Sadly the family DVD/ tape player has died.

On line prices seem anywhere between £35 and £250. Current use viewing
purchased DVDs. Ignoring the tape player bit, what do I actually need?
--
Tim Lamb

On 27/12/2019 19:11, Tim Lamb wrote:
Sadly the family DVD/ tape player has died.

On line prices seem anywhere between £35 and £250. Current use viewing
purchased DVDs. Ignoring the tape player bit, what do I actually need?
Not much at all.
If just playing DVDS is all you want.

£35 for a SCART or HDMI equipped basic player.

A bit more if you want it do do internet and be a set top box.

A bit more again to plug an aerial in and have it also record off air.

If you have a computer and a smart TV consider equipping it with a media
server, ripping your dvds onto that and viewing them via DLNA.

I no longer HAVE a DVD player in the main house.

All my DVDS are MP4s on my server. All my TVS are smart and I can watch
stuff on my laptop in ned as well.


--
€œIt is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established
authorities are wrong.€�

ۥ Voltaire, The Age of Louis XIV

In message , The Natural Philosopher
writes
On 27/12/2019 19:11, Tim Lamb wrote:
Sadly the family DVD/ tape player has died.
On line prices seem anywhere between £35 and £250. Current use
viewing purchased DVDs. Ignoring the tape player bit, what do I
actually need?
Not much at all.
If just playing DVDS is all you want.

£35 for a SCART or HDMI equipped basic player.

OK. TV has both.

A bit more if you want it do do internet and be a set top box.

A little future proofing might be wise although I have resisted sharing
my daughters Netflix account.

A bit more again to plug an aerial in and have it also record off air.

I like my Toppy:-)

If you have a computer and a smart TV consider equipping it with a
media server, ripping your dvds onto that and viewing them via DLNA.

Way beyond my knowledge/interest level. I just need something to play ET
etc. when the grandchildren visit.

I no longer HAVE a DVD player in the main house.

All my DVDS are MP4s on my server. All my TVS are smart and I can watch
stuff on my laptop in ned as well.

I think my wife's TV is moderately smart but you don't need much to
watch the cookery programs or strictly!



--
Tim Lamb

On 27/12/2019 20:02, Tim Lamb wrote:

If you have a computer and a smart TV consider equipping it with a
media server, ripping your dvds onto that and viewing them via DLNA.

Way beyond my knowledge/interest level. I just need something to play ET
etc. when the grandchildren visit.

Cheapest box that ARGOS or Currys/PCworld can deal, then. At this time
of year probably giving them away.



--
The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all
private property.

Karl Marx

On Friday, 27 December 2019 20:04:55 UTC, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Cheapest box that ARGOS or Currys/PCworld can deal, then. At this time
of year probably giving them away.

£4 in the Salvation Army shop :-)

Owain

Depends what you want to do I suppose. Do you record on it or just play
commercial DVDs. There are loads of el cheapo players about. Panasonic seem
quite reliable even if when they play CDs they put pauses between tracks.
Brian

--
----- --
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"Tim Lamb" wrote in message
...
Sadly the family DVD/ tape player has died.

On line prices seem anywhere between £35 and £250. Current use viewing
purchased DVDs. Ignoring the tape player bit, what do I actually need?
--
Tim Lamb

Of course if you want blue ray as well so you can play your Dolby Atmos
version of Abbey Road its a bit more.
Brian

--
----- --
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 27/12/2019 19:11, Tim Lamb wrote:
Sadly the family DVD/ tape player has died.

On line prices seem anywhere between £35 and £250. Current use viewing
purchased DVDs. Ignoring the tape player bit, what do I actually need?
Not much at all.
If just playing DVDS is all you want.

£35 for a SCART or HDMI equipped basic player.

A bit more if you want it do do internet and be a set top box.

A bit more again to plug an aerial in and have it also record off air.

If you have a computer and a smart TV consider equipping it with a media
server, ripping your dvds onto that and viewing them via DLNA.

I no longer HAVE a DVD player in the main house.

All my DVDS are MP4s on my server. All my TVS are smart and I can watch
stuff on my laptop in ned as well.


--
"It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established
authorities are wrong."

? Voltaire, The Age of Louis XIV

On Fri, 27 Dec 2019 20:02:37 +0000, Tim Lamb
wrote:

snip

£35 for a SCART or HDMI equipped basic player.

OK. TV has both.

I believe we still have a SCART interfaced and lightly used DVD player
(and remote) that we 'upgraded' when stepdaughter was in the hospice
in March. Daughter wanted to watch a particular DVD with her in there
(whilst she still could, all be it still in bursts) and the quickest
way to get round the PAT testing was to bring in a new one and the
room TV was HDMI only.

It's yours (inc free delivery) if 1) you want it and 2) I can find
both it and the remote. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

In message , T i m
writes
On Fri, 27 Dec 2019 20:02:37 +0000, Tim Lamb
wrote:

snip

£35 for a SCART or HDMI equipped basic player.

OK. TV has both.

I believe we still have a SCART interfaced and lightly used DVD player
(and remote) that we 'upgraded' when stepdaughter was in the hospice
in March. Daughter wanted to watch a particular DVD with her in there
(whilst she still could, all be it still in bursts) and the quickest
way to get round the PAT testing was to bring in a new one and the
room TV was HDMI only.

It's yours (inc free delivery) if 1) you want it and 2) I can find
both it and the remote. ;-)

OK Tim. I'll hold off buying a replacement as I can use Angela's for the
time being.

I planned to ask you about W10 for her old laptop. I thought it was W8
but the label says Windows 7 home prem OA (HP ProBook 4520s)

The spare glass fibre stuff is boxed up waiting:-) Once Christmas is out
of the way.....

--
Tim Lamb

On 27/12/2019 19:11, Tim Lamb wrote:
Sadly the family DVD/ tape player has died.

On line prices seem anywhere between £35 and £250. Current use viewing
purchased DVDs. Ignoring the tape player bit, what do I actually need?


Reading your other posts, just go for a cheap bluray player with a HDMI
output. If you buy one with just SCART and you change your TV in a
couple of years time you would also have to change the Bluray/DVD player
as well.

Forget about recording on a Bluray/DVD player box and don't bother too
much about the SMART features that it may be supplied with. These can be
provided for much better by dedicated boxes (see Toppy replacement
threads in their user forums) and/or plug in sticks (Netflix, Amazon
fire etc.)

As with a lot of boxes these days just make sure that you have provision
to connect it to your hone network for software updates.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 27/12/2019 21:22, Brian Gaff (Sofa 2) wrote:
Of course if you want blue ray as well so you can play your Dolby Atmos
version of Abbey Road its a bit more.
Brian

get a majority plays every format and region free...also has a usb on
the front.....


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Majority-...8AAOSwDjFbfT6r

unless you need one with a scart majority only has HDMI

On 27/12/2019 21:11, wrote:
On Friday, 27 December 2019 20:04:55 UTC, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Cheapest box that ARGOS or Currys/PCworld can deal, then. At this time
of year probably giving them away.

£4 in the Salvation Army shop :-)


With a PAT sticker on it?


--
Adam

On Saturday, 28 December 2019 09:40:14 UTC, ARW wrote:
£4 in the Salvation Army shop :-)
With a PAT sticker on it?

Probably, the Sally Army are reasonably good about that.

Red Cross got reported for 1950s Class I electric sewing machine with a plug with unsleeved pins, missing cord grip screws, exposed inner insulation of the individual wires outside the plug body, and the female line connector for the mains supply and foot pedal not being touch safe to current standards.

Reported because I'd already told them about previous dodgy electricals they had out, and they still put out more. They don't have enough electricals to "make it worth testing".

Owain

In article ,
wrote:
On Saturday, 28 December 2019 09:40:14 UTC, ARW wrote:
£4 in the Salvation Army shop :-)
With a PAT sticker on it?

Probably, the Sally Army are reasonably good about that.

Red Cross got reported for 1950s Class I electric sewing machine with a
plug with unsleeved pins, missing cord grip screws, exposed inner
insulation of the individual wires outside the plug body, and the female
line connector for the mains supply and foot pedal not being touch safe
to current standards.

Reported because I'd already told them about previous dodgy electricals
they had out, and they still put out more. They don't have enough
electricals to "make it worth testing".

Owain

Why don't you offer to do testing for them - for free - as your 2020
charity contribution?

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle

On 27/12/2019 20:02, Tim Lamb wrote:
In message , The Natural Philosopher
writes
On 27/12/2019 19:11, Tim Lamb wrote:
Sadly the family DVD/ tape player has died.
Â*On line prices seem anywhere between £35 and £250. Current use
viewingÂ* purchased DVDs. Ignoring the tape player bit, what do I
actually need?
Not much at all.
If just playing DVDS is all you want.

£35 for a SCART or HDMI equipped basic player.

OK. TV has both.


Your next TV may not have a Scart socket.


--
Michael Chare

On 28/12/2019 10:37, charles wrote:
In article ,
wrote:
On Saturday, 28 December 2019 09:40:14 UTC, ARW wrote:
£4 in the Salvation Army shop :-)
With a PAT sticker on it?

Probably, the Sally Army are reasonably good about that.

Red Cross got reported for 1950s Class I electric sewing machine with a
plug with unsleeved pins, missing cord grip screws, exposed inner
insulation of the individual wires outside the plug body, and the female
line connector for the mains supply and foot pedal not being touch safe
to current standards.

Reported because I'd already told them about previous dodgy electricals
they had out, and they still put out more. They don't have enough
electricals to "make it worth testing".

Owain

Why don't you offer to do testing for them - for free - as your 2020
charity contribution?


Why not get Mike Adamson to do it for free?

--
Adam

On Fri, 27 Dec 2019 23:11:41 +0000, Tim Lamb
wrote:

In message , T i m
writes
On Fri, 27 Dec 2019 20:02:37 +0000, Tim Lamb
wrote:

snip

£35 for a SCART or HDMI equipped basic player.

OK. TV has both.

I believe we still have a SCART interfaced and lightly used DVD player
(and remote) that we 'upgraded' when stepdaughter was in the hospice
in March. Daughter wanted to watch a particular DVD with her in there
(whilst she still could, all be it still in bursts) and the quickest
way to get round the PAT testing was to bring in a new one and the
room TV was HDMI only.

It's yours (inc free delivery) if 1) you want it and 2) I can find
both it and the remote. ;-)

OK Tim. I'll hold off buying a replacement as I can use Angela's for the
time being.

Ok. I'll hunt it down. ;-)

I planned to ask you about W10 for her old laptop. I thought it was W8
but the label says Windows 7 home prem OA (HP ProBook 4520s)

Assuming it will run W10, or run it sufficiently (without drivers for
things Angela may not use, like (say) the webcam or card reader) then
it should authenticate and upgrade to W10 Home in situ (I understand
from here). Alternatively, we could upgrade the hdd to a SSD, do a
fresh install of W10, and then migrate any data back from the W7 drive
(with it in an external USB caddy, I have some new ones here), subject
to whatever programs she has / needs etc.

The spare glass fibre stuff is boxed up waiting:-) Once Christmas is out
of the way.....

Cheers, no rush on that (other than getting it out of your way) as the
heavy duty membrane seems to be holding for now and I'll not be going
up there till it's predictably warmer and dryer. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

On Saturday, 28 December 2019 10:45:42 UTC, charles wrote:
Why don't you offer to do testing for them - for free - as your 2020
charity contribution?

I don't have a 2377-22 or -32 certificate or a calibrated tester, and I do know that I don't know all the product safety and legal requirements I'd require to certify to for resale.

I already do voluntary work two days a week and I'm not looking for any more jobs.

Owain

On Sat, 28 Dec 2019 05:18:35 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

On Saturday, 28 December 2019 10:45:42 UTC, charles wrote:
Why don't you offer to do testing for them - for free - as your 2020
charity contribution?

I don't have a 2377-22 or -32 certificate or a calibrated tester, and I do know that I don't know all the product safety and legal requirements I'd require to certify to for resale.

And isn't there some thing that charity shops are selling the items we
give them *for us*, it's just that most of us don't ask for the money
back once that we have done so.

If that is the case, if they sell on some faulty electrical equipment,
I wonder if it could come back on us (legally, if not practically).

Cheers, T i m

T i m wrote:

isn't there some thing that charity shops are selling the items we
give them *for us*

Yes ...

https://www.lodders.co.uk/legal-updates/gift-aid-for-retailers

On 27/12/2019 19:11, Tim Lamb wrote:
Sadly the family DVD/ tape player has died.

On line prices seem anywhere between £35 and £250. Current use viewing
purchased DVDs. Ignoring the tape player bit, what do I actually need?

Make sure it is not region-specific. Used to be an issue in the past -
not sure if still the case (maybe only with the cheap end of the market?).

In message , JoeJoe
writes
On 27/12/2019 19:11, Tim Lamb wrote:
Sadly the family DVD/ tape player has died.
On line prices seem anywhere between £35 and £250. Current use
viewing purchased DVDs. Ignoring the tape player bit, what do I
actually need?

Make sure it is not region-specific. Used to be an issue in the past -
not sure if still the case (maybe only with the cheap end of the
market?).

Many years ago I bought a cheap DVD player (£20) from a Texas DIY store
(remember them, and the 'Texas Tom' radio adverts?). Despite the spec
saying Region 2 (which includes Europe), I found it also played Region 1
(USA and Canada), so I suspect it's actually region-free.

Obviously, it plays normal Region 2 PAL DVDs. However, when playing a
Region 1 NTSC disc you have the choice of outputting either native
'proper' NTSC (525/60 and 3.58MHz colour), or NTSC 4.43 (NTSC/525/60
with 4.43MHz colour, just like some of the later VCRs do when playing an
NTSC tape, and which most UK TV sets are happy with). Both are OK on my
cheap 16" flat-screen TV set (as well, or course, PAL).
--
Ian