there is a 19" version in the Christmas catalogue. Great colours and it has a built-in DVD player! I've never been disappointed with anything this company makes, my Grundig MP3 player lasted almost 6 years!

I almost bought the Hanspree 32" at N17 but was turned off by the 8.6ms reaction time (I think that's what it's called).

Thargor

Well Ive been hammering away on the new CoD for a good few hours now and havent had any reaction time issues on mine, same for watching the rugby and some football, nearly worth your while waiting for the sales now if its not an emergency, I had to buy mine because my 22" LGs screen went bright green on one side and pink on the other all of a sudden.

_Whimsical_

Sponge Bob wrote: »

.

http://www.saortv.com/shop/Digital-TV-Receivers/Combo/Edision-Argus-mini-2-in-1-IP-Combo-HD-Satellite/DTT-Receiver/prod_72.html

I'm sure this is a stupid question but...

Do you need a satelite dish to use this?

We cannot get sky due to living in the shade of a large tree at the front of our house that means we cannot pick up the sky signal. If you need a dish for this box does it need to point in the same direction as Sky's dish?

Sponge Bob

Dish and aerial both, it has both inputs. Some people work around trees by using a larger dish but they look stupid on the front of a house.

As the cables can go a fair distance from dish to receiver, certainly 30m, you could always ask a neighbour if you can run cables from their dish ( at your expense). Use high quality Copper on Copper type cable ( CT100 or Maplins PF100) and a quad lnb which feeds four points .

Normally I recommend foreign satellite installers for complicated jobs not the local slobs who install Sky only. There are a couple of Polish installers in Galway who are very good and have no problem going around houses where the slobs would nearly drill a hole in your front window to get it in.

Get 2 or 3 quotes.

fish fingers

I've a number of a Polish lad who did work for me, I can pm you his mobile if you like.

galwayfellaBETA

Sponge Bob wrote: »

It means you can now pick up Digital Telly in Galway ( nice crisp picture widescreen) as well as Analogue Telly (what we have had for 50 years ) on a proper modern telly. The analogue will stop working in two years anyway.

Many shops , most notoriously Lidl and Aldi , import UK Digital TVs with the wrong software for Irish Digital TV....meaning they cannot show a broadcast digital picture and are therefore not televisions although they could sell them as expensive PC Monitors I suppose

The digital signal is available in all of the City and East Galway, in parts of West Connemara ...not yet. Only east of a line from Oughterard to Ros a Mhíl pier.

RTE are already broadcasting HD Digital Tests IF you have the right telly. It is a proper 1080i picture not that 720p cack that is passed off as HD sometimes.

Holy ****e.... why didn't I get the memo ;-)

Pray tell how does one suck this glorious signal into one telly? Is it by aerial or cable ??

Sponge Bob

aerial, if you have tv3 analogue already you should be fine.

_Whimsical_

For anyone without a tv or aerial who wants to see what the fuss is about you can buy USB dongles on eBay for half nothing (mine was almost 7 euro delivered) that let you view saorview Irish digital stations on your PC. Tried mine today and it works a treat.It let's you pause,record and use the epg etc.

More info here: http://m.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056076074

First seller mentioned might not work but there are several more mentioned throughout the thread.

Sponge Bob

The USB sticks may not work in Windows XP or Vista which do not have an MPEG4 codec built in . Win 7 does have that codec built in. Therefore a lot of these sticks need Win7.

This other thread tells you what software to install to get your hands on that essential component.

Or you could buy coreavc for $10 if you had to. FFDshow which is free may do it too.

The 'giveaway' that the problem is a missing MPEG4 codec is if it will tune channels, you hear sound but have no picture

dolphin city

oh god my mind is all muddled Was thinking of just going into the shop and buying a HD plasma TV. Simples. but after reading this thread I see we now have to have a degree in electronics and computers to purchase a tv. I think I will just stick to what I have. I probably wouldn't even know how to turn one of these new yokes on, going by these posts.

Amik

I recieved a flyer yesterday about some electronics sale in a Galway hotel on the Nov 16th. I forget the name of it off the top of my head but the prices were crazy. 32" Sharp LCD for like 200 EUR or something. There was a 2 EUR admission to the event. Anyone know if it's a scam or something?