Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and wired headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are pushing
for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say
50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and wired headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are pushing
for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say
50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
Timatmarford <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote:
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and wired
headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are pushing
for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say
50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
If you buy a 'smart' TV, don't connect it to the internet. They're just platforms for spying and showing adverts nowadays.
If you want online service buy a streaming box and plug it into an HDMI
port. Apple TV is least spyingest but there's no subtitles on the iPlayer
app which may be a dealbreaker. nvidia Shield is probably the next least worst streaming box.
Unfortunately any kind of internet TV is a PITA for geriatric users if they aren't used to navigating on screen menus (ie just expect channels 1,2,3,...), because everything is an 'app' nowadays.
The least spying option is to buy a monitor and connect a box via HDMI, but it's hard to find an internet TV box that also takes aerial input.
On 21/01/2025 10:23, Timatmarford wrote:
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and
wired headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are
pushing for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user?
Say 50" ish.
Crikey. Must have a big living room
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
I'm out of that market...don't you need a set top box for recording?
And is there such a thing as an understandable button set?
Davey wrote:
Amazon Prime just emailed me to say I wasn't using a benefit of
Prime, ie Apple+ TV.
I think Apple TV+ is a paid bolt-on to Amazon Prime?
On 21/01/2025 10:23, Timatmarford wrote:
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder andCrikey. Must have a big living room
wired headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are
pushing for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say
50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
I'm out of that market...don't you need a set top box for recording? And
is there such a thing as an understandable button set?
Timatmarford <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote:
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and
wired headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are
pushing for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user?
Say 50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
If you buy a 'smart' TV, don't connect it to the internet. They're
just platforms for spying and showing adverts nowadays.
If you want online service buy a streaming box and plug it into an
HDMI port. Apple TV is least spyingest but there's no subtitles on
the iPlayer app which may be a dealbreaker.
Amazon Prime just emailed me to say I wasn't using a benefit of
Prime, ie Apple+ TV.
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and wired headphones,
aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are pushing for a TV
upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say 50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and understandable button set!
"Timatmarford" <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote in message news:lv9ascFso5iU1@mid.individual.net...
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and wired headphones,
aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are pushing for a TV
upgrade pressie!
But is the "recipient" pushing for a TV upgrade ?
Has she actually asked for one ?
Of will it just make your family *feel good about themselves*
forcing an unwelcome upgrade on her ?
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say 50" ish.
Have you actually asked *her*. Some people don;t actually wish their whole lives and living rooms to be dominated by large screen TV's
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and understandable button set!
Which presumably she already has and understands. So which part of
the present set-up will actually *need* replacing in the foreseeable
future do you think ?
Timatmarford <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote:
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and wired
headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are pushing
for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say
50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
If you buy a 'smart' TV, don't connect it to the internet. They're just platforms for spying and showing adverts nowadays.
If you want online service buy a streaming box and plug it into an HDMI
port. Apple TV is least spyingest but there's no subtitles on the iPlayer
app which may be a dealbreaker. nvidia Shield is probably the next least worst streaming box.
Unfortunately any kind of internet TV is a PITA for geriatric users if they aren't used to navigating on screen menus (ie just expect channels 1,2,3,...), because everything is an 'app' nowadays.
The least spying option is to buy a monitor and connect a box via HDMI, but it's hard to find an internet TV box that also takes aerial input.
Theo
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and wired headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are pushing
for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say
50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
On 1/21/25 11:15, Theo wrote:
Timatmarford <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote:
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and wired
headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are pushing >>> for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say
50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
If you buy a 'smart' TV, don't connect it to the internet. They're just
platforms for spying and showing adverts nowadays.
If you want online service buy a streaming box and plug it into an HDMI
port. Apple TV is least spyingest but there's no subtitles on the iPlayer
app which may be a dealbreaker. nvidia Shield is probably the next least
worst streaming box.
Unfortunately any kind of internet TV is a PITA for geriatric users if
they
aren't used to navigating on screen menus (ie just expect channels
1,2,3,...), because everything is an 'app' nowadays.
The least spying option is to buy a monitor and connect a box via
HDMI, but
it's hard to find an internet TV box that also takes aerial input.
I think it is easier to use a PC as a TV, easier than it is to use a
smart TV. You just need to replace the remote with a keyboard and mouse.
I have a 55 inch TCL and a comfy chair at a viewing distance of 1.8m (suitable size/distance for 2K resolution). I use the mouse on my
(leather) armchair chair arm, and keyboard in my lap.
I've not watched broadcast TV for many years, but you can handle it by
using a server on your LAN running something like like TV headend, to
stream it across the LAN.
How much you will get a geriatric to adopt, depends on their familiarity
with PCs, and particularly a suitable/close viewing arrangement.
I tried this with my Mum, but she was normally much happier on her tablet.
"Timatmarford" <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote in message news:lv9ascFso5iU1@mid.individual.net...No:-)
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and wired headphones,
aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are pushing for a TV
upgrade pressie!
But is the "recipient" pushing for a TV upgrade ?
Has she actually asked for one ?No:-)
Of will it just make your family *feel good about themselves*Probably. I suppose they have more recent sets of their own and prefer
forcing an unwelcome upgrade on her ?
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say 50" ish.
Have you actually asked *her*. Some people don;t actually wish their whole lives and living rooms to be dominated by large screen TV's
AFAIK the Panasonic doesn't do headphones and sound out together
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and understandable button set!
Which presumably she already has and understands. So which part of
the present set-up will actually *need* replacing in the foreseeable
future do you think ?
codger <codger@anon.com> wrote:
"Timatmarford" <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:lv9ascFso5iU1@mid.individual.net...
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and wired headphones,
aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are pushing for a TV
upgrade pressie!
But is the "recipient" pushing for a TV upgrade ?
Has she actually asked for one ?
Of will it just make your family *feel good about themselves*
forcing an unwelcome upgrade on her ?
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say 50" ish.
Have you actually asked *her*. Some people don;t actually wish their whole >> lives and living rooms to be dominated by large screen TV's
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and understandable button set!
Which presumably she already has and understands. So which part of
the present set-up will actually *need* replacing in the foreseeable
future do you think ?
+1. What is actually deficient with the current set?
TVs have got higher resolution (4K, 8K, ...) in recent years, but can
elderly eyes actually tell the difference? Are you still watching Freeview in SD so there's no higher definition being received to be displayed?
The 4K/etc only really matters for streaming viewing, and often then it's gatekept behind an additional cost (eg 4K Netflix is more expensive than regular Netflix).
How much useful would a slightly bigger set be?
Is the old set failing in some way?
Is it using older tech (CRT, plasma)?
A starting point may be to assume that all the smart features will make things worse not better (having to learn how to operate a new 'operating system', plus privacy issues).
Do the benefits outweigh the costs?
Theo
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
Have you actually asked *her*. Some people don;t actually wish their whole lives and living rooms to be dominated by large screen TV's
On 1/21/25 11:15, Theo wrote:
Timatmarford <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote:I think it is easier to use a PC as a TV, easier than it is to use a
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and
wired headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are
pushing for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say
50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
If you buy a 'smart' TV, don't connect it to the internet. They're just
platforms for spying and showing adverts nowadays.
If you want online service buy a streaming box and plug it into an HDMI
port. Apple TV is least spyingest but there's no subtitles on the
iPlayer app which may be a dealbreaker. nvidia Shield is probably the
next least worst streaming box.
Unfortunately any kind of internet TV is a PITA for geriatric users if
they aren't used to navigating on screen menus (ie just expect channels
1,2,3,...), because everything is an 'app' nowadays.
The least spying option is to buy a monitor and connect a box via HDMI,
but it's hard to find an internet TV box that also takes aerial input.
smart TV. You just need to replace the remote with a keyboard and mouse.
I have a 55 inch TCL and a comfy chair at a viewing distance of 1.8m (suitable size/distance for 2K resolution). I use the mouse on my
(leather) armchair chair arm, and keyboard in my lap.
I've not watched broadcast TV for many years, but you can handle it by
using a server on your LAN running something like like TV headend, to
stream it across the LAN.
How much you will get a geriatric to adopt, depends on their familiarity
with PCs, and particularly a suitable/close viewing arrangement.
I tried this with my Mum, but she was normally much happier on her
tablet.
On 21/01/2025 10:23, Timatmarford wrote:That is what I use. Bose, 'king expensive! No sound out for anyone else.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
Headphone may be Bluetooth these days
You can get limited functionality remote controlsInteresting.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/big-button-remote-control/s? k=big+button+remote+control
My mother, who has limited sight, now used Alexa for many TV related tasks.Is that *remote* Alexa or something dedicated to the TV? I find the idea
On 21/01/2025 12:26, codger wrote:
"Timatmarford" <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote in message news:lv9ascFso5iU1@mid.individual.net...
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and wired headphones,
aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are pushing for a TV
upgrade pressie!
But is the "recipient" pushing for a TV upgrade ?No:-)
Has she actually asked for one ?No:-)
Of will it just make your family *feel good about themselves*Probably. I suppose they have more recent sets of their own and prefer
forcing an unwelcome upgrade on her ?
the upgrade options.
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say 50" ish.
Have you actually asked *her*. Some people don;t actually wish their whole lives and living rooms to be dominated by large screen TV's
We have talked about an upgrade. One side of the dormer provides a
convenient site. Visitors tend to be entertained in our kitchen diner
which has some comfortable chairs and avoids climbing stairs!
If you buy a 'smart' TV, don't connect it to the internet. They're just >platforms for spying and showing adverts nowadays.
On 21 Jan 2025 11:15:21 +0000 (GMT)
Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
Timatmarford <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote:
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and
wired headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are
pushing for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user?
Say 50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
If you buy a 'smart' TV, don't connect it to the internet. They're
just platforms for spying and showing adverts nowadays.
If you want online service buy a streaming box and plug it into an
HDMI port. Apple TV is least spyingest but there's no subtitles on
the iPlayer app which may be a dealbreaker.
And Amazon Prime just emailed me to say I wasn't using a benefit of
Prime, ie Apple+ TV. No subtitles, no interest, Bye.
On 21/01/2025 10:23, Timatmarford wrote:
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder andCrikey. Must have a big living room
wired headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are
pushing for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say
50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
I'm out of that market...don't you need a set top box for recording? And
is there such a thing as an understandable button set?
On 21/01/2025 13:50, alan_m wrote:much, but if you are living alone and have arthritic hands and can't see
On 21/01/2025 10:23, Timatmarford wrote:That is what I use. Bose, 'king expensive! No sound out for anyone else.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
Headphone may be Bluetooth these days
Interesting.
You can get limited functionality remote controls
https://www.amazon.co.uk/big-button-remote-control/s?
k=big+button+remote+control
Is that *remote* Alexa or something dedicated to the TV? I find the idea
My mother, who has limited sight, now used Alexa for many TV related
tasks.
of a living room microphone linked to a different country rather
disturbing.
We find that the link between Alexa and the TV drops so we don't use it
On 21/01/2025 12:26, codger wrote:
"Timatmarford" <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote in messageNo:-)
news:lv9ascFso5iU1@mid.individual.net...
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and wired headphones,
aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are pushing for a TV
upgrade pressie!
But is the "recipient" pushing for a TV upgrade ?
No:-)
Has she actually asked for one ?
Probably. I suppose they have more recent sets of their own and prefer
Of will it just make your family *feel good about themselves*
forcing an unwelcome upgrade on her ?
the upgrade options.
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say 50" ish.
Have you actually asked *her*. Some people don;t actually wish their whole >> lives and living rooms to be dominated by large screen TV's
We have talked about an upgrade. One side of the dormer provides a
convenient site. Visitors tend to be entertained in our kitchen diner
which has some comfortable chairs and avoids climbing stairs!
AFAIK the Panasonic doesn't do headphones and sound out together
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and understandable button set!
Which presumably she already has and understands. So which part of
the present set-up will actually *need* replacing in the foreseeable
future do you think ?
although I guess this could be covered by a different audio box/speakers.
On 21/01/2025 10:50, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 21/01/2025 10:23, Timatmarford wrote:
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder andCrikey. Must have a big living room
wired headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are
pushing for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say
50" ish.
For those of use with fading eyesight the bigger the better.
I think for the past 10 years most TVs have had built record capability.She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
I'm out of that market...don't you need a set top box for recording? And
is there such a thing as an understandable button set?
You often need to add USB connected storage but then it means if you
don't use it you are not paying for disk drive you don't need and if you
do need it you can change which size you need ...
On 21/01/2025 10:23, Timatmarford wrote:
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder andCrikey. Must have a big living room
wired headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are
pushing for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say
50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
I'm out of that market...don't you need a set top box for recording? And
is there such a thing as an understandable button set?
On 21/01/2025 12:26, codger wrote:
Have you actually asked *her*. Some people don;t actually wish their
whole
lives and living rooms to be dominated by large screen TV's
As eyesight gets worse having a larger screen may be a benefit.
A 42" flat screen TV is the equivalent to a 21" crt TV of the past if
you take into consideration the front size of a typical cabinet the CRT
was fitted in.
On 21/01/2025 11:15, Theo wrote:
Timatmarford <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote:
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and wired
headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are pushing >>> for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say
50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
If you buy a 'smart' TV, don't connect it to the internet. They're just
platforms for spying and showing adverts nowadays.
If you want online service buy a streaming box and plug it into an HDMI
port. Apple TV is least spyingest but there's no subtitles on the iPlayer
app which may be a dealbreaker. nvidia Shield is probably the next least
worst streaming box.
Unfortunately any kind of internet TV is a PITA for geriatric users if
they
aren't used to navigating on screen menus (ie just expect channels
1,2,3,...), because everything is an 'app' nowadays.
The least spying option is to buy a monitor and connect a box via
HDMI, but
it's hard to find an internet TV box that also takes aerial input.
Thats where a small computer with a WinTV dongle or card running e.g.
Kodi scores.
Unless the TV had more than one tuner then it has to be on the channel
that is being recorded, or at least certainly on my LG.
We added a quite cheap and cheerful USB drive which allows readily for
either recording or pause. The pause button gets used quite a lot.
On 21/01/2025 10:50, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 21/01/2025 10:23, Timatmarford wrote:
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder andCrikey. Must have a big living room
wired headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are
pushing for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user?
Say 50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
I'm out of that market...don't you need a set top box for recording?
And is there such a thing as an understandable button set?
Most TVs have a basic recording capability if you plug a USB drive into
them for storage. It tends to be a bit limited though - often only
allowing recording something from the same mux or possibly the same
channel (they don't usually have multiple tuners), and quite often the recording is encrypted and DRM tied to the set, so you can't move it elsewhere or watch on a different device.
Why can one buy a new TV for £350 and something that appears similar for £3500?
On 22/01/2025 09:12, Timatmarford wrote:
Why can one buy a new TV for £350 and something that appears similar
for £3500?
Different technologies?
One TV may have LCD (Liquid Cyrstal Display) flat panel and the other a
OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) flat panel. The latter will be much
more expensive.
The former requires a light source behind it and on cheaper models this likely to be a single source at the side of the panel while on the more expensive models it will an array of LEDS directly behind the LCD panel.
Some LCD panels have a much wider viewing angle while some a more
restricted viewing angle. A LCD with a narrower viewing angle is
probably OK where all the people viewing the TV are sitting in front of
the screen but in a room where the seating arrangement means some people
are viewing the screen off-axis they will see a degraded picture (washed
out colours and lower contrast).
A more expensive TV may have a better image processing engine
(electronic image processing chip).
You may be paying more for branding.
How much some of the differences matter is up to the consumer to choose.
I have two LCDs TVS, a 55 inch towards the top end of the price range
and a much smaller TV for the bedroom at the lowest end of the price
range. The difference in picture quality is like chalk and cheese but
both produce a watchable picture.
Right.
I misinterpreted the promotional blurb on Modern TVs.
I suspect a Manhattan or BT box controls will be a struggle for the
intended user who has just about mastered her Humax:-)
On 22/01/2025 10:25, alan_m wrote:
On 22/01/2025 09:12, Timatmarford wrote:
Why can one buy a new TV for £350 and something that appears similar
for £3500?
Different technologies?
One TV may have LCD (Liquid Cyrstal Display) flat panel and the other a OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) flat panel. The latter will be much more expensive.
The former requires a light source behind it and on cheaper models this likely to be a single source at the side of the panel while on the more expensive models it will an array of LEDS directly behind the LCD panel.
Some LCD panels have a much wider viewing angle while some a more restricted viewing angle. A LCD with a narrower viewing angle is
probably OK where all the people viewing the TV are sitting in front of
the screen but in a room where the seating arrangement means some people are viewing the screen off-axis they will see a degraded picture (washed out colours and lower contrast).
A more expensive TV may have a better image processing engine
(electronic image processing chip).
You may be paying more for branding.
How much some of the differences matter is up to the consumer to choose.
I have two LCDs TVS, a 55 inch towards the top end of the price range
and a much smaller TV for the bedroom at the lowest end of the price range. The difference in picture quality is like chalk and cheese but both produce a watchable picture.
Umm. So if a set claims OLED features for £499 it will be the 4k version
but must also have made savings elsewhere?
Thanks for the explanation. (Latin is Greek to me)
On 22/01/2025 10:25, alan_m wrote:
On 22/01/2025 09:12, Timatmarford wrote:
Why can one buy a new TV for £350 and something that appears similar
for £3500?
Different technologies?
One TV may have LCD (Liquid Cyrstal Display) flat panel and the other
a OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) flat panel. The latter will be
much more expensive.
The former requires a light source behind it and on cheaper models
this likely to be a single source at the side of the panel while on
the more expensive models it will an array of LEDS directly behind the
LCD panel.
Some LCD panels have a much wider viewing angle while some a more
restricted viewing angle. A LCD with a narrower viewing angle is
probably OK where all the people viewing the TV are sitting in front
of the screen but in a room where the seating arrangement means some
people are viewing the screen off-axis they will see a degraded
picture (washed out colours and lower contrast).
A more expensive TV may have a better image processing engine
(electronic image processing chip).
You may be paying more for branding.
How much some of the differences matter is up to the consumer to choose.
I have two LCDs TVS, a 55 inch towards the top end of the price range
and a much smaller TV for the bedroom at the lowest end of the price
range. The difference in picture quality is like chalk and cheese but
both produce a watchable picture.
Umm. So if a set claims OLED features for £499 it will be the 4k version
but must also have made savings elsewhere?
Meanwhile an OLED is just a tiny red (or green or blue) light that you can light as bright as you like. OLEDs tend to have deeper contrast because you can turn them off completely, while a filter-based display is always going to leak
some light.
On 21/01/2025 14:12, Timatmarford wrote:
On 21/01/2025 12:26, codger wrote:
"Timatmarford" <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote in messageNo:-)
news:lv9ascFso5iU1@mid.individual.net...
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and
wired headphones,
aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are
pushing for a TV
upgrade pressie!
But is the "recipient" pushing for a TV upgrade ?
No:-)
Has she actually asked for one ?
Probably. I suppose they have more recent sets of their own and prefer
Of will it just make your family *feel good about themselves*
forcing an unwelcome upgrade on her ?
the upgrade options.
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user?
Say 50" ish.
Have you actually asked *her*. Some people don;t actually wish their
whole
lives and living rooms to be dominated by large screen TV's
We have talked about an upgrade. One side of the dormer provides a
convenient site. Visitors tend to be entertained in our kitchen diner
which has some comfortable chairs and avoids climbing stairs!
AFAIK the Panasonic doesn't do headphones and sound out together
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
Which presumably she already has and understands. So which part of
the present set-up will actually *need* replacing in the foreseeable
future do you think ?
although I guess this could be covered by a different audio box/speakers.
I just had a quick check and the Panasonic TX-50MX800B has a headphone output. I would think that others in the range do as well. As for ease
of use, the TV can use Alexa, so that /might/ be of help is she has an internet connection.
Recording is more of a problem. The TV has only one tuner so even if it
could record (it can't) she couldn't watch one channel while recording another. I have no idea if other makes with a recording facility can
record on a different channel from that being watched. So that leaves a freestanding recorder. Panasonic no longer seem to do a "simple" PVR -
they combine it with Blu-ray/DVD. Probably the cheapest PVR these days
is a Manhattan T4R 500GB, which might be worth a look. In any case, I wouldn't be surprised if PVRs disappeared completely within a few years,
so we'll have to stream everything. :-((((((((((
On Tue, 21 Jan 2025 10:23:08 +0000, Timatmarford wrote:
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and wired
headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are pushing
for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say
50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
Model numbers for the Humax and the TV might help us to understand the current capabilities.
As others have said, minimum change is what most senior users want.
If the current TV has Internet capability (beyond just automatic updates) then it must be at least fairly smart.
Starting point might be another Panasonic if the software is similar.
I have a Manhattan T2R I haven't learned how to use. Second hand, they
don't give you the manual:-(
On 21/01/2025 16:22, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 21/01/2025 14:12, Timatmarford wrote:
On 21/01/2025 12:26, codger wrote:I just had a quick check and the Panasonic TX-50MX800B has a headphone
"Timatmarford" <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote in messageNo:-)
news:lv9ascFso5iU1@mid.individual.net...
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and
wired headphones,
aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are
pushing for a TV
upgrade pressie!
But is the "recipient" pushing for a TV upgrade ?
No:-)
Has she actually asked for one ?
Probably. I suppose they have more recent sets of their own and prefer
Of will it just make your family *feel good about themselves*
forcing an unwelcome upgrade on her ?
the upgrade options.
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user?
Say 50" ish.
Have you actually asked *her*. Some people don;t actually wish their
whole
lives and living rooms to be dominated by large screen TV's
We have talked about an upgrade. One side of the dormer provides a
convenient site. Visitors tend to be entertained in our kitchen diner
which has some comfortable chairs and avoids climbing stairs!
AFAIK the Panasonic doesn't do headphones and sound out together
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
Which presumably she already has and understands. So which part of
the present set-up will actually *need* replacing in the foreseeable
future do you think ?
although I guess this could be covered by a different audio box/speakers. >>
output. I would think that others in the range do as well. As for ease
of use, the TV can use Alexa, so that /might/ be of help is she has an
internet connection.
Recording is more of a problem. The TV has only one tuner so even if it
could record (it can't) she couldn't watch one channel while recording
another. I have no idea if other makes with a recording facility can
record on a different channel from that being watched. So that leaves a
freestanding recorder. Panasonic no longer seem to do a "simple" PVR -
they combine it with Blu-ray/DVD. Probably the cheapest PVR these days
is a Manhattan T4R 500GB, which might be worth a look. In any case, I
wouldn't be surprised if PVRs disappeared completely within a few years,
so we'll have to stream everything. :-((((((((((
I have a Manhattan T2R I haven't learned how to use. Second hand, they
don't give you the manual:-(
On 22 Jan 2025 at 20:21:47 GMT, "Timatmarford" <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote:
I have a Manhattan T2R I haven't learned how to use. Second hand, they
don't give you the manual:-(
Manuals for pretty much anything are always available somewhere on the Internet. You just need to do a bit of giggling.
On 22 Jan 2025 at 20:21:47 GMT, "Timatmarford" <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote:
I have a Manhattan T2R I haven't learned how to use. Second hand, they don't give you the manual:-(
Manuals for pretty much anything are always available somewhere on the Internet. You just need to do a bit of giggling.
On 22/01/2025 21:49, Tim Streater wrote:
On 22 Jan 2025 at 20:21:47 GMT, "Timatmarford" <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote:
I have a Manhattan T2R I haven't learned how to use. Second hand, they
don't give you the manual:-(
Manuals for pretty much anything are always available somewhere on the
Internet. You just need to do a bit of giggling.
+1
Before buying a new TV its also worth downloading the manual and looking
at the specification there in case the headline advertising has mis- represented something. You could check if it does have a jack plug for headphones and where its located etc.
I have a Manhattan T2R I haven't learned how to use. Second hand, they
don't give you the manual:-(
On 22/01/2025 20:21, Timatmarford wrote:
I have a Manhattan T2R I haven't learned how to use. Second hand, they
don't give you the manual:-(
https://argos-support.co.uk/instruction-manual/7608625-manhattan-t2- r-500gb-freeview-hd-recorder.pdf
+1. What is actually deficient with the current set?
Well, if it is more than 10 years old (36 inch so quite
possibly it is) then a modern replacement of say, 43 inch
will typically use half the power of the existing set.
If used for more than a few hours a day then the savings
soon add up.
codger <codger@anon.com> wrote:
"Timatmarford" <tim@demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:lv9ascFso5iU1@mid.individual.net...
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and wired headphones,
aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are pushing for a TV
upgrade pressie!
But is the "recipient" pushing for a TV upgrade ?
Has she actually asked for one ?
Of will it just make your family *feel good about themselves*
forcing an unwelcome upgrade on her ?
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say 50" ish.
Have you actually asked *her*. Some people don;t actually wish their whole >> lives and living rooms to be dominated by large screen TV's
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and understandable button set!
Which presumably she already has and understands. So which part of
the present set-up will actually *need* replacing in the foreseeable
future do you think ?
+1. What is actually deficient with the current set?
On 21/01/2025 13:29, David wrote:
On Tue, 21 Jan 2025 10:23:08 +0000, Timatmarford wrote:
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and
wired headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are
pushing for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say
50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
Model numbers for the Humax and the TV might help us to understand the
current capabilities.
Humax HDR-FOXT2 (500GB?) Panasonic Tx-L37E5B
As others have said, minimum change is what most senior users want.
If the current TV has Internet capability (beyond just automatic
updates)
then it must be at least fairly smart.
Starting point might be another Panasonic if the software is similar.
Sadly she is quite happy provided it keeps working! The solution to
whatever the GCs did was to switch off the Humax at the main isolator
rather than the handset switch.
On Wed, 22 Jan 2025 20:33:54 +0000, Timatmarford wrote:
On 21/01/2025 13:29, David wrote:
On Tue, 21 Jan 2025 10:23:08 +0000, Timatmarford wrote:
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and
wired headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are
pushing for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say >>>> 50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
Model numbers for the Humax and the TV might help us to understand the
current capabilities.
Humax HDR-FOXT2 (500GB?) Panasonic Tx-L37E5B
As others have said, minimum change is what most senior users want.
If the current TV has Internet capability (beyond just automatic
updates)
then it must be at least fairly smart.
Starting point might be another Panasonic if the software is similar.
Sadly she is quite happy provided it keeps working! The solution to
whatever the GCs did was to switch off the Humax at the main isolator
rather than the handset switch.
I have a Humax sat box, and a very smart 4K TV.
At the moment there is no aerial connected to the TV and I just use it as
a large monitor, controlling everything through the Humax.
Is there any reason not to just keep using the Humax with a bigger screen?
On Wed, 22 Jan 2025 20:33:54 +0000, Timatmarford wrote:
On 21/01/2025 13:29, David wrote:
On Tue, 21 Jan 2025 10:23:08 +0000, Timatmarford wrote:
Current main set is a Panasonic Viera 36" plus Humax recorder and
wired headphones, aerial and internet input.
Principle user is close to her 80th. birthday and our family are
pushing for a TV upgrade pressie!
Anyone care to comment on something suitable for a geriatric user? Say >>>> 50" ish.
She needs headphone sound out, easy recording capability and
understandable button set!
Model numbers for the Humax and the TV might help us to understand the
current capabilities.
Humax HDR-FOXT2 (500GB?) Panasonic Tx-L37E5B
As others have said, minimum change is what most senior users want.
If the current TV has Internet capability (beyond just automatic
updates)
then it must be at least fairly smart.
Starting point might be another Panasonic if the software is similar.
Sadly she is quite happy provided it keeps working! The solution to
whatever the GCs did was to switch off the Humax at the main isolator
rather than the handset switch.
I have a Humax sat box, and a very smart 4K TV.
At the moment there is no aerial connected to the TV and I just use it as
a large monitor, controlling everything through the Humax.
Is there any reason not to just keep using the Humax with a bigger screen?
And you can in fact buy 'just a bigger screen' if you want with no TV
tuner at all.
Monitors up to around 45" are available at sub £500 prices
And can be used with your PC as well!
I have views on set top boxes probably emanating from Topfield
experiences and am now on my second used BT box.
On 24/01/2025 13:03, Timatmarford wrote:
I have views on set top boxes probably emanating from Topfield
experiences and am now on my second used BT box.
Good or bad experiences with the Topfield box, and was it running MyStuff?
On 21/01/2025 13:57, alan_m wrote:
On 21/01/2025 12:26, codger wrote:
Have you actually asked *her*. Some people don;t actually wish their
whole
lives and living rooms to be dominated by large screen TV's
As eyesight gets worse having a larger screen may be a benefit.
A 42" flat screen TV is the equivalent to a 21" crt TV of the past if
you take into consideration the front size of a typical cabinet the
CRT was fitted in.
also TVs of old gave a taller picture for a given diagonal by virtue of
not being widescreen. So you need to go 40+" in widescreen to watch
something 4:3 at the same size you used to see it on a 29" 4:3 TV.
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