NotHereToPlayGames Posted March 27, 2022 Share Posted March 27, 2022 It truly is amazing what people will throw away these days. I have two new-to-me freebie laptops just within the last week. Not that I "need" them, I'm up to nine computers scattered throughout the house and garage - all used at least once every two weeks or so but far from being used every day. They are both i3 laptops and still have the original "stickers" (my OCD has me removing "stickers" before I even install software!). Both circa 2014, both originally came with Win7 (still have the Win7 "stickers"). Both have Win10 on them and my guess is the owners found them too slow once "upgrading". I have my beloved XP on them now but have been experimenting with slipstreaming and tweaking Win7. One's a 17" and has a number keypad! First laptop I've ever owned with a number keypad to the right of the keyboard - and somebody just threw it away! Probably because (like most laptop owners tend to do) it was plugged in 100% of the time so the battery is DEAD because it was never depleted and charged on a regular basis, just plugged in 100% of the time. The other is a 15.5" and also has a number keypad! But an "extra" key between the left Shift and Z keys that will take some getting used to. If I were to rate them from 0 to 10 with 0 being "junk" and 10 being "brand new", I'd put them both at 9. No scratches, no faded keyboard lettering due to high usage, not even wear and tear from plugging and unplugging USB devices over the years. I've paid for "refurbished" devices straight from the factory that weren't in as good as condition as these - and somebody just threw them away because they don't know how to properly maintain a laptop battery. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPerceniol Posted March 27, 2022 Author Share Posted March 27, 2022 One person's junk is another persons treasure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tripredacus Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 I still have CRT TVs in my house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UCyborg Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 The TV shall be repaired. I guess it'll be done by tomorrow or the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaclaz Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 Due to the next 5G cellular introduction, here in Italy they are moving television to HD, DVB-T2, H265 trasmission . While at home it is possible (but not easy particularly for the older people) to retrofit an external decoder to most "old" TV's , the only possible way out for (say) hotels, hospitals and similar (short of throwing away and buy new tens or hundreds of otherwise perfectly working TV's, many only 3-4 years old) is to install a "MUX", a sort of centralized converter that AFAICT has a serious cost limitation (per channel). Roughly we have some 200-250 channels (of which - maybe - 50 at the most actually *somehow* worth anything). A retrofit decoder (that has the issue of having a separate remote) is anything between 30 and 60 Euro. A new TV (non -smart, "normal", 32" size) is anything between 200 and 300 Euro. A 16 channel (yes, only 16 channel) MUX is in the order of magnitude of 2000-3000 Euro, additional channels should be around 1000 Euro every 8. Only a minority will be willing (or be able to) choose the "keep the old TV" possibilities, just think of the amount of (definitely not eco-friendly) waste that will be generated . Essentially we will be paying a "tax" AND senselessly increase electronic waste to let the kids[1] have faster and better youtube and tiktok. jaclaz [1] but not only them, many adults will have better streaming videos and football matches zoom calls that are essential for their businesses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotHereToPlayGames Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 11 minutes ago, jaclaz said: A new TV (non -smart, "normal", 32" size) is anything between 200 and 300 Euro. A 16 channel (yes, only 16 channel) MUX is in the order of magnitude of 2000-3000 Euro, additional channels should be around 1000 Euro every 8. Yikes! That price is on par with our 32" non-smart TVs. You can get a 32" smart-tv for BELOW that if you opt for 720p resolution! But 2000-3000 Euro for a 16-channel MUX? Wow! Here in the States, when broadcast went digital, the government provided "free" converter boxes. I did not get one and had HEATED arguments at the time with coworkers making MORE MONEY than me getting their "freebie" when they didn't even have any analog TVs at home! The government should have NOT "given them" to people that could AFFORD THEM, in my humble opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tripredacus Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 Those converter boxes are worthless now in many areas, including my own. As they were from the 2010s they do not support ATSC 3.0 which some operators have changed to. Even my primary HD TV cannot get most channels anymore because of this change so you have to buy a new OTA receiver (or new TV I suppose) to be able to receive them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPerceniol Posted March 29, 2022 Author Share Posted March 29, 2022 (edited) What is a converter box? I've looked it up and I was never offered one but I only have basic news stations that housing complex supplies us and I use the computer and enjoy my DVDs. I've thought about trying an antenna but I just connect to the wall from the TV and its a very old one (the TV not the wall), but it works. Some people here got a new TV last year that complained. My word I'm a mess today, well, every day, actually lol... Edited March 29, 2022 by XPerceniol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotHereToPlayGames Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 The digital converter box was a stop-gap measure intended for low-income residents. According to a Techwalla article, there were 33,962,692 of them handed out. The program ended in July 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPerceniol Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 Oh ... I see. Tell you the truth, I have my back to the TV anyway as I sit in my computer chair and usually have something running softly in the background when I feel lonely. Strange because I prefer to be alone and I do enjoy my own company. Just nights like this the insomnia is kicking my butt. Sometimes I just can't make sense of things during the day and I carry it with me - hard to explain. Need to remember I can't make sense of things in the world outside of my control. Sorry guys to be a downer :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotHereToPlayGames Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 Same here. My computer setup is five widescreen monitors and the tv is 90-degrees to my right. So not really to my back, but I have to turn 90-degrees to see it. It's generally just background noise unless I'm streaming because streaming is done on the big screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tripredacus Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 I never got one of those boxes at the time either. As back then there was a satellite TV setup at my house, but I had gotten rid of it sometime in 2011 or 2012. At that point in time, I did end up getting a digital converter box that I had used sparingly, but I found without having a million channels at my disposal, I ended up not watching very much. Now it is only to watch sports that are on broadcast TV. I have still resisted having purchased any streaming subscriptions, but there are enough DVDs I can watch if I want to become a couch potato. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotHereToPlayGames Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 56 minutes ago, Tripredacus said: I have still resisted having purchased any streaming subscriptions That's kind of the "mistake" that I have made. I have Netflix and Hulu but tend to binge-watch something on one for a full month and not touch the other, so I paid that month for it just to sit there! Then there's folks like my sister that has Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Disney, and Epix and those are just the one's that I know of. They probably have a few that they've forgotten about but yet still pay the monthly subscription. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPerceniol Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 Yeah, and the weather is getting nice and the very last thing I want is another thing to keep me inside, I'm pale as a ghost and need exercise and sun (Natural Vit D) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tripredacus Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 57 minutes ago, NotHereToPlayGames said: That's kind of the "mistake" that I have made. I have Netflix and Hulu but tend to binge-watch something on one for a full month and not touch the other, so I paid that month for it just to sit there! Then there's folks like my sister that has Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Disney, and Epix and those are just the one's that I know of. They probably have a few that they've forgotten about but yet still pay the monthly subscription. I collected videos for about 10 years, so I still have years worth of VHS and DVD to watch before getting rid of it. That includes many DVD box sets for TV shows that I binge watch. No real difference really, except that I've missed out on anything recent. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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