← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Happy Hacker
Thread ID: 15595 | Posts: 2 | Started: 2004-11-09
2004-11-09 16:24 | User Profile
I have had a DVD player for several years (bought from Circuit City). It played my SVCDs (think DVD on a CD, for short movies) and it decoded the Dolby Digital audio to my six-amp audio system. But, it broke. So, I needed to replace it.
I went to Circuit City for a new DVD player. Almost immediately, a salesman zeroed in on me. I told him I just wanted a DVD player, preferably one with Dolby Digital decoding built-in. He informed me that all modern DVD players have such decoders built into him. He had just proved himself clueless. So, I looked around and found a DVD player with a store information tag that said it had a decoder. So, I looked at the back of the unit for six audio outputs and found only two. The tag was wrong.
Giving up on getting a feature I wanted, it no longer mattered much which DVD player I bought. A Zennith was on sale and the salesman suggested it and told me it played more formats that most other players. So, I bought it, in spite of the recommendation from the clueless salesman.
I get it home and find a serious defect. It also wouldn't play my SVCDs, which I could have lived with. But as I had to take it back, I figured I'd insist on one that can play SVCDs. The whole group of salesmen in the video department were clueless as to which would play SVCDs. I suggested that many of the Asian-made units might. The Zennith is made in North America. My reasoning was simply that SVCD is a popular format in Asia but has never been promoted in North America. The salesman informed me that it would make no difference where the DVD player was made. Yeah, right. Eventually, I was correctly told that some players might play SVCDs but it the box probably would not say so.
Not only do I have lots of SVCDs, but I also have lots of MPEG4 CDs (think DVD on a CD, for long movies). So, I asked if any of their players could play MPEG4 disks. I was told that some players probably could play those disks, but the box probably would not say so. Uh, if it can play MPEG4, the box is going to say so.
When I asked about looking at the manuals for their display units to see if any supported SVCD, the salesman balked and complained that the manuals are virtually inaccessible but he'd get them if I really wanted to see them.
I left and went to Best Buy. After being approached by a salesman, I asked which DVD player would play SVCDs. The salesman went to ask another salesman and they both agreed that I must have meant S-VHS. After clearing that up, they had no idea which unit would play SVCDs. But, they did offer to check the manuals. One we looked at, the manual said it would not play SVCDs. One said it would play VCDs and the salesman suggested that it would then probably play SVCDs. Yeah, right. But, they did invite me to bring in a SVCD to test on their players.
I then went to WalMart. No ignorant salesman approached me (not to attack salesmen, I understand the high turnover and that these are just college-age kids with part-time jobs). The selection was smaller at Walmart (not that I need a selction of six different brands of essentually identical units), but they did have a Phillips player that said on the box that it would play virtually any disk and the box said it would play MPEG4. It also cost less than most of the units at Best Buy and Circuit City. So, I bought it.
When I took it out of the box, I saw SVCD and other formats displayed on a list on a sticker attached to the unit. Yes, and it plays most of my weird format disks!!!
I know Walmart is unpopular around this forum, but so many times when I go other places, it is Walmart that saves the day. I've shared my experiences in this forum trying to by kitchenware at K-Mart, things they should have but didn't. Only to find what I wanted at Walmart. But, K-Mart can just go out of business for all I care. For the past decade, they've marketed to dykes while writing of the male of the species.
Walmart is popular not because of anticompetitive practices (see Microsoft) but because they do a very good job at what they do.
2004-11-09 17:46 | User Profile
I was looking for a sorround sound and after looking in many of the large strores with their large prices I went to Wal Mart, I saw one for ONLY $50.00 and no tax (no state tax in Oregon) so I decided to try it out and if I didn't like it I could always take it back,,,,,,well, I like so much that I went back and bought me another one.
I know, I know, I am a traitor and helping China take over the world by not buying American,,,,, well, when America meets the quality and prices of China then I'll buy American. No man is an island and neither is a county.
Hummmmmmmmmmmmmm sorry, made a mistake,,,,, as long as the US has the Zionist state of Israel the US will not be alone, tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are,,,,,care to take a guess as to who and what we are???????.