Take our home entertainment survey
Share the joy and pain of consumer electronics
We love our home entertainment kit, but it's frustrating. Which is why we want to know what you think about it.
Maybe you spend your cash on the latest device, and next week it's out of date.
Maybe you can't keep up with the industry.
Maybe the industry can't keep up with you.
You might be excited by the future or afraid of it, proud of your setup or ready to smash it.
At Reg Hardware we bring you more of what you want, and less of what you don't want, but you need to tell us what that is. Fill in our survey and tell us a bit about your home entertainment habits, needs and wants, and how they are changing.
So grab a tea, coffee or beer. Maybe mix a martini, and tell us your thoughts on what TV, video, music, and gaming mean to you.
COMMENTS
Please can I have a prize?
Jings...how about a keyring or a nice mug for filling all that out?
Paris, because she needs to fill out a bit.
3d
one of the questions asks whether you will upgrade console for 3d. ps3 does 3d now.
you need the option in there
My list
I was going to write a little story about me experience with my new Sony TV and its inability to play video from a USB stick, but it was too long. So instead, here's (some of) my list :-
-Manuals; they are never good enough. The one for my TV, for example, is woefully inadequate and doesn't even tell me about half of the things it can do.
- Gadgets and modern consumer electronics are always, without exception, just a little bit rubbish. They usually basically work. But there's always something that doesn't quite do what it's supposed to. eg - my wife's Nokia E72 IMAP client doesn't work. My TV seems to be very fussy about what kind of video it will play from a USB stick (I've still not worked out what it WILL play). The program guide is also rather jumpy and erratic. My Blu-Ray player takes ages to start (who decided that it was acceptable to wait a couple of minutes for the thing to boot?)
- Being deliberately awkward. Classic example is the iPod. you can put stuff on it, but can you take it off again without digging about for some hack to do it? Nope. DVDs and not Blu-Ray discs won't let you skip past the "you are a criminal" bit (see next point). I don't need to be reminded that I am a criminal every time I play a DVD thanks very much.
- Being treated like a criminal. The above iPod example also relates to this. Also, all the nonsense surrounding getting HD video in and out of a device without giving a blood sample and selling your first born to the Big Corporation of America. Why are the program makers so far up their own rear-ends when it comes to HD? You would think it was the elixir of life the way they covert it
- Being mis-sold stuff and lied to my manufacturers. I didn't buy into the "HD Ready" fraud because I knew it was a fraud. I wonder how many people were taking in though?
Basically, with all the new whizzy stuff that is now available, it SHOULD be wonderful and dead easy. Instead, it's marred by being awkward (usually actively prevented from doing something that seems obvious and useful), still often incompatible with other manufacturers equipment, and being constantly bombarded with being told one is a thief. A shame really.
Criminal
The obvious ironic thing being that as a fully paid up consumer you are forced to watch the "DON'T BE A PIRATE!" ads, but as a pirate (yarr) you strangely don't come into contact with said features.
Interestingly when I was in the cinema a few months back they had some ads of (allegedly) famous people saying thanks for coming to the cinema to watch (and paying!) opposed to sitting at home watching some cam-rip. It was a nice change from being accused of being a nasty lawbreaker. Though to be honest I'm not desparate to see anything if it's a cam-rip, something from a DVD is much better quality obviously, you just have to wait a little longer to see it!
Re: Please can I have a prize?
Can I have an elReg mouse, to replace the one I've just worn out with all that "clickety click" malarkey!
Phew, I need a drink. In a new mug!
"You owe me a new keyboard" icon, because there isn't a mouse option. ^_^
