I Want My HDTV

Disclaimer -- I have been awake since 3:30am. My darling daughter decided she was "all done sleeping" at this ungodly hour. As a result two things are true 1) I am not responsible for the randomness that today's post is likely to be 2) This day is going to be downright ugly come 3PM this afternoon and 3) This will be another day that potty training doesn't get reinforced at home. Ah life, one truly must roll with the punches, that's my story and I a sticking to it.

Plasma or LCD? 42 in. vs. 50in.? Wall mount or not? These are the profound questions in a new age of TV buying. No longer is the discussion about 'will this fit in our console or entertainment center'. Today TV purchase has in many ways become a new contact sport and it is not for the weak at heart. I have a 46 inch flat CRT 1080i HDTV. The fact that I can write that sentence and understand it's meaning speaks volumes to my 'guy' qualities. In English, I have a really pretty TV. Those who know me, know with great confidence that I once coveted this television. And even though I did hours of research prior to walking into the store, I was still there for an hour and a half deciding on what TV would grace my living room (and not cause my daughter to go blind). The idea of sports viewing in pristine clarity and movies in true wide screen format puts me one step closer to the dream -- a basement screening room with a 60+ wall mount and over sized recliners. But I digress. High definition television has truly revolutionized home viewing. I will never forget the bitterness I felt last year watching Wimbledon. I had bought my television a few weeks earlier and here I was watching a match for the ages, Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer. The only problem is instead of enjoying this match in high definition I was visiting family and watching it on a 32 inch standard definition TV. Unless you have made this paradigm shift you can not truly appreciate the level of crankiness I experienced. To emphasize the point, recently a cousin called me to come on board the HD bandwagon. She had purchased a smaller TV for her mother's kitchen and phoned me astounded by the sharpness and brightness of the screen quality. A grandmother of twin girls, her exact sentence was "I didn't realize the Backyardigans were those colors!" Last weekend I was in my glory - Georgetown Basketball, Football playoffs and Australian Open tennis. It simply takes the pleasure of watching sports to a level that is close to watching live action. More and more channels are converting to HD and I suspect within the year all major cable networks will have made the switch. My one word of warning when you go shopping -- do your research ahead of time and determine what you want out of your TV. If you don't you will easily get sucked into the vortex that is Best Buy and quickly becomes overwhelmed by the selection choices. Save yourself the headache and the extra $500 you will inevitably spend from the pressure of the moment. As for HD DVD and Blu Ray, I am sitting that battle out. While I suspect that Blu Ray is going to go the way of the 8 track and Beta player, you can never be sure.

Have you taken the plunge into the new technology? What is your preference?

Other Housekeeping Items

It has been a busy week so film viewing has been at a bit of a lull. However I did watch Reign Over Me. This is a movie where Adam Sandler stars alongside Don Cheadle. Sandler is a lost soul and widowed when his family is killed in the 9-11 attacks. Cheadle, his college roommate is a lost soul for entirely different reasons, he finds himself walking through life without purpose when he runs into Sandler's character and attempts to re-engage their friendship. What unfolds over the next two hours has glimmers of poignancy but ultimately is a film where its few parts are vastly better than its sum. The film moves at a glacial pace, Don Cheadle, who I adore seems confused as to what he is doing in the film. Adam Sandler (whom I border on detesting as an actor) mistakes mumbling for despondent and morose. Jada Pinket Smith is horribly miscast and plays Cheadle's neglected wife as though she is a piece of furniture, which is about as interesting as watching cardboard. What could have been a quiet and engaging film (see Grace is Gone) becomes a drawn out bore. While I would like to blame Sandler, the fact is the first time writer/director steers this one into the ditch. His over-direction, like the abuse of light and dark shadows just clutters this film. It tries and wants to be The Fisher King but misses the mark pretty handily.