TV size
 

I have long held the theory that TV size has an inverse relationship with amount of education.

The less education you have, the more likely you will have a large TV.

I remember hometeaching many years ago a very humble family in a rough urban apartment complex. Their must have been 8 feet across. It was ridiculous. And it was one of those old-time projection TVs with a terrible picture (this was before HDTVs).

Just tonight, about to visit an inactive family with humble financial circumstances. My buddy tells me they have a huge high def TV. Of course, I said.

Then there is my doctor buddy who lives in a very, very wealthy neighborhood. His stinkin' TV is 32 inches! And he invited me over for the Super Bowl! Yes, to watch the SB on his 32 inch TV. But part of me admires them, although they could afford something monstrous, they have a very humble TV.

So now me. My 42" DLP's light bulb finally gave out. I would think about replacing the bulb, but the color wheel sounds like a washing machine. The thing is very loud and very annoying. Who wants to put $150 into a TV you don't like that might break shortly afterward anyway.

So the big debate has been what kind of TV to get. Specifically, how large. Do I spend more money and get a larger TV that I might be satisfied with for a long, long time? But then have to be one those dumb fools with a big TV, obvious to anyone who walks into my house. An object of private snickering and mockery. Or something smaller, that reflects my non-materialistic humble values.

The problem is I like sports. Sports are better when they are bigger. My wife says 42" are plenty. But what about 55"? Did you know that a 60" has 20% more viewing area than a 55"? Like she cares. How many d-bag husbands have repeated that line by Sharp: 20% more viewing area? I feel dirty after I say it.

Then there are those smug bastards who will tell you at the drop of the hat they don't even own a TV. Just casually mentioning it when you ask them if they watched some game, or some TV show. They don't say anything further, they don't make any kind of value judgment, they just drop the fact and let it sink in. As if they just said they had cereal for breakfast. All the while knowing that they have just one-upped you in a way that is impossible for you to fire back. Worst people in the world.

I even find myself telling my wife that I could use a large TV to fellowship inactives. You know, invite them to the house to watch a game. Is there anything I won't do or say to justify my shallowness in wanting a large TV? It's sad. I know. Freaking planet about to erupt into depression or war or another Obama presidency or a Giants back-to-back and I am pissing away my life force on TV size. God help me. (By delivering me a large TV).

I just recently bought a 32inch tv from Costo on sale for $160. I doubt you want to watch my tv, because it is only hooked up to a DVD player and my son's X-Box. I have no cable.

DVD? What's that? Is that like VHS?

Is there something newer than DVD? I watch movies but not on Netflix or Apple TV. I go to Redbox. Is there better technology of which I am unaware.

LOL. Yes there is. Blu-ray.

Netflix movies, when streamed, are often on high definition. If you like movies and have netflix, you ought to consider getting a Roku. I like mine.

Roku. LOL.

Any TV and Blue-ray player worth their salt have netflix streaming capabilities built-in.

Roku . . . lol.

Reasons to get a Roku:

1. In Archaea's case, it is doubtful that a $200 TV has internet apps.
2. I understand that many internet apps are extremely clunky in blu-ray players, to the point of being almost unusable. For example, the startup time for the app. The Roku is essentially instant-on and very quick.
3. The Roku has hundreds of apps that are updated all the time. That may not be the case for many TVs and blu-ray players. For example, my roku has a BYU-TV app. Does the average TV/blu-ray player have this app?
4. I've heard there have been some performance issues with TV apps. I assume that's better now.

I have a playstation that has the Netflix app and it works just fine. But if I was only concerned about streaming apps, I would definitely go with the Roku on a performance basis only. My new TV will have built-in apps, so I'm anxious to see how well they work.

I tried out internet apps on my new panasonic TV last night.

1. There are certainly not as many available apps as the Roku. But they do have netflix and amazon and hulu, which are probably the most important ones.

2. The netflix app was kinda slow working, with the older interface (I hate netflix interface on about everything, but that's another subject). The actual picture production was fine.

All in all I was reasonably impressed, and I do not think I would get a Roku for such a TV.