We're pleased to say the cottage has just gone "smart". Just in terms of audio-visual options though - we have upgraded the TV in the cottage to a Smart TV, which also happens to be bigger, higher resolution and more energy efficient. The "smart" moniker refers to the fact that the TV is also connected to the internet and so amongst various clever things it can stream video on demand. For many people this is probably becoming the norm: BBC, ITV and C4 catch up services are all there. It has a useful EPG (Electronic Programme Guide). And that's all great.
What it does not have and the old TV did, is any ability to play DVDs. We used to put a modest varied selection of DVDs in the cottage in case anyone wanted to just snuggle up and be entertained if there was nothing on. But it seems even DVDs are slowly becoming older technology. Instead we're offering Netflix to guests. This means a huge range of TV shows and films, including entire "box sets" of series are available, to play on demand, and to pause and pick up again if wanted. So a vastly bigger selection than before, and it keeps growing and keeps up-to-date.
Why now? Of course one of the sustainable challenges of modern life is the fast turnaround of advancing technology, with people needing to upgraded computers, phones, TVs and much more well before the older product actually fails. The best sustainable approach is to try and make technology last as long as possible before moving it on. In our case though the change is because we needed a TV for our Annexe which we are refurbishing and plan to offer on weekends, via AirBnB (more on this in the next post). So rather than buy a new TV for the Annexe we have moved the cottage one over, and took the opportunity to ensure the cottage remains as premium as possible.
What it does not have and the old TV did, is any ability to play DVDs. We used to put a modest varied selection of DVDs in the cottage in case anyone wanted to just snuggle up and be entertained if there was nothing on. But it seems even DVDs are slowly becoming older technology. Instead we're offering Netflix to guests. This means a huge range of TV shows and films, including entire "box sets" of series are available, to play on demand, and to pause and pick up again if wanted. So a vastly bigger selection than before, and it keeps growing and keeps up-to-date.
Why now? Of course one of the sustainable challenges of modern life is the fast turnaround of advancing technology, with people needing to upgraded computers, phones, TVs and much more well before the older product actually fails. The best sustainable approach is to try and make technology last as long as possible before moving it on. In our case though the change is because we needed a TV for our Annexe which we are refurbishing and plan to offer on weekends, via AirBnB (more on this in the next post). So rather than buy a new TV for the Annexe we have moved the cottage one over, and took the opportunity to ensure the cottage remains as premium as possible.
Postscript: this blog title is a little homage to a comedy programme I loved as a young teen. Some of the older readers of this blog might remember the American TV comedy "Get Smart", a satire-cum-spoof of the James Bond films written in part by the wonderful Mel Brooks. The lead character, a secret service agent, was an inept and bumbling character in the mould of Inspector Clouseau (the equally wonderful Peter Sellers in The Pink Panther), but in this case armed with the most idiotic of secret weapons.
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