PC TV Tuners

I have ... but I'd rather have an internal card device rather than an external plug-in device. Having said that, the above linked device (or something similar) would work well with my laptop, if I was using that for video captures instead of my main PC.

All the captures I make from Sky channels are done with a similar model connected to my laptop (then edited on a PC). I was initially sceptical that it would work at all considering the low spec of the laptop, but the captures are fine. One issue I do have is that I have to make sure that the laptop's power cable is removed during capture as it causes noise on the audio, though that could be down to the supply being a third party replacement

Off-topic ... I wouldn't recommend using a 3rd party charger. Most of them are cheap dangerous Chinese knock-offs.

You need a ground loop isolator.

You can also see if plugging everything into the same mains socket helps, it does sometimes. I don't recommend disconnecting the earth from the socket, but that usually sorts it as well!

And is potentially lethal. Stupid thing to do unless you know precisely what you are doing and have other safety precautions in place. Earths are there for a reason. To stop people being killed.

We keep having trouble with Apple laptops and non-Apple power supplies causing lots of noise on stage. Swapping to a real Apple PSU has solved the problem every time.

I'd never use a 3rd party laptop charger on my MacBooks. PSUs are one area where Apple really do a good job in engineering terms. The official iPhone charger is massively better engineered than a lot of 3rd party models as well. (Remember reading an article looking at teardown comparisons)

The UK version is very difficult to remove from some sockets, I struggled once in a hotel
to remove mine from the wall socket, far too slim and slippery !

I got myself a Euro charger, which far better mechanically, and simply use a Euro-UK adaptor
when travelling in the UK, (though most of my travel is abroad)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Adapter-Charger-White-iPhone/dp/B00AKQTGWM/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ce_6

(No idea if that's a genine Apple charger, illustrative only etc)

Do you mean the original iPhone adaptor (which has a figure-of-8 socket and clip on UK, European, US etc.) or the dedicated UK model? The former is significantly better than the latter - though the latter now seems to be the norm. I agree the dedicated UK one can be a pain. However in internal engineering terms it's apparently a much better design than most (particularly in EMF terms)

I have Europlug inserts for most of my PSUs so don't need adaptors (I keep the Europlug option you often get) and have lots of Europlug figure of 8 cables. Usually carry a European dis-board as well, and a couple of UK adaptors for the few things I have which have 13A UK plugs on them. At one point I used to carry a UK dis board with a Shuko style plug on it - but these days it's less useful (as I have Europlug options for most things - which are more useful out and about if you need to plug in at a cafe)

Yes - I've found the charger for the iPad Mini (which belongs to a relative) to be too slippery as well. It also gets worryingly hot, and the cable has completely broken on it once (saying that, fraying charger cables are hardly an uncommon occurence - both of the cables I've had for my HTC phones have been knackered - and the less said about the phones themselves, the better).

Yep, I was referring to the dedicated UK version



Ah, I'm glad it's not just me then ! The wife refers to all the plugs and socketry I carry as my 'weirdo things'

The 12W charger that comes with iPads still has that design: http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MD836B/A/apple-12w-usb-power-adapter?fnode=3c