New TV!

Altron

Altron

Well-Known Member
Back in December, I picked up an Open-Box returned Panasonic CT36SL14 at work for $400.
It had no remote or accessories and quite a bit of superficial damage (the plastic trim at the bottom snapped off and the door covering the front inputs snapped off) but since the regular price was $800, not a deal to refuse, especially since we were using a Toshiba 27" curved CRT that was made IIRC in '94.

TV has loads of composite and S-video inputs, a pair of components, and DVI. Had some issues with the components but didn't drill them down (it's on my summer to-do list... instead of spending 35 hours a week in school and 20 at work, I'm doing just 25 hours a week at work and I have from Monday through Thursday off next week, going to get everything electronic running in tip top shape. Actually, I should put in a Parts Express order for some cables tomarrow. Going to get the HD on the 36" TV working, do a fresh windows install and update, get my stupid $80 Thai VGA scan converter thing working, get the new TV up and running, and do some unhappy A/V reciever research).

Tried my Samsung DVDP to both components with cheap cables. The Samsung is pretty old and not in the best condition, probably approaching 3 years, and the cables were utter shit, and it didn't work. I got the red video fine, but no blues or greens.

I then tried my XBOX with the stupid 12" long Thai XBOX Component video cable, and it was in black and white.

Haven't tried DVI, because I don't feel like shelling out $100 for a HDMI upconverting DVDP and then $40 for a HDMI-DVI cable. Some asshole over in the TV department thought it would be cute to take an open box DVI-upsampling DVDP and price it at $10 without telling me. I would have bought it in the blink of an eye, but some customer got to it first, and I was the one who rang him up! It was really difficult as he cheerily joked with me about getting such a good deal on a DVDP, when it was exactly the kind of DVDP I needed for an amazing price. I soooo wanted to say 'I'll give you ten bucks to not buy it' but held back.

Anyway, even though I haven't gotten HD working, there are enough variables that I think it's a problem with my DVDP and cables, not with the TV itself. Further reinforced by the fact that both inputs had the identical problem. I plan on fixing it during my newfound free time.

So on Wednesday I spotted a very similar TV sitting on the Open Box shelf. I did some research and found that it was priced at $250 new, on clearance, back whenever it was sold. It was a Panasonic CT32SL14, almost identical to the 36", except with 1 component and no DVI. DVI would have been nice for computer display, but my DVDP doesn't have DVI and apparantly the DVI port on my main video card does not function properly. I offered $200. My buddy offered $150 with a $50 3-year in home warranty. I figured what the hell, I was planning to spend $200 anyway, and if there ARE problems with component inputs on Panasonic CTxxSL14s, I want it fixed right away in my house, because component input is very important to me, and I can't lift the TV by myself. It was a bitch to get it from the car to the garage. The weight balance on those things is so awkward, It's a three-person job to do. It's abou 150lbs, 100lbs less than the 36", but because there is so much weight in the front it's difficult for two people to handle. You need one on each side and one in the front. Getting it down the stairs will totally suck, and I hope that I don't have to bring it back up the stairs for another two years.


So, I'll post some pictures after I lug the damn thing downstairs and figure out where to put it.

I have a 4' wide desk and I already have a 22", a 19", and a 15" monitor on it.

The problem with the placement lies with my big floor speakers. They can't be put on a table or anything, and I want them to be equidistant from my computer monitor and from my TV, and able to be positioned for listening at either the monitor and the TV.

And I still don't know what I'm going to do with the 27" Toshiba that's in the basement now. Or what I'm going to do with my component video inputs. DVDP, PC, and XBOX all have component outs, and there's one input. I have a switchbox but it's cheap and degraded the signal when I used it with Composite. I don't want to, but I might have to get one of those A/V recievers with all the video switching crap. My hope is that I can find a $50 open box cheapo-brand one that I can use just as a video switch, and keep my current 'Darth Opto' reciever setup (4-input cheapo component switch doesn't degrade audio noticeably with MP3s off the PC, probably due to the much higher bandwidth required by video, and it gives the Opto 6 audio inputs).
 
tank girl

tank girl

New Member
Does anybody here have TIVO?

Just curious as to what you think about it, if you have used it.

T.V is a bit different over here.

We don't have it in N.Z as of yet, we're only getting Digital TV services at the end of the year.
 
Altron

Altron

Well-Known Member
I got it into the kitchen.

First my dad and my bro tried to lift it. My bro's arms might be twice the diameter mine are, but I have discovered that it ain't muscle. Thing weighs 185 lbs. my brother lifted his half for about ten seconds, before he had to put it on the ground and I had to sprint all the way around the house to get from his side (it was in the middle of the door) and lift it up. It's not actually as difficult as it was to get it in the garage. When my dad and I carried it, he didn't understand the weight distribution, and it nearly fell foreward. I ended up having to use my left hand to hold the top, which put a lot of weight on both of us. I shined a light through the grille in the back and was surprised to discover that the tube is only about 10" deep, which puts the center of gravity about 4" from the front. While holding it properly, with both hands on the bottom, but slightly tilted towards the back to balance the weight better, it wasn't too hard for two people to lift.

I feel kinda bad for my brother. He's two years younger, three inches shorter, and like 50 pounds heaver than me. His arms are like eight inches in diameter. I was hoping that he was one of those people who is kinda fat but pretty muscular, just doesn't look it. He's not. I could easily do with my right hand what he couldn't do with both hands. I need to do something about him. My parents try, but they're at work all day, and he like never leaves the house.

I have also discovered that my left arm is weak as hell. For years I went bowling weekly with a 16-lb ball, and have done a lot of ultimate frisbee, and a lot of other, uhm, unspecified arm exercises used by most single men, all of which only use the right arm. I can only lift the left side of the TV (i.e. my right arm under the front, where all the weight is).

I believe that my dad and I can lift the TV fine, but I am concerned about going down a long flight of stairs with it. I'm going to try to borrow a handtruck from work to use, and maybe enlist the help of the neighbors (their kids, who are like 25, are visiting home for a few days and we're good friends with them I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping us with the TV for a few minutes). My dad beats the hell out of himself. He's nearly 50, and from his early 20s until his late 30s, he wasn't exactly the most physically fit person around. Now he's convinced that just because he hasn't started going grey or balding, he's still 25. He started with the bike rides, which weren't too bad for him. However, I suppose the challenge of riding 100 miles one day, then 100 miles back (he has ridden from Philadelphia to the Jersey Shore, including a 25 mile loop for 'fun') the next got boring, so he went into running. As any medically versed person will tell you, running is a lot tougher on your joints than biking. Unless you've been running your entire life, late 40s is not a good time to pick up running and to run a marathon.

He did a marathon and a couple long races, but like 15 miles every weekend. Eventually the doctor told him that he cannot run or bike at all, and should try to avoid walking, or he will seriously injure himself. His boss told him to park in the handicap spots at work. My mom makes him lunch every morning so he doesn't have to walk to the cafeteria at work (he works for a BIG company, buildings are very spread out, we're not talking 50 foot walks, we're talking half mile walks). He's too old to run marathons now. I don't want him carrying a heavy TV down a flight of stairs. Let me and the 25-year-old neighbor do it. Or use a handtruck or ramps or a dolly so it's not any lifting.
 
Altron

Altron

Well-Known Member
tank girl said:
Does anybody here have TIVO?

Just curious as to what you think about it, if you have used it.

T.V is a bit different over here.

We don't have it in N.Z as of yet, we're only getting Digital TV services at the end of the year.
Click to expand...

I have a VCR. Same thing, really, except it takes a little more work. And instead of spending $400 for a TiVo, it was a $20 Open Box special.

TiVo's subscription model sucks, imo. $100-200 for the unit is fine, but then you need to spend $15 a month for the subscription, or $300 for the 'lifetime' subscription.

For $500, I can just tape the damn things.

Of course, this is coming from the viewpoint of someone who watches TV very little. I used to watch My Name Is Earl and The Office when it was on. I watch South Park and the Simpsons and Family guy and American Dad if I see my brother watching it, but I never go out of my way to catch it. I watch the Tonight Show if I see my dad watching it, but again, don't go out of my way. Last summer I used to watch Futurama and Family Guy when it was on at 11PM every weeknight. I might start taping this to watch on my new TV.

*sigh* 3100 was about tivo, of all things :p
 
Gonz

Gonz

molṑn labé
Staff member
tank girl said:
Does anybody here have TIVO?
Click to expand...

Not specifically but I am using a DVR service offered by by satelite provider. It's damn handy but not near the nirvana seemingly experienced by others. The same as a video recorder, only easier.
 
HomeLAN

HomeLAN

New Member
A Tivo is NOT the same thing as a VCR. No tape handling, no tape degradation, and a VCR is not gonna go find the programs you want it to record. Try telling a VCR to record, say, only first run episodes of The Simpsons. No re-runs.

Good luck with that.

I can tell the Tivo to do that, and depend on having the shows I want to watch, and only those shows, available when I turn the TV on. Moreover, I haven't watched a commercial (outside of the odd ball game) in about 5 years - because I'm never watching live TV. I simply fast=forward through them.

For me, it's worth it.
 
Altron

Altron

Well-Known Member
It tapes things by itself, using a schedule it downloads from teh intarweb and the specifications you give it. However, instead of using a tape, it uses a hard drive. What am I missing?
 
HomeLAN

HomeLAN

New Member
OK. I spent some time carefully differentiating between the two devices. I showed you that one had capabilities that the other one didn't. I thought it was fairly clear, and a second reading fails to convince me otherwise.

Yet, you insist they're the same thing.

Rather than assume you're an idiot, I chose to assume you were simply weak in your reading comprehension skills. Any other questions?
 
Altron

Altron

Well-Known Member
It is a device that sits in the general vincinity of the television and allows recording of TV programs for later viewing.

Thus my remark that it's a fancy VCR with a lot of automation. With my VCR, a TV guide, and an accurate clock I can do everything a TiVo can. However, the TiVo is set-it-and-forget-it, whereas the VCR needs a lot more user input. They are essentially the same thing. To use an ever present car analogy, a TiVo is like a brand new Cadillac. It's expensive, but it's got a lot of automation - you don't have to do a lot of work on it, it shifts by itself, it starts in cold weather, etc. A VCR is like an '82 Datsun with a four speed. It's a lot more work to drive and repair. But both will get you from Point A to Point B.
 
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