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Edited by Dynamic Dave on 15/07/2008 at 20:19
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Off to Florida for the annual summer hols in a few weeks time. We plan to visit DisneyLand for a couple of days (max will be 2) and are wondering about tickets. There are loads of websites offering cheap tickets but only for 5 days or more, which we are not interested in. We could buy them direct from Disney on the web but we have been told that one can buy cheaper disney tickets 'everywhere' in Orlando. Trouble is, no one can actually tell us where 'everywhere' actually is. So, any backroomers got any information on good sources of tickets.
We do not particulary want to queue up at the ticket office on the day as there will probably be lots of other opportunities for queuing once we get inside and oen can have too much of a good thing...
many thanks
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>So, any backroomers got any information on good sources of tickets.
Robin,
are you staying in a hotel? If so call/email the hotel.
Quite a few local hotels are supplied with concessionary tickets to Disney and Seaworld etc. Discounts vary but can be up to 50% depending on time of year etc.
Kevin...
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Having checked a few random Poole postcodes on the wolfbane predictor I linked to earlier then it mostly recommends ' hi-gain' which is nothing special. So I reckon unless there's a local hill or something blocking line of sight to Rowridge IOW then there's a good chance you'll get Freeview now.
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You would be better checking at:
www.freeview.co.uk/availability
As digital signals in areas still served by analogue transmitters are only a fraction of the strength of the latter, Freeview can sometimes be hit and miss even in the same street.
Here's the Freeview signal strengths for the MUX lineup at Winter Hill, from where I receive transmissions:
www.ukfree.tv/txdetail.php?a=SD660144
Rowridge:
www.ukfree.tv/txdetail.php?a=SZ447865
A good wideband aerial (sometimes referred to as a "digital" aerial for marketing purposes) is normally a sound investment.
Edited by Stuartli on 07/07/2008 at 18:24
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A dedicated 'group' aerial (of the same size) will always give higher gain than a wideband.
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And Rowridge is one of the few transmitters in the country where the digital MUX are all in the same group and match the analogue allocations as well. www.dtg.org.uk/retailer/tx_s.html
Compare with Sandy Heath for which we need a wideband aerial to get all MUX. www.dtg.org.uk/retailer/tx_ea.html (high gain as well!)
Edited by Bromptonaut on 07/07/2008 at 19:27
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Don't understand the technical stuff too well, but with digital boxes at under £15, isn't it time to put analogue out of its misery, now?
That way we could all get a decent strength freeview signal.
Last straw for me was when the BBC turned off old style Ceefax on my patch (north east) a short time ago.
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>>Don't understand the technical stuff too well, but with digital boxes at under £15, isn't it time to put analogue out of its misery, now?>>
That is precisely what is happening. But it takes time (and a lot of BBC money) to fully undertake the job...:-)
Re Freeview. My best mate used to run an independent audio/video/appliances retail outlet.
Freeview, even where I live which is served by a transmitter not all that far away, has had problems delivering a digital service over the years that has proved as consistent as would be expected; full digital should see an end to all that.
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You would be better checking at: www.freeview.co.uk/availability As digital signals in areas still served by analogue transmitters are only a fraction of the strength of the latter Freeview can sometimes be hit and miss even in the same street.
I've always found the freeview reception predictor somewhat pessimistic ( probably deliberately so); it claimed I stood no chance of getting Freeview when in fact I was pulling in all muxes from Rowridge via a cheapo wideband from Screwfix and 25 year old co-ax. The wolfbane digital predictor is here:-
www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd.exe?MAP=661,936
Although, as others have stated, Rowridge will still be group A so there is no need for a wideband ahem ""digital"" aerial, they are changing from horizontal to vertical polarization when the power is turned up, to minimise interference with the Frenchies, so interesting to see if we still get decent reception post DSO without faffing about with the aerial.
Apologies for high geek content of message ;-)
Edited by SpamCan61 {P} on 07/07/2008 at 21:11
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After a long weekend away I can report that I have given up anything with aspartame in it (too soon to think there wil be a result yet) now taken up a sugar substutute called Splenda. Warm milky drink before bed and two Valerian based pills and plenty of walking. Result, some good night's sleep, and also much better recall of my dreams, as if that matters! A longer term report may follow.
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I want to buy a new digital high definition recorder with hard disk. Which of the warring formats is likely to win?
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Blue Ray already won. Where have you been ;-) Toshiba announced a few months back that HD-DVD was no more.
But a good upscaling DVD player is pretty good (not Blu-Ray good but close) and all your old disks will look a lot better.
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I should have added I don't think there are any HD recorders out there in the UK (yet) but stand to be corrected. Or hard disk recorderd apart from Sky HD and V+ from Virgin (but few channels).
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Samsung have a B-Ray recorder (with hard disk) on-sale in the UK but you'll need to Google for the latest prices.
Kevin...
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So I'm sort of right because you cannot buy in store or popular online stores :-)
Very little is broadcast HD though.... what does the OP want to record? Movies and sport via Sky I guess but that might be protected. This is why HD recorders are not really here - there is nothing to record.
And too many HD ready and Full-HD TVs upscale standard def TV so badly I'd cry if I bought one. Panasonic is the only one I've seen that's near acceptable.
Edited by rtj70 on 07/07/2008 at 23:22
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>Very little is broadcast HD though....
Absolutely.
I won't be interested in buying any new kit until the market has settled and there is some worthwhile programming.
B-Ray has won the format war and prices should drop quite dramatically soon but manufacturers are already experimenting. Panasonic (iirc) have already demo'd a 16-layer disc player where each layer appears to be B-Ray compatible. It's a player only at the moment but I bet it won't be long before a recorder is available.
As you said, better to stick with a good quality upscaling DVD for the time being.
Kevin...
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what does the OP want to record?
Almost anything other than sport but especially film, drama and comedy. (Incidentally, I don't need gaming capability.)
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 08/07/2008 at 11:24
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Panasonic, Sony and Pioneer, for a start, make readily available Blu-Ray recorders for computer systems.
Panasonic standard versions announced last year include:
www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/10/03/panasonic_bluray_.../
but don't think yet on sale here. Can't find any listed retail wise.
Humax says its BBC/ITV Freesat PVR is due sometime in September.
Edited by Stuartli on 08/07/2008 at 10:30
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"Panasonic, Sony and Pioneer, for a start, make readily available Blu-Ray recorders for computer systems"
And Blue-Ray recorders for computers are abour £150. But I do not think there are official PVR's with Blue-Ray recorders in the UK yet. Then again with Freesat HD there are currently only 2 HD channels anyway (BBC1, ITV1). With Sky HD you get a hard disk recorder anyway but you do get the Sky HD channels.
I would think when there are more HD channels available there will be more HD recorders. They have been available in Japan for ages, e.g. Pioneer is launching a new one soon over there.
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with Freesat HD there are currently only 2 HD channels anyway (BBC1, ITV1)>>
In fairness, the service has only just started and it's certainly better than paying Sky subscriptions for (in many cases) dozens of channels you'll never watch...:-)
You can also use a Sky dish for the BBC/ITV Freesat service by adding a second LNB.
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You can also use a Sky dish for the BBC/ITV Freesat service by adding a second LNB.
If you are replacing a sky service then just connect the existing sky cable to the freesat box. Putting another lnb on the dish as well will let you pick up channels from other satellites (think of the dish as a mirror which focuses on the lnb, the best signal is the central point at the end of the arm, but putting another lnb at the appropriate point alongside will let you catch reflections from differetn satellites)
If your existing LNB - that the thing on the end of the arm sticking out in front of the dish - has a single connector on it then you will probably want to replace it with one with multiple connections if you are going to use a PVR.
(slightly simplified explanation follows - before anyone picks me up on detail :-) )
One of the ways in which satellite systems differ from 'ordinary' tv is that the lnb on the dish does part of the tuning. It is only the group of channels that the lnb is 'tuned' to that get sent down the cable to your satellite receiver. That means that if you want to watch one program and record another then you need two lnbs, or a multi lnb (which is effectively several lnbs in one unit which can give different signals out on each connector).
This is what sky+ uses - they typically put a quad lnb in and there are two cables running to the sky+ box.
In reality a single lnb connector will give access to a batch of channels, but if you want to record one and watch another reliably, then a multi connector lnb is what you want.
Edited by adverse camber on 10/07/2008 at 18:05
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I need a longer cable for a phone
the current one is male to male, with small transparent terminators (smaller than a BT connector) which have slots for 6 connectors, but only the centre pair are wired, one red, one green.
Is this RJ11, RJ14, RJ25 - i need to know to order a replacement and I dont know what i'm talking about
ta
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There should be a phone/audio/computer tat shop nearby that sells every variant of that sort of thing, surely?
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If any outlet has what you require, it almost certainly applies to Solwise. See:
www.solwise.co.uk/telesun-plugs.htm
Edited by Stuartli on 08/07/2008 at 18:16
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Looking @ solwise it looks like the RJ11 cable, but with only 2 contacts intstead of four. Is it still an RJ11, or does that make it something different ?
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Its still an RJ11. Given the choice, get an extension cable with all the connections made - you may need them if you connect a modem to the same line.
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I'm thinking of buyin a new tv that is "HD ready". Are there any other ways of receiving an HD signal other than SKY.
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Freesat is available now:
www.freesat.co.uk/
And in time it's likely that Freeview will incorporate HD channels/programming, but that's about three years or more away, once the digital switchover is complete, I believe.
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But the only HD channels on Freesat at the moment are BBC HD and ITV HD. All other channels are standard definition and will simply be upscaled. Later this year Channel 4 HD and probably Five HD will come along.
Virgin Media does HD but the only HD content is BBC HD and some on demand stuff.
Whereas on Sky HD you get BBC, ITV and Channel HD, the National Geographic stuff, films and sport.
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A word of warning for BRs about LCD TVs, especially the smaller screen models. If you are after true widescreen ensure that the TV has an aspect ratio of 16:9. A large number of manufacturers are converting computer monitors into TVs by adding a tuner to the chassis. However these monitors have an aspect ratio of 16:10 NOT the agreed widescreen convention of 16:9. You may not think there is much difference until you see things such as circles looking deformed....
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Freesat is available now: www.freesat.co.uk/ And in time it's likely that Freeview will incorporate HD channels/programming but that's about three years or more away >>
The wording of the website you quote indicates HD is receivable now. If it is not, looks like a matter for the advertising standard people.
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snipquoteThe wording of the website you quote indicates HD is receivable now. If it is not looks like a matter for the advertising standard people.
But FreeSAT and freeVIEW are different beasts. freeVIEW is through a terrestrial broadcast and is picked up on your TV aerial. freeSAT is a satellite broadcast.
FreeSAT already has hdtv, freeview doesnt
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 10/07/2008 at 19:53
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adverse camber
Thanks, you saved me a bit of typing there, although I thought the original posting made it pretty clear in the first place...:-)
Edited by Stuartli on 10/07/2008 at 17:18
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I regularly curse the people who came up with the names.
Freeview/freesat/freesat from sky.
I dont think they could have generated more confusion if they tried.
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But Freesat currently only has TWO high def channels (BBC HD and ITV HD) and then only if you get the HD receiver and not the SD one. And later this year problably getting Channel 4 HD and Five HD... not much of a HD service.
We have BBC HD and it's not BBC1 in HD in case someone thought that - it's some programmes in HD and it does not transmit all day either. Tonight it's 8pm until midnight. So tonight you'd have:
- Hampton Court Flower Show (20:00-21:00)
- Criminal Justice (21:00-22:00)
- That Mitchel and Webb Look (22:00-22:30 and 22:30-23:00)
- Lillies (23:00 - 00:00)
Great TV.... although tomorrow there is Francesco De Mosco's Mediterranean and Kill Bill vol 2.
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not much of a HD service.>>
You seem to have forgotten that the service has only stated recently, it's entirely free apart from the initial equipment requirements and that Sky charges for its HD service and for the HD box on a regular basis.
Little doubt that, after the HD Wimbledon coverage, the Olympics will be given full rein.
Edited by Stuartli on 10/07/2008 at 17:54
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I know it's new (but hardly any new technology needed as they use the same Astra satellites as Sky so BBC HD is the same broadcast). But by year end we might have a total of 4 HD channels on Freesat.
Some people will see high definition and think all the channels on Freesat HD are high definition and they are not. They will be upscaled with all the problems you can get from that. I recently found the quality of almost all TVs apart from Panasonic with their upscaling of standard def to high def to be pretty poor. Some people seem to think a HD set is going to give better pictures - well it doesn't always ;-)
Yes the Olympics will get coverage and then back to poor use of the channel. I don't currently see the real advantage of it over Sky's Freesat.
I know Sky charge for HD but at least you get some decent channels - I'm not with either mind.
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I understand that, if you buy a Freesat box you can hook it uo to your existing dish and LNB but you will have to swich the LNB input cable from your Sky box to your Freesat box manually, deoending which you want to view.
Would a device like this (from Maplin) get round this ?
Product Features
· Connect 3 HDMI signal sources to 1 HDMI input
· Remote or manual switching
· Backwards compatible with DVI adaptors (for video signal only)
· Suitable for use with resolutions up to 1080i
· For use with HD-TV, HD-SAT, HD-DVD and PS3
Back to Top
Technical Specification
Specifications:
PC: VGA,SVGA, XGA, SXGA, and UXGA (1600 x 1200)
HDTV: 480i, 576i, 480p, 576p, 720p, 1081i and 1080p
Frequency bandwidth: 1.65Gbps (single link)
Weight: 0.3kg
Dimensions: 135(w) x 220(l) x 38(h)mm
Thanks in advance for comments/answers
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Apparently what you do is to buy a dual or quad LNB and connect Sky and Freesat separately to it, along with individual cables to the respective set top boxes (or just retain the current LNB and ditch Sky); both services use the same satellite.
This link may help:
www.the-cool-book-shop.co.uk/installing_sky.htm
Dual LNBs:
tinyurl.com/5eu93l
Edited by Stuartli on 13/07/2008 at 13:51
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Thank you SLI - as usual. It still seems to me that if you are getting the signals from 2 services but thru one dish and one Lnb, down one cable which has to be plugged either into SKY box or Freesat it should be possible to achiever this by using a switchable adaptor/junction box a la Maplin rather than manually swapping the cable from one to the other and thus avoid the cost of buying fitting and aligning a dual LNB of the type you refer to. I just fancy being able to switch from one service to the other without groping into the maze of electric string down the back of my home entertainment empire!
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down one cable
Can you do that? If it is possible, I certainly would like to utilise the exisiting single cable on my Sky dish to receive Sky as well as Freesat.
I just fancy being able to switch from one service to the other
I would not mind switching the cables over manually if needed, but if there is a solution of the type Armitage is looking for, I too want it!
[ p.s. All this HDTV, freesat, freesky, freeview, PVR, DVD, and Blu-ray malarkey is a complete mystery to me. ]
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the satcure site that Stuart refers to above is a good site and I remember that the owner has a number of helpful articles.
Sky and freesat are both broadcast from the same satellite (at 28 degrees east). So if you have a dish and lnb which picks up sky then you can use it for freesat.
If you will be using sky or freesat with a single tv and no pvr (ie you only need to access one channel at a time) then your easiest/cheapest solution is a short length of sat cable. The sat boxes should have an in and an out f-connector socket. connect the input from your dish to one box and the new short cable from the output of that boxto the input of the other. You'll need to play (or read the manual) to see under which conditions the output is active. I need to have the pass through box powered up but turned off (ie in standby mode) for the signal to be passed on to the second box. Cable should cost you pennies (10x f-connectors are about a £1 from screwfix and although it isnt recommended you could get away with ordinary tv coax - yes decent high quality sat coax is better but for a .5m length I doubt it would matter) Read up on how to terminate an F-connector properly - iirc there is a set of instructions with pics on the satcure site.
If you want to have access to several channels at once: two tv sets or pvr then you are best to buy a multi lnb. I would (have) a quad rather than a dual - I dont like climbing on the roof so doing it once and having spares is good.
Edited by adverse camber on 13/07/2008 at 17:56
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- forgot to say that in my experience sat boxes have in and out connectors - but I've never had a sky box - but it should be easy for someone to confirm that they do in fact have in and out lnb connections.
{I think this is where you meant this to go?}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 14/07/2008 at 01:14
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Could I please ask if anyone out there has a copy of the most recent Amicus Union rule book?
Amicus and TGW have joined to become Unite. I have just received details of the proposed Unite rule book ( yet to be approved by membership postal vote ) and need to see if a certain part has changed.
Any assistance greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but its available as a pdf download:
scroll down when page opens.
tinyurl.com/5vwa3h
hth
Billy
Edited by billy25 on 10/07/2008 at 00:34
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Can't help about the rules, but that's my union. Joined the TGWU in Holloway Road or nearby around 1959 or 1960 for the trivial purpose of securing an unpleasant labouring job just off Caledonian Road, lasted a couple of months I think. Never paid a subscription, nor was one expected apparently.
Damn bourgeois flibbertigibbet, eh? Ought to be ashamed of myself.
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Hello Billy and thank you very much for the link.
It would appear the the section of interest to me has not changed. It would appear to have been copied word for word from the Amicus rule book, so no change there.
Many thanks for your help;.
Regards.
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I posted a thread earlier regarding my insurers writing my Van off as a Category B write off despite minimum damage. I am hoping to get advise in acquiring it back as easily as possible.
Since posting the thread it has been edited by someone called dynamic dave to leave me with a title of "van unjustly", ie next to useless.
How can I get the title back to describing the thread?
vertical
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 10/07/2008 at 19:58
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"unjustly", ie next to useless"
unjustly means unfairly. What's wrong with that?
"How can I get my title back"
How about posting under the heading 'Getting my cat-B write-off van back'?
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 10/07/2008 at 19:58
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it has been edited by someone called dynamic dave How can I get the title back to describing the thread?
Er, by emailing me at my moderators email address.
That aside, it's a foible in the software. For some reason when editing a post that has inverted commas in the subject header, they disappear (along with any words between them) when the post message button is pressed.
I've now edited it again by picking up the subject header from one of the replies to the post.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 10/07/2008 at 19:58
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In the thread that you edited you didn't post hence there was nothing clickable to contact you hence I posted in a thread that said any questions.
At the time I thought you had only edited my title as I didn't think there was any other reason.
I now realise you edited my attempt at bypassing the swearfilter - DD. Why?
and into "pink fluffy dice". Again Why?
regards
Vertical
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 10/07/2008 at 22:26
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Vertical -
it's all here, about swearing etc and contacting moderators and who they are
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=33...4
Phil
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it's all here about swearing etc
And there is also another link on the screen when you compose your post.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=33...5
Now, I don't know about you, but I'm not prepared to sit here all night arguing about forum policies when I have a delete key at my disposal, so can we move on now that you know what they are. Thankyou.
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But I hadn't swore!?
I had put exclamation mark, dollar sign, hash, At, Star, percentage sign (Maybe not exactly).
This baffled me and partly explains the shortness of my posts.
Regards
Vertical
{The link I posted above mentions not to substitute swearwords for exclamation mark, dollar signs, etc, hence why the edit took place.}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 11/07/2008 at 19:58
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From IHAQ Vol 237
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=64416&...e
After looking at the Panasonic, Fuji and Olympus I plumped for the Olympus 570. An element of brand loyalty came into play, but it also felt the best built. The Panasonic didn't feel well built at all, in fact my wife commented on how flimsy it was.
Despite the high number of features the user interface is very good - the 'Guide' feature could prove very useful. Choose from a list of about 20 different scenarios - I want to shoot at night, I don't want to miss the action, I want to photograph a small object close up etc - and the camera sets itself for the best result.
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Hello All
In my road there has been planning permission given to extend the local school.
The planning conditions state that there will be no work before 8am and none on Saturdays, every day this week work hase begun at 7.30 and today (Saturday) the same.
I have spoken to the site manager who only yesterday said this would not happen again, also have contacted the local Planning Enforcement Officer who is 'investigating'.
My question is, has anyone else had any such experience and if so was anything done?, concensus amongst the neighbours is as the work is for the council and being 'investigated' by the council that nothing will be done and we will have to put up with noise every day before 8am.
Thanks
CBG
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....work for the council by the council....
Depends on where you live, if you still have a district and county council then the district council will have given planning permission to the county council, which runs the school.
Most cities and conurbations now have one, all-purpose authority, often known as a unitary council.
In my experience, planning enforcement is variable and I suspect this may be regarded as low priority - compared to bedsits with lethal wiring, mansions erected overnight on the green belt, etc.
Suspect it comes down to you running a well-organised, sustained and therefore effective campaign.
Take photos, keep a log of infringements, discussions with the builders, and so on.
Get as many involved as possible, the council is more likely to listen to dozens of complaints or even a petition than a few letters here and there.
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Thanks for the reply, thought it may be a bit of a struggle, neighbours are getting involved, apparantly if nothing is done by the district council officer we can put in a complaint about that, but then again that would be a council worker investigating a complaint about another coucil worker, mmm, doesnt sound promising.
But to be fair, the Enforcement Officer has written to me today explaining the process so maybe something will be done. a quick search on tinternet has produced something called a Breach of Conditions Notice, maybe he will serve them with one of these.
We only wont a bit of peace prior to 8am and on weekends!
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CRB - Having dabbled a little bit in planning enforcement I do wonder what success you'll have. In my view it really depends on how amenable (?) the contractors are rather than the attitude/resources of the Council. They are after all only starting half an hour before the condition and the Council will have to ask themselves how reasonable it is to take action in this context.
Worth mentioning that it is highly likely that the builders won't be Council workers .
You may want to ask the enforcement officer whether all the other conditions have been met though as you may well find that there are other 'pre-commencement' conditions which have not been met ;-)
One final thing, depending on the size of the extension to the school, I do wonder whether it was reasonable to impose a condition restricting the hours of construction on the permission in the first place! Builders could reroof the school, replace windows etc without needing planning permission in the first place and maybe create as much noise and disturbance as a small extension.
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Cheers Bostin, will mention the pre-commencement conditions when I next talk to enforcement officer ;-)
It isnt a small extension, in fact an expected 5 months of work, builders are not council, its a large well known civils company.
Site Manager was helpful enough, has had a few enquiries from residents and been accomodating, although he did say he was unaware of the no Saturdays condition and promised no work prior to 8am and then the next day at 7.30 it started!
I have some experience on the Site Agent side of things but that was more commercial than council work so will use my limited knowledge and contact with the site boss to try and keep the neighbours from ripping down the fences and piddling in the diesel tanks etc, some are a tad more annoyed at the disturbance than me.
Thanks again
CBG
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I have hundreds (perhaps thousands!!) of 35 mill photo slides which we never look at because can't be bothered to get out projector, screen etc. Now that I have retired (yippee!)and there will be some long winter evenings ahead I would like to copy these to computer.
I have seen this copier for £67
www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?VEH-VFS0...1
and reviews are good (not sure how reliable though!) but would value input/advice from any of you who have experience of copying slides.
Thanks
PhilW
Edited by PhilW on 12/07/2008 at 10:27
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Normally I would recommend using a film scanner for this purpose, but there are a number of Canon and Epson flatbed scanners that can easily do the same thing and, at the end of it, you also have a more versatile scanner.
Canon models at:
tinyurl.com/2noxfl
Epson at:
www.epson.co.uk/scanners/epson_scanners.htm
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I know you've retired but this is (a) going to take forever and (b) once you've scanned them in you don't need a film scanner ;-) I'd first price up someone else doing this for you. Might cost more but it won't be your time. You can then spend the time sorting out the digital versions into slideshows, e.g. using PhotoStory 3 from Microsoft.
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Stuart,
Thanks for reply- I already have a Canon Lide 600 scanner which I have scanned a few slides with but the max resolution is 1200dpi (unless I am doing something wrong? - much higher res for the WW1 photos of / by my grandfather I have scanned ) and the carrier is a "film" carrier not slide carrier - I have to take each slide out of its mount which is OK on Agfas which have click together mounts, but destroys the Fuji ones which are glued - I would still like to preserve the originals.
rtj,
again thanks for reply and I see exactly what you mean and I will have a look at getting them done commercially - but I also have inherited my dad's slides (of which there are thousands - he was a keen photographer from the 1930s until he died 4 yrs ago and took slides from the early '60s) up in the loft and as a longer term project I would like to go through them, sort and select and digitise a selection for my brother and sister. I just figured I could do it on a gradual basis - instead of watching carp on TV and between books (now there's another Q - I have at least a thousand books I would like to read before I depart this mortal coil - how do I do that?)
Having done a bit more reaearch this copier seems good value
www.amazon.co.uk/Plustek-OpticFilm-7200-Film-Scann...t
Any other comments people? I have plenty of time to make decision! (I hope!)
Regards
PhilW
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Phil
you may get a more experienced response from this forum; tinyurl.com/5l4hx3
JH
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I prefer talk photography as a forum for photo issues.
www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/
If you have a decent digital camera you can buy a slide duplicator which attaches to the camera lens - I dont know about the quality of different brands but that should be able to get you into 3000dpi quite easily.
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....I have at least a thousand books I would like to read before I depart this mortal coil - how do I do that?)>>
You might have to forget about the slides...:-)
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Phil,
I'd recommend a Canon 8800F. Current price appears to be about £110 but I got over £40 back by selling the copies of Photoshop (Elements 5 & Mac Elements 4) that it comes with on EBay!
I scanned over 100 old slides for the in laws. It is time consuming, but it does 4 at a time and, as you say, passes the winter nights.
The scanner projects or reflects (not sure which) light from behind the slide so it's properly illuminated and the results are good. Well, good enough for me.
JH
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Thanks JH; will investigate your suggestions
Phil
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Some cheap quartz clock movements have the word "Unadjusted" moulded into the casing of the movement. In what way is the movement unadjusted? What would be the difference between one which is unadjusted and one which doesn't say this?
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This may help re "unadjusted" movements:
tinyurl.com/6naons
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"I suspect that the marking on quartz clock movements is either traditional or related to import/export laws, and has no practical meaning."
That explanation makes sense. The samples I've seen which were marked "unadjusted" were made in either Japan or China.
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They say things go wrong in threes - I wonder whats next ?
Our old TV is on the blink, probably the power supply, so we are after a new one - appart from making sure it does digital and is HD ready, is there anything essential ?. Is it possible to watch the output from a laptop (say stuff you have downloaded from BBC Iplayer) on a modern Tv and if so how ?
Central heating seems to have gone on the blink - no matter what I do with the heating, the radiators dont heat up - but with the heating off and hot water on, they do. I think I know where the problem lies, but I'd like to be certain - what can i do to make sure I know which bit has failed.
Right - off to go and price up TV's and CH bits - let's hope the car starts !
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Mike the TV should not only be digital and HD ready but all have built in Freeview. Most TVs now seem to have a socket for plugging a computer in as a screen.
In the case of your central heating, it sounds very much like the pump has failed. You can replace these yourself if you can isolate the pump on either side.
HTH
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A "digital" TV has a Freeview tuner; perhaps you don't have enough money in view of your pending outlays, but three new Panasonic sets also have a Freesat as well as Freeview and analogue tuners built-in.
Not cheap though and only in 42in, 46in and 50in sizes at present.
www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/1041296/index.html#...9
Re using a TV set as a monitor. Even my modest 26in LCD has a PC VGA input socket; audio is added, if required, using phono or other appropriate leads.
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Re using a TV set as a monitor
Again this is another area which I find confusing.
How good is a TV doubling up a PC monitor in terms of quality of display, or is the quality situation similar to using a mobile phone for taking photographs?
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How good is a TV doubling up a PC monitor in terms of quality of display or is the quality situation similar to using a mobile phone for taking photographs?
The native resolution of the better TV's is quite good - 1366 x 768 being typical for Panasonic LCD.
How does that compare with your laptop?
(whatever you do, don't buy a set with a 640 x 480 display)
Edited by Another John H on 13/07/2008 at 20:56
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Its natures way of telling you not to run the heating in mid-july!
Sounds to me as if a three way valve has failed. Id check that the pump is running (feel vibration) and look to see if the valve moves (all ours have a bit of plastic which moves with the valve so you can see it in action).
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I had a sleepy motorised valve which took about 5 minutes to open instead of the 15secs, it had previously taken.
Manually assisted it via the lever a few times and whatever was holding it up moved on and it's back to normal.
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its natures way of telling you not to run the heating in mid-july!>>>
Central heating, like car air conditioning, needs to be run regularly.
At least once a month, whatever the season/outside temperature.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 14/07/2008 at 01:09
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b
try Hughes Direct; www.hughesdirect.co.uk/ when you price up the tv. I've used them a few times and find them competetive on prices and the service is good. They passed the "what happens when something goes wrong" test with flying colours.
JH
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I'd guess it might be the diverter valve on your CH (I replaced one on my CH, took 5 minutes to undo three unions and replace item and redo; took an hour to isolate system and work out which ones to undo...). Suggest you join the forum at Screwfix - lots of trade chaps post there.
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"Is it possible to watch the output from a laptop (say stuff you have downloaded from BBC Iplayer) on a modern TV and if so how ?"
Our LCD TV (freeview, HD ready, blah blah blah) has a serial cable interface for PC output. I've not used it as I've had no need.
What I do know is when our main JVC 28" CRT dies I'll be trying to get another - LCD TVs have yet to impress me and freeview "lip synching" is diabolical.
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What I do know is when our main JVC 28" CRT dies I'll be trying to get another - LCD TVs have yet to impress me and freeview "lip synching" is diabolical.
Same here, SD pictures can look pretty awful on HD TVs, so, given the lack of actual HD content, I won't bother changing for years yet. In reasonably well controlled tests SD content looked better on 720p HD sets than 1080i or p.
In terms of use with a PC then many PCs have an S-video output ( usually a mini DIN connector like a PS/2 mouse / keyboard) and many recent TVs have an S-video input, so that should work OK. Most digital TV services seem to have lip synch issues, it drive sme nuts as well.
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Slight thread swerve.
I have a TV card in my PC. If I have that and the television on the same channel, the sound on one (forget which) always lags the other, leading to a peculiar echo effect.
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It will almost certainly be the PC lagging the TV, unless the PS has an alagoue card and the TV is Freeview. Anyway It'll be the digital signal lagging.
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The reason for the delay when you watch the same programme using two TVs (or one a PC) on an analogue transmission (fed by a set top box) and on Freeview is that an STB/digital tuner converts the digital signals back to analogue. This is the reason, of course, why you don't need to throw away analogue TVs even after the full digital switchover if you have an STB (also handy for those VCR tapes).
My 26in LCD TV set has analogue and Freeview tuners - switching from the analogue channel to the Freeview channel, which takes a couple of seconds, means that you resume virtually at the same point in the programme on the digital tuner's output.
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Not a question, more a heads up on the new system, for the benefit of BR members.
This may not be new but the cheapest seats are available for sale up to 12 weeks before travel and released on a Thursday. So Thursday is a good day to buy if you are sure of your journey times and can book that far ahead AND want to buy a ticket that is not flexible. IE it will only be valid on the train(s) that you book.
Also, as pointed out by Martyn Lewis on his money saving expert forum, there are frequently, but not always, substantial savings to be made by by splitting a long journey into 'secrtos' and buying tickets for each.
Last night I looked at a journey from A to C with a train change at B and the ticket for the thru journey was £35. buying tickets for A to B and B to C came out to £26. You do have to have the time and iclination to do the searching but there are savig to be had, especially on long journies, obviously.
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Morning all.
My house was built in the mid 70's and all four upstairs panel radiators are the type with the valve at one end with two pipes going into the same valve, water entering through one and leaving via the other. The two downstairs radiators are of the same era but have been set up with a valve at each end.
I am told that there is a tube in the bottom of the radiator, which brings the water back to the valve end after it has been through the radiator.
I am told, that if I dismount the radiator, remove the old type valve and the tube, put a valve at each end of the radiator, that this will convert the radiator to the more modern system.
Has anyone done this or can anyone please advise ( preferably from personal experience ) if this is, or is not, actually the case?
Thank you.
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You should easily be able to do that, as long as you can get the thing to bits without causing problems, but you'll have to run additional pipework, and buy fittings. If it works now, is it worth doing? If it does not work, is it worth just fixing (flushing, or whatever)?
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I'm not familiar with the valve you describe, but i would ask why you,re changing it? Is the rad getting hot top and bottom? Is the room getting warm enough? Is it a microbore system?
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I am told, that if I dismount the radiator, remove the old type valve and the tube, put a valve at each end of the radiator, that this will convert the radiator to the more modern system.
>>
I do not understand where you are starting from.
Do you have a problem with the way your CH system works?
diydata.com/planning/central_heating/pipework.php might help.
What are you trying to achieve?
A more modern system might include a thermostatic valve.
A Google search using "microbore central heating valves " gives lots of info.
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Many thanks for the replys
Much appreciated.
Regards.
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The instructions for Verdone Extra say "Maximum one application per year" without any explanation of the consequences of exceeding this. Any ideas?
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Some clues here:
tinyurl.com/5834jb
compost.org.uk/content/view/923/1/
The use of clopyralid appears to be the main reason for implying restrained use.
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