When I lived in Munich they installed a dot matrix at the tram stop across the street from my apartment. I can't tell you how great it was to look out the window to see how many minutes I had to procrastinate until I missed my tram, now with this I could miss my tram/train without getting up from my desk!

@RoamingAdhocrat

8 ай бұрын

my girlfriend lives 100m from one of the new tram stops in Edinburgh. for weeks I was going mad trying to figure out what was making a chiming chord and an inaudible announcement. turns out the tram stops all have very loud public-address systems

@konstantinstarke4434

8 ай бұрын

I guess your tram stop was Großhesseloher Brücke?

As a Dutchman I am really jealous about y'all having this magnificent work of art

@Jothamvvw

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, I'd love to just be at home and look at a tiny screen that will just announce "Beste reizigers, de Intercity naar Ede-Wageningen, Utrecht Centraal, Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA, Schiphol Airport en Rotterdam Centraal van zeven uur eenenvijftig vertrekt van spoor 11. _Herhaling._ De Intercity naar Ede-Wageningen, Utrecht Centraal, Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA, Schiphol Airport en Rotterdam Centraal van zeven uur eenenvijftig vertrekt van spoor 11."

@DuskHorizon

8 ай бұрын

@@Jothamvvw who knows, maybe you could get that super-happy Thalys voice for it.

@Jothamvvw

8 ай бұрын

@@DuskHorizon Honestly I'd be happy with the Belgian voices too, as long as it's not French first. Also, Thalys is fully part of Eurostar now. Only the livery is still different.

@salina3192

8 ай бұрын

I'd love to have this just to know if my train at Schiphol leaves from Spoor 5 or 6 😂

@actua99

8 ай бұрын

I'd love to have either the current, full-detail announcement board or the old one with the flaps

I’m here for Geoff’s Unboxing Era. We should see more of that.

@dlb9283

8 ай бұрын

What have our lives become...watching bloke unpacking stuff.🤣😂😉

@PokhrajRoy.

8 ай бұрын

@@dlb9283 So what? It was a nice thing he unboxed.

@JP_TaVeryMuch

8 ай бұрын

​@@dlb9283People watch all sorts of crap as you know. Anything other than engage with the assumed complexities of facing the real world.

@richardwillson101

8 ай бұрын

I never understood "unboxing" reviews. I'm not interested in the box or how the item is packed. But I'm 100% interested in the product being reviews. Preferably after some use too.

@JP_TaVeryMuch

8 ай бұрын

@@richardwillson101 That's what always gets me. I know that we live in a now now now world on the internet, but there's a gaping hole in the review system. I want to know how the product fares after the initial thrill has long worn off and it's had to face up to every day life. Bet a good deal of them don't make the cut at this stage.

That final announcement about the delay to the Thameslink service really shows how realistic this is!

Thanks Geoff. You single-handedly crashed the UK Departure Boards website :)

@dustojnikhummer

8 ай бұрын

So that is why it is down, I thought there was a region block. But that explains the Cloudflare 502 error

@RoamingAdhocrat

8 ай бұрын

tfw watching geoff marshall makes your pc part of his botnet ;)

@pic101

8 ай бұрын

I have to have one. Must have one. 😎 Coolest toy ever for a traveller. Why do more people not know about this?!

@krisztianforgacs1316

8 ай бұрын

😂

The echo on the annoucment voices is absolutely brilliant!

If it weren't for the price, I'd love to have one of these

@Kunjo79

8 ай бұрын

Saw the comment, like you I thought I’d love one. Wondered how bad could the price be? Went to the site.... came straight off again. Bloody hell

@Ro99

8 ай бұрын

Yeah looks so cool but a little bit pricey

@roberthindle5146

8 ай бұрын

Small-run electronics for a niche market. Got to cover fixed development costs.

@Vonononie

8 ай бұрын

@@Kunjo79same! 😮

@chrisdeacon2000

8 ай бұрын

Yeah I'd love one, too but the price says "no thanks"

I wish these were open standard and worked for all countries and types of transport. I would love to have one for my local bus service, even if it was text only and I had to supply the timetable myself.

@caw25sha

8 ай бұрын

In theory it might be possible to create a "meta web service" which consolidates others into a standard format. I wouldn't like to be the one responsible for maintaining it though.

@marcscattolin1554

8 ай бұрын

Gtfs is basically that, it has a real-time version as well But sometimes the real-time feed is hard to access since you typically need an API key

@dustojnikhummer

8 ай бұрын

@@marcscattolin1554 If it could be hooked into these boards it would be great. My local bus schedule isn't the best, so if I could have a departure board at all times, no need to constantly check on my phone.

@Cowcow211

8 ай бұрын

I'd love to see one that could be setup for your loval airport.

@gmfinc18

8 ай бұрын

I just checked and it does support one other countries rail service, at a glance it looks like all they need is an open api and they can integrate it, my guess is a lot of them are paywalled or not open enough to be used like this. Maybe find your local services open api and then ask them if they can include it in a future firmware release

A fun gadget for the rail enthusiast but at £179 plus an extra £75 for all the voice packs, is sadly outside of many people's price range, especially when the warranty doesn't fully cover broken pixels or pixel discolouration, and the LCD lifespan is only 4 years.

@Saturnuria

8 ай бұрын

Plus an extra £4.99 every month if you subscribe to the “Premium” tier to access a lot of the cool features. I appreciate it’s probably a very-low volume product, created in a shed, but the bill of materials should be nowhere close to the upfront cost.

@Skalekul

8 ай бұрын

@Saturnuria I just looked at this and it seems the premium is even required to change the colour and font and for the audio announcement, which is a bit cheeky. Definitely a low volume product but I feel that they are driving potential customers away with these extra charges. If the price point was closer to £80 then I'd probably consider buying one.

@richardwillson101

8 ай бұрын

​@ekuldoo the cost is justified by the "low volume" IMO. If it went "high volume" mass production, then I too would think £80 about right.

@Bigaitch

8 ай бұрын

I was really interested in one of these but the price is something that puts me off...it is very overpriced. Shame really as it could be fun.

@AnnabelSmyth

8 ай бұрын

And realistically, what does it do that Citymapper doesn't, apart from the voice announcements? I know I'm sounding as though I have shares in Citymapper - I don't, but I do use it almost daily!

The excitement when the first announcement came through was absolutely fantastic.

London transport museum needs to stock these

I have the big 1m one on my wall and love it :) Got it set to my local station (Hampden Park) with both platforms announced by Elinor Hamilton on the additional pack. I can now see why our level crossing is one of the busiest in the world!

Love this ! In a way it reminds me of the older TomTom nav sets where you could upload your own personalized instructions. Have a board in your car and set the filter to delays only, could make you feel smug when doeing 70+ mph or comforted when in a traffic jam ...

Ngl if someone in the office got one of these then I’d be programming it for Reddish South - without a doubt.

Brilliant. A miniature version would add a lot of fun to a model railway!

the amount of joy geoff expresses here is honestly i could watch this all day on loopp

This years must have Christmas gift. But remember, the departure board is not just for Christmas 🎅👍😀 Looks and sounds brilliant. 👏👏

You were the perfect person to review this revised product to the masses!

I got the original Desktop Departures thanks to your video on them years ago. I also have a large one as a bedroom clock. The audio stuff is pretty fun.

I love a great gizmo and this is one. Grinning at the tube echo too. Love it.

That is cool, and as a regular commuter on the Underground and a bit of a geek about Dot matrix information boards, I would love to get one to put in my Pocket to keep a track of time...

I'm not a train guy, but I think that's really neat. Happy for you, Geoff!

Excellent video Geoff very interesting to watch.

Awesome! Very fun and exciting to use!

Love desktop departures Got one my own LOVELY.

You may never leave home again Geoff😁😁😁. Great little gadget. Thanks for sharing

Spookily I was looking at these departure boards yesterday remembering Geoff had reviewed the large one a few years back. Wasn't sure whether to get one then lol and behold..... Have made my mind up now and ordered the desktop version.

Thank you for sharing this Geoff that was very entertaining. ❤

All it needs is a “Mind the gap” announcement!

Ah, excellent. A departure board just like we've always wanted, but in a miniature version, for those of us who have, well, significant others. Who were less keen on a large electronic piece of platform or street furniture attached to a wall in the house.

@JP_TaVeryMuch

8 ай бұрын

Traintech does one small enough to fit inside an OO gauge IET coach like the destination screens in real life next to the door. You could probably pin it behind your lapel. Or use it as a tie pin!

That's such a lovely little thing. I don't know why I like miniature things but I do

@geirmyrvagnes8718

8 ай бұрын

Oh look, a little baby version of a normally bigger thing! That is pretty much the definition of "cute", if you think about it. Of course that is lovely! 😅

this is absolutely beautiful, thank you for sharing! I must get one now

I just got a departure board for Christmas…. And it is brilliant. Really good quality and alot of fun to play with!

THIS IS AMAZING...WISH WE HAD THIS IN THE STATES. I AM JEALOUS!!

@GilesWendes

8 ай бұрын

No trains for you! lol

This is one of the best gadgets ever 👍

I really wish these cost a reasonable amount. I think loads of people would want one but £150 for what is essentially a small novelty item is unjustifiable for most people like me.

@JAY_K423

8 ай бұрын

The reason for the price tag is that they're hand made within the UK and not mass produced within China.

@stazzaproductions

8 ай бұрын

​@@JAY_K423 ​ Still, Not including bulk shipping orders of parts from china, they are spending AT MOST £45 on making it and that is extremely generous, They could quite easily build them within like 10 minutes and then mass upload the software. It's worth £75 AT MOST, As they could easily get bulk shipping from the manufactures of Rasberry Pi and the LCD Screen used which would half the cost to make it

Wow, what a giggle, love it.

I have a large one of these and I never knew that you could have announcements thanks Geoff

Absolutely brilliant! I need this in my life.

I would like to have one these, they look so cool! But £149.99 is way too expensive for a small device!

@LiveSteamNick

8 ай бұрын

So how much did your phone cost at roughly the same size.

@travelswithjess

8 ай бұрын

@@LiveSteamNick I think it was a lot less than that but I can’t remember from off the top of my head.

@kellydalstok8900

8 ай бұрын

@@LiveSteamNick A phone may be more expensive, but it has a lot more functions too.

@LiveSteamNick

8 ай бұрын

@@kellydalstok8900 it’s not about the phone being as capable, it’s primarily designed to accompany a model railway to add an element of authentic realism. This a phone cannot do.

@stazzaproductions

8 ай бұрын

@@LiveSteamNick Functionality is key also Research & Development + Manufacturing Costs, there is no justifable reason for this product to be that price, a Smart Phone which could have millions if not billions of £'s worth of research and development, manufacturing etc. into can justify its price and functionaility

These names means so much to me these days. I live in Norway, but I am currently writing in all of the bus stops in London into Google's version of Excel (after copying and pasting the tube stations from Wikipedia or a place like that). I have gone from stop to stop in alphabetical order in my city, Oslo and Bergen, but I wanted a challenge. Your city have so many more lines than the cities in Norway (my city has 3 main lines, 2-3 in between and some smaller ones). I really enjoy the time getting to know the place names in London, there are some funny ones. I have used different configurations when I go alphabetically, sometimes on foot, sometimes by car on a typical week day. I am on bus rout 60-something now, so I still have a lot of work to do before the other part begin.

@AnnabelSmyth

8 ай бұрын

Yes, but the T-bane is a great deal nicer than the Underground! We were in Oslo - actually, we were outside Oslo - in June, and used the T-bane to get into town and to explore a bit of the suburb we were in. A great service!

@johannesofie777

8 ай бұрын

@@AnnabelSmyth Not the point here, but I have been to both (mostly Oslo of course, I have only been in London 2 days) and it depends on the time of day. I only go by bus a couple of times a year in my own city and there it definitely depends on if this is right after schools ending or at other times of the day

Christmas present for my Son sorted. Thanks Geoff!

In 2000 I was the Chief Clerk at the Information Production Unit for South West Trains at Southampton Central. We produced all the Station Departure Posters, Pocket Timetables and Station Operating Working Books for SWT. I was then seconded to a joint Railtrack / SWT team to come up with a real-time Customer Information System (C.I.S.) for all of our stations. At the time we only had standalone TV screens, mechanical Solari Flaps and 'Finger boards' at stations. These were operated by the local station staff and were not joined together as a system. It was proposed that the new system would use the Train Service database feed. We visited every SWT station and measured up each one, to work out how many new screens and speakers were needed. Four companies tendered for the work, and Amey-Datel won the contract. I was then tasked with developing the screen layouts and recorded announcements. Don't forget this was long before Realtime Trains had been invented, that we now take for granted. So your mini C.I.S. screen looks very familiar to me!

Well now I definitely want one!! 😊

I want one of these! Fantastic.

Couldn’t resist any longer, order placed.😂😂

I didn't know about this. I am glad to know and I really want one.

Wow how brilliant 👍👍

Wow, incredible!

I think an absolutely must would be the ability to record your own announcements. My world would be complete! 🤗

Hi Geoff this is absolutely brilliant I have never ever seen something as awesome as this, I will be buying one of these Desktop Departure Boards for my son who is a Train enthusiast, he will absolutely love it…..more to the point I might even buy myself one as well, how cool will it be to take out with you and just go to a Train Station, I can power this up using my MagSafe Powerbank and use my iPhone or iPad as a Hotspot for the Internet connection! Thanks for another great video Geoff! 😊

Amazing!

I need to get myself some London Underground or National Rail souvenirs 😎

I don't normally comment, but this is a superb little piece of kit. It's a little pricey for me at the moment, but it would be great to have at home as we live very close to a train station. Brilliant piece of work for regular train users and enthusiasts.

Looks really cool but I do not have 150 quid spare for one of these but I really wish I could Because it gets the information off from Realtime Trains it brings up freight trains as if they're passenger ones and shows all the stations they're going through 😂😂

Brilliant!!!

Love it - want one!

That's every London train buff Xmas sorted!

Love it!

Something that I didn’t know I needed!

That is so cool. I love the audio. Great video geoff

I love it, I have to get one!!

These look great, but I think Geoff has unwittingly spotted a bit of a bug with the tube announcements. If you're waiting at Tooting for a train to Morden, it's definitely not going to go "via Bank"! Nevertheless, very polished and impressive.

@chrisadye1590

8 ай бұрын

Yes I spotted that too. Obviously for the first half of the route from North London it will be described as Morden via Bank. My guess is that once south of the river the boards have been programmed to drop the "via Bank" bit, but this departure board just uses the train description. It must be difficult to eliminate all the individual quirks of the system

@daleharper2007

8 ай бұрын

My Son's fiancé noticed that as well 👍👍

Bloody love it!

Abso-ruddy-lutely brilliant.

Geoff, What an excellent video. I know it has a serious use but what an amazing little box of fun. I will be back to watch more but sorry to tell you that I am leaving your channel to go and order one. You really have made my day. Let me think.... a model railway to go with it, that sounds like a good idea.

Brilliant device…. How surreal, my nearest mainline station is Yatton, and I used to get the tube from Morden when I lived there. Both places shown on the departure board .

That’s just amazing!! I’m definitely gonna buy this 😄

That’s the best bit, to have the announcements I’m your home, and could you have it configured to your iPhone, so you could even listen to announcement on the move. Better than music lol. Fantastic

Big fan of your content mate love it! Thanks so much for all the videos :) P.S. was at Euston last night and 730s for West Midlands Rail have enter service (how exciting!)

This is so cool ❤

I like the Idea of that display with announcements. I dont know if you can use that for other places than UK Something like this in bigger would be really usefull to display the trains/buses at a station near you so that you can just look at it without having to use timetable apps etc. It would also be nice if you could set a announcement for a specific train/bus that reminds you that this train/bus is coming in 10min (or any other timespan) If the train is canceled or to late it could inform you about that.

i could see this as a fun thing for model railroaders

This is so awesome! I wish i had one when I lived in the Uk! I wish i could get something like this gor Sydney light rail!

I don’t think I could handle the continual See It, Say It, Sorted!

This would be so useful for people who are blind or have limited sight, particularly as it does tube, buses and trams as well as trains.

I don't know why but I really need one of these in my life! 😊

Woah thats awesome

I never knew this even existed. Now it’s something I’ve always wanted.

THE T-SHIRT IS AWESOME 🤩

Hi Geoff. I love your moquette cushions 😊

That's awesome

thanks for sharing this i’ve just ordered one, i know it’s a bit pricey but i don’t drink or smoke so i thought i’ll treat myself

Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but, why is a train from Tooting Broadway to Morden going via Bank?

Great fun but too expensive

I will be saving for one of those

5:45 OMG THIS IS AWESOME

Oh, I would just *LOVE* to have one of those here in Toronto, seeing how I live close to both a TTC subway AND GO Transit train station.

They need this in Australia!

Excellent! I love it as it is but perhaps for their next upgrade to this they could add GPS location? Or maybe 'favourite stations'?

If there was more than six trains a week here I'd love one of these. I now just know which train noise is the passenger rail and I like to comment on whether it's late or on time.

If Russell has gone as far as to record his voice for every destination available, I hope he's used some sort of computer - wizardry or he'll have got no sleep. If he indeed has, how long before the next update where you can record your very own voice too? When that happens, the world's his oyster. Card

I DO NEED ONE NOW !!!!!!! 😭

I love the look of these, now I just have to convince the wife it is a worthwhile purchase...

I would love to have this for other countries

I love the desktop boards .. though haven’t needed SD card for quite a while with these

... yeah, i absolutely want one of these

That's pretty cool, i'd actually buy this

The proverbial kid in a candy shop.

got 2 of these its great