3DTV has been one of the buzz words
in the TV industry over the last couple years. The quality of 3D film and TV
production has improved dramatically as has the ability to watch it at home on
your TV. Thankfully the days of using the red & green cardboard glasses to gave you a 3D effect but ruined the colour have now gone & 3D today is in full colour and also in HD. There are, however, two main types
of 3DTV that you can buy for your living room, both of which require the viewer
to wear either Active or Passive 3D glasses. Both types will work with the
industry standard 3D transmissions and 3D movies that you can buy on
Blu-Ray, ensuring there are no compatibility problems.
Active 3D Active 3D is the preferred method
of watching 3D for those that are after the very best picture quality. It works in a
very similar way to the 3D IMAX theatres & provides you with a Full HD
(1920x1080p resolution) image to each eye. The glasses are generally powered by
built-in batteries, some are rechargeable via USB. From 2012 the active glasses from the big brand names will be interchangeable between different manufacturers, meaning you can take your Panasonic glasses to your friends house and watch 3D on their Sony TV!
The glasses themselves blank off
your vision so that only one eye at a time can see the TV. The lenses switch
on/off in turn at high speed to match the image that is on the TV. It happens so
quickly that your eyes can't distinguish between the two slightly different
images that are being thrown at them and your brain puts them together to form a
3D picture. If you watch a 3DTV without glasses
you can see both images at the same time showing slightly different perspectives
of the same scene. Active 3D glasses are slightly
heavier than their Passive 3D cousins but are now light enough that it makes little or no difference. They should also fit over the top of all but the bulkiest
spectacles allowing you to wear both if you need to.
Active
glasses do cost considerably more than Passive ones. This is due to the fact
that they have a lot of technology packed in to give you the very best picture
possible. If you're planning on having lots of friends and family over to watch
3D this might be slightly prohibitive with prices up to £60 per pair.
On the other hand if you're looking
for the best picture and enjoy watching films or sporting events with your
partner or children Active is the best choice. Passive 3D Passive 3D is the name given to the
system used in most cinemas up and down the country. It's also what's employed
by Sky & LG to get 3D into pubs & clubs. Passive 3D allows many users to
watch 3D at relatively low cost. Glasses can cost as little as £2, allowing the
casual viewer to either buy some at the bar & watch the match alongside
another 30-40 people in the pub, or so that your extended family can gather
round and watch the big Christmas movie without breaking the bank.
Passive glasses come in a variety
of styles and colours and because they're much lower cost can be replaced easily
if lost or broken. You may also be able to use the
glasses you bought in the cinema to watch your new Passive 3DTV. The downside to Passive 3D is that
the picture quality is drastically reduced. With Active 3D the Full HD image is
sent to each eye in turn. Passive 3D is very different. Passive 3D uses filtration on the
TV screen itself to split the image to be seen by each eye.
Half of the 1080 lines that cross
the screen are polarised to emit horizontal light, the other half emit vertical
light, the lenses in the Passive glasses only allow one type of light to pass
through. Horizontal in one side and vertical in the other. The result is that
the resolution that each eye sees is cut from 1080 lines down to 540
lines. For the casual user or for large
group viewing, this reduction in picture is really of no concern. It's also a
great option to get 3D on a tighter budget or for the kids bedrooms to use with
their PS3 or Xbox. As you can see in the picture (to the left), when looking through the glasses each eye is missing half of the detail on the screen. Between each line of colour through the glasses is a black line, this is reversed for the other eye with the appropriate scene displayed instead. Conclusion Whichever way you choose to get 3D
you'll be glad that you did. The level of immersion into the film or sporting
event you choose to watch is fantastic. It is also a great opportunity to create
a family or friend get together.
We refer to 3D in the shop as
"Event Viewing". By this we mean that it's not something you're going to use
every day or even every week. It will however, likely be a big sporting event or
movie that you can get everyone involved in. Making sure that you spend a few
hours together as a family or with friends specifically to watch, enjoy and
discuss a particular movie or game. A great example of this was the "Strictly
Come Dancing" final on BBC HD during December 2011. It's a show that crosses the
age and gender divide and was recorded beautifully by the BBC. The 3D effect was
fantastic and really impressed members of my family with its quality. Society has accused TV of dividing
the family & reducing the amount of quality time we spend with each other.
Maybe with 3D and the advent of Smart TV this accusation can in some ways be
rebuffed! Option 3! A third option has just been
released in to the UK market that does not use glasses at all. The TV from
Toshiba, which is currently 5-6 times the price of a Passive 3D set, use a
complicated system of facial recognition and a lenticular display to "beam" the
3D image to up to 14 people in front of the TV. I am yet to see this type of set in
operation so can't really give an opinion on its quality. At the moment however,
based on price alone, I think I'll stick with the glasses!
To see our range of 3D TVs, please visit our website
One of the biggest developments in home entertainment, over the last couple of years, has been the appearance of Smart TV. Previously these have been called Connected TV or Internet TV but now, latching onto the latest buzz words, they seem to have settled on Smart TV. It's something that will feature on 80% of this year's Panasonic TV range, but what exactly is it?
Put simply, Smart TV transforms your TV from being something to watch Eastenders on, into something that can itself provide the entertainment.
How do you get Smart TV?
To be able to use Smart TV, the first thing you have to do is connect it to your broadband. You can do this with either a LAN cable, or if your TV has Wi-Fi you can use this instead. Once connected to your broadband, your TV can if you want, also link to your PC. To do this you'll need to make sure the PC is set-up to run as a media server. Newer PCs tend to have this software built-in but you can download & install third-party software from companies like Twonky.
A common misconception is that you have to connect it to your PC. You don't! The vast majority of things that these TVs can do have nothing to do with your PC at all, but we'll come back to this later on.
What can Smart TV do?
Once your TV is talking to your broadband, you'll be able to access a wealth of online entertainment. Commonly this will come from well known brands such as Facebook, twitter, YouTube or BBC iPlayer. These are accessed via apps on your TV screen & bring you information that historically you could only get via your PC, SmartPhone or tablet. This means that from the comfort of your sofa, on a large screen, you can catch up with friends via your social networks or watch catch up TV.
Smart TVs can also provide some more practical features such as Skype. By attaching a USB Skype camera, you're able to make videos calls to anyone in the world (free of charge via your broadband connection) that also has Skype. This gives you two big advantages over using a PC.
Firstly, you can make calls in a more comfortable environment than most studies or home offices allow.
Secondly (& perhaps more usefully), your friends and family can see you're on-line whenever you're watching TV. This saves them having to phone you first and ask you to turn the PC on.
Some of Panasonic's new generation of Smart TVs allow you to watch TV and use Skype at the same time. This is a great feature if you want to watch the TV & discuss it with your friends simultaneously. You can also use Facebook or twitter while watching TV, allowing you to read all the latest tweets or status updates about the show you are watching. This is particularly useful as more TV shows are encouraging viewers to take part in the show through these social networking sites. There's also a host of other apps that are available on Smart TVs. You'll find that some of these are already listed in your Smart TV menu. If not, you'll be able to add them via the app store which on Panasonic TVs is called Viera Connect Market. Some of these apps will be free of charge, whilst others will have to be purchased & will vary in price.
You'll find apps that allow you to stream movies direct to your TV, link to a treadmill to help your fitness routine, let you watch your favourite bands in concert or catch up with world news and sport. You can even play games directly on your Smart TV using additional controllers.
Browse the internet on a Smart TV?
Over that last couple of years, various manufacturers have had apps which let you browse the internet on your Smart TV. This year, on some sets, Panasonic joins them with a full internet browser. Some browsers let you do almost everything that a normal PC or tablet device does, including streaming videos that use Flash, reading your e-mails or using a catch-up TV service.
To help make using your Smart TV easier to use Panasonic have developed a completely new remote control. Coming with their higher end sets, the touch pad remote control lets you scroll through web pages or navigate the menus quickly & easily. You can also connect a USB keyboard to your Smart TV allowing you to type in web addresses or login details with less hassle than a normal remote. Alternatively, you can now control your Panasonic Smart TV with your SmartPhone or tablet device.
What else does a Smart TV do?
New features are being added to Smart TVs all the time. These apps basically act as doorways to internet based services.
If a new service is created the TV simply uses the app to access it. Because the services are not stored on the TV, there are fewer restrictions on what can & can't done with them.
Panasonic recently opened up their system for outside developers to create apps to work on their TVs. One of the more interesting services is from RED Karaoke whose app lets you access & sing along to over 45,000 songs. These songs are played through your TV and you have the words displayed ready for you ready to embarrass yourself in front of friends!
As well as the continuous development of Viera Connect Market, Panasonic is also changing the way we interact with our TV. The 2012 Panasonic range now has two-way communication with your SmartPhone or tablet. This exciting development means that with some TVs you can send websites you're visiting, YouTube videos you're watching or photos on your handheld device directly to the TV screen, making sharing media with the family incredibly easy and enjoyable.
In reverse, you can also send whatever you're watching on TV to some handheld devices. This means you no longer have to miss the crucial moment in the big game or the end of the murder mystery you've been waiting to see if you have to leave the room.
Connecting a PC with Smart TV?
As mentioned earlier, your PC does not necessarily need to be connected to your Smart TV, but there are advantages in doing so. Your PC probably has a lot media stored on it, some of which you've probably forgotten about. This could be home videos, photos, your music collection or downloaded movies. By connecting your PC to your Smart TV you can liberate this media and see, watch or listen to it in your living room. This is ideal for playing your photos as a slide show when you have a family get-together or to fill the night with music for a party.
One thing that needs to be stressed is that your Smart TV is not a PC. A lot of people assume that once connected they can use all the software and programs on their PC on the TV screen and control it with their TV remote. This is not the case. If you do need to see your PC on the large screen you can do this by simply connecting it to either a HDMI socket or VGA connection. In this situation the TV screen simply becomes your PC monitor.
And Finally
Most 32"+ sets have Smart TV built in, but if you don't want to use them, you don't have too!
Smart TV is not really something to be concerned or worried about.
Smart TV is not complicated ,you can't press the wrong button and break the TV or the internet!
If you get really stuck you just press the exit button or switch the TV off and start again. It's something to play with and not to be feared!
We hope this blog has helped you understand a little more about Smart TVs but if you have any queries that you need answering before you buy a new set from us, please feel free to pop in or give us a call.
To see our range of Smart TVs, please visit our website
At Hickmans we provide straight forward advice and information both in store and over the phone. We can demonstrate and advise on all aspects of Smart TV as well as Home Cinema, Blu-Ray, DVD & Hi-Fi. We also now supply domestic appliances from most well know manufacturers. We normally deliver & install most items over £300 free of charge in the local area. We have a dedicated service and repair department and can repair most brands of home entertainment equipment. We are also an authorised Panasonic service centre.
Buying a new washing machine should be a simple enough task, shouldn't it?
In theory yes, but today's vast array of washing machines can cause confusion. For this reason I thought it might be useful to give you some information and things to look out for when buying a new one.
One of the first things to look out for with a new machine, and something that sounds fairly obvious, is the physical size. All of the normal machines on the market are designed to fit into a space 600mm wide by 850mm tall. This should be the size of gap that has been left by your kitchen fitters if you have a new kitchen, or the size of gap your existing item is in. There is however the chance that your gap maybe slightly under 600mm wide. this is normally due to errors when fitting the kitchen or the previous machine (that the units were built around) being slightly thinner. For this reason it is always worth double checking.
One dimension that can change quite a bit is the depth (front-back) of the machine. Standard machines will generally be somewhere between 550-650mm. In the past we have had issues in very small galley kitchens where slightly deeper machines can prevent cupboard doors opening properly. If the depth is a problem for you, there are slimline machines from brands like Bosch that are only 450mm deep. These do however have a much smaller wash load.
Capacity
15-20 Years ago a washing machine was lucky to have a wash load of around 5-5.5kg. People accepted that larger loads such as sheets or blankets may need to go to the laundrette and were happy to do multiple cycles to clear the backlog of washing. Times however have changed. In today's fast paced hectic world of after school sports events, meals out with friends, visiting family, walking the dog & the more mundane everyday things like shopping and working, it seems like we have less time to do the washing. This is one of the reasons why manufacturers have been making larger & larger capacity machine. It is almost normal for a washing machine to now have an 8kg wash load and not surprising to know that 11kg loads are now available.
Having a larger capacity allows you to do less wash cycles per week saving you money on electric, water, detergent & conditioner. Don't worry if you can't always fill the full load though. Most machines now monitor how much washing is in the drum and will adapt their cycles accordingly to be as efficient as possible. Bear in mind though, using the machines to the wash load capacity will minimise your running costs.
Energy Rating
The buzz words at the moment seem to be "eco-friendly" & "energy efficiency". As these are such important matters the EU has revised the law on how products are labelled for efficiency. The new labels should make it easier to find the most efficient machine for your budget and needs.
All washing machines being made for sale in the EU now have to provide an "A" rated wash performance so this detail has been removed from the new labels. The new labels give you an idea how much water & electric the average person will use during a years use of the machine. The exact values will vary depending on how you use it, but as all machines are tested in the same way it is a good comparison between models. Currently washing machines can be rated up to "A+++" for their efficiency. Some machines have already attained this level of performance and are likely to become even more efficient in the future too!
Something to bear in mind when were talking about efficiency is the initial cost of the machine. If you're doing a dozen washes per week, spending extra to get a very efficient machine could well save you money in the long run. If you only do a couple of cycles per week it is unlikely you'll recoup the additional cost of choosing an "A+++" machine over an "A" rated machine during its lifespan.
Wash Cycles
Wash cycles have become far more important over that last few years & the machines are now far more tailored to different types of clothes. Some machines will have special cycles for outdoor wear, sports kit, baby clothes or bedding to name a few. If there are any particular types of cycle that you need, check with the sales person to see which machines suit your needs.
Each wash cycle is designed to hold only a certain amount of washing. This is to allow the clothes, water, detergent and drum action to work in harmony with each other to give you the best results. For example a synthetics wash may only be designed to handle 4kg of washing even if the machines capacity is 8kg.
The capacity normally refers to a cottons wash only, with all other cycles varying as listed in the instruction book.
If you do overload the drum, the machine will still complete a wash cycle but may have to use more water, more electricity and take significantly longer to finish the load. The clothes are also likely to come out feeling strange to the touch compared to normal. This not only affects your outlay on running costs but you may also find that you have to replace your clothes more often. This is because they are not being taken care of as they as supposed to be.
It can come as a bit of a shock but it's worth thinking about how much the clothes in a wash load could be worth. For example, I've priced up the value of the clothes that a typical wash for cottons could be for an average man. These are prices from Next and as such are neither budget or designer prices.
2 Pairs of Jeans, starting at £45 each, £90
4 Cotton T-Shirts at £25 each, £100
5 Pairs of Cotton Socks, £10
6 Pairs of Boxer Shorts, £40
5 White Work Shirts, £22 each, £110
2 Pairs of Shorts from £22 each, £44
Total, £394
Now I might be a little bit of a skinflint but £394 sounds like a lot of money to be throwing away by not looking after your clothes with the correct wash cycle! It also seems a bit odd to me to trust a £300 washing machine to repeatedly wash loads of up to and over £400!
Special Features
On top of all of the normal wash cycles most machines now have a variety of additional features and functions to help you personalise the machine to your own needs. These features vary from brand to brand but also in their purpose.
Some machines such as the Aqualtis from Hotpoint have steam cycles that allow to clean your clothes with just 200ml of water. Ideal for refreshing clothes that have only been worn once or may have picked up odours from day to day use.
Other machines like the Siemens IQ500 varioPerfect or Panasonic VX3 have speed/eco options. These allow you to either significantly increase the wash time to save you money on electricity or reduce the wash time, by using more power. This means you can either get more washes done when you're home or you can save money when you're at work!
Most machines tend to have a couple of additional features in common, these will often include a "Reduced Ironing" mode to keep creases to a minimum. An "Extra Rinse" rinse cycle so allergy sufferers can ensure there is no detergent left in the clothing and a "Mini load" button. This lets the machine know if only a couple of items are being washed. This is not to be confused with the old "Half Load" button which has disappeared from almost all machines. Today's washers are able to estimate the level of laundry in the drum (as long as it's more than just a couple of items) and use the correct amount of water accordingly.
Spin Speed
Washing machines today tend to have spin speeds of 1200-1600rpm. 1800spin machines are available but are few and far between. The need for 1800spin machines has diminished as drum design has become more efficient, allowing water to drain more easily. The spin speed rating is the maximum speed of the drum. Different cycles will spin at different speeds to look after the clothes you are washing. You can generally choose to slow the spin down or even cancel the spin cycle all together. You can't however increase the speed, this is to make sure you don't damage the clothes!
If you always dry your clothes outside or are never in a rush for the clothes to dry, the spin speed is irrelevant and shouldn't be a big factor in your decision. On the other hand, if you always dry your clothes inside or use a tumble dryer, a faster spin speed will help keep the drying costs down. It will also reduce the amount moisture in the air at home, particularly important if you suffer from damp or mould problems.
Latest Technology
Consumer electronics are now changing more rapidly than ever before, with new developments appearing every year on domestic appliances. These developments continue to bring running costs down and allow the machines to look after your clothes better than ever before.
One of the latest advancements comes from Siemens and their iDos IQ700 washer. This machine has replaced the traditional detergent drawer with a much larger container that will hold enough liquid detergent & conditioner for approximately 20 washes. On top of the normal wash cycles that you would expect to find on a washing machine, this Siemens has 2 Fully Automatic washes too.
These wash cycles literally allow you to put your washing in and press start!
The machine works out how much clothing you have put in the drum, the type of material it is made from, how dirty it is and how hard the water is in your area. Once it has this info the iDos IQ700 works out exactly how much detergent & softener it needs, to the nearest millilitre, to complete the cycle as efficiently and as effectively as possible.
If this wasn't fantastic enough, there is also something called autoStain Removal (ASR). This feature allows you to tell the machine if there is a particular type of stain on the clothes you are washing. This sets the machine in to a slightly different cycle that is designed specifically to remove one of 14 different types of Stain, without the need for extra substances like Vanish. By using all these technologies together the IQ700 is able give you incredible washing results combined with huge savings on detergent, electric, water, softener & stain remover.
All this technology obviously pushes the initial purchase price of the machine upwards. This jump in price may however be largely recouped over the machines life. Siemens have worked out that over 5 years the IQ700 will save you about £275 in running costs. This does not take in to consideration the additional lifespan that the machine will give your clothes by looking after them for longer. Neither does it take in to account the probability that it will last significantly longer than a lower priced machine, reducing the need to replace or repair as often.
In line with this the higher end machines from brands like Panasonic or Siemens are likely to come with longer warranties. Typically these now tend to be 2 years as standard or 5 years during promotional periods. Some machines also carry a 10 year warranty on the motor, again demonstrating the manufacturers faith in their products.
Lastly
When helping you buy a washing machine, the information above forms part of our product knowledge to ensure you get the right machine for your needs. Unlike some of our competitors, we never want to push a higher cost machine onto any of our customers. What we do want to do is make sure that whichever machine you buy you are genuinely happy with.
Our machines are almost always delivered & installed free of charge in the local area, plus we will remove and recycle your old item free of charge too. We are always available either in store or on the phone to help with your queries, both before and after your purchase.
To see our range of Washing Machines, please visit our website
