Same Bat-time; same Bat-channel…

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There was a time back when I was young (or even four years ago) where people would have to schedule their time and events around television shows and movies that they wished to watch.  Kids stayed in on Friday to watch TGIF on ABC or woke up early Saturday for Saturday morning cartoons.  Adults made sure to go to dinner before their programs started at 8pm and definitely made it a habit to stay in all night Thursday for NBC’s Must See TV.  After you watched your show, you would have to tune in NEXT week at the SAME TIME to view the show again.

Films would air in movie theaters, then be released periodically in a “video rental store.”  These movies would usually be watched on Fridays, but parents coming home from work on Friday would make sure to get to the local Blockbuster early before all the copies of the new release were rented.  But in order to watch a movie in your home, you either had to purchase it, or drive down to the store and rent the film; then you had a window of two days to watch it.

Sometimes the gods would look favorably down upon humanity and allow people to view them significantly edited on Saturday afternoons or Sunday evening.

The sad thing was, your time was held hostage by shadowy men in corporate citadels.

This was before a revolution of viewer-controlled media.  There has been a sudden release these last few years of technology that has allowed the consumer the chance to control when, where and how they watch the television shows and films that they desire. 

DVRs allowed people to take back their schedules.  You don’t have to be home to watch a television show.  You don’t even have to remember to tape the show every week.  One setting and the show tapes every time it airs.  Missed taping an episode or even want to catch up with a series you started watching halfway through a season, products like Hulu.com, TV.com and others provided consumers the opportunity to further customize their viewing schedule.

With films, initially rental stores extended the time they allowed a film to be released, but there was still the issue of physically driving to the rental store, returning the film and, even then, the desired film didn’t have any copies available.  Products like Netflix satisfied the hunger for delivered movies to your door with NO LATE FEES AT ALL.  But even with this advancement, consumers wanted instant gratification, so products like Cable Video On Demand and Netflix streaming allowed consumers to view films at any moment they desired, whether day or night. 

With the added ability to watch films and television programs on televisions, gaming consoles, computers, tablets and smartphones, consumption of media has never before been easier for the public.  We are truly lucky to be living in an era of instant gratification.

Two questions remain, though: with the “have it your way” mindset, are we becoming too ungrateful, and do any other parties benefit from this arrangement outside of the consumer?

My next post will attempt to answer these questions…

Great News if You’re Looking to Buy a New HDTV

Alright.  I told you I would discuss some fun things to do with burned movies and a house entertainment system, but this topic is actually topical; meaning, the information I give will be of use to you NOW.

It was a sad year for hdtv sales in 2010.  Best Buy said their sales of hdtvs dropped this year by 14%.  This is GOOD!  70% of households already HAVE an hdtv.  But hdtvs have been around long enough that, if you were one of the first to buy, or even if you are still that person that hasn’t broken down yet, the next few months may be PERFECT for you. 

Since places like Best Buy usually get their new models into the stores in June, NOW is the time to purchase a television.  After the Super Bowl sales, when the stores have the leftover televisions that didn’t sell, is when you can find deals.  Just like after Christmas.

I want to make sure that, when you go out to find a television, you don’t go in and get blind-sided by a quick salesman.  Here are some things you need to keep in mind:

Type of hdtv: really, there is no debate between plasma and LCD anymore.  LCD won.  Now, you decide between LCD and LED.  They are both considered “LCD” screens, but LED is a different type of lighting.  LED delivers better colors and darker blacks, meaning when the screen is black it doesn’t look like someone is shining a light through a black filter; on LED screens, the light actually turns OFF.  Because of their better color and black levels, they are usually more expensive.

Refresh Rate: most TVs come in 120hz, which means that the screen “refreshes” the image 120 times per second.  Some old screens are 60hz, but many companies stopped making them because they do fidgety things with TV and blu-ray signals. (Ask me if you really want to know the technical reason)  If someone says that you should get the 240hz screen because it will be twice as good video quality, tell them that they’re “not talking to an ignoramus.  I know that 240hz is just a marketing term that means NOTHING.”  Stick with the 120hz.

Smoothing Motion: don’t fall for the “smooth motion” or “super motion” option.  Basically, movies and TV shows are filmed at 24 and 30 frames per second, respectively.  This means that when you are watching them on a 120hz TV, they are repeating the same movie frame 5 times and every TV frame 4 times every second.  That “smoothing motion” takes two frames and figures out what the picture is doing between the two for those extra frames.  Basically, it allows your TV to make its own TV show or movie.  If you’re someone who believes that a director knows what he is doing, you will respect him enough not to allow your TV to screw with the film or show he has created.  PHEW.

Internet connectivity and widgets: you really have total control over this, most of the time.  Many televisions now come with application stores where you can add connections to HULU or Netflix or a weather application that tells you local weather.  If you don’t want to use them, you don’t have to, but they’re very convenient to watch streaming video on your TV from the internet.

3D technology: as much as I hate this, most of us are going to have to get used to the fact that 3d technology is here, at least for the next few years.  Basically, nowadays it’s glove compartments are in your car: not everyone uses them, YOU MIGHT NOT EVEN CARE ABOUT THE FEATURE WHEN YOU SHOP FOR A CAR, but it will be installed in the car anyway.  It doesn’t add anything to the price of the hdtv, since all the new TVs come with it anyway.  So, it will be an option that you have available to you, if you want, but if you never use it, you probably will forget that it exists.  So stop trying to find that hdtv that doesn’t have it.

TV size:  the most basic advice I can give you is that, for most people, a 46” TV is the perfect size.  As you look at the table below, know that I sit about 10’ or 11’ away from my 46” screen and think it look magnificent.  These viewing distances are mostly just to make sure that, if you’re at the close end of the spectrum, you can’t see pixels.  Because people will be able to see pixels on an an hdtv that is 100’ tall if they are close enough.

Screen	Viewing Distance Range
26”	3.25-5.5 feet
32”	4.0-6.66 feet
37”	4.63-7.71 feet
40”	5.0-8.33 feet
46”	5.75-9.5 feet
52”	6.5-10.8 feet
58”	7.25-12 feet
65”	8.13-13.5 feet
70”	8.75-14.75 feet

Those are the basic rules for looking for a new hdtv these next few months.  Keep in mind that big box stores like Best Buy, Costco and Wal-Mart can offer you some great advice and store service, but they usually have higher prices than online stores like Amazon, NewEgg or TigerDirect have.  So, make sure to research yourself, check out both venues (online and brick and mortar stores) and know that, if you need any help or have any other questions, I can answer them very quickly by email. 

Let me know.