As more and more people are looking at ways to save money in this hopefully short economic slump companies are offering all sorts of ways to entice the potential customer.  Obviously at the top of the list are cheaper prices.  www.a2000systems.co.uk is like all the other manufacturers out there – we have to balance up what it costs to make an item with what we can sell if for and make a profit.  After all the market is becoming more and more cutthroat with prices being slashed daily.  We have always tried to give you the customer real value for money with our range of products.  Some may feel that maybe our products are a bit expensive but we feel that instead of selling a dirt-cheap item our products are worth paying that bit extra for.  We take great care and pride in what we do and sell and are always looking at ways to give that bit extra in this ever-increasing competitive market. For example the bracket that we supply when you purchase our “Corner Wall Bracket” not only is sturdy and can tilt but also should you find that you no longer want your TV mounted in the corner of you room you can then re-use it to mount the screen on a flat wall.  Why pay peanuts when spending that bit extra can save you money in the long run.

If you are looking for or maybe you have just recently brought a flatscreen TV and have got a few bob left over then maybe it could worth your while getting a few extras to make your new viewing experience even better.  How about replacing your bog standard SCART leads with some ones that use gold or even some sets of HDMI leads for an improved picture quality.  Then there’s the option of replacing your old DVD player with a Blu-Ray player or why not think about a PS3, that has one built in so you can kill two birds with one stone (blu-ray player and games console all in one) Often these days blu-ray/DVD players are part of a 5.1 Home Cinema System so maybe that’s an easier option rather than going to buy the component parts separately (who knows you may save a few quid??)  Then there’s the choice between standard-def or high-def Freesat receivers even though some TV’s may have these built in.  Once upon a time it was just a case of buying a new TV (unless you were a visual/audio junkie) but nowadays it can come will all manner of extras, which need to be put somewhere.  If you still have your old table which you used to place your CRT screen on then that cuts out the need for a brand new stand which may cost as little as £30ish or may run into several hundred pounds (only down size is that you may need a bigger one if you invest in extra equipment) One answer is to place your TV on the wall but then is the question of all the other bits.  Here at A2000 Systems we sell not only the wall mounting brackets but also a wide selection of cable management systems which are not only practical (they hide away all those leads and cables) but also will never look out of date with their stylish and contemporary look.  Also they represent real value for money in these cash strapped times.  So if you have managed to get a good deal on a new flatscreen be it LCD/LED/Plasma then why not treat yourself to that little “EXTRA”??

Sequels seem as anticipated as the original movies and with the release of “Iron Man 2″ (a fav character of one of my brothers) this looks to be no exception.  This time it sees Tony Stark having to deal with Russian madman Whiplash whilst at the same time contending with alluring SHIELD agent Black Widow.  I did like the original version - as with most films of this genre it had all the elements (good guy v bad guy, action, special effects etc) and was well liked by a broad selection of viewers (there are still those die-hard comic book fans who will disagree).  Making a comic book adaption is always going to be fraught with danger as its a case of making a movie that appeals to as wide an audience as possible.  This brings me back to the task of making a good sequel and there were some good ones and some bad ones.  The original Tim Burton “Batman” was a superb piece of cinematography (it was dark,mean and moody) and the follow up “Batman Returns” featured all the classic badies  whici viewers want to see.  After that the character was let down by some really bad movies but now has returned to its darker side which for me is how it should be.  And now there is talk of a sequel to “The Dark Knight” which hopefully will be just as good if not better than the original - its good to see Warner Bros taking there time in getting all the factors to come together rather that rushing to make a quick buck (will we see The Riddler being unleashed?)  Comic book adaptations are always going to be prime candidates for making a series of movies and the trick is to keep viewers hooked by the character be it Batman, Iron-man, Superman, Spiderman etc  We shall have to wait and see??

If you go out into your garden and look skyward the familiar sight of jets flying above our heads indicate that a return to the norm is back upon us.  Even my mum commented it wasnt the same without the planes flying into Luton airport (their house is on the flightpath).  She even got slighty excited when the first one flew overhead!!  Now the airlines are having to deal with the backlog of passengers either returning home or flying out to exotic locations but I imagine that they are just glad that they can go back to earning money again.  Its not just the airlines that are breathing a sigh of relief its all the businesses that are someway connected to the travel business be it the coach operators who ferry passengers to and from the airport terminals or even the travel agents and firms that have been working overtime trying to get things sorted with stranded passengers.  The effects of this volcanic eruption are going to be felt for awhile yet as it takes time to get back to the normal scheme of things and even if things turn nasty again the plans put in place that deal with this sort of situation will need to be adapted if a repeat of the past 7-10 days is to be avoided.  I wonder if a few more days of volcanic ash being spewed forth into the atmosphere would have seriously effected food distribution to the stage that panic buying of some items would have resulted!!  (just look what happens at Xmas when the supermarkets are shut for a day!!)  Fingers crossed that the peace lasts but spare a thought for the businesses that saw an increase in their trade (train/ferry operators and taxi firms) as passengers numbers go back to the norm.  All this mayhem from a island in the North Atlantic!

Getting a product just right can sometimes be a struggle.  May have a great idea but translating it into a finished product may be not what you had envisaged.  With our original range of Cable Management Systems we felt that we had come up with a unique product that no one else made and sold.  Somewhere to place you visual/audio accessories and also hiding those cable that came with them.  Sales were fantastic as the public clambered to buy not only this concept but also the fact that they were stylish and well designed.  After awhile we looked at the CMS and it became apparent that things could be improved with it whilst keeping the concept but improving its looks.  With the old system if one of the glass panels became broken it generally meant that the whole product was discarded but now as the glass panels were magnetised (an idea taken from it big brother the XPC) it was a simple case of buy another panel from us then replace the broken one with no fuss or mess involved.  Also this idea had the added bonus of should you fancy a change of either glass or framework colour then simply buy another colour one from us and you then haven’t wasted money on a whole new unit and look.  Its not just about coming out with a product that suits a target need there and then but also having an item that can be flexible should the public’s moods change and thus helping out you financially.  As TV makers release flatscreens in other colours people do like to have matching furniture and a prime example is Samsung with their Series 6+8 screens.  We do the larger XPC cable managements in a choice of Bold or Fade but at the moment not the SPX range, as we haven’t had much call to do so.  You never know if manufacturers product a blue telly we may sell a blue CMS – who knows??

Here’s another piece of sound advice – make sure you are watching your TV in the right aspect ration.  If you are watching something “square” (4:3 ratio) on your widescreen your TV’s likely default settings will zoom the picture to fill the screen.  This means that the picture will look stretched horizontally and the picture will be magnified by your TV, which inevitably leads to loss of the picture quality.  Widescreens can also magnify to fill the screen pictures using a wider aspect ration than 16:9 again leading to the potential of loss of quality – with the left and right edges of the picture being pushed off the screen (sometimes it’s the action happening in these areas that you want to view and are important to the plot) If you are worried that you are not seeing the best picture then manually check that your TV shows all anamorphic sources using its fixed 16:9 widescreen setting (sometimes put on the menu as “FULL”) and all the 4:3 sources using its fixed setting.  Having a flatscreen that automatically adjusts can be useful but there are instances when it flicks between ratios and you lose picture quality (people are shown short and dumpy/thin and stretched etc) and there’s nothing worse than missing bits of a programme or film because it’s cut off the edges.  Again personal preference comes into play and some people may prefer ratios that are maybe not what the film or programme was shot it.  So take it off automatic and you may just find an aspect ratio that enlivens your whole viewing experience??

Well who would have thought it – an island in the North Atlantic Ocean causing worldwide disruption!  Global news at the moment is dominated by the continuing eruption of the Eyjafjoell (looks like a bunch of random Scrabble tiles) volcano.  This is causing not only travel chaos across Europe but is now spreading its tentacles across the globe.  Its last big bang was in 1821 (wonder how it effected travel back then?) and has been active since 1992 but this time its really angry again.  With flights grounded and the timeline for flights to restart seemingly being put back twice a day things are not looking good for the millions of people stranded abroad and looking to get back to family and loved ones.  Also with planes grounded airlines are counting the cost and there is talk of airlines laying people off if this situation continues.  And it’s not just the airlines that transport passengers who are feeling the eruption.  Companies and businesses that really on air transport to carry their goods are having to leave them in warehouses with food producers feeling it harder as their products rot as time goes by.  Even now some airlines have started to fly empty planes to see if it’s safe to resume flights – we shall have to wait and see if they risk it carrying people?  Icelandic farmers are trying to save their herds from the toxic ash and even Iceland’s top volcanic expert is stuck in Paris so he’s missing out on valuable research (how ironic is that!)  The Japanese motorcycle GP had been postponed from 25^th April because of the travel chaos caused by Eyjafoell.  With no let up in sight things are looking bleak for a lot of us with everyone counting the cost of one of Iceland’s volcanoes blowing its top!!!  Even my Mum says its strange not seeing and hearing any planes flying overhead!

The year 2010 is already shaping up for things to get really big in the world of home entertainment. It would be impossible to cover every angle but with Digital already making inroads into our living rooms and 3D TV poised to make its presents felt it will only be a matter to time before these and other innovations are the norm in our homes. TV manufacturers are already selling HD-ready flatscreens with most if not all not eyeing up producing LED versions. Then there’s 3D again TV makers are beginning to see the potential to offer that cinema experience whilst sitting in your favourite armchair – with a choice to 2 competing technologies that each require you to wear a set of natty glasses who can predict how fast this new experience will spread across the globe (there’s even talk of viewing 3D with spec’s but we shall have to wait and see) The release of movies in 3D will hopefully see a tie in with the release of 3D Blu-ray players – its no good have a player with no films to watch on it is there? Disney will be a firm favourite in the 3D movie field with both new and older titles being made available. The home games console market has the potential to offer something really exciting with the PS3 being able to be modified to play 3D movies. Fingers crossed in the near future these consoles will not only tie in with great software but you will be able to interact with the images via strange looking glasses and sensors in gloves etc. At A2000 systems we make and sell unique pieces of furniture that serve a practical purpose whilst being stylish and looking up to date whatever equipment you may have or wish to buy in the future. Technology may change in leaps and bounds but having something to put it on that never dates is what we try to give you.

The movie is not only about the film its all the extras that are attached to it that makes it what it is in some peoples eyes.  The list of cult classic movies is forever growing and along with the usual suspects there are films that you wouldnt expect to be on the list.  Again its where personnal preference comes into play.  The world of sci-fi be it film or TV is a classic case with subjects like “Star Wars” and “Dr Who” both enjoying that cult status.  And with that comes legions of fans who with collect any item to with their favourite icon.  You name it if there is an object devoted to a particular film/series some fan will have it in their collection -  the list can be endless whether its a figure, poster, book, DVD etc.  Its also surprising what is available and just when you think you have seen and maybe collected everything up pops a “rare/unusual” object some budding fan will give an arm for.  I really like the Oliver Stone movie ”JFK” (I know not the most accurate film of all all time but you get the jist of the plot) and have got 3 versions on VHS and 2 versions on DVD and probably out there someone will have the book of the script and the T-shirt as well as other items.  The list of any merchandise will also seem to grow over time and now more and more comic book characters are making it onto the big screen also the number of fans will grow too.  One of my favourite websites sells t-shirts and other merchandise inspired by the fictional places, companies/corporations and products from the movies.  Heres a few : “Skynet” from Terminator, “Dapper Dan” from Oh brother where art thou, “Devils Tower” from Close Encounters, “Kobayashi Porcelein” from Usual Suspects - the list goes on and on!!   So its not all about the TV series or film its more than just that - it has far reaching tentacles that forever grow and grab the public with its endless round of merchandise and tie-in products.  You name it the fans will buy it!!!!

These days who hasn’t either heard of or have now made the switch over to digital.  Most people will be pleased with Freeview, but with over 43,000,000 screens in the UK that receive a signal over the terrestrial airwaves, many of these will need an aerial upgrade.  With the outgoing analogue signal a perfect signal was not always required to produce a watchable image but in the digital age you will need a clean and strong signal or the picture will disappear entirely.  Most aerials that are being used at the moment with analogue TV can be checked by using “Digital UK”s postcode checker and then by trying out the Teletext test pattern which is transmitted on p284 of the main terrestrial analogue channels.  Whilst these checks are not conclusive and cannot be used by everyone due to various factors at least it may give you some indication whether an aerial upgrade is required.  If you want to be reassured then seek advice from a reputable installer or retailer.  If your aerial don’t deliver the digital goods then it may be that a good service is all that’s needed as things like strong winds and resting birds may knock them out of alignment or maybe cable connections could do with replacing.  Then there’s the sun and the rain which all can have an effect on your aerial set-up so a visit from an installer may be a must to check you out from top to bottom.  Getting an installer who carries CAI (Confed.of Aerial Installers) accreditation is a must these days not only for knowing the job has been done right but also that they are not going to rip you off.  So don’t just think it’s a case of having a long ladder and a head for heights – getting the right aerial and set up may be worth leaving in the hands of a professional.  An outdoor aerial is obviously the ideal way to receive digital reception but some people need to rely on an indoor version with plenty of choice available costing from a tenner upwards.  So don’t look at a new flatscreen – spend the time, do some homework and then you can really enjoy the digital revolution!!