www.avforums.com Reviews 250

You've basically got three factions in the political threads: left, right and centre doing all they can to disrespect each other under the guise of "debate".

The truth is they absolutely hate each other and will argue in bad faith and use semantics and straw man extrapolation, anything in fact to reduce discussion to meaningless point scoring just to kick sand in each other's faces.

Many of these pi**ing contestants got hooked on their visionless bickering on the Digital Spy forum before it threw them all out for stinking the place up with their toxic bullying and abuses such as getting people with totally legitimate opposing views banned and so on...

Now they’ve gravitated to hijack this particular forum as a platform from which to continue their gaslighting, using the exact same petty one-upmanship and low-grade coercion and consensus, only now with added enablement by moderator interference.

The easily triggered but hard of thinking useful ”pawns” do their bit by "lurking" and using the various available emoji responses to lend support or ridicule according to whatever bug is up whoever’s backside at the time.

"Senior moderator" Steven, who uses a picture of Professor Brian Cox as his forum avatar and signs off his blatantly-biased interjections with a sunglasses emoji (what a star), can't keep his own political sympathies from interfering with the job he's supposed to be doing and comes across as a spoilt brat on a power trip.

Many have been banned from the forum, some in spite of behaving a lot better and being a lot less unpleasant than many of the charlatans still freely polluting the forum with their toxic bile and hypocritical accusations dressed up as discussion.

Some of the banned have miraculously re-registered a couple of weeks or so later under a different username, something which is obviously completely against the forum rules that moderators exist to uphold. You can tell straight away who these maggots are by their phrasing. Funnily enough, they do seem to have the same political leanings as "professor" Steven though…

Give AVF a look if you must, but do yourself a favour and don't get sucked in. Move on to pastures healthier and don't end up as self-oblivious and frankly nuts as these pathetic squabblers have driven themselves.

EDIT: for examples of what I’m on about, check out the positive reviews about AVF here by those who are happy to be served by the dysfunctional way it’s run.

A few hours after I originally posted this, low and behold, another positive review crops up right under it spouting nonsense about how all who are sharing their honest appraisals of the site based on their own experience are doing so because they’re against Covid vaccines or some other trumped-up issue. I'm sure anti-vaxxers have been banned, but how does that excuse a discussion board turning toxic through shoddy admin?

These people complain about the way politics operate in this country while engaging in exactly the same behaviour themselves. Because they know they COULD make it up...

I have followed avforums for many years but in recent months I have found the hardware reviews lacking (e.g. only one projector reviewed every two months). The excellent Steve Withers has sadly left and there are too many film reviews for my liking. I think it may be time to look elsewhere for impartial hardware reviews.

Absolutely site forum obviously a misinformation forum run by virgin . Have nothing to do with it especially some t at who calls himself Dante. And as soon as this shote period I had the misfortune to use vm the sooner I can unshakle from this shute company the happier I'll be ....probably some loudmouth yank . Keep your vm and shove it where the sun don't shine

This forum was like a breath of fresh air compared to Digital Spy. The mods seemed to be very fair and were happy to engage if you had an issue and would try to resolve it. Sadly over the last couple of months, some of the threads seem to have been taken over by the toxic DS members who spent their time reporting other members to get them banned. Sadly, they are now doing the same on AV and people are getting banned and posts are removed for having a different opinion to the clique. Very sorry to see AV go the same way as DS but I hope the members enjoys their echo chamber and the level of debate that is akin to a playground - childish insults and name calling is what is classed as a discussion on forums these days.

Should have realised from the first days of joining in May 2010 and meeting the now banned jumped up mod Ianj that this forum has some of the worst moderators known to the internet, with names like rousetafarian, john, steven and lv426 being nothing more than power hungry internet bullies that can be seen circling anyone with a slight defferent opinion than the home crowd and prodding them, until a suspension or ban comes flying at them.

I suffered many suspensions from the most anal of reasons, with one being from john (avoid this one as the evening goes on) suspending me because I wrote "Das moderators" with the warning "Insulting/swearing/racist/threatening in the extreme"
Which was met with ridicle from everyone that asked me via private message.

Many state that Digital Spy had a big clear out of its toxic members (Not all that left were toxic) and they flocked to avforums where Stuart Wright welcomed them in with a nice red carpet in the Feedback forum titled "What would EX DS members like to see here" Nice to see Stuart so happy to ask the new guys what they want, but pretty much ignore the established members, when they made suggestions and from around that time the forums really changed for the worse, with the toxic ex DS members reporting anyone that didn't agree with them, or acted as the victim, something I set one of them up to prove this is what happens there.

Pretty much was going to leave anyway, but found myself being teased by the rude mod that goes by the name rousetafarian, who was dropping posts to try and get me to slip so he could then wave the ban hammer haha and tbh I was cool and he is a co*k, but I'd had enough so posted the private message he sent me on the 11th Jan 2022

"Hi

I too am under the impression that there is more than meets the eye with LVP (lucy van pelts), are you sure he/she is a re-reg? If so, who?"

(As Stuart Wright admitted in the 'Feedback forum' "Private messages can be read by staff" so can be checked)

So I was instantly suspended and within 10 minutes I was banned and TBH I'm so glad to be away from that toxic forum that I could never recommend to anyone as a forum to join, better to view posts as a guest and avoid the toxic members and toxic moderators, but if you enjoy forums with toxic members (not all and I'm missing you) and toxic moderation this place is for you.

Members to watch are richp007, lucy van pelt, boo radley75, claire00 and lightfooty to name a few.
One star given. because ZERO stars are not accepted here.

ps The biggest thread in the Feedback forum is...."Delete my Account" That pretty much sums up the place.

To Add: Have been informed that the mass exodus of members from Digital Spy tried to join another very big UK forum and were told by the administration that they were not welcome and would not be permitted to join.
HaHa It seems the problem is all yours now avforums ;)

For the benefit of full disclosure, I've written this review as I received a ticking off from a moderator (IronGiant) for getting three reports to a post I made about COVID boosters. My post was factual and cited two peer reviewed studies in Nature and the BMJ from which I posted verbatim. IronGiant did not want to afford me the courtesy of a private discussion about the matter and simply informed me that he was in charge and if I didn't accept that I could "p*** off". An attempt to escalate this to a senior moderator was rebuffed and I was warned that I would be instantly banned if I persued the matter.

AV Forums used to be a pretty good and lively discussion forum for both it's main topics and more mainstream discussion.

However, it now seems a shadow of it's former self and having been a member since pretty much the founding day I have finally made the decision to stop reading and contributing.

Internet discussion forums are largely a product of the pre-Facebook era of the internet and have struggled to stay relevant. This is a shame because I personally think that they provide a better and more contained platform where one can see a wide variety of topics with little need to go and search.

The problem for forums though, in the days of unmoderated social media, is that they tend to attract the type of people who simply are incapable of maintaining a coherent argument when challenged. Plenty of names have been mentioned in recent Trustpilot reviews so I won't dredge further but I do not disagree that those named are the personification of the problem this forum has.

Moderation of a forum is a selfless task (I spent many years as an active moderator on another forum which no longer exists) and unfortunately it is very difficult for forum admins to find the right sort of people who will do the job unpaid. It is often said that those who crave power are unsuited to wield it and I can say the same of many forum moderators (and I myself made some bad decisions back in the day). Unfortunately, as the quality of the discussion goes down so does the quality of the moderator (simply because the better members are being driven away by the "types" mentioned above).

The guiding principle for moderation must be to treat all people even-handedly and to not favour certain users and to not stifle discussion which is not in line with your own opinion. Sadly, few if any of the AV Forum moderation team fit this bill (see my experience at the top).

The result of these factors is that the discussion is ever more creeping to the extremes and the forums are becoming a safe space where opposing views are immediately labelled extremist in a spectacular lack of self-awareness.

As the last review says, you REALLY must ignore the negative reviews.

I post as inkinoo on the forum and am proud to be a long standing member (I also have a few other accounts like TabClear1992 - this is against forum rules for the hoi polloi but the owners have given me permission as it helps the "cause").

The moderation team is absolutely marvelous and makes sure all those who disagree with our COVIDIAN agenda are suspended (great!) or banned (even better!) if we cannot wear them down with our constant insults, pile-ons and general misuse of data and news stories to prove our ever-diminishing point.

It's just so great to have found a safe and insignificant corner of the internet on which we can keep up the belief.

This is a decent forum if you want info or advice on AV related matters, but its politics and covid sections are toxic environments where mediocrity and group think rule supreme.

In other respects, it's a fairly normal forum. There are moderators like Iron Giant and Steven who love their power but have a passing understanding of the subject matter at best, there is a forum clever clogs Spangles and a forum dunce Richp007.

In summary a bog standard forum which is good if you want info on AV matters but don't expect intelligent discourse on politics or current affairs.

Long time banned ex member and in honesty purposely rised to the bait and got banned for being crass...

Can't fault it's av home entertainment content, and recommendations can be informative and I've probable saved thousands of pounds over the years lurking about unsigned.

AV forum is businesses online magazine and thus will follow the herd, it's never hidden it will moderate it's forums.

Not too long ago it was libertarian and pro Brexit site, and going against these narratives would bring the attention of more or less the same authoritarian Moderation.

Highly amusing it's now seen as left wing woke club.

Makes Enki very happy indeed.

I never thought I'd find myself to be an ex member of AVF but despite choosing to leave, it is a very decent forum.

If you are particularly missing, the General and Politics section from Digital Spy closing, then you will more than likely find AVF, to be a good, and fair replacement.

I really wish I could have stayed, however, the time felt right, for me to move to pastures new, and spread my wings.

It was superb fun whilst it lasted though, and I definitely miss certain members, so much more than I expected.

I'm unashamed to admit that some of you, definitely helped fill a hole, during these crazy virus times!! Lol!

Avforums features probably one of the most toxic forums there is on the internet. You have long term users who get away with bullying newer members and express abusive views and discuss unrelated topics on threads.

The report user option is a waste of time as you will find yourself trolled and insulted by its moderators and staff. Moderator Apsilon and staff member LV426 are particularly volatile, abusive people. Imagine a pair of bent cops patting each other on the back and you get the picture (they were bent enough to threaten me with moderation for reporting someone for gong off topic on every post).

Most Avforums staff use their real name, but not LV426. I would imagine he would be very embarrassed if their friends and family saw the way he addresses his customers to and would probably never find work again after a quick google of their name.

Avforums has become very cliquey over the years and now there is a problem where new comers and people who are not part of a clique are fodder for distinguished users, moderators and staff.

This is the only forum I have ever chosen to leave. The reason I told them to remove my account was because I cannot trust them with the privilege of my personal details due the appalling conduct of their staff.

As for the positive reviews here, read them. You will see many of them take to the lows of calling everyone who left a negative review liars or dregs and claim every negative review is by someone banned. None of them could possibly be true experiences could they? It’s helpful they are dumb enough to do this here as it gives insight what to expect from Avforums and legitimises my review.

Used to be an excellent forum, and still is on the AV side of things.
However a number of recent posters have hit the nail on the head. It used to be polite, and differences were debated. Now the moderators shut down any discussion that doesn't go in the direction they want, which as previously pointed out has become very woke and leftish. It could be reaching the point where it is editorialising, and therefore should be regulated to restore some balance. Or just admit to wanting to attract Gruniad readers.

I remember a poster there from years ago, a chap called "Karkus" IIRC. He was a complete libertarian, and put forward some excellent thoughts, not all of which I agreed with, but well put and argued. Some of the authoritarian type, leftish posters on there now, who would have had us in lockdown after lockdown, would probably self combust if he was still allowed to post.

This used to be a delightful forum, very friendly and helpful guys, always willing to help a guy out when needed. Met many an acquaintance on here, learnt a lot of new tricks and positions over the years. Even met my current partner when haggling with him over the price of a Doctor Who dvd on the classifieds.
Things have turned sour on the forums the last few months tho, coincidentally around the same time all the exiled Digital Spy crew moved over. The love and tolerance has gone, replaced with bigotry and mockery.
This is unacceptable in this day and age, where mature queens can finally be open and free to express themselves. I have had my heart,feelings and body, hurt on the forums the last few months and I can't sit back and be quiet anymore.
Thanks to Rich for giving me the confidence to speak out, but these forums have badly let me down. So I have bid farewell to the forums and warn other queens to keep a wide birth, our 'type' are not welcome anymore.

As a long standing member I feel sad to report that this site has become ground zero for lunacy.

Mods like Iron Giant literally set traps to give penalty points and ban members. I perfectly understand if members were being given penalty points or banned for use of profanity, or slurs against minorities. But recently they've gone completely overboard, gleefully banning members for wanting to discuss opposing or more nuanced viewpoints.

But it doesn't end there. Once a decision is made by a mod, if you question it, you get more penalty points for questioning a mod.

While the people mentioned in other reviews are the main culprits, there are many more who contribute to the toxic atmosphere. So you might wonder if the mods have abandoned their posts and have allowed the lunatics to take over the asylum? No. The mods are totally in charge. Make of that as you will.

Wow, what an experience joining these forums turned out to be, and most definitely not a good one.
Registered to post a few comments and immediately got harassed just for daring to have a different view point from some of the regulars.
Richp007, Inkinoo and Inked have to be either spoilt man children or have undiagnosed mental health deficiencies, as they cannot debate and resort to bullying and reporting you to the mods.
Mods in every other forum are neutral and respected. On here, commandant IronGiant can only be described as a pompous tool who loves the attention of his chosen followers.
After reporting the bullying, I was subsequently banned for apparently being a re-reg, which is complete nonsense. Just their way of closing ranks and banning members with no right of appeal.
Coupled with the site encouraging people to scalp PS5 and Xbox1 consoles, to then resell on their Classifieds at inflated prices, is just embarrassing.
Avoid this forum at all costs is my advice. It has gone downhill rapidly, especially since all the Digital Spy members joined and made it even more pc and unbearably woke. Free speech is definitely not allowed on here, bunch of absolute tossers.

Where to begin?

Political correctness is the main priority with a militant left wing bias, overseen by (mainly) left wing woke mods. If you dare to step away from the 'collective' thought you will be lectured and punished accordingly with a points based naughty step aproach that leads to eventual temporary bans, together with warning messages in Bold (to highlight the severity of your behavior), until you see the error of your ways.

After that, if you continue to resist assimilation, the big boys roll into town under the guise of senior mod. They are given free reign to make things up about you in order to either ban you permanently, or make you feel so unwelcome you no longer want to be a member anymore.
And don't think for a second being a member for over a decade will make any difference, here, in this brave new world, new members take priority, these are primarily the waste product from Digital Spy, who successfuly offloaded their venomous members who were ironically dragging the site down.

Don't worry, you can contact admin!, I hear you cry!! There is a complaints section if you think you have been unfairly treated...Oh great..Hmm....Don't get your hopes up, here you will receive another dressing down and be told your are mistaken because 'you just don't get it', Ermm OK.

If you are an adult with free thought, and by that, I mean you have your own opinions and ideas, this site is not for you and it's best to move along.
On the otherhand, if you are someone who prefers to think as a collective, you will receive more 'like, love and agree' emoji's than your heart could desire, culminating in the most sought after prize of them all, imunity from prosecution.

But don't take my word for it, sign up and watch the vultures circle ;-)

I got banned for calling the owner 'lazy' because he refused to use a courier for an item he was selling.

Sums up just how terrible this website is run.

Enjoy this review Stuart, no wonder your website is losing popularity!

Been a member since early 2000's, then, and now especially, there are a bunch of assh0le moderators that use their entrusted power to threaten, and ban users for life, because of personal disagreement with their views and opinions - the first thing a real moderator must never resort to.
I've long stopped coming to the site, and I hope it dies out, since the owners there do nothing, and by that condone such activity.

Staff members incredibly ignorant and it's no longer a nice place to use.

They can't handle a bit of banter and ban you if you disagree with them.

They also heavily use ads which makes it not nice to use, so I was forced into using a ad blocker.

Many alternatives to this horrible place exist by using a quick search on a search engine.

Been a member since before Facebook and Twitter came along. I enjoy the members and range of topics available on the forums.

General topics, politics, social issues, family, home and lifestyle, games, film and TV, music, sport - a number of areas are covered. AV, of course, is well-catered for, and a decent number of posters are well-informed and helpful.

Fair to say that on social, political, and economic issues there's a relatively broad church. There are some who are right-of-centre, left-of-centre, and those who are in-between.

The forums are carefully moderated. People can say what they like as long as they stick to the rules.

Briefly, don't be a d***. So, no abuse, sexism, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, anti-LGBT, etc.

Topics on politics and social issues are argued strongly from various viewpoints. All that's needed is a bit of respect. It's not an 'edgy' forum where people can cut loose with abusive and/or prejudiced content.

If you feel the above makes AVF a place of snowflakey, virtue-signalling, SJW-loving, woke-tastic libtards, then you're free to move on.