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[Varche]

As expected, I have two distant elderly relatives who have had their TV viewing disrupted by" a service enhancement". The last time was when they lost their perfectly good analogue service where they could watch one channel and record another at the same time to the digital service that they lose when there is bad weather and they can only watch or record the same channel.

I just wish I could make the "bunch of marketing/technical whizz kids" responsible for these changes go round to my folks house and experience there reailty. No amount of onscreen messages or "retune your box" can help elderly people not au fait with technology! I guess when this elderly generation die the future will be people who are confident with technology.

In the meantime the people at Freeview will be clapping themselves on the back and telling everyone what a marvellous job they have done etc.

Rant over

V 

[Dishevelled Den]

Far from being a rant V it's a more than reasonable piece that shows, quite clearly, the big difference between the theoretical 'benefits' of improved technology against their very real disadvantages in practical application.

Oldies and non-techies?................. sorry, just suck it up!

[Kevin Wood]

It's not really the technology that's at fault, TBH. IMO, digital TV has brought great benefits over the analogue system which really was behind the times (I don't hold the same view when it comes to DAB radio, but that's another matter..)

The problem is the user interfaces on most consumer equipment. They present to the user a view of the inner workings of their TV instead of simply allowing them to do what they want - watch channels.

All that happens during these "retunes" is that the channels get shuffled around the various multiplexes. On the whole, the same channels are still there, with the same IDs, but perhaps in different places, so the TV developers could, if they could be bothered, hide the whole operation from the user so they never knew it happened.

Technology is very good at hiding complex workings from inexperienced users (think about your engine management ECU!), when the developers can be bothered to implement it sensibly.

As it is, consumer gear is all engineered down to the cheapest possible price, and usability is one of the things that suffers.

I am constantly helping out Mr. KW's grandmother who has a TV with a DVB tuner built-in, an analogue VCR and a sky box. Not an unreasonably complex setup to have in this day and age, you would have thought, but the number of button presses to go from the DTV tuner to the analogue output from the VCR and back is simply impossible to manage for an octogenarian, and quite a smart one at that.

Kevin

[amigov6]

I've got a small 17 inch lcd freeview telly in my bedroom, re scanned it & it works fine. The living room telly is also freeview (both built in no box) but hav'nt touched it. When it packs up i won't replace it as i never watch telly in the living room, dunno why i just don't. I don't watch dvds either...ever so when it dies i'll use the money i would've spent on it's replacement on a bookcase/cabinet etc.
   I'll still lie in bed & watch telly upstairs though!

[Martin_1962]

All retuned OK here but C5 looks worse

[amigov6]

All retuned OK here but C5 looks worse

On the radio they said freeview users will now be able to watch CH5? I could before & still can. Location issue? :-/

[Pitchfork]

I still listen to the Wireless

[Martin_1962]

All retuned OK here but C5 looks worse

On the radio they said freeview users will now be able to watch CH5? I could before & still can. Location issue? :-/

moving services around between multiplexes.

For some stupid reason FV think that people would prefer C5 to both ITV3 and ITV4.

Some relays have lost ITV3 & 4 - they are better than ITV1 &2

[Dishevelled Den]

I still listen to the Wireless

Indeed what would we do without the Third Programme and the Home Service!! :-/ :-/

[KillerWatt]

Kev is spot on.

There is f**k all wrong with the actual technology, and it definately urinates over what we have had.
The biggest issue (as Kev has already said) is the end user.

[Pitchfork]

Kev is spot on.

There is f**k all wrong with the actual technology, and it definately urinates over what we have had.
The biggest issue (as Kev has already said) is the end user.

AKA Wetware

[JohnM]

I still listen to the Wireless

Indeed what would we do without the Third Programme and the Home Service!! :-/ :-/

You mean there are three (3) programmes ??
- I must tune faster!

[iggy21uk]

BBC and other channels now 801 etc, on one freeview box
Humax PVR still telling me to update after I re-scanned?
 

[Pitchfork]

BBC and other channels now 801 etc, on one freeview box
Humax PVR still telling me to update after I re-scanned?
 

Left the wife to do the rescanning while I went to a concert. She reported the Humax PVR asked to be updated even though she had done it sucessfully so she did it again & it no longer asks
Software bug?

[Squealey]

Got to say, this is something that has really pi**ed me off. I understand they needed to do it and my gripe isn't with the freeview people, its with the bloody opportunists out there taking advantage of the elder generation.

My grandmother in law is a lovely old lady. Shes just had her 90th birthday and is going strong. She lives in a sheltered housing complex not far from Romford.

She brought up the issue that she and many others would not have the expertise to retune their boxes, so one of the nurses has got her 'friend' to come round and do it for all of them. Lovely you may think, but, he only wants to charge each resident £10 to do it. Once he found out there were about 15 residents who wanted it doing he graciously brought his price down to £7.50.

What a complete and utter scummy little sh*t this bloke is. If you must make a charge, and I understand he is taking time out of his day, I would have thought £20 the lot would have more than sufficed for what is about an hours work (and thats being generous).

I've actually offered to drive from Boston to go and do it but my nan in law refuses to let me.

Am I way out of line here??

Wayne