I waited for years, at times patiently and at other times not so much, to get a high-definition television in the living room of our house. The big day came on Memorial Day in late May.
Today, four months later, the new television stand in the living room is empty. Well, except for the DVD player housing a movie that cannot be watched, and a DVR that diligently continues to work, recording shows that have no screen from which to be projected. The darned thing's probably full by now, deleting movies still unwatched at the bottom of the queue.
The new HDTV, you see, is in Rockford. Unable to emit any picture or sound. Waiting for a part that will determine whether the stinkin' thing will be fixed or replaced.
So in the meantime, the most populated room in our home has shifted from the living room to the study. That's where the decade-old 46-inch RCA television sits. Or rather is anchored. The thing must weigh 700 pounds. The picture is awful, but at least the thing still works. Which is more than I can say for my four-month-old HDTV.
We watch sports and news on the old RCA. But we enjoy it less, because we've already been spoiled by the brief glimpse of high definition our currently disabled new TV offered.
This is happening at a terrible time: The beginning of the fall network television season. The days when summer turns to fall, and avid TV watchers reunite with their favorite shows and make some new friends.
(Oh, by the way, as I write this, NFL quarterback Peyton Manning is taunting me in his DirecTV commercial. "You're not watching football in standard def, are you?!" For weeks, I'd proudly stand up and say, "No, Peyton, I am not!" I actually would say that out loud. I'm not sure if others in the family were laughing at me or with me. Today, I just don't answer the nosy QB.)
Anyway, our television watching revolves around the DVR. My wife and I both work. I occasionally work nights, and our evenings are filled with soccer matches and other events. So we don't watch many shows live anymore. I don't know that many people do.
But as I said, our DVR is working hard right now with nothing to show for it. It's not hooked up to a working TV at the moment. And I'll be danged if I'm going to attempt to hook it up to the old RCA.
So Sarah's been holding out on most shows, preferring to wait to watch them until our HDTV (or its replacement) returns. But they're starting to pile up, and I've warned her that she'll never be able to catch up if she doesn't start watching some of them soon.
I, on the other hand, have been keeping up by watching the shows on our personal computer. I'm partial to the site Hulu.com, which offers most shows the day after it airs. I've kept up with The Office and Fringe this way. I've been introduced to a handful of new shows this way, as well, including FlashForward, Community and The Forgotten. (I know, Sarah, I told you I wasn't going to watch The Forgotten, but I did. I kind of liked it.) But more on the new television shows in another post in a few days.
I have to admit, I kind of like watching "television" on the computer. It sits right in your lap. You can put headphones in if you want. The sound quality is pretty good. You don't have to fast forward through a bunch of commercials. It's not HDTV, of course, but frankly I kind of prefer watching TV on my computer screen to the old RCA.
During a newspaper seminar I attended recently, one of the presenters talked briefly about how today's younger generation is getting more and more used to watching content on the computer rather than on a TV screen. It's an access issue. "Kool Kids," the presenter called them, will sacrifice some quality (in the picture) for accessibility (being able to watch something wherever and whenever you want on your computer).
Ironically, it was the night I returned from the summit that we discovered our four-month-old HDTV no longer worked. I scoffed at the notion of watching a majority of my television shows on the computer. Now, I'm not so sure. I understand the allure, and convenience.
What do you think? Do you watch any television on the computer? What sites do you like?
Let's discuss.
Today, four months later, the new television stand in the living room is empty. Well, except for the DVD player housing a movie that cannot be watched, and a DVR that diligently continues to work, recording shows that have no screen from which to be projected. The darned thing's probably full by now, deleting movies still unwatched at the bottom of the queue.
The new HDTV, you see, is in Rockford. Unable to emit any picture or sound. Waiting for a part that will determine whether the stinkin' thing will be fixed or replaced.
So in the meantime, the most populated room in our home has shifted from the living room to the study. That's where the decade-old 46-inch RCA television sits. Or rather is anchored. The thing must weigh 700 pounds. The picture is awful, but at least the thing still works. Which is more than I can say for my four-month-old HDTV.
We watch sports and news on the old RCA. But we enjoy it less, because we've already been spoiled by the brief glimpse of high definition our currently disabled new TV offered.
This is happening at a terrible time: The beginning of the fall network television season. The days when summer turns to fall, and avid TV watchers reunite with their favorite shows and make some new friends.
(Oh, by the way, as I write this, NFL quarterback Peyton Manning is taunting me in his DirecTV commercial. "You're not watching football in standard def, are you?!" For weeks, I'd proudly stand up and say, "No, Peyton, I am not!" I actually would say that out loud. I'm not sure if others in the family were laughing at me or with me. Today, I just don't answer the nosy QB.)
Anyway, our television watching revolves around the DVR. My wife and I both work. I occasionally work nights, and our evenings are filled with soccer matches and other events. So we don't watch many shows live anymore. I don't know that many people do.
But as I said, our DVR is working hard right now with nothing to show for it. It's not hooked up to a working TV at the moment. And I'll be danged if I'm going to attempt to hook it up to the old RCA.
So Sarah's been holding out on most shows, preferring to wait to watch them until our HDTV (or its replacement) returns. But they're starting to pile up, and I've warned her that she'll never be able to catch up if she doesn't start watching some of them soon.
I, on the other hand, have been keeping up by watching the shows on our personal computer. I'm partial to the site Hulu.com, which offers most shows the day after it airs. I've kept up with The Office and Fringe this way. I've been introduced to a handful of new shows this way, as well, including FlashForward, Community and The Forgotten. (I know, Sarah, I told you I wasn't going to watch The Forgotten, but I did. I kind of liked it.) But more on the new television shows in another post in a few days.
I have to admit, I kind of like watching "television" on the computer. It sits right in your lap. You can put headphones in if you want. The sound quality is pretty good. You don't have to fast forward through a bunch of commercials. It's not HDTV, of course, but frankly I kind of prefer watching TV on my computer screen to the old RCA.
During a newspaper seminar I attended recently, one of the presenters talked briefly about how today's younger generation is getting more and more used to watching content on the computer rather than on a TV screen. It's an access issue. "Kool Kids," the presenter called them, will sacrifice some quality (in the picture) for accessibility (being able to watch something wherever and whenever you want on your computer).
Ironically, it was the night I returned from the summit that we discovered our four-month-old HDTV no longer worked. I scoffed at the notion of watching a majority of my television shows on the computer. Now, I'm not so sure. I understand the allure, and convenience.
What do you think? Do you watch any television on the computer? What sites do you like?
Let's discuss.
