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Useful
Advice for Tourists Visiting China |
Using TV's
and Computers
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Introduction:
This page contains general information for
Tourists, and should be read in conjunction with larger
topics that have separate and dedicated pages of their
own
Topics on this page include:
Televisions
Computers
Chinese Television
Television sets
These come in three basic styles: small sets of around
22 inches, standard sets of about 31 inches, and latest
technology LCD and Plasma screens. Expect to pay Y1500,
Y2500, and Y6000 plus respectively - and according to
specifications and size etc
Virtually all sets will have stereo speakers and rear
connections for several dozen linked pieces of equipment.
All the well known Western brands have a large presence
in China, but also consider the locally made Skyworth,
TCL and National Brands, which offer excellent quality
at more reasonable prices
Note:
Only better sets will have multi-language capabilities,
and these will offer a minimum of Chinese and English.
We recommend these for foreigners in particular, and
when the shop delivers, please ask the installation
guy to put it into English language for you - just say
'English' and he will understand what you mean
Channels
There is usually some basic form of terrestrial signal
you can get via aerial, but these tend to be of poor
quality, half a dozen channels only, and with unreliable
signals.
Cable. Nearly everybody uses cable,
which are additional set top boxes just as in the West.
Local hire for the box and remote is around Y600 one-off
payment. You will also pay your building management
around Y17 per month for the service provision, and
this is included in your monthly building charges
There are normally about 150 channels, of which between
3 and 6 will be in English. You should receive at least
100 of these as standard. Some channels are premium
rate and added additionally as separates, or in a pack.
ESPN Sports from Hong Kong is usually one of these
However, before you go spending money, check out the
suppliers menu contained within the set, as there will
be 10 or so service supply companies in your bundle.
One of these is an audio only music channel; but the
others offer different combinations of TV channels,
and often mix up the channel numbers also. The English
channels are usually any three from: 14, 15, 24, 37
Satellite is also available in a lot
of areas, but it can also be illegal depending on your
exact situation. We are not sure just how this works,
but think it has to do with the receiving dishes being
disallowed on some buildings, rather than an issue with
satellite reception itself - so get some help when enquiring.
Satellite does have package systems as in the West,
and can offer over 30 English language channels including:
ATV and TVB from Hong Kong, English channels from local
Chinese companies such as Guangzhou TV and TVS. Then
there are the foreign imports such as BBC and ITV from
UK, plus Sky channels, and network channels from USA
etc. There are also hundreds of Chinese channels, and
also some other foreign language channels available.
Installation can be expensive at around Y3, 000; but
monthly charge for the English Language pack is about
Y30 per month ($4), which is excellent value!
Modern digital boxes are available for both Satellite
and Cable systems, offering the latest in hard drive
recording facilities and many other useful tricks. You
will need help from a Chinese person who also actually
understands what you are talking about in order to find
out how to get these options. Just know they are available
in China ... somehow?
Computers
Cyber-Cafes
Computers are very popular and common in China and even
small towns will usually have one or two internet cafes.
Big cities have numerous cyber-cafes which are often
marked by either the QQ motif (A couple of black, white
and yellow cute birds) or the chinese character that
is a square with two 'x's inside it. The right side
of the square may be open. You will only see this character
at internet outlets, which are usually reached via a
flight of steps from street level. Whilst the entrance
may look like any of the other holes in a wall, saying
"QQ" will probably be all you need to ask
directions and confirm location.
Internet cafes are usually cheap at a few RMB per hour,
but can vary considerably regarding equipment. Some
may be running old pc's with Windows 98, whilst the
vast majority will be new models running Windows XP
service pack 1. You will probably need permission to
use memory sticks and other media, which will be virus
scanned before you can proceed. Otherwise you will probably
be there to catch up with your email. Most Chinese will
either be there for the same reason, or to play online
games.
Computers:
If you are buying a computer in China, then consider
what you need and how much you want to pay. Both laptops
and desktop versions are plentiful, and tend to be about
12 months behind the latest Western specifications.
Legitimate second-hand computers are about half the
price of the equivalent new one, and are actually made
by small retailers from new parts which they assemble
for you. Do not buy laptops on the streets - these are
stolen machines and may pose viral threats and have
other nasty things included + you will never see the
seller again
Buy your computer from a good shop in a town, or go
to your cities 'Computer City'. Foshan has one above
the main bus station, where they sell everything you
can imagine. Next door is a slightly occluded building
which sells the 'Second Hand' versions.
If you are not a computer buff, then stick with the
main retail outlets and go for 'Lenovo' brand. Chinese
'Asus' Motherboards are fine and of high standard also.
A computer of good standard and functions will cost
about Y4, 000 including screen, mouse, keyboard, Windows
XP, and everything you need to make it work. Second
hand are about half this price, but specifications do
vary considerably - so you need to know what you are
doing. Expensive models are obviously generally better
- but may be designed specifically as games machines
and pretty useless for office functions. For the technical's,
your typical Y4K machine will come with: 1Mb Ram, 120
Gigabyte Hard disc, DVD reader and CD writer combo,
Windows XP SP1, Office 2003, plus many USB ports and
expansion slots. Laptops will have similar specs and
prices.
Problems
Normally there are no problems re build quality, manufacturing
faults, etc. You will also have a guarantee that is
effective. Problems tend to arise because of confusion
and language
It is worth specifying that your version of XP is Service
Pack 2 or higher, as this has full compatibility with
many software components like downloaded anti-virus
programs, messenger and chat applications, etc. Ensure
you have the English Language version of your operating
system installed - otherwise you will be left with a
computer that defaults to Chinese Language irritatingly
often (This is a technical comment, not a simple user
issue which is fine). This means installing programs
in other languages can be virtually impossible, or at
best is accomplished in Chinese
We suggest you install the English operating system
version, and then change it to Chinese language. This
will work fine most of the time, but when installing
some applications you may need to change the computer
language back to English to avoid installing something
in Chinese. The opposite is also true, and some English
language programs have to be installed with the computer
set to Chinese Language, as otherwise the package cannot
be read - AutoCad and CorelDraw are good examples of
this
Normal people will not encounter any of these problems,
but computer geek's will
Windows Vista and Office 2007 are available in China,
but nobody is using them. Office 2007 is actually being
uninstalled and upgraded to Office 2003
Mac and Linux are commonly available also. Geek's will
know all about Linux; whilst if you are a normal person
buying a Mac, then go for the Mac 10 operating system
- it is very compatible with virtually everything (One
way or another)
Peripherals and storage
As you would expect, most common add-ons are available
everywhere. Things like webcam's and headsets cost around
Y100, as do 1Gb memory sticks and 100 writeable blank
CD's of DVD's. Printer / Copier / Scanner machines are
freely available and to very high specifications. Some
also incorporate fax for a price. Chinese tend not to
do desktop speakers as we know them, and instead use
dedicated sound systems with base speaker and control
box + two satellite speakers. At around Y300 for a good
one these are excellent, but bulky
Other add-ons are available, such as Zip drives and
Sound or Graphics cards. Normally Chinese computers
come with basic onboard sound - which means they do
not have a sound recorder - which in turn means they
cannot do speak programs like Skype. Be careful here!
Keyboards will be in English, but usually have the @
and " keys reversed. Most Mouse are two button
and wheel. More complex versions are available for Y200
or less
We will finish this introduction here, but please
contact us if you need more specific help
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This
information is as supplied by the Chinese Embassy in
UK, as dated 20th June 2008, and/or other reliable sources.
Please check this information yourself as it may alter
without notice, and whilst we try our best to ensure
it is correct, please do not hold us responsible for
any errors - this is intended as a simple guide only |
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