Re: Please, please, please help me (I sound like the beatles
babsatamelia wrote:Would it be possible for someone to explain the difference to me - between a regular TV, HDTV, and now I see this new "blue" tv tooth something weird).
It's Bluray, not Bluetooth, which is for cel phones.
Regular TV is, well, regular TV. HDTV means High Definition TV. As in, the picture is far clearer. Bluray is a competing format to HDTV.
Personally, I don't think you need either. TV is TV unless you really, really need to see every hair on a quarterback's arm.
Piece of unsolictied advice: never, ever be an early adopter of anything electronic. Wait a few years or so before buying! That way, all of the kinks, recalls and format wars are resolved, and prices will have plummeted. Buying HDTV or Bluray right now is still, IMO, in the realm of early adoption. Regular TVs, of course, are not in the early adoption stage of the technology. They are reliable, inexpensive, have no real format issues and can be serviced anywhere. Get a regular TV.
babsatamelia wrote:***I'm completely & utterly lost if forced to deal with matters of electronics, It's FAR from my area of expertise. Why I ask is: my 11 yr old grandson wants a TV of his own for his room this year.
Like I said above, get a regular TV.
babsatamelia wrote:While I'm waiting for him to call back to answer a few ?? questions that I didn't even know to ask when he told me what he wanted. So, I need to get some more info like;
A - he may only want it for playing his Playstation & Wii games
B - he may also want it to watch TV, shows, movies, & they have cable, so certain TVs wouldn't work well in this case. There's a great deal at a local discount chain/ $200 for a large TV & while it's NOT a fancy flat screen, the "in" thing to get now. But its REMOTE only goes to CH 181 and they have Comcast so if he uses the TV to watch TV &/or DVD's - IT WON'T WORK !!!
Then he needs a cable box and cable remote to go with the TV. This is something that he and his parents have to work out with Comcast. Additional cable boxes are usually cheaper than the initial one but that's their issue and you don't have to worry about it. Get him the TV you can afford. A regular TV is perfectly fine for these purposes. Comcast will give him a remote that works with all of their channels.
babsatamelia wrote:Even I know that much. Also he likes certain shows, extreme stports shows & if he begins to want to record some TV shows, movies, etc then we have the newer issue of:
C - The issue of RECORDING favorite shows & sports if he wants to record to a DVD or VHS. (swiftly becoming obsolete,like the 8 track) Different TV needed. New electronics come out bit by bit like pulling teeth -AGGRAVATION.
Why? Again, this is a cable company issue/a DVD issue. Not the issue with the TV. All TVs come cable-ready these days. He may or may not need some sort of switching equipment but again -- not your issue. A standard cable-ready TV should work just fine with a standard DVD recorder. Hence the term "standard".
babsatamelia wrote:Most of my collected media, family films etc are still on VHS because they're more stable. I don't get why a DVD is so better than a VHS & as for recordings on old VHS, most of mine are STILL on VHS. I don't like the dvd, it is so easily damaged/ruined, is an inferior product to me. I haven't even tried to convert them over. But now that I have all VHS & I know I will soon need to put them in a new format of some kind. What kind of newer formats are becoming available to transfer them to ?? Any news?
Then keep your VHS tapes. Plenty of places sell devices that will play both. DVD is better because the recording will not break down over time (if you've ever tried to play a 15-year old VHS tape, you know exactly what I'm talking about). Plus, there is no tape to get stuck or tangled. DVD is probably going to be here for a long time, but don't convert anything unless it's special/irreplaceable (your child's wedding, for example). For movies and TV shows, though, don't bother replacing them with a newer format -- any newer format -- unless you watch that tape or whatever a lot. This is far cheaper in the long run. Essentially what you are doing is taking advantage of the fact that we all have changing tastes over time and therefore there's little sense in replacing "I Love Lucy" if you no longer want to watch it.
babsatamelia wrote:DVD OR is touted as a superior product - not likely - just break it out to render the VHS obsolete so they all MAKE LOTS MORE MONEY OFF OF US. Good God!! I hate GREED.
Uh, no. It really is a better product. See above.
babsatamelia wrote:**I just need to save some of my family/tv show VHS tapes put into/onto something??? Newer. I don't like dvds. I'd prefer to be up to the newest & the best.
If you want to be up on the newest and the best then, by definition today, December 2, 2007, the choice is DVDs. But don't buy DVDs if you don't want them. Like I said, the only things you should ever even think about upgrading the format for are irreplaceable items. But "I Love Lucy" is going to be available for sale (and often in the cheaper used aftermarket) forever, in whatever is the currently popular format.
babsatamelia wrote:***Another related issue is something about Playstaton 3 units,can they hook up with computers, or computer access. I can't imagine how that could be. But I can't understand how my grandson knows how to use his teeny cell phone, take my picture, keep in phone & it shows MY mug whenever I call.
I have no idea, except the two are not related. It seems you are throwing all electronics into the same bucket and they just ain't all the same. Playstation 3 probably has some sort of cable to hook up to a computer, possibly to download information for a multiplayer role-playing game.
As for your grandson programming his cel phone, good for him. He probably has the picture associated with the incoming phone number in some way. As for taking your picture, cel phones have had cameras for a few years now. It's a way to get people to use more minutes. If you want to rail on a company for being greedy, rail against that -- that's just greed. No one needs a cel phone camera; that and texting really only exist to get people to go over their alloted minutes. And they do.
babsatamelia wrote:**Cell phones are really very intimidating to me. I LOVE the fact that you can call for help when/if your car breaks down (butthen I drive a Honda, so it has never happened -yet) So I don't yet
own a cell phone. They are SO SMALL. I can't imagine hitting just 1 little key with these big, old knarly, fingers. Jade has tiny fingers - it's EZ for him. Not for me.
You'll be fine if you buy one. They make some with larger buttons. You can also get him (I'm sure he'll know how to do this) to program in speed-dial. Then you could call home or a garage or whatever and just do it by hitting something like #1. The cel phone was mighty convenient when I was in a car accident a few years ago and it's good if you're on public transportation that's going to be late. It won't bite you, I promise.
babsatamelia wrote:***ONE MORE QUESTION - I want to get a cell phone for my niece & finish designing her business cards & PUSH HER INTO A REAL WORLD!! She's already a great licensed accupuncturist AND is also a licensed 5 Element Chinese Medical Practitioner -BUT she's still
working waiting tables. She's already been licensed for a year now!! She is my niece & has very much helped me w/treatments & I am determined to repay her kindness for helping me - with ONE HUGE SHOVE out into the world of her very own practice !! She even knows a local accupuncturist here who will let her rent one of his treatment rooms BY THE DAYT(maybe even let her use it, just to help her get going.) I SAID -GINA - ONLY TIME YOU ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING IS IN THE NOW !! AND IT'S NOW. RIGHT NOW ALREADY..
Um, was that actually a question? I'm sorry your niece isn't getting out there, but buying her a cel phone or getting her business cards done probably won't help much with that, IMO. If you're truly interested in getting her a cel phone, get her a basic model.
babsatamelia wrote:ONE MORE LAST QUESTION.
***So you savvy cell phone pundits, can you PLEASE suggest a decent low cost brand/type of cell phone (playing MP3s would be nice, she could use it in her practice at first. I'll even give her a ton of relaxation & meditation music. It does have to be one that she buys minutes as she needs. I don't mind buying a phone but I DO mind dealing with a "PLAN" {shudder} I did see a "chocolate phone" at the Verizon site that sells for one penny - but you must use their PLAN. UGH!!
Don't use a cel phone to play MP3s. That's big $$. I believe it's better (financially) to buy a basic phone and an iPod or something like that. This will also not commit you to any one plan or another. You should not get her locked into one plan just because there's a desire to play MP3s. There are other ways to get that functionality without giving up flexibility.
babsatamelia wrote:**** Lastly, what do you experts know about some great upcoming new stuff in electronics. Is there some NEW, enhanced, soon to be the next generation of electronic media replacing the crap DVDs & music CDs etc. These greedy electronics firms are SO predictable; selling ALREADY OUTDATED PRODUCTS as new, just because the public hadn't seen it yet. I hate it when they know there are
already better stuff but WANT TO SQUEEZE EVERY NICKEL OUT OF ALL OF THEIR FELLOW COUNTRYMEN(& women) MAKES ME BARF!! I believe the expression is "squeeze the nickel till the buffalo sh**s". And now I come to a close at long last - geez - this is the longest question I've EVER asked. My daughter is right...I talk too much. To ALL who respond - DO know that you are now guilty of random acts of kindness.
I have no idea. There's always new stuff coming out. But do you or your family really need it? That should be your first question before you spend a dime.
Do you need it? If you do, shop around, get a good deal and buy it. If you don't, pass it by.
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