The Aftermath Of My Knob Exploding On Ma Bush (Bush WS 6671 NTX)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Bush WS 6671 NTX
Date:	18/10/02 (1122 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lower end of the price spectrum, good quality

Disadvantages: Basic model

Well it's finally happened and my knob's gone again. It really doesn't seem so long ago that I was sitting there, one evening, when the same thing happened a few years ago and my knob exploded back then. Of course, I'm talking about the one on the TV, which left us in televisual darkness for a few hours. This time around I'm planning to remedy our current predicament through a local repair shop but 3 years ago I decided to scrap the present incumbent and head for Dixons Online for a replacement. I mean, after all, I could hardly deprive the kids of hours of Nickelodeon (?).

Hmmmmm...I suppose I could comment on the website or even the service received but I'd be going off the plot. Oh..gosh darn it...I will anyway. Just quickly...Dixonsonline is a good site which was easy to use whilst the service back up was great and we received the TV within 48 hours of ordering.

Arrival
-----------

Anyway, back to the point - the TV arrived with obligatory cardboard box and set of instructions. More precisely, this is a Bush 28" WST 66 allowing me the pleasant thought of many hours whiled away watching my Bush. I paid £350 for this little beauty but when I came to find the latest price I struggled to find many sites offering the Bush brand. It seems both Dixons and Comet have moved away from selling the once omnipresent Bush. I did eventually track the Bush range at Littlewoodsextra.co.uk where things started at £449 with TheRF6682VPL/CAB model. However, right at the last second, I managed to find the comparable model at Tesco.com retailing from £375 model no. WS6671Sil (i.e. available in silver).

So....there I am surrounded by box and packaging. Well, I seem to remember finding it reasonably easy to put together. You know, whip the TV out, shove it on the unit and plug it in at the socket. Standing back to stare at my latest beastie, I noticed the following features of what amounts to an entry level (certain
ly in terms of price) widescreen TV.

Features
--------------

Auto Set Up: this function allows you to tune in up to 99 stations as well as manual station search, fine tuning, change the position of a station, cancel a station, personalise the audio, personalise the picture, change the video source etc. The functions are predominantly carried out via the remote control and the instruction manual comes with easy to follow images and written directions. There is a choice of picture size i.e. normal 4:3 ratio, widescreen or 16:9 options which give a larger picture in a non-widescreen format but tends to cut the top and bottom images. You'll need to work out which is best for you as the widescreen format can have the effect of making folks look fat, as the transmission wasn't intended for this format. Alternatively, genuine widescreen broadcasts may lose part of the picture at the top and bottom of the screen. It's best to fiddle around to see which suits.

Manufacturers Guarantee period - 1 year's labour and 1 years parts warranty. Bush is an established brand and has been around for years. Needless to say, extended warranties are available through your source e.g. in this case Dixons. You'll pay for the privilege but if you are happier in the knowledge that all eventualities are catered for, then extended warranties are for you. Just make sure that you read the contract closely as, with most insurance, there's bound to be an excess as well as certain types of exclusion.

*Nicam sound.

No. of **Scart Sockets - 2

On Screen Menus Remote Control (see above for various features available along with the usual volume control etc). Standards like volume appear on a sliding screen style format where the more the sliding scale increases the higher the sound.

Screen Size (Inches) - 28. Of course, you can get screen sizes in almost any size with some monsters like the latest screens being in
excess of 40". You can also pay what you will with a Plasma 32" on offer through Dixons.co.uk at the wee snippet of £9999. 28" seemed plenty big enough, to be honest, although if you're hungry for size (as some are) then 30" and 32" will give you a nice cinematic feel.

Teletext, Fastext or None - Fastext. These allow you to view all sorts of data on screen for example the latest news headlines, sport, programming etc. I really like all the information available through teletext although I wish the batteries from the back of our remote control didn't keep going missing (pesky kids) thus depriving me of lounging around flicking on teletext when I get in.

Widescreen: Height - 46cm Depth - 52cm Width - 77cm

A verdict
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So is it any good? Well, the main factors in choosing this sort of TV were, as ever, value for money, future proof, quality and service. The service received from Dixons was certainly good enough with delivery being pretty quick and subsequent invoicing and correspondence also very acceptable. Value for money? At £350 this is probably at the lower end of what most folks would pay for a widescreen TV. Prices vary considerably according to make, model and bells and whistles. Other players in the market include Panasonic, Hitachi and the like and you can easily pay up to £1000+ for a widescreen TV. Personally, I wasn't worried about all the things I didn't necessarily get with this version e.g. picture in picture, stand, set of speakers to engage surround sound etc. The more features you want, the more you'll have to pay (funnily enough).

The TV should be future proof with SCART sockets allowing future add-ons. Although there are only 2, it is possible to go out and buy a SCART adapter allowing further capacity for future gadgets requiring SCART. Also, the government plans to phase out analogue transmission over the next decade or so in favour of d
igital, which means more and more broadcasts will be made in widescreen format. It seems to make sense to switch to widescreen now rather than waiting for the inevitable cut off point some time in the future.

Finally, quality is good enough. It does the things I want and looks nice enough with speakers either side of the main screen and the manual controls suitably concealed by a plastic flap in favour of remote control through infra red.

I suppose, one of the drawbacks is that I've failed to track down a website for Bush, which is a bit strange. I'm sure there is one but I really can't find it. It's also a little disappointing that the on/off switch has failed already. I suppose it goes to show you that you get what you pay for as electrical manufacturers often keep prices down by cutting corners and skimping on quality. In our case - my knob.

Ho hum..well, I'm off to get it repaired shortly so the status quo (is that one chord or two?) should be restored shortly. If you want a nicely priced widescreen TV with the basics then you could do worse than look at this model (or more accurately - its successor). If you want more then you can pay more. Alternatively, you could keep costs to a minimum by burgling my house. Actually..no..don't do that. There's loads of competition out there so, as ever, shop around.

Thanks for reading.

Marandina

Teccie bits & pieces
---------------------------




*The NICAM sound system was developed in Britain by the BBC and, originally, programmes were transmitted with stereo soundtracks from the Crystal Palace transmitter.

**The Scart (Syndicat des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radiorécepteurs et Téléviseurs) connector is used for combined audio and video connections.

The connector is also known as Pertitel connector or Euroconnector.
A formal description is given in the CENELEC EN 50 049-1:1989 standard or in
the IEC 933-1 standard.

TV broadcasting - Pal I/I

Receiving channels - VHF (B
and I/III),
UHF (Band U)HYPERBAND,

CABLE TV (S1-S20/S21-S41)

RF Aerial Input - 75Ohm (unbalanced)

Operating voltage - 230-240V AC, 50Hz

Audio Output Power (Wrms) (%10 THD) - 2 x 8

Power consumption (W) (max) - 120

Picture Tube - 28"16:9


After thoughts
---------------

I took the TV to the repair shop who weren't happy to look at it on account of the cost of Bush spare parts. I subsequently rang Dixons whose aftersales service wasn't as good as their sales. It took me 20 minutes to get through. Having explained the situation to no less than 4 different people in different departments, I was eventually offered "Pay & Protect" which appears to be a warranty/repair service for £99. Blimey, I only want a new knob so I rang off.

Update when available for the....erm...unnecessarily exciting conclusion.

Summary: