Tele-visionary Peers

I am way past keeping up with the Jones’. No really, I had real neighbors named that. Their house was always bigger, their stuff was always newer - they were the CLASSY neighbors. These types of folks are the first ones on the block to get the best stuff like a ‘projection’ TV. We on the other hand were moving up from a 12 inch portable to an incredibly HUGE and heavy 31” tube television. The family had watched the little TV for about two weeks after our previous 27” version had broken.

I had tried to put up with the small TV since nobody watched it that much anyway. It has only been the last few years that we have even had more than ONE TV in our house. Now except for guest rooms, we also never place TV’s in our bedrooms since they distract from sleeping. But I think it was a Star Wars movie being shown on network television one weekend that prompted the purchase of that last and biggest tube tele.

So a few years later, the Jones’ had moved away and we made room for our first attempt at a 55” projection TV. It was the “newest thing” in television too but a high definition converter box was an optional accessory. Since this was before mandatory digital TV and we did not have cable, it was unneeded anyway. Now I think we are fairly ‘state-of-the-art’ when all of a sudden the all digital flat screen TV’s become all the rage. Whew, this is already getting tiring and expensive. We had to do some remodeling around a fireplace and my daughter chastised me for not putting in a TV alcove for a flat screen even though we did not own one. Deciding it would be a good idea for OTHER people if not for us, I went back and tore out the wall above the fireplace and put in the box ‘just in case’.

Of course, if you EVER make the mistake of framing and finishing an alcove for a TV, then you had better expect that your family will INSIST on a TV to put in the space. So now I am on my 3rd new television just in the last few years. Probably in the span of my whole life prior to this time, I had only owned a total of 2 or 3 televisions. This new 50” LCD flat screen has it all – 1080p, HDMI, and of course all digital but the rub is we STILL don’t have cable or satellite because nobody watches television seriously.

Now I keep seeing ads for this NEW 3D television technology and I have to admit, Jones’ or no Jones’, I kind of think that would make for a very engaging experience – evening newscasts in 3D? I do not know much about these devices but as I understand it they use ‘electronic’ glasses which are at extra cost for more than $100 each? Supposedly even the Masters golf tourney is being offered on some cable systems in 3D too. I have not been to one yet, but many movies in the theater are now shot in 3D, so maybe these new TV’s will be best for a Home Theater environment? Maybe if I get one of these fancy 3D TV’s, MY neighbors will finally look up to me as a peer and want to keep up with my trend-setting ways! No, that won’t happen – at least not until I get one of those fancy rabbit ear antennas with the big plastic concave dish in between. Yeah, now THAT’s Classy!