Candy TV - a wedge of failure
I wanted to get one last video out before my break so as not to have a two week gap - and here it is.
A quick look at an unusual looking portable rechargeable digital TV, DAB radio and media player. A mostly pointless device in the age of smart devices with wireless data, however this one is almost unusable anyway.
https://youtu.be/oV3APh3gkA8
Right that’s it - computer off, see you in a couple of weeks. Take care.
Comments (56)
Hi Mat, for that price the only use case for it seems to be a low-cost TV used in a caravan. Of course you can also stream channels online, but a usable tablet PC is much more expensive than 120 GBP. The other features like playing music and movies from USB are there just as "additionals" and made halfway because it's not the main purpose of the device. It's also like that in cheap TVs. About sensitivity, you could try to connect a proper large TV aerial, these portable antennas are mostly craps.
Good evening and welcome from the BPC.. I don't think the lack of antenna articulation is the issue here, the receiver sensitivity just isn't there - weak digital signals don't get 'hissy' they just vanish. That said, Candy could've redeemed themselves and provided an overall decent experience with better software - good and bad software cost the same to distribute, and there's a dearth of free and open-source software they could've leveraged to support all the advertised formats. It's a pity they didn't put in the effort up-front. On the plus side I suppose, it doesn't require a mobile app or subscription to use..
Hi Mat, thanks for the entertaining video, as always! As already mentioned the subtitles that you couldn't turn off are in bulgarian, and most probably the srt or whatever subs file was integrated in the video file. I guess the "sharing between friends" of films and series in my country is still alive and well after all those years :D and I'm a bit impressed that even you could get hold of a content originating from those sites there, I guess you looked hard lol
Totally forgot I read that you are going to be away .. I was in England and my fiance asking what's happened as she's in the US. At least I can tell her it's ok! Your having a break! Have a good one chap
Just FYI, I don't think there is a legal way for you to have The last of us S01E01 on mp4. Food for thought.
The same goes for all those tapes filled with HipHop I recorded off the radio. If it’s some consolation when I watched The Last Of Us on the Sky Atlantic TV channel, I only saw episode one and then gave up on it.
Hope you are week into a good break and time off from your work. And you are happy.
Unless you've decided to remain at the fjords (I would), I'm wishing you a safe arrival home. I'm imagining Bees Knees very happy to see you return. I'm excited to hear how you got on with your monocular during your travels. Also, as I've never been on a cruise - do you have preferences on the cruise line or are they fairly similar? Take care and whatnot 😀🤍.
I’m still at sea at the moment. I’ll likely get back in the house on Sunday evening, all being well. I’ll be knackered for a couple of days. Doing anything takes it out of me nowadays. The cat should get picked up on Monday. It’ll definitely be in a mood. I’ll no doubt be doing a cruise update in the next Oddcast as it’s the only thing I’ll have to talk about.
I suppose a device like this one would be good for camping or a caravan, especially if you can't use cellular internet. I had to troubleshoot a Humax PVR recently which just needed a SCART cable instead of an HDMI cable. As a fallback option I looked at what was available to buy now and the choice seems to be between smart TVs, DVB decoders that don't record (and some iffy-looking ones that record to USB sticks) and expensive PVRs. The market seems to have otherwise shifted to supporting streaming services.
Enjoy a well earned holiday Mat!
I still like the idea of portable TVs, maybe it's the just novelty of it since I was a kid. I just picked up a Sony Mega Watchman, I wish we still had normal over the air tv.
Reminds me of something I would of really wanted in 2007
Might be funny to end with a closeup of the device, left out while it's rained on.
I liked the idea well enough if it actually worked. And it is a nice looking tv. But was pleased that it gave you plenty of opportunities to knock it. Pretty funny. Have a nice vacay🥳
Reminds me of my Blu-ray player in the lounge, which won't even play MP4 files. I have to put them through the TV instead.
Seems to be a company called Shenzhen Xfa Electronics Co., Ltd., Very wide presence on Alibaba. They've not been in the market that long (less than 20 years) and they mostly seem to in automotive audio. Maybe they are the Tandy of current times?
Glad you reviewed this, cause I was considering one when I see it on offer on amazon, but it's media playback limitations have deffinately put me off. Very happy with the Pure Internet radio you did a video on though, no regrets on purchasing one.
In Switzerland all DVB-T transmitters where turned off in 2017. Way to low adoption and difficult signal propagation in mountains.
So it's just cable? How do you do with mobile phones there?
Feel free to do more testing videos from the top of that hill with its gorgeous views.
Good extra effort, going out to where they filmed The Sound of Music to show that it actually can pick up TV signals. I like the LED marked simply "LED". Its purpose is to exist. Good funny title for this one, too. Nice work.
🎵 The hills are alive with the sound of wedges... ...with songs they have sung for less than a year ..🎵
As Bob said in Office Space... "What would you say... you do here?"
I would be curious to know how this product was designed. Who is the niche potential customer? As you told, we can do all this thing claims to do with our tablet. Who proposed this thing to whom? Who decided it's a good opportunity to generate profits, ... Enjoy your holiday!
Not everyone has a tablet or laptop. I could easily imagine this conceived as an upgrade for grandma to use in the kitchen, or as a first media device fo kid that has no/limited phone use.
The subtitles were in Bulgarian ^_^. Shout Out from Bulgaria!
I am interested in the country of manufacture. My feeling is it starts with C and ends with A.
Waste of money this thing..
Looks a bit like some manufacturer had a bunch of TV chipsets lying around and was desperately looking for a use for them. Hopefully the trip to the countryside was planned anyway, otherwise you would have gone to a lot more trouble than this device deserved. And to top it all off, it was raining, classic! Nevertheless, it turned out to be an entertaining video. Have a nice and relaxing holiday!
I’ve just now realized that even though you’ve just demonstrated a rubbish piece of new equipment (as you’ve done many times in the past) I find that the video itself is entirely enjoyable. I guess that a good review is a good review no matter the quality of the item being reviewed. And also wish an excellent vacation to Mat & The Mrs.😀
Hope you have a nice 2 weeks off matt look forward to watching the video
Bon voyage!
Order a load of them and build us a 21st century tat henge on that hilltop. That’ll give the archeologists of the future a proper head scratch.
I like your thinking 💡 - that'd be sweet. I volunteer to help build.
Have a nice holiday / break. 🏖️
Enjoy your break!
Have a good break, Mat. Just wanted to say - without going into any detail... - the last couple of months have been not especially terrific (I don't recommend taking holidays in Intensive Care...) and your videos have always been an absolute joy and something to look forward to. I hope you know how very much you're appreciated. Take care and best wishes.
Hope you are doing better. Yes, ICU is not a vacation spot of my choice either.
To be fair I’ve never seen any kind of portable TV that small that was any good in the UK pre digital or post! Thanks for the video and have a good “rest” if you can manage it.
You’ll laugh but the best portable TV I ever had was the TV adapter for the Sega Game Gear. That little tuner cart could pick up any analogue signal anywhere. Was always impressed by it.
Happy trails Mat
Makes my camp snap camera look state of the art (it does it's job). Enjoy your break boss.
Thank you for the video :)
This device is begging for a screwdriver to check out its innards!
I'd suggest that a lit M-80 firecracker check out this things innards.
Wow.... what a waste.... ! Have a great and hopefully rejuvenating trip!
They didn't even bother adding an HDMI input to make it even slightly usabe
Interesting device. Could have been useful if it had been made better, well principally tuners with better sensitivity. I bought a mini TV from Maplin when they had their closing down sales. Never used it as the reception is unuseably poor. It has a similar aerial. I have since bought a nearly 20 years old Sony 15" LCD TV for retro computer use and found that I can get some Freeview channels in the house acceptably with the Sony using the small stubby aerial. Just shows what a better tuner can do, very similar to you comparing the poor DAB reception of this unit with your little Sony DAB radio.
Just me? The audio was like a second behind the video. Didn't really notice it until the end when you're talk to camera.
Looks in sync to me. Just double checked in-vision at the end.
Being a Patreon supporter is actually a good investment: Mat experiments with tat so we don’t have to. Enjoy your hols. I had my first cruise last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Exactly, I'm always surprised by the amount of rubbish that's sold, and so Mat can present it 😅
Enjoy your break!
Haven't seen video yet, although I thought you'd be halfway to Hermansverk by now 😂. Very excited to have a video, though - hope you're having a super time.
Matt and the Missus: (To quote Candide:) "Bon voyage, dear fellow, Dear benefactor of your fellow man! May good luck attend you. Do come again and see us when you can." - Safe Journeys