In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes
One elderly lady I know had such a set of great sentimental value to her. She was most upset when told it couldn't be converted but even more so when later, having got rid of it, she discovered in fact she could have kept it.
Wonder what good it did telling her 'later on' it could have been 'converted'? But of course it's not the set that is converted. It is supplying an STB with an RF output that allows it to work. Sort of.
Regardless of sentimental value, all TVs will fail sooner or later and be beyond economical repair. So why not just bring that point forward at a suitable time?
Its more important to ensure she can actually operate whatever she is left with.
Don't underestimate how hard some people find "technology".
The solution has to be useable by the "customer".
Most TVs with a SCART will select this automatically when there is a signal present. So no different to having the STB plugged into the aerial.
Learning how to use the STB may be a different matter. But please don't underestimate the capability of someone just because she's old.
Its not the learning that's the problem, its the unlearning of the old stuff.
PS I don't think I mentioned age.
If you're happy with it just get a cheap set top box that doesn't rely on a scart connection...
OTOH Why chuck something out that can be made to work simply and cheaply?
You missed the point that you will get a better one off FreeCycle pretty easily - which would otherwise be chucked out.
But this particular set had sentimental value. And I wonder how many sets only get freecycled because the owner can't be bothered to go to the tip.
Do as my mother did once, then. Turn it into a cocktail cabinet.
Quite. CRT sets have zero resale value. And can be large and heavy. So some might well see FreeCycle as an easier way of disposal. But that doesn't negate the fact that there are loads of perfectly serviceable well specced CRT sets going begging.
In message , Mark writes
Especially when money is very tight and buying a new TV means cutting back on something else like food or heating for a few weeks as interests rates are very low and so your income has been reduced so you are spending your capital which reduces your income further etc etc
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes
Assuming you have a PC and internet access to learn about and find your local free cycle.
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes
You are presuming I was involved in helping the old lady directly and previously you assumed that I had told her that her TV could have been saved.
There are thousands of people old and not so old who do not have access to the Internet.
In which case you don't need to assume I have internet access...
Everyone has access to the internet.
My mother doesn't. No access at home,and she can't use the one in the library.
Just because you choose not to use something doesn't mean you don't have access to it.
Oh, Dave, you are a card.
You obviously know more about the facts in this case than I do, then.
Which case are you talking about? As usual everyone seems to have descended into generalizations - except when it suits them.
Works fine with broadcast stuff, our sky box and ondigital boxes used to switch our sony tv in and out of this mode all the time automatically. You just tell the sky box you have a 16:9 TV (even though it's only 4:3) and to do auto switching.
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