Sunday, August 31, 2008

Dispatch from weekend central

I waited for the newspaper yesterday for hours. Up here, the Saturday paper is the big giant one with all the extra sections and advertising. I love spending an hour or two sifting through it after my Saturday morning workout. I never did get it, though it wasn't for lack of trying. I lodged my missing paper situation with their automated system. The system informed me that they were aware of the problem and that I could expect my paper at 10:10am. My mistake, I suppose, was in believing in the automated system, as I never did receive the darned thing.

So we went shopping instead. Serge wanted to check out lighting. See, not only do we need chairs for the new dining table, but we need some kind of cool lighting fixture above it. (And I use the word "need" here euphamistically for desire.) We didn't buy one, but we did peruse many thousands at several different stores. We also got sidetracked by all the labor day sales on the flatscreen tvs. (I guess we can stop calling them flatscreens, since the picture tube style is no longer being sold.) Here's what we both want to know: Is the human eye able to detect the difference between Full HD 1080 and Normal HD 720. My guess is that, yes, you could tell if you put your face right up to the screen, but you can't tell if you're sitting several feet away as we tend to do when we watch. What say y'all?

16 comments:

My adventures said...

You can really tell the difference when you watch non HD channels. I have the 1080's and highly recommend them.

Uncle Zoloft said...

Important to me is a very clear 180 degree view.

Oh, and what looks like a large enough screen in the store will be swallowed up by a room - so go for the bigger one.

Anonymous said...

I have a 13 inch tube TV. I have Cable so it is supposed to keep working even after Feb. 2009. The Cable company has moved several stations to the area with three digit numbers and informed me that I will need a digital box to get those stations. Flat screen Pixel size is the least of my problems. Get a really nice chandelier for over the table. You'll have to look at it every day for a long time. ed

Doug said...

The difference between 1080 and 720 is an up-sale. A whole new generation of gadgeteers drool each time we come out with something better. I have no clue what we have, but it's 3 years old and it looks fine.

Need, want, and desire all amount to the same thing. Especially desire. ;)

Rox said...

I just got a 1080 for my bedroom (mounted on the wall saves space) and it's awesome! I highly recommend it. Go big or go home and since you've blogged about the FS for a few entries now, I think you need to face the truth.

You wannnnntttt oooooonnnnneee!

Get it. Life's too short.

CoffeeDog said...

I *need* a flat screen TV, anything would be an improvement over the 13 in we have in the living room.

A Lewis said...

I ain't got no idear what y'all r talkin' 'bout.

Anonymous said...

I guess the tv thing is kind of like how I feel about a car. If it gets me reliably from point A to point B, I couldn't care less what it looks like (excluding Gremlins or Pacers of course). Get the cheaper tv and invest in the nicer lighting.

Patricia said...

I hate it when my paper isn't delivered. And I refuse to buy one because I'm still waiting for the one to be delivered and don't want to pay for two. So I end up waiting and waiting and never reading and reading.

It's so odd to think that the big giant paper comes on Saturday and not Sunday. Once again, you're at least a day ahead of the curve :)

Anonymous said...

Eh. The minute you buy a tv, no matter what the number attached to it says, they'll come out with something new.

I like the idea of saving space by putting a tv on the wall however.

Snooze said...

That sucks about your paper. I had something similar happen when I subscribed.

Anonymous said...

I highly suggest ambilight with your HD flatscreen. For the first two weeks of owning this new TV I was so mesmerized by the light behind it I couldn't follow the plot of any shows I was watching!

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Java said...

I have the perfect solution to both needs. Get a nice big TV and mount it over the new table, screen facing down. That will light your table, and as shiny as that pretty glass top is, you can watch the shows in the reflection on the table.

Do they celebrate Labor Day up there? Sometimes the various holidays befuddle me. Canadians aren't going to celebrate July 4th Independence Day, obviously, but what about, say, Columbus day? We're acknowledging the man's alleged discovery of the continent we share, so it makes sense that Canadians might celebrate it, too. But we all know what it's really about. The consumerism, the sales, the bargains.

anabel said...

Hey,I'd just be glad to figure out why my remote control isn't working. No, it's not the batteries.

Greg said...

Java (forgive the cross talk, Torn), our Canadian Friends celebrate Thanksgiving when we are giving thanks for/ demonizing (*depending on your politics) Christopher Columbus here in the States.

Who knows what they do on that third Thursday of November.

I like your lighting suggestion.

Franciscus van Munster said...

I say a cool lighting fixture is essential. An HDTV is not, as long as there are books to read and music to listen to.