Rant time

No further comment – your last brought a wide grin to my face as I read it!!;)

If everyone only bought what they NEEDED as opposed to what they WANTED the would would, literally, be a poorer place. Which links in to the second point. People spend money to make themselves happy, on things which give them pleasure. You enjoy old bikes and vehicles and no doubt have spent a few quid in your time, on that enjoyment. We all seal our pleasures in different ways and very few come completely free.

Yes Charlie, you’re correct–but you miss the point. None of it made me very happy–in fact it made me downright unhappy much of the time, and if you think about it, were the instigator of this whole thread to be happy with a 14″ portable B&W set, then he’d be happier too because he wouldn’t be tear-arsing around the country arguing with half-wits over TV sets.
Instead he could be at home relaxing, drinking a glass of wine, or making love to a young woman or whatever gets him through the night.
These days I find it better to take my pleasures small and near to home–plus I get the satisfaction of knowing (and it really is satisfaction) that someone isn’t getting rich quick out of my spending stupid amounts of money on things just to say I own them.
And as to motorcycle ownership, there are one or two about here but nothing very valuable these days. I work on the principle of what an old pilot once told me:”If it flies, f*cks, or floats–then rent it”.

I’m glad you didn’t include the Archers (although that is on the radio). My wife never misses an episode 🙂

As far as advertising goes, that has been a big source of income for the BBC for many years. Can you remember
the last time you saw any sort of sporting event on the BBC, which didn’t have corporate advertising ?
This didn’t used to be the case.

The BBC has no revenue from advertising and never has had.

You should have two things in you life / home.
Those things which give you pleasure and those things which have a function.
Everything else is clutter and should be thrown out.

Which is pretty much what I said. You spend money on what you need ( functional) and what you enjoy ( pleasure). The problem is that those judgements are necessarily subjective, so that one man’s function is another man’s clutter.

The BBC has wanted to use advertising but have been prevented from doing so.

Many years ago when it was just ITV and BBC and the licence was in the £70ish bracket there were some figures given that the average person paid about £110 per year to watch ITV. That being the cost of TV advertising passed on to the customer in the High Street.

Of course you pay in the end, but at least you are choosing what to buy and there is always going to be a marketing cost added whatever the methods used TV or otherwise.

But with the licence you have to pay and since there are few programmes I would watch, I don’t see why I should pay more than a weeks income to pay for something I don’t really have any use for.

It wouldn’t possibly be all that bad if they didn’t put so many repeats on.

I also think, had I could have my way, ban all Soaps, tickles me pink, when a person/actor in a Soap, “Dies” and idiots sent a Condolences card, to the rest of the Cast.
What other Countries pay for a T.V. Licence?.
The Beeb aught to show adverts, and make the revenue for them, cover the amount they make in licence fees from all of us, then it would be free.
Jim.
Lincoln .7.

I’m glad you didn’t include the Archers (although that is on the radio). My wife never misses an episode 🙂

As far as advertising goes, that has been a big source of income for the BBC for many years. Can you remember
the last time you saw any sort of sporting event on the BBC, which didn’t have corporate advertising ?
This didn’t used to be the case.

If everyone only bought what they NEEDED as opposed to what they WANTED the would would, literally, be a poorer place. Which links in to the second point. People spend money to make themselves happy, on things which give them pleasure. You enjoy old bikes and vehicles and no doubt have spent a few quid in your time, on that enjoyment. We all seal our pleasures in different ways and very few come completely free.

You should have two things in you life / home.
Those things which give you pleasure and those things which have a function.
Everything else is clutter and should be thrown out.

so why pay these people fortunes of hard-earned for something you neither need or probably actually want that much.

It really doesn’t make you happy and of course, we’re strongly urged by the system to spend, spend and spend again.

.

If everyone only bought what they NEEDED as opposed to what they WANTED the would would, literally, be a poorer place. Which links in to the second point. People spend money to make themselves happy, on things which give them pleasure. You enjoy old bikes and vehicles and no doubt have spent a few quid in your time, on that enjoyment. We all seal our pleasures in different ways and very few come completely free.

The BBC should be stripped down to basics with a suitably low license fee making good quality programmes without their obsession with ratings which they don’t need to satisfy advertisers. Then leave the endless list of commercial terrestial and digital channels to fight over the rubbish most of them turn out most of the time.
I wouldn’t get rid of the TV as there are enough decent dramas, documentaries and films, which we record, to make it worthwhile.

It wouldn’t possibly be all that bad if they didn’t put so many repeats on.

I also think, had I could have my way, ban all Soaps, tickles me pink, when a person/actor in a Soap, “Dies” and idiots sent a Condolences card, to the rest of the Cast.
What other Countries pay for a T.V. Licence?.
The Beeb aught to show adverts, and make the revenue for them, cover the amount they make in licence fees from all of us, then it would be free.
Jim.
Lincoln .7.

No..it’s not about the money as such, just that I have to pay a fee for them to decide what to put on and it’s stuff I don’t want to watch in HD or otherwise.

I just wish they would improve the service but like the telly sellers, they are just ripping the punters off.

End of the day, ferreting around In mud looking for bits of planes or nailing a cockpit back together isn’t my forte, I get enough of them at work, especially at the moment with a Spar replacement on the go.

Nor me, I find endless discussions on ali scrap or bits of dead aeroplanes about as exciting as watching Glastonbury on television.

Movies are my forte and to be able to watch them in Cinema quality is a driving force… It’s swings and roundabouts, simply because I do not enjoy the same things as you, do not deride my hobbies. I think you should look at the 4k picture quality before you comment, indeed visit the cinema, as that is what they are using.

I’m not deriding your hobbies, I’m trying to make you see the light as far as someone making a fast buck out of you. You’re not stupid, so why pay these people fortunes of hard-earned for something you neither need or probably actually want that much.

As for price, why does that come into it? It’s all relative as to your spending power, and it’s well within mine

Yes, I’m sure it is, and probably mine if I really wanted it. it’s the same argument I used for years over flash motors. Then one day I realised that what I was getting out (in pleasure) wasn’t anything like what I was spending out.

I realise that many of my views don’t fit in with modern consumer culture where the biggest, shiniest, latest is the best–and must have. however, I’ve been there before you and it’s crap. It really doesn’t make you happy and of course, we’re strongly urged by the system to spend, spend and spend again.
And before anyone asks, this isn’t some pre-amble to some religious nonsense either, it’s just what I’ve seen.

You called this thread ‘Rant time’ and I’m having mine.

The sight of a load of grinning half wits gesticulating at a load of OAPs lurching around

Ahh you are getting reflection problems too..

End of the day, ferreting around In mud looking for bits of planes or nailing a cockpit back together isn’t my forte, I get enough of them at work, especially at the moment with a Spar replacement on the go.. Movies are my forte and to be able to watch them in Cinema quality is a driving force… It’s swings and roundabouts, simply because I do not enjoy the same things as you, do not deride my hobbies. I think you should look at the 4k picture quality before you comment, indeed visit the cinema, as that is what they are using.

As for price, why does that come into it? It’s all relative as to your spending power, and it’s well within mine

£4K or a TV:highly_amused:

I won’t even pay £145.50 for the licence…rather go without given the rubbish that’s on

I agree. When the current set expires, I won’t be bothering with another–it’s a complete waste of time and money.
I suffered about 12 minutes of the Rolling Stones at Glastonbury this evening and then turned it off. The sight of a load of grinning half wits gesticulating at a load of OAPs lurching around a stage made me realise that I’m lost as far as the modern world is concerned.
Quite happy with that situation to be honest.

£4K or a TV:highly_amused:

I won’t even pay £145.50 for the licence…rather go without given the rubbish that’s on

I have a decent 48 inch flat screen, and was paying SKY £10.00 for their H.D. as part of my package, TBH like Moggy and Bruce, I cannot tell the difference, so I cancelled it. Sky then sent an Email stating I could have the HD back for a fiver a month for a whole year. I declined.

Jim.
Lincoln .7

+1

When we first had our Flatscreen, much of the programming didn’t suit it, and the picture quality was poor. Now the Beeb and ITV have caught up with better quality cameras, I’m pushed to tell the difference between HD and Normal as well.

Emperors new clothes?

Bruce

That’s about how I see it.

I think it’s only once your tele gets to monster dimensions that the difference would show.

Moggy

We’ve had a 1080p haunted fishtank for a long time, but nothing to pump HD images into it.

We finally bought a new Blu-Ray / PVR / Freeview HD box, so can now watch in glorious High Definition.

To be honest, on our 32″ screen, I can see no discernible difference

Moggy

Is it me or is HD, BlueRay overrated? I can see very little (if any) difference on my flatscreen and it’s a pretty good Samsung.
When I visit relatives they always slap the HD on and tell me what a great picture it is.
To save embarrassment I always agree thinking to myself “Looks about the same to me?”.

… take it you have it feeding through an HDMI cable and have the settings right

Correct.

Moggy