…and gazuky

I’ve recently been helping someone with their purchase of a new 42″ HD TV and am shocked by how much the general public are being conned. It seems that TV manufacturers and retailers are using a smokescreen of jargon to encourage people to buy what they think are state-of-the-art TVs, but that, in reality, are nothing of the sort.

For example – how many lines does your HD Ready TV have? If it’s 720, then you will not be seeing the HD picture in as much HD detail as the director intended. 1080 pixels is the minimum required for full HD, and even then there are technical complications with 1080i and 1080p.

What has shocked me the most, however, is the technical requirements for receiving HD on Freeview. HD is not currently offered on Freeview, but there are plans to include it by 2012, as the digital switchover progresses. Most TVs being sold as ‘HD Ready’ now include built-in Freeview tuners, but – and this is a scandal – not one of them on the market will be capable of receiving Freeview in HD. You will need – wait for this – a separate set-top box! HD Ready? I don’t think so.

Manufacturers of audio-visual equipment must be wringing their hands with glee. People spending a fortune on HD TVs now will soon discover they don’t have the kit they need, and will wonder why they have to spend extra trading in or upgrading to get the picture they thought they could already get.

I’m not complaining about the fact that technology moves on. That’s been happening for decades. But what I do find suspicious and unacceptable is the poor quality of information that’s available to the general public about what exactly it is they are buying. Most people aren’t tech-savvy enough to know what questions to ask, and many people don’t have the resources or the know-how to do detailed research on what products can actually do. They rely on good, solid information from retailers and manufacturers. And based on what I’ve seen recently from the big chains, that information is woefully poor – with much of it missing, uncertain or shrouded in unexplained jargon.

The best advice I can give is to do your research, and remember that you ultimately get what you pay for. That £399 big-screen TV may look like a bargain, but if there’s a similar one retailing for a grand more, you need to know why.

One of the great things about podcasting for me has been the seemingly random connections I’ve made with people around the country, and often around the world.

Many of these connections haven’t lasted for one reason or another; sometimes the interest will have waned, often people simply don’t have time to maintain a connection with so many people. Whatever the reasons, I always think it’s a shame that these connections are so transient.

Which is why I’m really pleased that ‘Worlds of Wayne’ has reached its 100th show. Ever since 26th July 2006, Wayne Brekke – a talented musician and artist from Omaha, Nebraska – has been producing this high-quality podcast.

One of the greatest strengths of the show is its quality of interviews, which are always executed in a way that pulls in the listener, being informally and intelligently conducted. The show is also a great supporter of talent local to the Omaha area, which adds further interest, and has rightly benefited the show, as evidenced by some local sponsorship present on the show’s website.

For my part, Worlds of Wayne has also presented me with some opportunities to work on some fun creative projects, for which I am extremely grateful to Wayne, and which I thoroughly enjoy putting together. These have included a stint as narrator on ‘Playhouse of the Damned’ for the 2008 Halloween Special (I was Gus the Ghoul!) and now the chance to open the 100th show, albeit with a very dodgy impression!

So congratulations to Wayne for 100 fantastic episodes of ‘Worlds of Wayne’. If you don’t already listen, then please visit worldsofwayne.com and give it a go!