[l34052]

Ive been lookin at the offers over at Brighthouse and they have a 42" HD LCD TV that on face value looks ok but its made by Baird; a company ive never heard of before let alone the tv itself.

Does anyone else know anythin bout the company or tv or, well.....anythin!!!

This is the tv by the way

Originally Posted by l34052

Ive been lookin at the offers over at Brighthouse and they have a 42" HD LCD TV that on face value looks ok but its made by Baird; a company ive never heard of before let alone the tv itself.

Does anyone else know anythin bout the company or tv or, well.....anythin!!!

:

John Logie Baird was the first person to demonstrate a working TV system. The Baird brand was used by Radio Rentals for their sets in the sixties. They were actually re-badged Fergusons. Ferguson was sold by their owners Thorn EMI to Thomson some 15-20 years ago. Thomson sold their TV business to a Chinese company about a year ago ( See the last couple of pages of the Technosonic 32" LCD TV thread). Since the Baird brand was probably sold along with Ferguson to Thomson I expect the brand is now owned by this Chinese company.

[jeffod]

i didn't realise baird were still on the go,we rented a video by baird for years,years ago !!!!!

i dont mean to be funny but at that price £1200 im sure there are much better quality screens out there than that one!!!(lg,samsung,sony etc)
as for the company 29.9% on finance,sorry but thats a rip off......... be better to get a personel loan at 5.5-6% from the bank.

beware

[chrise]

Originally Posted by l34052

Ive been lookin at the offers over at Brighthouse and they have a 42" HD LCD TV that on face value looks ok but its made by Baird; a company ive never heard of before let alone the tv itself.

Does anyone else know anythin bout the company or tv or, well.....anythin!!!

This is the tv by the way

These will be rebranded Chinese no name sets somebody having bought the Baird name. Brighthouse are really selling extortionate sub prime credit. As has been pointed out 29.9% APR is rip off beware!

[ianh64]

Originally Posted by chrise

These will be rebranded Chinese no name sets somebody having bought the Baird name. Brighthouse are really selling extortionate sub prime credit. As has been pointed out 29.9% APR is rip off beware!

I agree. Brighthouse are the trading name for Caversham Finance Ltd. I am not saying they are dodgy, but have been somewhat unfair in the past.

http://www.crw.gov.uk/Undertakings+a...blic/719_1.htm

Brighthouse would appear to be a TV rental scheme in disguise. The following is an extract from a filler page. Worth a look to read it in full. It also explains the branding.

Originally Posted by http://www.sustainablepss.org/casestudies/rentals/rentals.php

Corporate history of Brighthouse (ex Crazy George’s, for pre-1994 corporate history, please see the case of Box Clever and Thorn EMI, above): In April 1994, Thorn EMI launched its Crazy George's electrical goods and furniture rental chain. The chain is oriented at the ‘cash restrained,’ i.e. those low-income households that normally have difficulty obtaining credit. The first store opened in Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham in April 1994. Crazy George’s recently changed their trading name to Brighthouse and BrightHouse is in turn the trading name of Caversham Finance Limited which, as a subsidiary of Thorn Group PLC, was taken private in September 1998 in a deal arranged and financed by the Principal Finance Group of Nomura. There are currently 99 stores. 10 are in London, with the remainder located in the South Coast, the Midlands, the North West, the North East, Yorkshire and Scotland. BrightHouse employ in excess of 1,000 staff nationwide. All stores operate as individual business units [corporate information drawn from the following sources: RTO, 2002d; Brighthouse website: www.brighthouse.info/companyinfo.asp.

[chriszzzzzz]

Brighthouse...If you buy anything from there the interest rates are really high. Usually take advantage of people who cannot get finance from elsewhere. Usually those on a low income. If you miss more than one payment they send the boys round to reposses. I'm not surprised they are selling cheap stuff at inflated prices as well as high interest rates...

[Crafty]

LC42XD1E sharp is only 1285 from dixons (use DEC30 and PERKZ40NEW codes to drop price), its also 1080p.
I think the Toshibas WLT66/WLT68 are around the same money.

Originally Posted by l34052

Ive been lookin at the offers over at Brighthouse and they have a 42" HD LCD TV that on face value looks ok but its made by Baird; a company ive never heard of before let alone the tv itself.

Does anyone else know anythin bout the company or tv or, well.....anythin!!!

This is the tv by the way

Not sure if its the same model but ive seen 2 Baird lcd's in customers houses and the picture quality on tvdrive through hdmi was excellent. Just as good as any Panasonic or Hitachi i've seen.

[rogerft]

Originally Posted by l34052

Ive been lookin at the offers over at Brighthouse and they have a 42" HD LCD TV that on face value looks ok but its made by Baird; a company ive never heard of before let alone the tv itself.

Does anyone else know anythin bout the company or tv or, well.....anythin!!!

This is the tv by the way

I wouldn't touch either with a bargepole!!

The TV is expensive and a now unknown brand, it will have little resale value and I expect mediocre performace.

With known retailers, providing excellent customer service, selling premium brands why on earth anyone would contemplate buying the above is beyond me.

If you want a good deal look at what people are buying at John Lewis on the price match thread. You can buy a premium set with a five year warranty that will have resale value....

If you need credit, buy on one of the 0% credit card deals - have a look at www.moneysavingexpert.co.uk

[RockySpieler]

It's refreshing to see an informative thread, clearly answering the OP's question. No flaming or rhetoric.

Hopefully WHEN other people in the future SEARCH for Baird or Brighthouse they will find this thread.

[l34052]

Thanks everyone who replied, it seems Brighthouse are sellin lemons for extortionate prices then.

Im gonna wait til the new yr now and see what the sales bring, thanks for savin me alot've headaches with regard to brighthouse

i had a 37" baird from brighthouse.from day one we had problems with it. it would freeze and flash all different colours. the speaker connection was cheap and nasty and it didnt have any audio out sockets. keep away from baird. i couldnt find bugger all about them either. i think brighthouse are getting alba or someone to build them

Originally Posted by monty110884

i had a 37" baird from brighthouse.from day one we had problems with it. it would freeze and flash all different colours. the speaker connection was cheap and nasty and it didnt have any audio out sockets. keep away from baird. i couldnt find bugger all about them either. i think brighthouse are getting alba or someone to build them

oh yeah u cant get the volume to work on a v+ box either with the baird not the 37" model i had anyway

[sii_d]

this thread is absolutely useless. i'm trying to find more information about the baird tv i have got from brighthouse. before you holier then thou people judge me, i'm just a young bloke with a fiancee and little lad who wants a better tv NOW! i've had mobiles etc in the past that have effected my credit brighthouse is a rip off yeah but its easy and we can afford it, pay it off earlier, get a good deal etc. so you guys talking about the finance and brighthouse answer these more relevant questions i have please.

1. Does the TV perform?? I have PS3 so will be playing and watching in 1080p hi def, is the tv good for this? Is the sound quality good or poor? What is the lifespan of the TV?

2. My parents in law have bought us a TV stand for it. It is a Matrix Black Glass TV Unit from Argos worth about £50. It says in the book with it that it will support up to 32", mine is 42". Maximum weight stand will support is 75kgs. I don't know what my TV weights, been trying to find out on the net when i stumbled on this! Will the Argos stand support the Baird TV?

Thanks in advance guys and merry christmas!


Si

[boudicca]

Originally Posted by sii_d

this thread is absolutely useless. i'm trying to find more information about the baird tv i have got from brighthouse. before you holier then thou people judge me, i'm just a young bloke with a fiancee and little lad who wants a better tv NOW! i've had mobiles etc in the past that have effected my credit brighthouse is a rip off yeah but its easy and we can afford it, pay it off earlier, get a good deal etc. so you guys talking about the finance and brighthouse answer these more relevant questions i have please.

1. Does the TV perform?? I have PS3 so will be playing and watching in 1080p hi def, is the tv good for this? Is the sound quality good or poor? What is the lifespan of the TV?

2. My parents in law have bought us a TV stand for it. It is a Matrix Black Glass TV Unit from Argos worth about £50. It says in the book with it that it will support up to 32", mine is 42". Maximum weight stand will support is 75kgs. I don't know what my TV weights, been trying to find out on the net when i stumbled on this! Will the Argos stand support the Baird TV?

Thanks in advance guys and merry christmas!


Si

1. No idea, Brighthouse are skimping on the spec details, so you could have bought a pig in a poke or the best thing since Family Guy. Your PS3 may work at 1080p then it might not. All I will say its almost a cert that the payments will outlast your desire for a new telly for Christmas.

2. No idea no spec to say how heavy it is. You got the book....rattle the specs out...will take you ten minutes to type it out here. Personally I would only trust a good solid wood stand that can take my own weight without creaking.

3. When asking for advice, expect answers you don't like....its..life......

[marty2005]

How old are these Baird tvs?

The 47" has 2 hdmi inputs and the 42" has 3 hdmi inputs.

These might be Vestel tvs that are made in Turkey and sold by Argos etc.

I think Ferguson, Grundig and Thomson are all the same brand.

I've had 2 Thomson crt tvs and both went back, the picture was good and so was the 100Hz but when you plugged in the PC it would make a horrible noise, got a refund in the end.

The osd was good looking and the tv actually had 2 separate tuners independent of each other.

I can't remember the model no. but the black one was nice.


Any one remember Rumbalows? I think they've vanished from the high street now.
If you rented out a tv from them and were late on the payment a vampire would come out of a coffin and demand the money - apparently.

[DJC013]

Hello, how about this Toshiba from Currys ??

Link - Currys - Shop for Flat Panel TV - Toshiba 42XV555DB 42" HD-Ready 1080p LCD TV

Regards Damian.

[Chicane-UK]

If you're desperate to get a TV on credit and can't afford one up front, M&S credit card has 10 months interest free on all purchases and Tesco's has 12 months interest free - both available to new customers!

Cheers.

baird tv are made by samsung and sold by brighthouse to people who cant get credit

[RogBole]

Originally Posted by whatabignicknam

baird tv are made by samsung and sold by brighthouse to people who cant get credit

i was in brighthouse and baird is made by phillips this is also why thay have alot of phillips tvs.

i asked them for an instruction manual and told them i could not find anything about who makes them to get one so thay went on there internal database and printed off one for me and told me that they are made by phillips but phillips wont admit it if you called them as they are rebranded for brighthouse

[Hawkswood]

Originally Posted by Chicane-UK

If you're desperate to get a TV on credit and can't afford one up front, M&S credit card has 10 months interest free on all purchases and Tesco's has 12 months interest free - both available to new customers!

If someone has to resort to a company like Brighthouse in order to obtain credit, it's exceedingly unlikely that they will be accepted for a new credit card.

What I would personally do instead is to save up cash for a cheaper, smaller screen TV from a well known brand such as LG, Philips, Samsung or Sharp, etc., and in the meantime rebuild your credit rating using other means. From memory, at least one mobile phone company allowed someone to improve their credit rating using a special SIM only deal if their application for a 'traditional' phone contract is declined, but of course you must be able to comfortably afford regular payments in order for this to work.

[Bat-man]

The very first colour TV pictures I saw were of Wimbledon tennis in a shop window on a Baird TV.
Crikey - time marches on!

[kaybabex]

hi i dont know how out of date these threads are but i feel i should say something. my family have been using brighthouse for a while now and not because we cant get credit, simply it was emergency buys. it started with the fridge/freezer breaking and with a big family we needed one but couldnt afford to buy one up front so it was easier to pay a small amount weekly. unlike someone who said they send round boys to reposses your stuff, this is not true. we have ( by accident or family problem etc) missed a couple of payments but they always rang and tried to sort something out for us. its only if you refuse to pay etc that they will take the stuff back. we have had 2 baird tv's,. both are excellent. i know it may seem a lot and a rip off but many people cannot afford £700+ upfront and this is a good option.

[OldSchoolTech]

Dear Contributors,

I notice this thread's a year old, but thanks to everyone who contributed.

I just bought a Baird LCD 22 Inch TV : Model No: CN22BAI BL (second hand)

Since I work as a tech, I noticed the picture definition isn't too bad, audio is adequate and there's plenty of sockets at the rear of the unit - Including what looks like good old S-Video (Can be used for Playstation 2 Gaming, although I haven't tested that feature yet).

There appears to be a few issues with the "Baird" Brand. Either its owned by Philips, or an anonymous company in China. Since I spend most of my time trying to make things work properly, I've written to Philips tonight, hoping they can clarify whether or not Baird TVs are really Philips in disguise. (I'll post their reply here for anyone who's interested).

I think one contributor mentioned the weight issue. Checking carefully, I noted the weight is printed on the rear of the unit.

(The 22 Inch LCD TV weighs in at a light 6 kg). The lettering is small though, so easy to miss!

Just to add to the confusion, it also clearly states "Made in China" on the back of the set. However, I'm not knowledgeable enough to know if Philips are manufactured in China or not. Under "Other TVs" on the Philips Website, there is no mention of "Baird", so it's still an open question as to who really owns/manufacturers this brand.

Kind Regards, Old School Tech.

PS: Trying to track down a PDF User Manual for this set (There used to be manual providers of tv sets online. If any experts know which the best ones are, I'd be pleased to hear from you).

Also need a remote for this unit - I'm hoping a Universal Remote Control will have a "Baird" code, although since I cannot identify the manufacturer yet, that looks like a hairy chestnut of a challenge to solve.

[John Pickles]

Baird used to be the 'in house' brand of Radio Rentals back in the early to mid eighties. I used to rent my tv and video from them and went through many a different model. I think they were re badged Ferguson kit, but Baird, along with Ferguson is a brand I've not heard of in a long time

JP

[OldSchoolTech]

Dear Contributors,

Thanks for feedback: John Pickles.

Here is the email reply I received from Philips UK:

"Baird are the own brand televisions of the retailer Brighthouse, they are not Philips televisions or owned by Philips."

Email Sent: 24th August, 2011.

Logically then, only way I'll be able to obtain a user manual, parts or further info about the real manufacturer of Baird TVs will be by contacting Brighthouse. This may be a long shot, since I didn't purchase the set from them.

Technical Update:

Examining sound controls yesterday, I noted my Baird LCD TV does have a "surround sound" option in Audio Settings. However, I cannot turn this on without a remote.

Argos cheapest universal remote controller is £7.00. - I'll have to check with Argos first to see if it will work with Baird LCD TVs.

----------

Will attempt to contact Brighthouse to see if they can shed some light on the Baird Brand. (Will post back here).

Kind Regards, OldSchoolTech.

[JayCee]

They're simply made in China and rebadged as Baird, likewise Ferguson.

[OldSchoolTech]

Dear Contributors,

Thanks for feedback: JayCee.

I've been able to make progress with my Baird LCD TV.

Visiting a local "Brighthouse" store today, a very helpful young man informed me Baird are rebranded Philips sets! (As an earlier contributor suggested). Being a Joe Bloggs Consumer, this is all very confusing for me... And, even this young man who works for Brighthouse could not provide me with the name of the Chinese manufacturer who assembles the units!

I told him I'd written to Brighthouse in a determined effort to obtain the true manufacturer (as they are most likely to sell parts, manuals and remotes for the sets). To date, Brighthouse have acknowledged my email, but have not sent a detailed reply.

For anyone having issues with Baird Remote Controls, I can tell you the cheap "Signalex" Universal Remote Control units (found in "Poundshops") will not work with Baird LCD TVs. Although two BAIRD codes are supplied in the Signalex Instruction Booklet, I entered these on numerous occasions, following the instructions carefully. I also attempted the "automatic search" mode (that cycles through all available codes) - No joy.

Miraculously, I was able to obtain a Baird Remote Control (yes, they do exist!) The correct one for Baird LCD TV 22 inch has "BAIRD RC-2" printed in silver letters on its front. Testing this remote, it worked straight away, meaning I will be able to "calibrate" the LCD screen and turn on "Surround Sound".

Another interesting development was the realization these sets are still being manufactured. The sets I saw in Brighthouse today are slightly different, having a red line on their casing at the front. The many sockets I have at the rear of my old Baird LCD Set have vanished on these new sets (although may now be housed behind a panel that I observed on the new sets at Brighthouse).

General Video Quirks:

I still use VHS Tape as well as DVDs. Oddly, the video and audio via SCART VHS is crisper than some DVDs I've been playing. This appears to be a feature of the DVD Disc rather than BAIRD TV set resolution, as other DVDs' video and audio output is crisp, too.

Kind Regards, NB

PS: I'll post a picture of the Baird Remote Control if anyone wants one. Only one company appeared to sell Baird branded parts online and they haven't written back to me.

[Boostrail]

Originally Posted by OldSchoolTech

Dear Contributors,

Thanks for feedback: JayCee.

I've been able to make progress with my Baird LCD TV.

Visiting a local "Brighthouse" store today, a very helpful young man informed me Baird are rebranded Philips sets! (As an earlier contributor suggested). Being a Joe Bloggs Consumer, this is all very confusing for me... And, even this young man who works for Brighthouse could not provide me with the name of the Chinese manufacturer who assembles the units!

I told him I'd written to Brighthouse in a determined effort to obtain the true manufacturer (as they are most likely to sell parts, manuals and remotes for the sets). To date, Brighthouse have acknowledged my email, but have not sent a detailed reply.

I regret the helpful young man is definitely telling a load of porkies as Philips themselves (As do Sony) largely outsource their LCD's to third party manufacturers. Ok they may be assembled by the same outfit who supply one Philips branded model and perhaps also make TV's for other top brands but predominately low spec models for clone brands such as Baird.

As the expected price for a reasonable spec 32" TV seems now to be consolidating at a max of £300 the margins for the upper brands are problemtical. The flat screen bubble has burst. So farm production out to the lowest cost sources except for your premium flagship ( Large, Fully dynamic LED backlit, 3D capable) models

[jono t]

I to have visited brighthouse to check out these Baird tvs, I noticed they also do a 40in led tv in silver, I ask the lady if i could check out the menus in the Baird tv , and she gave me the remote, on checking the EPG it was the exact same EPG as the LG next to it, so was the setup menus and the sub menus. So I would say the 40in size upwards are fitted with LG panels and tuners.