A Small TV For Bedroom Without Any Stress
| Reuben Howe
Kids getting their hands on technology is hardly the omen it used to be, with games and toys not to mention education itself involving technology and computing in ways we could never have imagined understanding so young. But, for all these improvements technology can still provide access to too much, too soon.
For some, allowing kids access to the internet is no different to when they were young themselves and found new, weird, exciting music on a radio station no one in the family talked about! For others, the possibility of the unknown is too much.
One key moment is this development of independence and media consumption is the “Am I allowed a TV in my room?” debate. We’re not here to tell you the right answer to that question, but as a tech retailer dedicated to getting the most practical and high-end technology into customer hands, we can provide an example of an adaptive, safe option.
A TV in the Bedroom: The Potential Issues
First of all, let’s identify what we’re trying to offer a flexible solution for in the first place!
- Sleep Schedule. Keeping a TV in the bedroom offers easy access to TV, which can make the TV being on a default or more common state. Being able to flick it on and off from bed generally results in much more flicking on, than off
- Content Control. Just like other media, the moment a child gets access to unrestricted browsing (Even on something like YouTube Kids…) there can be a danger of certain Adult content being seen
- World Interaction. Having such easy access to entertainment helps a child explore the huge array of genres and shows and people that present them, but also encourages one single room to be the hub of all they do. A separate room encourages TV watching to be more active and a decision rather than a passive time-killer that paralyses all choice of other actions
There may be other, more specific concerns for different families but in general the ideas of isolation, repetitive habit formation, sleep schedule changes and finally seeing unsuitable content are the main culprits.
A Small TV For Bedroom Without the Harm
So, the question for August as manufacturers then becomes “How do we make a TV which can be suitable for a child’s first small TV for their bedroom?”. Quite apart from all the usual spiel about 100+ Freeview channels and extreme portability there are many features that add to the DA100s ability to be a flexible, safe first TV.
#1 Channel Manager and Removal
The DA100 System software allows you to move, remove and lock channels as well as create favourites. This simple but robust system allows you to easily delete a channel from the list entirely. Not only will the channel be skipped when using CH+ and CH- but it will also not appear in the EPG when looking at what is coming up.
Favourites can be used to provide a list of “safe” channels and make navigation easier for younger children as they can choose from a set list in just a few buttons.
#2 Battery Power Limitations
Using a small portable TV for a bedroom and keeping the power cable / batteries in another room or out of reach is a great way to enforce a screentime limit, save energy, and encourage time management. If a kid knows they’ll only eke 4 hours or so of use per charge then they may decide what to watch, when, and learn important control skills.
Ultimately though, a hard-timer like limited charge is at the very least a stopping point that can be easily measured and controlled.
#3 Multimedia Playback Options
Having a TV unit that’s all-in-one like DA100 gives a whole other way to have a small TV in the bedroom. You can record Live or scheduled TV in real time and store the recordings on USB. In fact, you can store just about any media on there so long as it is in the right format. Movies, show episodes, documentaries and even news snippets can all be added to the storage and played back through an easy menu. These recordings can even be renamed.
This gives you a way to show a select, pre-chosen and pre-recorded range of shows on the TV. You won’t even need an aerial connected this way, which makes use even more convenient and less likely to be problematic with cable tugging and such.
In the same way a kid might put on a DVD or binge watch a season of a kids show on Disney+, you can create a personalised USB or Hard Drive just for them with actual Live TV pre-recorded on it. There’s still so much entertainment and knowledge as well as real life presenters on live TV channels which can add variety and engagement compared to mindlessly spamming a subscription service.
#4 Portability Adds Flexibility
Setting up a whole wall-mounted TV just as a trial run can be arduous, and all that work might need to be undone (With money wasted). However, using a portable TV like this which can double as a recorder / monitor makes testing the concept easy. You can limit screen time and enforce hours more easily by simply removing the whole TV from the room!
It also means that if a child does find the experience of their own bedroom TV enriching and beneficial you can take the DA100 away on holidays and trips to make sure they have their own personal screen space. Provided they haven’t reached the age for a phone or tablet, a TV like this used in moderation that is “theirs” to some degree can begin the process of learning about responsibility for technology and how they use it. Particularly, the moderation of that use, which the small and lightweight DA100 is perfectly suited for.
Find What Works for You
As with so many real-world applications of technology, every situation is different. What works for one family might not for anyone else! We do our best at Daffodil to supply tech which allows you to easily solve problems you might have with simple solutions. Like our USB-TV tuners skipping out needing a TV and Set Top entirely if you have a PC, or the LEC800 providing a small and easy-to-use solar light without silly installation costs.
If you’re looking to getting a small TV for a child’s bedroom then a portable alternative may be a better starting place which offers flexibility, security, greater control and also a whole host of other uses should the idea fall flat!
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