I am disposing of my flat TV. In fact, I am giving it away for a song to any interested party.
It may be slightly used, but it’s still a 29-inch, cable-ready, flat screen TV, in good running condition. For those of you who are picky with details, it’s in matt silver, and all buttons in the remote are up and running.
But here is the snag.
Behind the flat screen is what looks like a giant turtle’s shell. Inside the shell is a huge picture tube that is as heavy as a bride being carried out of the Church by her grimacing groom on their 25th wedding anniversary. Anybody who would wish to get the TV from our house must have a forklift on standby.
Because my wife, Liza, and I found the TV too colossal and archaic for our family room, we decided to let it follow the dinosaur to extinction. It was an opportune time for us to get a trim, space-saving TV that fitted our attic and budget.
At my age, I must say that I have already learned to embrace the value of simplicity and bridle my extravagant tendencies. Or so I thought.
During one of our conversations on what TV to get, I told Liza that my only specification for a new television is this: it should no longer look like a tortoise. (Of course, that was a euphemism for a “state-of-the-art, wide-screen LCD TV”.)
All that changed the moment Liza and I stepped inside the appliance store.
“Sir, Ma’am, are you looking for a TV?” the salesman asked. “Sir, we have HD-ready LCD TVs.”
“No, thanks. We are just looking for a simple flat-screen TV,” I replied.
The man smiled, looking equipped to win me over. Churning out his well-rehearsed marketing spiel, the man said: “Sir, I suggest you get an HD TV. HD resolution substantially increases the number of lines and the pixels per line in the television picture. Conventional TV’s use up to 625 lines; an HD-Ready TV will use at least 720 or 1080 lines to project the image on to the panel. So if you get an HDTV, you are sure to experience Television like never before with the widest range of colors and the clearest images ever seen on a TV.”
The man sounded like he already memorized the first page of the TV’s operating manual.
“But I just want this 32-inch TV which fits my budget,” I insisted, while pointing to a unit that was on sale.
“Sir, that model will be phased out in a few months. I suggest you get a higher model, the one which is HD-ready.” The guy then lost no time in turning on the display unit and… Whala! Before me was a huge TV with superior resolution and digital surround sound.
To cut a long story short, I got the HD TV ++.
Let me clarify what the two plus signs mean.
Before Liza and I were able to settle with the Cashier, the salesman made a last-ditch marketing chatter: “Sir, Ma’am, you might want to include this home entertainment system. You just add P5,000.00 and you get an amazing theater-like experience. It’s equipped with a USB slot so you can watch movies using your USB.”
Perhaps the salesman sensed my weakness for fantastic-sounding audio and the latest technology, because he sampled the home theater system and turned up the volume to a heart-thumping level to impress me.
To make the story even shorter, I ended up overshooting my budget and getting both the TV and the 5.1 channel/receiver package.
At home, after the TV was delivered and installed, I lazily sat on the fluffy sofa-bed and was ready to be engulfed by the theater-like ambiance. But then I quickly sat up straight as I noticed something queer with the TV.
How come the 32-inch TV looked dwarfed in the family room? Tsk, tsk. “I should have gotten the bigger 46-inch LCD TV,” a speech balloon seemed to holler over my head. Fortunately, I was able to quickly snap out of the disturbing thought and convince myself that the 32-inch wide screen was big enough for me.
Calmed, I popped in a DVD, and waited for the video to load. After a few seconds, a pixilated TV screen appeared before me. This was no different from the resolution of my tortoise TV! It looked like I was taken in for a ride! Before I could call the appliance store and spew out a mouthful, my eyes fell on the DVD case. Oh, no wonder — I was watching a pirated copy.
In the next few days, I found myself hopping from one video store to another, buying original copies of DVDs.
Make that DVDs ++.
“Sir, you might want to try the DVD with the DTS sound,” said the saleslady at the video shop. She continued: “DTS is a multi-channel digital surround sound format used for theaters. You’ll get the most out of your home theater system if you choose the copy with DTS. Of course, Sir, you could get the cheaper copies with Dolby Digital sound, but they will not be as crisp-sounding as those in DTS format.”
Goodness gracious! First an HD TV. Then, a home theater system. Now, DVD copies on DTS format. What’s next?
I was reminded of the story of a famous industrialist who was asked how much money it would take to make him happy. His answer? “Just a little more.”
Indeed, it was time for me to cut this plus-plus madness. Enough is enough! I vowed to myself that I would have to be content on what I already have.
Well, I am proud to announce to the whole world that I kept my vow, well, for a good 2 days.
One night, while I was comfortably sitting on the sofa-bed, watching a good movie on 1080 resolution, while listening to the nuances of every sound on DTS format, my 12-year old daughter, Mika, appeared from out of nowhere and sat beside me.
All of a sudden… swoosh! In a record time of two seconds flat, both of our butts slid to the floor. The foam of the sofa-bed was already worn out and could no longer carry two picture tubes, er, adults!
“Hon,” I called out to Liza who was downstairs. “I think it’s time we get a new couch up here.”
I have a strange feeling this will be a couch ++.
And to think that it all started with just one TV.
(Writer’s note: This story first saw print in the book “B.I.G.G.E.R. Hearts.” The book, and its prequel, B.I.G. Hearts, are available at all National Bookstore and St. Paul’s Bookstore branches nationwide.)
Quote of the Week:
“The more we count the blessings we have,
the less we crave the luxuries we haven’t.”
– William A. Ward
It may be slightly used, but it’s still a 29-inch, cable-ready, flat screen TV, in good running condition. For those of you who are picky with details, it’s in matt silver, and all buttons in the remote are up and running.
But here is the snag.
Behind the flat screen is what looks like a giant turtle’s shell. Inside the shell is a huge picture tube that is as heavy as a bride being carried out of the Church by her grimacing groom on their 25th wedding anniversary. Anybody who would wish to get the TV from our house must have a forklift on standby.
Because my wife, Liza, and I found the TV too colossal and archaic for our family room, we decided to let it follow the dinosaur to extinction. It was an opportune time for us to get a trim, space-saving TV that fitted our attic and budget.
At my age, I must say that I have already learned to embrace the value of simplicity and bridle my extravagant tendencies. Or so I thought.
During one of our conversations on what TV to get, I told Liza that my only specification for a new television is this: it should no longer look like a tortoise. (Of course, that was a euphemism for a “state-of-the-art, wide-screen LCD TV”.)
All that changed the moment Liza and I stepped inside the appliance store.
“Sir, Ma’am, are you looking for a TV?” the salesman asked. “Sir, we have HD-ready LCD TVs.”
“No, thanks. We are just looking for a simple flat-screen TV,” I replied.
The man smiled, looking equipped to win me over. Churning out his well-rehearsed marketing spiel, the man said: “Sir, I suggest you get an HD TV. HD resolution substantially increases the number of lines and the pixels per line in the television picture. Conventional TV’s use up to 625 lines; an HD-Ready TV will use at least 720 or 1080 lines to project the image on to the panel. So if you get an HDTV, you are sure to experience Television like never before with the widest range of colors and the clearest images ever seen on a TV.”
The man sounded like he already memorized the first page of the TV’s operating manual.
“But I just want this 32-inch TV which fits my budget,” I insisted, while pointing to a unit that was on sale.
“Sir, that model will be phased out in a few months. I suggest you get a higher model, the one which is HD-ready.” The guy then lost no time in turning on the display unit and… Whala! Before me was a huge TV with superior resolution and digital surround sound.
To cut a long story short, I got the HD TV ++.
Let me clarify what the two plus signs mean.
Before Liza and I were able to settle with the Cashier, the salesman made a last-ditch marketing chatter: “Sir, Ma’am, you might want to include this home entertainment system. You just add P5,000.00 and you get an amazing theater-like experience. It’s equipped with a USB slot so you can watch movies using your USB.”
Perhaps the salesman sensed my weakness for fantastic-sounding audio and the latest technology, because he sampled the home theater system and turned up the volume to a heart-thumping level to impress me.
To make the story even shorter, I ended up overshooting my budget and getting both the TV and the 5.1 channel/receiver package.
At home, after the TV was delivered and installed, I lazily sat on the fluffy sofa-bed and was ready to be engulfed by the theater-like ambiance. But then I quickly sat up straight as I noticed something queer with the TV.
How come the 32-inch TV looked dwarfed in the family room? Tsk, tsk. “I should have gotten the bigger 46-inch LCD TV,” a speech balloon seemed to holler over my head. Fortunately, I was able to quickly snap out of the disturbing thought and convince myself that the 32-inch wide screen was big enough for me.
Calmed, I popped in a DVD, and waited for the video to load. After a few seconds, a pixilated TV screen appeared before me. This was no different from the resolution of my tortoise TV! It looked like I was taken in for a ride! Before I could call the appliance store and spew out a mouthful, my eyes fell on the DVD case. Oh, no wonder — I was watching a pirated copy.
In the next few days, I found myself hopping from one video store to another, buying original copies of DVDs.
Make that DVDs ++.
“Sir, you might want to try the DVD with the DTS sound,” said the saleslady at the video shop. She continued: “DTS is a multi-channel digital surround sound format used for theaters. You’ll get the most out of your home theater system if you choose the copy with DTS. Of course, Sir, you could get the cheaper copies with Dolby Digital sound, but they will not be as crisp-sounding as those in DTS format.”
Goodness gracious! First an HD TV. Then, a home theater system. Now, DVD copies on DTS format. What’s next?
I was reminded of the story of a famous industrialist who was asked how much money it would take to make him happy. His answer? “Just a little more.”
Indeed, it was time for me to cut this plus-plus madness. Enough is enough! I vowed to myself that I would have to be content on what I already have.
Well, I am proud to announce to the whole world that I kept my vow, well, for a good 2 days.
One night, while I was comfortably sitting on the sofa-bed, watching a good movie on 1080 resolution, while listening to the nuances of every sound on DTS format, my 12-year old daughter, Mika, appeared from out of nowhere and sat beside me.
All of a sudden… swoosh! In a record time of two seconds flat, both of our butts slid to the floor. The foam of the sofa-bed was already worn out and could no longer carry two picture tubes, er, adults!
“Hon,” I called out to Liza who was downstairs. “I think it’s time we get a new couch up here.”
I have a strange feeling this will be a couch ++.
And to think that it all started with just one TV.
(Writer’s note: This story first saw print in the book “B.I.G.G.E.R. Hearts.” The book, and its prequel, B.I.G. Hearts, are available at all National Bookstore and St. Paul’s Bookstore branches nationwide.)
Quote of the Week:
“The more we count the blessings we have,
the less we crave the luxuries we haven’t.”
– William A. Ward
