On Friday, as I attempted to watch The Coen Brothers’ “Hudsucker Proxy” via Netflix (a movie I do not recommend, sadly), our television sputtered its last and died. In an ungraceful little memorial to its long service, I hauled it into the garage, dusted off my hands, and turned to Corelyn with a somber assessment: “It’s time for a new one.” Now we’re not exactly made of money out here, so we had to have a few of those sit-downs you do when you’re married where you stare across a table at one another and nod gravely. After some internet research to get our tech savvy up to speed, we decided to make Sunday the “television day.”
When we arrived at the Best Buy/Costco complex we frequent for such events, the debate began. Originally, Corelyn had been sure we could be satisfied with a 32″ screen, and I had agreed with her on the grounds that our old TV had been that size, but upon looking at them we concluded that they were just too small. Billy (who we called for advice), wisely stated the reason for this: “Your old TV was a square, this is a rectangle.” Too true, so now the debate became thus: do we amp up the size and step down to a 720p resolution? Do we compromise on the dream of sweet, sweet 1080p?
Nay!
To the rescue came Best Buy, which offers a financing plan I can only describe as “stunning.” With a little more wind in our sails, we stepped forward boldly and chose a gorgeous 40″ Samsung (a brand universally acclaimed for its high quality televisions) with full-on 1080p. Much to my surprise, the sales team at Best Buy advised me against dropping another couple hundred for the 120 Hz refresh rate; they warned that movement that smooth can make things look “fake.” Already aware of the effect they were talking about, I heartily agreed and stuck with 60 Hz, which sustains a nice, cinematic-looking framerate.
The next problem, however, was thus: standard DVDs don’t upconvert to a High-Def television very well. Sensing that I had a skeptical wife, this sales guy affably suggested I buy a very reasonably Up-Converting player. I approached Corelyn and began my opening statement, citations and legal precedent prepared. Before I was halfway through, she cut me off with a sigh and said, “Let’s just get a Blu-Ray player.” I remained calm, but inside I was thinking Be cool, Andrew!
I did a lot more stuff on this entry, much of it was very good, but then it got deleted when I pressed the wrong button. Out of frustration, here’s my paraphrase:
1. Corelyn has planned some surprise getaway this weekend for our anniversary. I think that’s awesome, and cannot wait.
2. We did in fact get a Blu Ray and the TV. They’re both awesome.
3. Some bragging about how I can tell the difference between 480p, 720p, and 1080p.
Sigh. Sorry about that.
I am proud of both of you and happy 1080p.
Pop
Now you see, if you had a PC, you wouldn’t have these problems . . .
“Hudsucker” is an awesome movie, but it takes some getting used to. It was too much for me to absorb on first viewing. But once I got used to the way it looked and the way people acted and talked, I really enjoyed it. Now it’s one of my all-time favorites. Give it another chance. There’s a reason the biggest Coen Bros fansite is called “You Know – For Kids!”