STACK #199 May 2021

LIFE TECH FEATURE

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Sometimes it’s just best to let the experts do it. Words Adam Colby

into what a professional installation service entailed. All the personnel are professionally trained to complete the job as quickly, safely and efficiently as possible. The most popular services are TV set-up and connect, and TV wall mount. The former includes connecting a TV on an existing surface such as a cabinet, tuning and linking it to Wi-Fi and streaming apps, and also setting up five existing plug-and-play peripherals including gaming consoles and 4K players. On top of that you get up to a 15-minute tutorial on how to use your newTV and access all of your content. The latter service features all of the above plus the mounting of the TV to a wall. And that aforementioned mass of packing is responsibly disposed of, too. Before the technicians arrive, make sure you have your Wi-Fi name and password and your usernames and passwords for your streaming platforms on hand. All cables and mounting brackets must be purchased by the customer and ready to use ahead of the installation date. If you need However, if you want your cables buried in the wall, depending on the wall's material and location, you can pay an additional charge for the JB technicians to undertake that work for you. Overall pricing for the installation will depend on the size of the TV being installed and what you want done. And it’s not just limited to TVs, either – all audio and home theatre set- ups are also catered for. Speaking from experience, enlisting the service of a professionally trained technician to install your TV and complete an overall set up is a smart decision. additional power or aerial points, you’ll need to arrange a qualified electrician to install them.

How long will it take? It’s recommended that you allow one hour for set-up and connect jobs, and two for wall mounting services. Will they take away my old TV? Yes, but that is an additional cost because the TV will need to be disposed of at an approved E-Waste centre. Will the technician connect my existing devices? Up to five existing devices will be connected as part of the installation cost. However, if you have more than five, you can pay to have additional devices connected. Is it cheaper if I already have a bracket mounted to the wall? The technician will have to evaluate, test and potentially relocate an existing bracket and as such, there is no discount for brackets already mounted. Quick Qs

L et me tell you a story. Last year, confined to the four walls of my home and periodically surrounded by children who never quite grasped the idea behind home ‘schooling’, I convinced myself (it didn’t take long, to be fair) to take the plunge on a new 75” Samsung TV. Of course, with the TV came the need for a bracket to fix this onyx rectangle spectacular to the wall. So to try and save money, and armed with some DIY knowledge, I opted to self-install. Big mistake! It all started with the box it was

delivered in. There’s an extraordinary amount of packaging involved here and you’ll need to pay to have it properly disposed of – a cost I didn’t consider. And then came the install. First, some wrongly-marked holes and a stud finder that couldn’t find timber

in a forest. After more wrong holes and a titanic struggle, the bracket was finally affixed to the wall. Now for the TV, which my wife and I struggled to hook on to the bracket. One end would attach but the other wouldn’t. That’s when the swearing started. When we finally succeeded, we realised that not all of the HDMI cables had been connected. Off it came again and another struggle ensued to get it back onto the rail. And then I noticed the TV was slightly out of level. It broke me. In all, it had taken close to four hours of sweat, blood and tears. Was it worth it? Not a chance. Intrigued, I looked

14 MAY 2021

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