TracyMartin, Author at Snellings Snellings Gerald Giles

Although the British weather normally suggests otherwise, the summer of sport is fast approaching. From Football to Fencing, Taekwondo to Tennis, you will be able to catch it all on the TV very soon. Obviously preparing the perfect front row seat is priority. You’ll want to watch the major sporting events on a set designed to give you optimum picture quality and with a fast processing rate so it can keep up with those dart like shuttlecocks and record breaking 100 metre sprints. So we’re going to take you for a look at the new range of 2016 TVs which give you a personal best on performance when sport is on.

Choosing the best TV for sport can be based on a range of different features. How fast a TV can process images on screen will make the difference between panning over a pitch and only seeing a blurry mess or panning over the pitch and catching every single slight movement by an athlete. If you’re looking at a Samsung TV, then the process rate is measured in Picture Quality Index or PQI for short. Ranging from 100 – 2700 PQI, 2016 Samsung TVs with a high PQI include KS7500 (2200 PQI) and KS8000 (2300 PQI) models. Panasonic measure their refresh rate in Hertz, and their DX750, available in 50, 58 and 65 inch screen sizes boast a fantastic 1800Hz giving the viewer incredible detail despite fast motion pictures on screen.

Sony and Samsung models both benefit from a Sports display setting which will optimise the picture brightness and quality so that you get a vibrant track side seat with as much intricate detail as if you were in the stadium. Replicating the grass in as realistic colour match as possible, the picture will be vivid yet accurate at the same time which gives the viewer a much more authentic feel to any game, set or match.

Sound settings are also taken into account, so if you love to watch sport all season round, on selected Sony TVs, you can select ‘Live Football’ audio mode which will enhance the roar of the crowd and bring the audio atmosphere to your own living room. Failing that, why not upcycle your sound with a soundbar? We have a great range of soundbars to really bring the big crowd booms to your living room. Make sure you’re ready for our Summer of Sport and book yourself a front row on your own sofa. Interested in the latest 2016 TVs? Get in contact with us today to help.

Believe it or not, it’s been over four months since Sven-Hanson Britt was last at Gerald Giles showing off both his and the talents of Miele cooking appliances. Last night was just as informative and flavoursome as the first time he came to visit, preparing equally mouth-watering dishes. Proving exactly why he was a MasterChef: The Professionals 2014 finalist, he made three very tasty dishes a starter, main and dessert.

Fifteen lucky guests were treated to Mackerel fillets with a Soy and Honey Glaze, Cucumber, Fennel and Buttermilk dish to start off the evening. Putting to work Miele’s easy to use (and clean) induction hob as well as oven with full width grill to finish the Mackerel top.

On the menu for mains was Slow Cooked Venison with Parsnips and a Sloe Gin Jus. Making the most out of a Miele SousChef warming drawer, the Venison was gently cooked on a low temperature for over an hour and a half. Not only that, a Miele steam oven was used to gently steam the vegetables and a Teppan-Yaki to sear the Venison after it had finished in the warming drawer.

Finishing with a sweet treat of Poached Rhubarb with Honey and White Chocolate Cremeux and Breton Shortbread. Gentle steaming to the Rhubard was the key to this dish, with the steam locking in the delicate, sweet flavours.

Not only did we get to watch the Miele appliances used demonstrating a range of their abilities, we also learnt that the discrepancy of temperature will only ever be 1°C either side of the temperature you need. So if you want a temperature of 150° it’ll range between 149°C – 151°C making Miele ovens the most accurate on temperature than Which? has ever tested.

If you’re thinking about updating your kitchen and want some advice on what appliances to choose, register your interest in the next Miele evening at Gerald Giles. You can do this in a few different ways, either fill in our contact form, call us on 01603 621772 or email mark.gook@geraldgiles.co.uk.

German based manufacturer Miele are the masters of building innovative, reliable and efficient washing machines. For over 100 years Miele have been creating top notch appliances and to prove the quality and reliability of their products they put them through rigorous testing to the equivalent of 20 years use!

The W1 range all achieve a A+++ energy rating which could help to save money on your energy bills – bonus! But in order for the machine to reach optimum performance cleaning your clothes, after it’s installed you need to make sure that the electronic controls adapt to on-site conditions so a one off calibration needs to take place before any dirty laundry is loaded. To allow this to happen properly:

Once the rotary selector is turned to ‘Cotton’ a 1 hour 55 minute 90°C programme will run. Although the temperature and time may appear a little excessive for an empty load on a new washing machine, it is necessary in order to thoroughly remove any residue from production and to ensure proper calibration has taken place. At the end of the calibration programme, the following display message will appear.

Your washing machine is then ready to tackle mountains of dirty t-shirts, socks and trousers with the exceptional results you would expect from Miele. Although W1 washing machines will bring up the display messages, as a rule of thumb after any new washing machine is installed, a long hot wash should be run through before adding any clothes to the drum. If you have any questions about a Miele appliance contact specialist Miele Centre Gerald Giles for help.

Traffic jams, busy streets, till queues which measure up to the Great Wall of China – all of this can only mean one thing, Christmas is coming…Fast. And while the inevitable 25th December speeds ever closer, for those of you that don’t buy your Christmas presents in the Summer sale and run a little more lastminute.com, we thought that we’d give you a helping hand and have pulled together our top 5 last minute Christmas gifts.

The newest brand to our Gerald Giles family, View Quest create some stunning vintage styled DAB+ radios. Their gorgeous models include Hepburn, Bardot, Retro, Retro Mini and Christie. All slightly different in their own retro way, but each comes with DAB+ tuning. Some models have built-in Bluetooth so you can stream tracks straight from your smartphone or tablet while others benefit from dedicated iPod docking stations.

Perfect as a TV for the kitchen, study or bedroom this Full HD model from Samsung is a good all rounder. 40 inches of LED screen size allows you to truly experience your favourite films. With Samsung´s clever wide colour enhancer, it increases the range of colours emitted, bringing a greater depth and experience than ever before. HDMI slots give you the flexibility to add your Amazon Fire Stick or Chromecast and you can always access your favourite on-demand services like BBC iPlayer, Netflix and more.

Available in carbon or pearl, the 2nd generation of the SoundLink Mini from Bose is better than the first. Bringing you all the features you already loved and a few little lovely extras too. These are ultra compact speakers which you can slip into your bag, so you can listen to your favourite music anytime anywhere via Bluetooth connection from your smartphone or tablet. Producing unbelievable sound, this Series 2 SoundLink Mini has a 9 metre range for added flexibility. Easy to operate, it guides you through Bluetooth pairing with handy voice prompts and has a stylish casing too.

For the perfect stocking filler, these Bose headphones are what you should choose. Lifelike audio and lightweight comfort. These on-ear headphones give you both, at home or on the move. Put them on and rediscover your favourite music with more nuances, deeper lows and clearer highs than you may have ever noticed. And the sleek, slim design looks great too. Fits easily into the protective carry case for easy travel.

Bring 360° sound to any room in your home with these futuristic omnidirectional speakers evenly filling an entire room with your favourite tunes.In a unobtrusive cylinder shape, this speaker can be placed on top of a work surface and contolled easily, you can even Bluetooth your favourite tracks straight from a smartphone or tablet.
The intuitive top panel can be used to control which song you want to play through a swipe of a finger, paused or play a song through a tap and volume can be changed vi the vol +/-. Download Samsung´s multiroom app and you are free to control what tracks you want to play in which room of the home (if you buy extra Samsung multiroom units). The only problem you’ll have this Christmas is who chooses the next song!

If you want any advice on the products listed or any more ideas for those difficult to buy for friends and family, then drop by Gerald Giles in Norwich and ask for some help!

At Gerald Giles we want our customers to experience for themselves exactly what makes Samsung great. So we are challenging you to come into Gerald Giles and take the Samsung Nano Colour Challenge and the Wireless Audio 360 Challenge.

Nano Crystal Display Technology built into selected new Samsung TV sets redefine the boundaries of picture quality with colours displaying in much more vividness than ever before (up to 64 x more detailed and 2.5 x brighter than previous UHD screens) and up to 1 billion colours can be displayed on screen. Television experience has become so intense and vivid it seems only a step away from reality itself. So we can all agree that Samsung design some of the best TVs around, at Gerald Giles we have set up two Samsung TV sets and we want you to come in and spot the differences between one displaying in SUHD, Samsung’s Nano Crystal Technology and a Ultra HD Samsung TV without SUHD being used. If you can then let Samsung know, you could be in with the chance of winning £1500!

Not only that, but Samsung have also designed some ear tingling, wireless 360° speakers, so you can enjoy the freedom of movement within your home while listening to the same balanced, crystal clear sound wherever you are. We have these on display in-store for you to use and experience the full 360° omnidirectional sound and again you can take part in the Wireless Audio 360 Challenge and be in with the chance of winning £1500 from Samsung.

Drop by Gerald Giles between 9-5pm Monday – Saturday (we’re also open for late nights until 8pm on Thursday 10th and 17th of December) to find out how you can enter the Samsung Challenges and take part as well. Good luck! *Last date of entry 31st December 2015*

It’s the 1st of December, the clock is readily counting down to Christmas Day and there is still so much to plan! But did you know the secret way to make a Christmas Pudding for moist, flavoursome results every time? Steam! And for the record, you needn’t go through the palava of sticking it in the slow cooker or rummaging through cupboards to find the perfect pan – these days you can do it in your own oven! Miele have brought the use of steam into the 21st century with their selection of marvellous steam ovens. To help you along the way this Christmas, why not try out Miele’s special Christmas Pudding recipe below?

And if you make this Christmas masterpiece in a Miele oven, we want to know (with photographic evidence)! For advice on how a steam oven cooks, bakes or roasts contact us today!

Black Friday this year is fast approaching and unlike in previous years, it’s no longer a one day event. Black Friday weekend spans four days from Friday 27^th November 2015 until (and including) Cyber Monday and serves up lots of slashed prices on all sorts of products, handily just before Christmas.

So what is Black Friday and how do you know you’re actually getting a good deal? Well Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, an annual national holiday in North America held on the fourth Thursday in November. Although it’s not certain where Black Friday originated there are a few theories to how it came about:

So Black Friday has led to it being a day (or in our case a weekend) of deals, and they’re usually pretty good. But it is always worth making sure that you are actually getting a decent deal so there are a few things to think about:

No matter where the name ‘Black Friday’ originally came from, the Gerald Giles Black Friday Weekend in Norwich promises to be full of discounted products on TVs, Blu-Ray players, Speaker Systems, Washing Machines, Dishwashers and from well known household brands including Sony, Bosch, Miele, Samsung, Bose and more. Check out our Black Friday weekend from the 27^th November at our Ber Street store in Norwich or online before the deals disappear.

Celebrations are well and truly underway at Gerald Giles after a very successful day out at the annual ERT Awards on Monday 19^th October at the Connaught Rooms in Convent Garden, London. At the sold out lunchtime event, 250 people from across the electrical retail sector were in attendance to acknowledge and reward the hard work and dedication of national and local retailers, manufacturers and staff at the 8^thawards ceremony which was the biggest and best to date.

And guess what… we won! Not one but two prestigious awards for our industry in the following categories:

We were also a finalist in the category for Consumer Electronics Showroom of the Year.

Our team’s hard work in the past year has included enduring months of building work in preparation for a new shop front, roof and interior display, organising and hosting events, outstanding service for our customers and much more. It is fantastic to be recognised for our efforts in such a respected event up against equally hardworking and reputable stores. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our loyal customers for their support of a local Norwich business for over 65 years. Here’s to the next 65!

Freeview Play has launched and you can now catch up with your favourite soaps, documentaries and series from the past seven days on this free service which for the moment has exclusively been built into Panasonic’s 2015 range of Viera TVs.

Freeview Play is a free service similar to your regular on-demand catch up facilities only quicker to navigate and much more user friendly.

Freeview Play works exactly like a normal TV guide would. The only difference is not only can you scroll forward to see which programmes you don’t want to miss, but you can also scroll backwards through programmes you haven’t been around for and watch them at a later date by selecting them through the guide.

If you want Freeview Play in your home at the moment Freeview Play is only available on Panasonic’s 2015 range of Viera TVs including CR730B, CR852B, CX680B and CX802B. Panasonic are also building in Freeview Play into some of their Blu-Ray recorders which will be released onto the market in the not so distant future. Humax have also brought out some recorders with Freeview Play installed into their products.

Before you purchase a new TV, we can guide you through a whole range of different sets to choose from in-store. You can see and scroll through the Freeview Play guide for yourself with the Panasonic sets on display. For more information or any questions contact us today.

With just one day to go before the first match kick off of England vs Fiji at Twickenham, it’s not too late to give a little thought into how you’re going to watch this momentous 8th Rugby World Cup held on home ground. While the option of watching games down the pub with a pint is pretty appealing, ITV will be broadcasting all 48 matches of the Rugby World Cup on ITV and ITV 4 which makes home viewing with your mates on the sofa very feasible option. So is your TV ready for a full capacity audience or does it fall short of the try line?

To make sure that your TV is ready for the big matches, have a good look at what is available Samsung TVs are a great choice and official partners of England rugby too. Think very carefully about the size you want in a new set, perhaps a smaller 40-49 inch TV is best for your living room, or you could upsize to a TV over 70 inches if you’ve got the space. Take into consideration colour technology, often overlooked but it will add depth and dynamic to the game, making the playing field brighter and more vivid than ever. Curved is a TV trend here to stay, although some households may still prefer a traditional flat screen curved is a great for giving you that completely immersed feeling – especially in those critical, nail-biting last few minutes of a game. Screen resolution may sound a bit foreign to some people, but it’s a measurement of the picture quality on screen. 4K Ultra HD is the best resolution on the high street for current TVs, it’s four times more refined and detailed than standard HD sets and will make the rugby scrums on screen look pretty epic.

Once you’ve got your TV ready for the rugby, have a think about sound quality. Soundbars and home cinema systems are brilliant for bringing crystal clear audio with rich tones and deep bass – ideal for replicating the roaring crowd in your very own living room and even after the world cup has finished, they’ll still be bringing unbelievable cinematic sound to your favourite films.

So with your front row seat sorted, all we need now is for England to #carrythemhome, and if you need any more new TV advice, contact us at Gerald Giles today!

We’re all pretty happy at Gerald Giles this week! Why? Well we have just found out that we’ve been nominated for not one, but THREE prestigious awards for our industry.

ERT have announced their shortlist for the 2015 awards ceremony and we are being considered in the following categories:

Although we won’t find out until October if we’ve won in any of the categories, we are honoured to have been considered and glad that all the hard work and effort by everyone in the team has been recognised. We’re all hoping that we have something extra to celebrate in a few months time.

Summer has been relatively kind on us weather wise (for at least two weeks now) and whenever we imagine summer, we think sales, saving money and absolute bargains! Our sale at Gerald Giles is in full swing with plenty of fantastic deals to be had if you’re quick. So we thought we would bring you the best of the bunch from Bosch.

If you’re looking for a new washing machine with plenty of power, and enough space to fit copious amounts of t-shirts, jumpers and socks in one load then this Bosch WAQ283S1GB could be the best choice for you. It comes with an impressive 8kg load capacity, so you can squeeze in the equivalent of around 40 t-shirts in one go! This machine removes moisture with the 1400 spin speed which will keep drying time to a minimum. There are plenty of programmes to pick from as well, including Super Quick 15, Jeans and Mixed Load so you can always find the best setting for the dirty garments you want to clean. Not only all of this, but the WAQ283S1GB also comes with an A+++ energy rating, which means that this washing machine is kind on the environment and it could also save you money on your energy bills too.

This 12 place setting dishwasher is a complete steal at only £269.99. Stack away loads of grimy plates, dirty forks and smeary glasses in one go and for incredible results every time. With four programme settings to choose from it allows you to accommodate what is in the dishwasher and how you would like it cleaned, whether it needs a more intensive wash to remove stubborn stains or you would prefer to use a more economical cycle to keep running costs low. You can even select a half load option for when you want to put the dishwasher cycle on when it’s not quite full.

Sophisticated in a brushed steel and black glass finish, this built-in single oven from Bosch will bring a bit of class to your kitchen. With 4 cooking functions to choose from, you can defrost, grill or use sophisticated 3D Hot Air for an even bake or roast even when more than one shelf is being used. Choose the best height for your needs as this oven gives you 5 shelf positions and time your meal to perfection with the electronic clock timer.

Fed up of becoming a tangled mess when vacuum cleaning your home? This cordless upright vacuum cleaner from Bosch could be the solution to your problems. It has three performance settings for the different demands around the house and the Lithium-ion battery has a lengthy life span so you won’t need to recharge it as often as you may think.

So make the most of the super Bosch Summer Sale while it’s still on! Take a look online, or drop into our Ber Street store in Norwich and see for yourself.