Monday, February 11, 2013

Confession: My TV is Older than I Am

Kids, see that thing in the background? We used to watch TV
in giant wooden boxes and the sound came through these
dusty plastic things on the sides. That was slightly after we
walked two miles in the snow to change the channel.
I used to have a lot of buttons. You know, not buttons, like things with four holes that make your shirt stay closed, but buttons with a pin back that decorate your backpack. I had a backpack full of buttons. One that I saw a lot, but never bought said:
"Theatre is life, cinema is art, television is furniture."
The reason that I never purchased said button is that I have always liked television. Also, it can totally be art. Also, if you don't think it's life, you should talk to some of thousands of people making their living doing make-up for soap operas or holding boom mics for sitcoms. Life is relative, people.

Anyway, I digress. I don't think most people would get that button these days. Because televisions are not furniture. They are still huge, even huger in a lot of ways, but now they are flat and they hang unobtrusively on your wall or take up seemingly no space on a tabletop. Amazing little invention, the flat screen.

They are also shaped appropriately now. Just sayin'.

I am only recently becoming acquainted with such wonders. Last summer, my mommy bought me a TV for my birthday for my bedroom. Because my bedroom TV sucked. The top of the screen said, "CH 0003" and it would not go away. No matter what. Also, it took a long time to warm up and would sometimes randomly turn itself off.

Let me be clear about something here, bedroom TV is important. Firstly, because I sleep with the XM channels playing. It's better than radio because there are no annoying commercials that sound like you're being pulled over. Because being pulled over in a dream sucks. It is also important, because it allows me to sleep late on Saturdays, just turn on TV and roll over. I know, I'm super mom. Just realize, when I say late, I mean 8 a.m. Finally, I like to watch TV in bed.

So, anyway. Brynna has had a TV in her room for years. Maren got one for her birthday this year. They are both flat screen wonderments. So is the lovely in my bedroom.

But my living room has furniture. It's a hand-me-down from my grandparents. And here's the thing - it's an excellent TV. It has stereo sound that is slightly better than my fancy-pants surround sound system (that won't work with the TV.) It has a really good picture (after about three minutes) and it has never given me even a little trouble. It's just that it's freakin' huge.

It takes up a great deal of real estate in my living room. And, like console TV's before and since, it sits basically on the floor.

And honestly, all of that is fine. It's always been in the back of my mind. Someday, I'll get a new TV, one from this century. And it'll be sleek and special and wonderous. But for now, this is great. Turn it up, trust me you can't blow those speakers.

But then, this winter, came the problem with the DVD player. (Is it starting to sound like maybe I'm technologically behind the times?) See my bedroom DVD player decided that it wasn't going to open unless you punched it. (Not kidding.) And I gave Maren the living room DVD player because the kids don't get cable, so unless they are particularly interested in static, they've gotta have a player in there.

Meaning that I had no way to watch movies. So, I purchased a Blu ray player - so I'd be sorta kinda with the times. Then, my lovely sister-in-training got me a second one for Christmas. One for the living room and one for the bedroom. Score.

Well, one for the bedroom. Because turns out, the Blu Ray and the TV from the 70's won't work. You literally cannot plug one into the other. Add to this the fact that everything looks washed out on the Wii because of the complicated system of adapters to make those things connect, the fact that my stereo system won't play the audio on the TV and the general furnitureness of it and well, I think it may be time to retire it.

Which is a shame, because she had a good run. Also, she still works. Which is the rub. I hate to replace anything that's doing it's job. On the other hand, my DVD collection would like to be watched again at some point. And the kids would like to be able to read the lyrics on Sing Star.

Maybe I should just keep it around as a statement.

3 comments:

Strangeite said...

You can usually find the best deals for TVs on Woot. They are now a subsidiary of Amazon, but put the stuff they need to clear out on there.

Even if there are no models today, wait a few, and I guarantee you will find something at a price that can't be beat.

Jessi said...

Thanks, I actually haven't decided what to do. I am oddly attached the giant TV of doom.

Cathy G. said...

And it looks so good between the bookcases...like it was just made for that wall! I say as I watch my 38" HDTV.