Come on… open the box!
Technology waits for no-one - even for tech-heads like me!
After almost four years of faithful service, today, we pensioned off the current Panasonic Plasma 46 inch TV (the ‘TX46P20B’) in favour of a shiny new ‘smart TV’ - a Samsung LED 46 incher (the ‘UE46F800’). It was an offer too good to resist with Curry's, who knocked a whopping £700 off the price! Plasma technology was THE technology a few years back, but TV makers are abandoning the technology in droves, as they can’t make any money on them - the TV technology of the future is LED (so, if nothing else, we’ll save a bit on the electricity bill!)
From a technology perspective, it’s simply amazing to see how far TVs have come, even in the seven years since we retired our ageing 50 ton, 36 inch CRT TV back in 2007, and bought our first Panasonic Plasma 42 inch beastie (the ‘TH42PX70’), whilst shopping in Newcastle.
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| The last of our CRTs - the Toshiba - it took three of us to lift it! |
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| First Plasma - The Panasonic 42 inch (TH42PX70) |
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| Second Plasma - The Panasonic 46 inch (TX46P20B) |
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| First LED TV - The Samsung 46 inch (UE46F8000) - Yummy!! |
Even for self-confessed tech-heads like me, this new Samsung model is so brimming with tech, it even made MY head hurt - no doubt helped by the fact that these days, nothing comes with a manual! So it was three hours of ‘self-discovery learning’ at its best (assisted by a ready supply of paracetemol!)
The first thing you notice about the current crop of TVs is how THIN they are - even thinner than four years ago - and in particular with this Samsung, how they have become almost bezel-free. From an aesthetic point of view, they just look so sleek - betraying the shed load of tech that sits behind that super glossy screen. I’ve got to say, after wrestling with the technology for a good couple of hours, setting one of these up is not for the faint-hearted. Even now, I’ve got a few queries about what-does-what-and-when, but I guess that’s all part of the fun - now where’s that helpline number???
Of course, no-one much cares about all the technology, if the picture is ‘average’ - and I’m pleased to say that ‘outstanding’ doesn’t even begin to describe the quality. Even in SD, the picture is just amazing - so vibrant and crystal clear, no photograph could do it justice. Switch to HD, and the ‘best-TV-picture-I’ve-ever-experienced’, is even better. Surely when UHD arrives (or ‘4k’, or whatever they’re going to call it), our heads will simply explode because they won’t be able to cope with even more screen clarity!!!
Off for a lie down now - I’m all teched-out
