tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5819898692345221601.post1781912626851053848..comments2023-10-04T13:05:38.186+01:00Comments on Nick Lansley's Technology for Tesco.com Blog: Today’s Freeview boxes won’t pick up HDNick Lansleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00087509895945257528noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5819898692345221601.post-8060063249547353612009-10-01T00:45:30.390+01:002009-10-01T00:45:30.390+01:00With a company the size of Tesco one would have th...With a company the size of Tesco one would have thought that you could introduce a process such as they have in Japan for use with product details where they use a new style 2D barcode label on every product and then anybody with a camera and web enabled mobile phone (e.g. staff and half the population) can be taken direct to a Tesco.com website where all the latest relavant info could be displyed. Very little cost and huge customer benefit and thus sales benefit?Cambermailnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5819898692345221601.post-53021068774206994732009-06-30T16:51:00.447+01:002009-06-30T16:51:00.447+01:00Hi Duncan,
Yes we are in the process of bringing ...Hi Duncan,<br /><br />Yes we are in the process of bringing more expertise and knowledge of the high-tech products we sell for the benefits of customers.<br /><br />We have to be honest and say we originally kind-of sold such gear like we did baked beans(!). Stick it in the trolley and enjoy our no-questions refund if it didn't work out for you!<br /><br />However the electrical and entertainment teams are rolling out a new project based on the "Tesco Digital' brand. Stores with 'Tesco Digital' do offer experts that can answer questions about products from computers to everything TV and digital radio.<br /><br />They will have access to a knowledge-base to find out things they don't know (your question about what the maximum resolution available through the VGA socket is on an HDTV definitely in that league). They'll even know how to join one product to another with all the right leads. <br /><br />This is coming to store near you soon if it isn't there already so check them out.Nick Lansleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00087509895945257528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5819898692345221601.post-38677439502938755222009-06-27T20:00:00.977+01:002009-06-27T20:00:00.977+01:00I know you're mainly the Tesco.com person, so ...I know you're mainly the Tesco.com person, so you might not have too much influence in the technology products in Tesco, but as the biggest retailer in the country couldn't Tesco do more to give an honest buying experience and put more real details on the product labels in the shops (and online)? What I mean is, couldn't Tesco force the manufacturers to be clearer about their products and have some standard characteristics printed on the price tag in the store, namely the resolution (of each input if they differ, eg. VGA vs HDMI inputs), refresh time, etc. I currently have to look online on my mobile while I'm in-store if I ever want to know something.<br /><br />I bought my 1080p TV from somewhere other than Tesco because they were knowledgeable and gave as much details as possible about their products. I'm not expecting the staff at Tesco to be too knowledgeable, but to be armed with enough information on display would be nice.Duncanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17832715803468620388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5819898692345221601.post-61450837704445163852009-06-27T14:48:07.080+01:002009-06-27T14:48:07.080+01:00I'm afraid the 'HD Ready' is as loose ...I'm afraid the 'HD Ready' is as loose a term as your kettle is 'water ready' or your garden grass is 'lawnmower ready'.<br /><br />'HD ready' means that the TV is capable of showing HD content once you can actually receive some - mainly through a set-top box.<br /><br />Manufacturers do often show the '1080p' etc functionality as a label stuck on the side of TVs in shops, but alarmingly few people investing in HD know what that means. It doesn't help much either - many new TVs supporting 1080 actually have a pixel resolution of 1388 x 768, so can't show off the full 1920x1080 picture to the full. However they can 'pick it up and show it'.<br /><br />I had to search out a true 1920x1080 TV when I decided to make the investment and it is noticeably better. Live Wimbledon on BBC HD through my Freesat box is absolutely stunning - I feel I could step through the screen and be there.<br /><br />As usually new technology specifications serve only to confuse. <br /><br />Alas, Freeview HD will only be able to offer up to 4 channels only because no bandwidth has been allocated for any more. The BBC get bandwidth gifted thanks to its public ownership, and ITV , C4 and others have to bid for one of the remaining free channels.Nick Lansleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00087509895945257528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5819898692345221601.post-9577759148656065842009-06-25T01:09:41.795+01:002009-06-25T01:09:41.795+01:00Does this mean that the current (although stupid) ...Does this mean that the current (although stupid) labelling of HD Ready and Full HD (for 720p and 1080p respectively), will be changed to reflect the lack of being 'HD Ready'? I'm sure people would welcome a more honest '720p' and '1080p' branding without the unnecessary wording they currently have. Or are we going to get another catchy brand like 'Freeview HD Ready' to plaster on devices?<br /><br />I'm also wondering if the take-up of HD signals will be as poor as they currently are on FreeSat or Virgin Media (counting live channels)... 2 for Freeview, 1 for Virgin Media. If they aren't taking the opportunity now, without Sky part-funding them as with Channel4 HD on Sky (which will therefore never be available through another service), then what's the point of investing so much for more over-the-air HD channels?<br /><br />Personally, I'd rather see some more campaigning for opening up of the Cable and Sky boxes to more competition, and having a connection added to them (eg. Firewire as in the USA) to enable homebrew PVRs and PCs to view the content.Duncanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17832715803468620388noreply@blogger.com