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| This is it - have at it (and please no anti-Bengals comments due to the banner, I'm still smarting from the loss today) |
made me realize that in the not-too-distant future DVD's are going to be obsolete and I'm going to need to upgrade at least some of my technology. So, what better time than now? And, while I'm at it, why not take advantage of the super-special 36 months no interest financing which will never come again and revamp the whole thing, right? I mean, why not pay for a TV for as long as some people pay for a car?
Well in doing some research, I'm quickly getting to the point where I landed before - deciding to buy nothing because I'm so overwhelmed by the options (probably better off that way any way). I need a personal technology consultant and I thought maybe a blog post would help me find one. Or maybe some smart electronics store is out there reading my blog, ready to pounce on the next sale. Or maybe during my writing and editing of this post, my head will literally explode and I won't have to make any decision at all.
My goals: To maximize my TV/streaming internet/Netflix viewing options without spending a ton of money. Getting rid of some of the wires would be a definite added benefit, but not essential to the project.
My current situation: 32" Sharp LCD TV, a Sony 5 disc DVD changer w/ surround sound, a Wii which we use both for games and streaming Netflix, and a Terk indoor HDTV antenna (we got rid of DirecTV about 6 months ago because I was tired of paying more than $100/month to watch about 5 channels for at most 2 hours a day).
The Wii will either stay in here or move to the bedroom (dependent on other choices), the TV will move to the bedroom and replace the 26 inch LG we have in there (another problem - what do I do with a 6 year old, working 26 inch LCDTV?), and the Sony system and HD antenna will remain with whatever we buy new - assuming there isn't an option which would help me eliminate the antenna without bringing back my cable bill.
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| Just a close depiction - I'm too lazy to get off my couch and take a picture of the mess behind my TV, plus my brother might think I'm weird |
My head feels like this picture looks. For the TV, I've pretty much narrowed it down to an LED in the 46"+ range. Should I get a Smart TV? What about 3D? I lean toward yes on the Smart TV and no on the 3D, but I'm really not sure what advantages a Smart TV gives me over what I already have, or some of the other options out there, like the Apple TV. The Apple TV looks nice and would probably integrate well with the two macs, two iPhones and iPad that we have in the house, but it also means more wires and something else to try to find room for on our already crowded "entertainment center". And I haven't even gotten to the problem of how to play the DVD's, which presented me with this whole problem in the first place.
What it seems to come down to at this point is some combination of the following:
1) TV
a. Stick with what I have until it breaks
b. 46"+ LED Smart TV
c. 46"+ LED Smart 3DTV
2) Multimedia Player
a. Standalone Blu-Ray Player to connect to Sony entertainment system
b. Playstation 3 w/ Blu-Ray to bump the Wii to the bedroom
3) Connecting my TV with other content
a. Apple TV
b. Just use the Wii/PS3/Smart TV
4) Stick with what we have, save the money so we can move out of this house one day and start over then (with no money).
5) Submit my story to White People Problems and move on.
5) Submit my story to White People Problems and move on.
Anyone have any brilliant insight? Anything that works for you that I should consider? When are they finally going to make a TV that just has all of this stuff built in so that I don't have to try to hide wires like a complete amateur?
A personal technology guy is a great idea. I can't even figure out how to get your old Itouch (I know I owe you money), to synch on Itunes. I need someone to help me with my computer, my IPAD, Itunes, and everything that is out there that is there to help make life easier. Instead I sit and stare at stuff with absolutely no idea how to use it, to the point that i just get mad and throw it down in frustration. Can we franchise a group of nerds to scour the country and be personal tech assistants to guys like us? We need to make money somehow, lets take the geeks upstairs and make them make us money. They'll never know what hit them.
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