Bskyb announce their Half Price Sky TV Spring Promotion

Sky have brought a cracking offers to independent dealerships like mine that allow new customers to take advantage of a very generous offer.

Customers who sign up as a new customer can have a selection of packages which includes movies and sports half price for 6 months, which means there are some decent savings on offer for those worried about their monthly budgets.

We have received posters and leaflets, I have taken a picture of a poster which matches the front side of the leaflets and I’ve also taken a photograph of the rear of the leaflet which outlines the packages and savings on offer.

I think as a dealer, it’s a seriously strong offer and if this doesn’t get folk buying Sky, I don’t know what else will.

Bskyb release new Sky Sports News for iPhone app.

This week Bskyb have released a brand new version of their very popular Sky Sports News app for iPhone users. Rather than just update the app through the app store, you have to delete your old app and install the new app.

Please see the screen shots below from the app store.

Aft using it yesterday, I can say that not much has changed. There does seem to be more video content available for stories and their is the addition of a dedicated F1 section which brings the app in line with that on its bigger brother on the iPad.
I have taken some screen shots below for you to see how the app looks.

As you can see the style of the F1 part matches the iPads style and you can watch SSN or listen to their radio channel but you will need the Sky Go app for watching Sky Sports News live.

Unboxing a Panasonic DT50 Series LED TV, TX-L42DT50B

Today’s second TV that I unboxed today was the Panasonic 42″ DT50 Series LED TV.
If I’m honest, this is the one I’ve been looking forward to the most from the 2012 LED Lineup.
Please see below for pictures of its Unboxing and putting together.

Can I just say at this point that personally, I think the pedestal is exquisite, the finish and size is just perfection.

This TV really is a thing of beauty, I loved the brushed metal finish, and it’s just sooo slim.
Please see some pictures below of this TV up close and personal.

I seriously recommend you come and see this TV in the flesh, it’s available in two sizes, 42″ and 47″ and although it may seem pricy, it packs massive specifications and features galore.

Unboxing and setting up a Panasonic WT50 Series LED TV, TX-L47WT50B

Today in my shop I got to un box 3 new toys, the first one I’m starting with is Panasonic’s top of the range WT50 series LED TV. I hope it’s worth it’s hefty price tags as I have yet to see one of these in the flesh.

So let’s begin with the TV in the box as you will see it when it arrives in your living room.

The box is stupidly thin yet the box does seem to have more weight on one side than the other, so if you’re not careful, it could fall over and risk breaking your super expensive TV. Maybe Panasonic could have slightly larger box, purely for stability purposes.

Now let’s move onto the accessories that are included, for a start you get 2 remotes, 2 pairs of 3D Active Shutter Glasses and a couple of connectors to make things easier to plug in like SCART leads and component cables. Please see the pictures below.

One of the new remotes is Panasonic’s Touch Pad Remote control which features very few buttons and is dominated by a circular touch sensitive pad. It’s not bad actually although it has it’s drawbacks and has come under fire from some of our VT50 customers who also have this remote included in the box.
I think it’s a Marmite product, you’re either gonna love it, or hate it.

Now moving on, the pedestal isn’t your tradition plinth, it’s more of a boomerang style and is certainly different, I’m still undecided on whether or not I like it, time will tell, but for now, you can make up your own opinion.

One thing I must add is that bezel is seriously non existent, properly thin, but it’s black and I’m not sure if I’m keen or not.
Now, leading onto setting up the TV, because this has Freesat HD and Freeview HD Built in, you will go through 2 automatic tuning processes.

After those 2, you can then set up your Internet connection, choices are wired or wireless. The latter can be done as the WT50 has WiFi built in. Or you can leave it to set up later.
Here in my shop, we have run Cat6e cabling throughout so I chose the wired option as opposed to killing our wifi.

Once you have selected your option, you will then see a test menu that will check your connection fully before you move on.

Next you have to pair your Viera Touch Pad Remote control with the TV, see below images for the quick pairing setup.

And that’s it, you’re done, basic installation is done and dusted, now you can explore all the menus and options available to you using your brand new WT50 Series Panasonic LED TV.

See below for some pictures I have taken after setup has been completed.

Thanks for reading.

Unboxing a customers Panasonic VT50 TX-P55VT50B

Yesterday we got treated to a sneak peak at a customers brand new Panasonic VT50 when he asked if we could fire it up before he collected it so that he could have a look before he took it home to Birmingham.

The model in question is the beast that is 55 Inches of awesomeness, official model number is TX-P55VT50B.
See the next few photos of the Unboxing.

Now before the wrapping was taken off, I’ll touch on the accessories which are included.
I start with the seemingly controversial 3D glasses, now when Panasonic UK gave AV Forums their 50″ model, there was no mention of the glasses that are included, meaning until customers got their mits on them, no one knew the active shutter glasses provided weren’t rechargeable.
The glasses look identical to the rechargeable and the model numbers are only different by 1 letter.
They are just as light, and batteries can last ages, depending on how often you use them, and if you operate them properly, as in, actually switching them off when you’re finished using them.
See the picture below for the packaging to look out for in the box and then the glasses themselves.

Moving on, you get a normal remote and a touch pad remote control also included, as you will see below.

Now let’s get to the bit everyone wants to see and read, how it looks and what it looks like with a stunning Blu-ray image on it, and you should be impressed. The design is classy, well finished, it does ooze quality, and it should, it’s £2199 when you come in and with that you get a FREE 5 Year Warranty too! See web link at the bottom of the post.

Now, before I say any more, the pictures were taken on my iPhone and in a very well lit shop, but let me tell you this, the black levels were INSANE!!!!!!!! Totally blows away even the GT50, and that’s an impressive TV, but now having seen this running out if the box on THX Cinema mode with Dark Knight running on it, I’m seriously confident that we can offer our customers a truly amazing product, one which will, and has already had amazing reviews from our customers who have been lucky enough to have got one this week.

All I have to say is this, get a VT50!

http://www.tps.uk.com

New iPad vs Original iPad

Well I’ve had my new shiny iPad for just over a week and I’m very happy with my purchase.
Having owned an original iPad for a while now, I was wondering if it would be worth spending the cash on the new new iPad, but I think the screen alone made it worth every penny.

The screen is truly impressive, it’s so sharp, plus the colour output is dramatically better than the original panel used in the last two versions of the iPad.
The brightness output is also hugely increased and the picture below should off the difference between my new iPad (on the left) and my original iPad (on the right).

I made sure that I had the brightness cranked to the max on both and I’m really surprised at the difference between the two panels.

Now the retina display is packing that eye-watering pixel density, and close up shots of my apps on both screens really show the difference between old and new.

Above is a photo of my original iPad and below is the same shot of apps on my new iPad.

Moving on from the amazing display, the new iPad is also a lot quicker at loading video content than the 1st one, but the thing I noticed that wasn’t that much different was the loading of web pages. Yes the new iPad is quicker, but it’s not amazingly quicker, which I wasn’t expecting.

Camera, the front facing camera is ok, but the rear camera is very good indeed, lots of detail captured as hopefully you’ll see below.

I was especially impressed with the level of detail achieved with the fields and also the cloud detail, the camera captures lots of shading very accurately. So a big thumbs up from me on that.

That’s it for now, as I use my iPad more and more, I will post my feedback.

Sky officially launch their Cloud WiFi app

Today Bskyb have officially made available their app to Sky customers who subscribe to their Unlimited and Connect broadband services.

It’s available for iOS devices via the app store.

Once downloaded onto your device you will need to sign in using your Sky I.D

Once you’ve signed in, you’ll need to install a wifi profile so that your device will automatically connect when at a location that is part of Sky’s new wifi in the cloud service, saves having to search for networks!

You can search based on your location or search via an address or postcode and the neat map will show you where you can find free wifi.

It’s a great app and it’s free!
Go and download it folks.

Panasonic Blu-ray Home Cinema Remote app for iPad

This will be a brief quick review on Panasonic’s new app for iPad users for controlling their home cinema systems without the need for a clumsy remote, or to be staring at a tiny tiny display on the front of the main unit which I know from experience is a complete pain in the ass. Especially when you’re discussing setups with customers.

So making a visually attractive and simple to use app really is the answer, and I will try to show you the benefits of using this app if you own an iPad.

So ill launch it from my iPad by tapping on the new icon which you can see below:

We will start with showing you the app in portrait mode, and then move onto the landscape mode.
Very simple layout with a nice jog dial or trackpad in the middle top of the screen. Very easy to switch between inputs on your home cinema:

As you can see below, you can also easily switch between the different sound-stage modes and it even shows you the difference between how the modes actually distribute the audio around your room, it really doesn’t get easier than this, images below show you the difference between 2 surround options:

For customers I think this will make selling them a sound system even easier as it will show them just what a sound system can really do for them.
Now I could go on and on about all the different sound settings, but let’s just say there’s quite a few.

Now when you turn your iPad to landscape mode, you get 3 amp like screens to suit what type of system you’re used to using, and also makes the settings super easy to switch between.

Now if you like to use a remote control, then you can use the app as well!

So their you have it, it’s free so if you own an iPad, then why not download from the app store.

Sky to offer its customers Free Wifi Hotspot service

Bskyb have today announced to the public something us ASA’s have known for a couple of weeks but have not been able to share with the general public.

They have purchase The Cloud which already offered thousands of free wifi hotspots across the country meaning that Broadband Unlimited and Broadband Connect customers can make use of a free wifi app that will be available to Sky customers sometime this month.

Show full PR Text:
SKY BROADBAND CUSTOMERS TO ENJOY FREE AND UNLIMITED BROADBAND AT THOUSANDS OF HIGH STREET WIFI HOTSPOTS

· Millions of Sky Customers can now enjoy unlimited WiFi broadband across thousands of popular locations across the UK

· New Sky Cloud WiFi supported by new app to offer one touch, no hassle, WiFi access

4th April 2012: From mid-April millions of Sky Broadband customers will be able to quickly and easily access free, unlimited and high-speed WiFi at thousands of public places across the UK through new Sky “WiFi Hotspots from The Cloud”.

Located in popular and useful locations such as in transport hubs, shopping centres and coffee shops, WiFi Hotspots from The Cloud will allow eligible Sky Broadband customers to take unlimited broadband with them whilst out and about, providing reliable, flexible and fast internet access across the high street and beyond. An estimated 4m people every day pass through The Cloud network by visiting one of its partners, including major outlets like Pizza Express, Caffè Nero, Eat, Pret A Manger, JD Wetherspoons and Wagamama, as well as First Great Western trains. Over 4,000 hotspots have been added to The Cloud’s network since 1st January 2012.

WiFi Hotspots from The Cloud will be available at no extra charge to all Sky Broadband Unlimited, Sky Fibre Unlimited and Sky Connect customers, removing the need to worry about mobile data caps or intermittent or overburdened 3G mobile coverage. Research shows that Sky customers are more likely than average to own smartphones and tablets, with around a third of Sky homes watching video content on their smartphones and more likely to want to get online, whether to catch the latest news headlines, watch video services such as Sky Go, use Facebook and Twitter, email or simply browse the web.

A free “Sky Cloud WiFi” app will be available for iOS and Android devices from mid-April and, once downloaded and registered, will allow people to automatically connect their smartphone or tablet to the internet without having to log-in ever again. This removes the hassle of signing into WiFi networks as there’s no need to remember passwords or log-in details each time you want to get online.

People can register up to six devices per household, helping families to ensure both parents and kids can make the most of the service. And just as with Sky’s unlimited home broadband, there will be no data allowances or usage limits, so customers can surf, stream and download with ease.

Free WiFi access is just one of many benefits on offer to Sky Broadband customers. Sky Broadband continues to be the UK’s fastest growing broadband provider, offering great value, reliable broadband, supported by industry-leading customer service, with Ofcom rating Sky Broadband customers most satisfied of any major broadband provider when it came to customer service. Each weekday thousands of customers join Sky Broadband to benefit from a totally unlimited broadband service which is completely free from any fair-use policies and data caps.

Lyssa McGowan, Director of Communication Products at Sky, said: “Whether it’s to go on Facebook, watch favourite TV shows with Sky Go, catch up on the news or send an email, our customers can now enjoy high quality, reliable and unlimited broadband whether it’s at home or when out and about. WiFi Hotspots from The Cloud now gives millions of Sky customers quick and easy one-touch access whenever they want to be online. And by ensuring our hotspots are located where our customers need them most, they know they’ll never be far from a high speed connection. With a one-off registration process, they’ll automatically connect to the network, which takes all the usual hassle out of connecting to WiFi.”

All Sky Broadband Unlimited, Sky Fibre Unlimited and Sky Connect customers are eligible to use WiFi Hotspots from The Cloud, and they do not have to be a Sky TV customer to benefit from it.

The launch of the “Sky Cloud WiFi” app makes it the 11th app to be added to Sky’s growing family of popular apps helping people to find, watch and do more on the move. Sky’s suite of apps for mobile devices have been downloaded more than 22 million times and Sky Go now has more than 10 million user sessions per week.

Panasonic Remote App 2.0

Panasonic UK have today released their newest version of their iOS app, Viera Remote 2.0…….finally……..as someone who runs a dealership, we were told this app update was to be released 3 weeks ago, so I have no clue as to why it has then taken them a further 3 weeks to actually release it.

I’m hoping that when I test this in my shop tomorrow that the trackpad part works better than the older version did, especially when using the new Web Browser app on the 2012 SmarTViera Televisions.

The main benefits of this app update is that it will allow you to share content that’s on your portable device with everyone else on the big screen and also you can drag content from your tv screen onto your device.

Here below are some screen shots I’ve taken on my iPhone, shall post later when I get home and have updated my iPad app too.