Buying TV's for Your Org - Say No to Combos!

Last week I had a bit of a set back. Despite my instincts, and despite most recommendations, I purchased an LCD TV/DVD combo for my church to use in a classroom. The simplicity of having one unit instead of two (and all the necessary cords) has significant appeal. But I was quickly reminded why most "experts" in the tech world don't recommend combo units...

It was a piece of junk. It had that lightweight, cheap plastic, happy meal feel to it. The picture wasn't bad - until I hooked up my laptop to it, then it was horrible.  Unfortunately, that is one of the primary uses intended for the unit. Needless to say, I took it back the next day.

So, instead I purchased a nicer LCD TV and an upscaling DVD player.  It cost a little more, and there will be more wires and remotes, but better than a combo. (I realize there might be some quality combos out there, but I couldn't find any that I could buy locally)

BTW, if you buy equipment for your organization, read my recommendation on DVD players.

Jason Cooper (@cooperjason)

Cooper-ation Ministry Resourcing

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Picking a DVD Player for a Classroom - Get one with full front panel controls

Ok, so I know DVD players are now old school technology.  And I know there is nothing inherently "ministry" oriented about this post.  But as an adult ministry leader responsible for keeping several classrooms in order, DVD players have been one of the most annoying elements to keep in order.

Why?  BECAUSE REMOTES ALWAYS DISAPPEAR!

So what?  Why is losing a remote a big deal?  

Most DVD players to NOT have buttons for navigating DVD menus on the front panel.  If you lose the remote, you CAN'T navigate the menu.  For some DVD's this isn't a big deal, but for most DVD curriculum that is used in adult classrooms you often have to navigate through several menus to get the video clip you are looking for.

Solutions:

1.  Come up with some kind of "tether" to keep your remote physically attached to the DVD player.  You know, duct tape a cord to your remote and to your TV and call it good, right?  In addition to looking really tacky, it also defeats the purpose of having a "remote" control.  Not a good solution.

2.  Buy a DVD player with front panel menu navigation buttons.  You have to do some searching, but there are still a few models out there that have the four directional arrows and enter button right on the front panel.  No remote needed! You want something that looks like this:

But you have to be careful, as there are some DVD players out there that have a circular button layout for play/pause, forward, reverse, stop, etc., but DON'T have navigation arrows.  They look very similar, but they function very differently.  Need an example?  Look at this.

We just purchased a handful of DVD players (Pioneer DV-420V-K Multi-Format 1080p Upscaling DVD Player) for this very reason.  If we lose the remote, they can still be used in our classrooms!

There are undoubtedly other models out there, but this does a great job, has 1080 upscaling, and a USB port that supports playback of several common video formats.

If you are buying, buy with front panel controls!

Jason Cooper (@cooperjason)

Cooper-ation Ministry Resourcing

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Posted via email from Cooper-ation | resourcing for ministry