Posts by TooDeep 23 publicly visible posts • joined 2 Jul 2011
Shame on The Reg for this poor excuse of a review/click bait. Instead readers could have been told of the British technology implemented by Yamaha in their one-box plus sub genuine surround-sound Digital Sound Projectors. Anyone considering such a Sonos would be well advised to listen to and purchase a DSP instead.
I visited last year. The tsunamic-smashed coastal plains are now very clean with well organised large mounds of segregated debris. The exclusion zone around the reactors is small now and so there are perfectly accessible but effectively deserted towns in the vicinity because the economies have been ruined/folk are still afraid.
Are you aware of how small the exclusion area currently is? I got close to the reactors last month without entering it and received negligible dose, etc.. The devastation and subsequent land abandonment caused by the tsunami on the other hand was impressive.
Thanks A/C for the test. It seems that the box requires too much manual driving to appeal to those of us used to a better way. The YouView box is thus far a one trick pony with VOD integrated into the EPG, but it lacks the courage of its convictions in not focusing on content finding. Much more nimble apps on tablets and specialised PVRs will own this market.
It's quite freeing to programme what one wants to watch irrespective of what's on and have the library (MyView, etc.) automatically populate with content as it's broadcast (which is why a time-based EPG can be a hinderance). Please investigate whether your box retains and reuses search terms, or whether you've to retype 'Michael J Fox' and manually launch repeated searches. FWIW my Toppy retains and automatically applies several complicated search terms to provide desirable content, e.g. Hitchcock films that I've yet to see.
Cheers. In contrast I simply set my Toppy to automatically record all films by Alfred Hitchcock whenever they appear, for example, and don't spend much time in the EPG. Admittedly the UI/UX bar is set low by many PVRs but Toppy or Tivo users might find the YouView experience frustrating.
More information at http://videos.youview.com/support/user_guide.pdf but it seems that the new box doesn't remember searches (for automated recording-setting and avoiding cumbersome text re-input) or provide the option of an EPG with a list view (which makes for far easier timer programming than a time-based alternative), both of which my seven years old Toppy manages. Currently the new box is priced for PVR enthusiasts but without having the necessary functionality, I think.
Dithering is spatial (as opposed to temporal) PWM variously used by PDP manufactures to generate colour shades. Panasonic panels use relatively little dithering producing beautifully clean & natural looking, even serene, pictures from properly adjusted panels in appropriate environments. A consequence, however, is the banding in subtle gradients on their consumer products built-down to a price. Nevertheless, shops are typically poor places to accurately audition TVs & monitors and the VT range is probably the best (if flawed) consumer display available. (I'm unaware of any HD CRT that big, but If available it likely would be quite bulky and expensive.)
Yes, Panasonic has several plasma display panel ranges for individual purchase going all the way up to the 4K 152" UX. The VX series is explicitly for home cinema but many prefer the more affordable PF20, although those in the know are looking out for the VX300 to be released later in the year apparently. Just don't expect a cost saving for the excluded tuners, etc..
The Panasonic EPG is dire indeed, and is perhaps indicative of the importance that the company places on the user experience. When in the EPG there is no picture or sound, I believe, but surely it is sensible to use external receivers in any case as the TV's PVR abilities are modest.
For more informative TV reviews visits the likes of AVForums.com.
A rule of thumb for HD content is a viewing distance three times the picture height. However, a projector or monitors from Panasonic's home cinema or profession display ranges may be a better alternative. The review doesn't at all address the continuing flaws in Panasonic TVs. Two years ago their high-end TVs suffered from premature anti-aging algorithms causing black levels to so visibly rise that consumers were eventually refunded by Panasonic UK or retailers. Last year's models visibly multiply render moving high contrast contours in 50 Hz content (the so-called 50 Hz bug should anyone like to research the issue) and suffer from differently unstable blacks. It isn't clear that these issues have been significantly addressed in this year's sets.
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