Getting the BIG picture (Schneider STV 2802)

Member Name: competition.man

Product:	Schneider STV 2802
Date:	29/04/03 (3186 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cost, Asda guarantee, Big Picture

Disadvantages: start up time

Schneider STV2804T Nicam Stereo 28" TV.

The Schneider STV2804T is the direct replacement for this category TV , hence its correct placing here.

~0~ Say Who ?? ~0~

Schneider - that's who . Never heard of them I here you say . Well actually they've been making household electrical equipment such as TV's , Hi-Fi's , VCR's etc for over twenty years , and were previously available from the likes of Howells, Dingles and Jolly's stores . Now ASDA have become a retail outlet for them , and depending on the store size , you can select a range of their products .

~0~ The TV ~0~

Schneider make only one model of larger sized TV's , in a range of sizes comprising of 20? , 21? , 25? , 28? , 29 ? , 32? , 33 ? . Of these , the 28? comes in 4:3 ( standard ) and 19:9 ( widescreen ) models , and the 32? is available only in 19:9 format. I actually purchased the 28? 4:3 version.
( They also make a 14" TV/Video combo , and a lower spec portable range that Asda sell brabded as Pacific ) .

Price paid : £229.87

~0~ Basic Features : ~0~

What follows is a general list of features specific to this model :

Finish : metalic silver
Dimensions :
Screen size : 28" ( 70cm :- 66cm visable )
Tube : Standard
Sound output : Mono / Stereo / Nicam Stereo : 2 * 10 Watts per channel
Power Consumption : 145 Watts ( 3 Watts in standby mode )
Channel Presets available : 100
Receiving Channels : VHF - band 1 - channels 2-4
VHF - band 3 - channels 5-12
UHF - channels 21-69
Cable TV - channels S1-S20 / S21-S41
Receiving system : PAL

Full remote control


~0~ Connectors : ~0~

RF aerial ( 75 ohn unbalanced )
Scart * 2
RCA - stereo right
RCA - stereo left / mono
RCA - video
S-video
Headphone socket.


~0~ Setting Up ~0~

Full set up instructions are provided , and onc
e all equipment , eg. video / dvd / aerial are connected , and instructions followed, auto tuning takes approx. 5 minutes to search and store the TV channels available to you.
This was a very easy procedure , and even the least technical of people could do this . For those in a hurry or with reasonable knowledge of the basic set-up routines employed by such equipment , a quick setup guide is also included.

~0~ Special features ~0~

2 * scart sockets .

DVD?s are now very common place - the trouble is that most require the use of a scart socket , which in many cases is already taken up by the standard video recorder . So unless you have a second scart socket on your video , you have to give up a little on picture quality and reduce the video to RF output , thus enabling a DVD to connect to the TV .

Fortunately this TV has two scart sockets ( which is the main reason for selecting it ) . Therefore , both DVD and Video can be connected to the TV and are both recognised upon use. Scart socket #1 taken presidence over scart socket #2 . This was a further godsend to me , as I also have a small security camera , that can now utilise the 2nd scart socket on my video ( again a Schneider model ) .

~0~ Teletext . ~0~

Although commonplace on most new TV?s of today , this set makes use of the quicker FastText version .

~0~ Sound modes . ~0~

This TV allows the user to select from three variations ; Normal ; Spatial ; Dolby Virtual .

Spatial sound is basically expanded stereo , giving the impression that the two built in speakers are further apart than actually are.

Dolby Virtual is based on Dolby ProLogic decoding for production of the sound using the two speakers only , and can only be used where Dolby Prologic is provided on transmitted media.

~0~ Picture settings : ~0~

No not the screen sizes , here we have a choice comprising of natural ; rich ; soft and user options
, sort of brightness / contrast presets to make viewing more comfortable on the eye.

~0~ Auto shut - off . ~0~

Should a channel stop transmitting , and the TV is still on , after 5 minutes of non transmition the TV will go automatically into standby mode , saving you electricty and possible screen burn .
AVL.

How many times have you turned over channels and the sound levels are very different from channel to channel . Not any more , as the set maintains the same sound level between channels.

~0~ Music settings . ~0~

Four presets are allowed for , namely Sport , Cinema , Speech and User .

Employing these alters the sound heard from the TV , eg Sport would allow for the atmosphere found at a sporting event.

User , is your oportunity to have your say , and is invented via the use of the built-in Equalizer function ( that also allows for you to change the other settings as well ) .

~0~ Smart buttons : ~0~

Available on the TV remote , these allow for quick choosing of picture and sound settings

~0~ Headphone socket . ~0~

So yes you can connect a set of headphones to the TV . Via a menu you can also choose the settings for headphone output , these include ; mono/stereo ; balance ; max volume level ; bass ; treble .

~0~ Sleep timer . ~0~

Never had much call for this function on any TV , but it exists for you.

~0~ Child Lock . ~0~

Allows you to lock any amount of stations , eg Cable . Where a channel has been locked and is subsequently selected , the screen is blank except for the on screen display showing CHILD LOCK . Disarming is via a code input.

~0~ Language choice. ~0~

A multitude of languages are available , should your first language not be English.

~0~ Picture Format : ~0~

16:9 sets , allow for 4:3 ; Zoom , Letter Box and 16:9 Viewing . All others allow for 4:3 and 16:9 viewing options.
r>~0~ The R. C. ~0~

Lightweight but sensitive , and very responsive . Should last a while .

~0~ Service , advice etc. ~0~

Strangely , no address for Schneider can be found on either the outer carton or manuals . However , fear not , as ASDA provide a telephone trouble shooting line on 0870 7571500 , from which you can get help on things such as setting up and tuning problems , as well as service requirements . As with all other TV?s and Video?s sold by ASDA , a three year guarantee is supplied.

~0~ Qualms ! ~0~

Well anyone will find faults with almost anything . On this TV I found three :

Once autoset up has found all the channels available, is sets any unused channels to BBC1 , meaning I had to then re-tune one channel so that the kids? could play on their PS1.
While tuned to the cable channel , switching cable channels produces an audible click , that can get annoying when your kids are going through a multitude of channels looking for something to watch.
Turning on the TV , the set takes approx 15 seconds to warmup , and is more of a flash flash wham I?m here sort of startup rather than the more conventional blur into focus standard .

~0~ Curiously ~0~

Having recently moved , we finally made the move to Sky Digital . Sky's remote allows for the basic funtions of a TV's remote to work from its own , and supplied in a manual are setting for Schneider products . None of these codes worked . However on a visit to Tesco's I noticed a Beko branded TV that look very similar to my Schneider ( and £20.00 cheaper into the bargain ) , so off home I toddled , and tried the universal code for Beko TV's , and voila , my Sky remote now operated as the TV remote as well , so are we to presume Scneider / Beko and a host of other companies are now merged , with the brand name being used for particular resellers ?

~0~ Overview ~0~

A three year guarantee , sharp picture
, great sound and very competitive price , what more can you want , especially with the extra scart socket and available connectors .