UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > Specific Vintage Equipment > Vintage Television and Video

Notices

Vintage Television and Video Vintage television and video equipment, programmes, VCRs etc.

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 4th Sep 2018, 9:51 pm   #1
G6Tanuki
Dekatron
 
G6Tanuki's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 13,951
Default TV viewing behaviour.

Speaking over the weekend with some older relatives, we got round to discussing historic 'quirks' and inexplicable OCD-type factors of TV-watching.

Examples:

One family of relatives always reset the channel to BBC1 and turned the volume down to zero before turning-off their telly. They continued doing this 'turn the volume down to 0 before turning off' thing even when they had a telly with a separate push-button for power on/off - and even when they had a telly with a remote-control!

Why??

Some other rellies always kept the TV remote-control in a drawer of the almost-black deep-and-dismal chest-of-drawers upon which their telly sat. Performing *any* interaction with the telly involved getting up, walking to the chest-of-drawers, opening the drawer to retrieve the remote, performing the required interaction, putting the remote back in the drawer, closing it, and then going back to sit down.

I guess it gave them exercise, but again, why? [They were also in the religious habit of turning the telly on 15 minutes before the start of a program they wanted to watch - 'so it can settle down'. I guess this dated from the early-1950s and drifty vertical/horizontal-hold but was totally unnecessary with mid-1990s tellies].

I also know a family who repeatedly re-used the "Baird"-branded VHS tape that came with their Baird VHS VCR, to the point where it had sod-all oxide left and was giving utterly-gruesome pictures. I bought them a batch of new tapes but - despite what ttheir eyes could clearly see regarding picture-quality they still seemed to believe that since this one tape was the one that was supplied from new with their VCR it was somehow imbued with magical properties.


Someone else I recall always unplugged the antenna lead from the back of their TV when they went out. Perhaps to stop the cleaning-lady from watching the TV rather than cleaning?

Anyone else got any memories of 'odd' TV-viewing behaviour>??
G6Tanuki is offline  
Old 4th Sep 2018, 10:03 pm   #2
Studio263
Octode
 
Studio263's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Hampshire, UK.
Posts: 1,574
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

I've got a Sony KV-1800UB that makes an odd noise when its switched off, sort of like its croaked its last. I find it hard to resist turning it straight back on to see if this is the case (which it never has been so far), even though common sense tells me that that is absolutely the worst thing to do. I really must stop doing that...
Studio263 is offline  
Old 4th Sep 2018, 10:05 pm   #3
Nuvistor
Dekatron
 
Nuvistor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 9,427
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

I turn the sound lower before switching off to not be deafened if I happen to turn the TV on when the adverts are wanting to let the whole street know about their products. The sound is muted during adverts when watching TV, not sure why they think shouting will persuade me to buy their products.

Nice study with your examples G6 for an anthropology student.
__________________
Frank
Nuvistor is online now  
Old 4th Sep 2018, 10:11 pm   #4
Richard_FM
Octode
 
Richard_FM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Stockport, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 1,999
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

I've heard of people unplugging sets overnight as people were told to in the past to prevent fires.

I imagine disconnecting the aerial was in case of a lighting strike, I've heard of TVs being terminally damaged this way.
__________________
Hello IT: Have you Tried Turning It Off & On Again?
Richard_FM is offline  
Old 4th Sep 2018, 10:18 pm   #5
emeritus
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
Posts: 5,316
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

Dad always used to unplug the TV when there was thunder about (not a very common occurrence in the London area). My wife always unplugs the TV in the living room before we go to bed as its mains socket is unswitched, but doesn't unplug the Kitchen TV or the one in the bedroom.
emeritus is offline  
Old 4th Sep 2018, 10:26 pm   #6
SiriusHardware
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,482
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

I've never run a TV as 'background wallpaper'. I plan to watch something, whether live or recorded. I turn the TV on. I watch it. I turn it off again afterwards. I've always been that way. Never, ever, do I just leave a TV on if I'm not actually watching it.
SiriusHardware is online now  
Old 4th Sep 2018, 11:06 pm   #7
Refugee
Dekatron
 
Refugee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Worksop, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 5,549
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nuvistor View Post
I turn the sound lower before switching off to not be deafened if I happen to turn the TV on when the adverts are wanting to let the whole street know about their products. The sound is muted during adverts when watching TV, not sure why they think shouting will persuade me to buy their products.
The most vital component in the system must always be a fast acting remote in the audio chain. Remotes on digital stuff are just not fast enough.
Modern TV remotes are not fast or reliable enough to get rid of the noise.
We got rid of our TV due to unreliable set top boxes and lack of enough interesting programs to justify coaxing set top boxes to work at all.
The audio is dreadfully weak on the programs but certainly not on adverts.
We have retained a vert rusty satellite dish to show to the TV tax man just for fun.
Refugee is offline  
Old 4th Sep 2018, 11:18 pm   #8
G6Tanuki
Dekatron
 
G6Tanuki's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 13,951
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nuvistor View Post
I turn the sound lower before switching off to not be deafened if I happen to turn the TV on when the adverts are wanting to let the whole street know about their products. .
To be honest, I've never come across any standalone TV whose volume could go high enough to be considered 'deafening'. There again, back in the days when I had a telly I was living within 100 yards of the end of the runway at RAF Benson so I have a military-spec understanding of 'deafening'.

And why did my rellies retune to BBC1 every time before switching the telly off? Was there perhaps some kind of strange social opprobrium associated with perhaps turning the telly on when visitors were present and having it come up showing Granada or - heaven help us - BBC2 ??
G6Tanuki is offline  
Old 5th Sep 2018, 9:45 am   #9
D Cassidy
Retired Dormant Member
 
D Cassidy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Fenwick, Glasgow, UK.
Posts: 127
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

Hello.
One of my work colleagues was terribly controlling to his wife. He would not allow her to watch Coronation Street and other soaps, there were terrible rows and on at least two occasions he smashed up the sets they had at the time. His idea of TV programmes consisted of nature based, gardening and football. They split up for a while due to his controlling, they got back together for a short time till he died of cancer. His wife never did re marry or have another partner and told me that she now watches all the soaps, quite right I'd say.
D Cassidy is offline  
Old 5th Sep 2018, 9:56 am   #10
HamishBoxer
Dekatron
 
HamishBoxer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: W.Butterwick, near Doncaster UK.
Posts: 8,923
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

What a sad tale. Yes, I feel like booting the set on a few occasions with some of the rubbish put on.
__________________
G8JET BVWS Archivist and Member V.M.A.R.S
HamishBoxer is offline  
Old 5th Sep 2018, 9:57 am   #11
dseymo1
Retired Dormant Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Shropshire, UK.
Posts: 3,051
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

I wonder if in some cases these are habits of people with military, scientific or industrial backgrounds, where there's a requirement to reset equipment to defaults after use?
dseymo1 is offline  
Old 5th Sep 2018, 10:02 am   #12
TonyDuell
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK.
Posts: 5,188
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard_FM View Post
I've heard of people unplugging sets overnight as people were told to in the past to prevent fires.
I'm surprised this is regarded as 'odd'. I certainly do it. I unplug everything I can at nght or before going out. The only things in general that are left plugged in are the fridge and the TV recorder-thing.

Modern devices don't seem to have proper on/off switches, and I'd rather not trust an SMPSU not to explode (I've had far too many of them on my bench...). That, coupled with the somewhat dubious construction of some modern devices means I do not trust them if I am not around.

I was also under the impression that TVs (etc) in 'standby' mode do consume a small, but measurable, amount of power. And we are constantly being told to save all we can....
TonyDuell is online now  
Old 5th Sep 2018, 10:11 am   #13
Peter.N.
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Charmouth, Dorset, UK.
Posts: 3,601
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

The sets that I serviced in the early days didn't have remote control, the only thing they did have was that one end of the brightness control circuit was returned to the mains switch which rapidly discharged the EHT on switching off thus minimising the possibility of an ion burn, so switching the set off at the plug before using the set's mains switch was not a good idea.

People did switch their set on a while before they wanted to view as some of them took time to settle down to a stable picture, especially if the time base valves were degraded or the mains voltage low as it frequently was.

There probably is a case for unpluging the aerial in the event of lightning although in 50 years in the trade I have only had one occasion where damage was done by a strike and that was in Charmouth probably 20 or 30 years ago when I found the coax welded to a radiator!

Peter
Peter.N. is offline  
Old 5th Sep 2018, 1:19 pm   #14
Richard_FM
Octode
 
Richard_FM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Stockport, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 1,999
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TonyDuell View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard_FM View Post
I've heard of people unplugging sets overnight as people were told to in the past to prevent fires.
I'm surprised this is regarded as 'odd'. I certainly do it. I unplug everything I can at nght or before going out. The only things in general that are left plugged in are the fridge and the TV recorder-thing.

Modern devices don't seem to have proper on/off switches, and I'd rather not trust an SMPSU not to explode (I've had far too many of them on my bench...). That, coupled with the somewhat dubious construction of some modern devices means I do not trust them if I am not around.

I was also under the impression that TVs (etc) in 'standby' mode do consume a small, but measurable, amount of power. And we are constantly being told to save all we can....
Both my flatscreens only go to standby, so I bought an Eon remote controlled power switch for each of them. The bedroom one doesn't get used much in the week so I normally turn it off at the wall. I normally turn the sockets to my stereo separates off when I'm not using them.

I know of some odd viewing habits, mostly people watching or not watching certain programmes.

I normally only watch the reality shows when my wife wants to see them.

Once someone thought I was odd because I didn't watch any soaps, this isn't because I don't like them but because there are normally too many episodes per week to keep up with them.

If there is nothing good on I normally put the radio on instead.
__________________
Hello IT: Have you Tried Turning It Off & On Again?
Richard_FM is offline  
Old 5th Sep 2018, 1:34 pm   #15
HamishBoxer
Dekatron
 
HamishBoxer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: W.Butterwick, near Doncaster UK.
Posts: 8,923
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

Yes I always unplug the tv at night as I do not want those little psu caps drying out!
__________________
G8JET BVWS Archivist and Member V.M.A.R.S
HamishBoxer is offline  
Old 5th Sep 2018, 1:34 pm   #16
G6Tanuki
Dekatron
 
G6Tanuki's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 13,951
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

The "habitual aerial-unpluggers" only did it when they left the house - they didn't do it in response to approaching thunderstorms. Apparently on one occasion they turned the car round some miles into a journey and went back home because they'd forgotten to unplug the aerial before leaving.

I guess older tellies where the Belling-Lee socket was mounted to the chassis might stand up to such wanton and unnecessary unplugging/replugging: with anything built in the last 30 years or so, where the socket is just soldered to the PCB, I'd suspect the socket-to-PCB soldering wouldn't last long.

Quite a few TVs I recall from times-past would lose their channel-settings and suchlike if you left them unplugged for too long. And you wouldn't want to keep unplugging your VCR because it'd lose its time setting.

[I leave everything plugged-in and make use of sleep/hibernate/standby because it's less hassle that way]
G6Tanuki is offline  
Old 5th Sep 2018, 2:22 pm   #17
Welsh Anorak
Dekatron
 
Welsh Anorak's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: North Wales, UK.
Posts: 6,884
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

We've had a lot of TVs damaged by lightning over the years, from simple bridge rectifier failure to 'where's the chassis gone?'. I do advise people to unplug the aerial if there's likelihood of a storm - but not when it's in full flight! However most people seem to regard watching the TV as essential, even with a thunderstorm overhead.
Nowadays, lightning seems to arrive via the 'phone line, the router, the Ethernet connector, the satellite box and into the TV - then out via the mains lead! Often there's no BT socket left to speak of.
I always advise customers to do as they see fit - unplug or not. Mind you, those with Sky HD boxes do have to reconnect ten minutes before the programme they want...
It's amazing how many customers watch 'hardly any telly - just documentaries and nature programmes'. They would be the first on the phone to see if the TV was ready, of course...
__________________
Glyn
www.gdelectronics.wales
Welsh Anorak is offline  
Old 5th Sep 2018, 2:56 pm   #18
julie_m
Dekatron
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Derby, UK.
Posts: 7,735
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

Does preferring the sound either slightly too loud or slightly too quiet, rather than let the volume be set to an even number, count? If so, I'm guilty ..... (Prime numbers are the nicest; but if it has to be a multiple of something, at least it shouldn't be a multiple of two. I know you can't actually see it unless you press one of the buttons, but it's painful even just knowing about it.)

Then there was a case of "which buttons on your boy/girlfriend's TV remote you are allowed to touch, depending on the state of your relationship". Just changing channels meant you were Just Friends, turning the volume up or down was Going Steady, adjusting the brightness was a sign you were Nearly Ready To Move In; and if you got away with successfully fine-tuning one of the station presets, you'd better be carrying protection!
__________________
If I have seen further than others, it is because I was standing on a pile of failed experiments.
julie_m is offline  
Old 5th Sep 2018, 3:08 pm   #19
M0FYA Andy
Nonode
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Preston, Lancashire, UK.
Posts: 2,510
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

I only switch the TV on when I want to watch something, which involves switching on the socket on the four-way extension it's plugged into first.
It then gets left on standby until switched off before I go to bed. I always reset it to BBC! first, before switching off on the set switch and the socket. If that's odd, so be it!

Andy
M0FYA Andy is offline  
Old 5th Sep 2018, 3:47 pm   #20
SiriusHardware
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,482
Default Re: TV viewing behavior.

My Dad has the maddening (almost exclusively male) habit of abruptly channel switching even when there are other people in the room who might very well have started to take an interest in whatever was on. Incredibly bad manners, I think.

It irritated his second wife so much that she bought herself a second Sky remote so that she could promptly change the channel back again whenever he did it. Sometimes, the whole thing took on the aspect of a light-sabre battle.
SiriusHardware is online now  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 2:12 pm.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.