TV's - When Size Didn't Matter

So, the other day I picked up a new TV for the house. Well, actually it was for the garage. Since my garage has become the official "smoking room," of my home, I figured I should put a decent TV out there to allow people to watch the baseball/football games during their smoking sessions. Since it was basically an extra TV, I didn't want to spend a ton of money on it. So, I would up getting a good deal on a 32-inch flat screen.

Looking for a safe spot where it would least likely get damaged, I mounted the TV in high, far corner of the garage. Once I retreated to the "viewing area", I was surprised to see how small the television looked. I had to check the box to make sure that I hadn't mistaken ordered a 12-inch model. But sure enough, it was indeed the full 32 inches. I questioned myself as to whether I should have ordered a 55-inch screen instead. But that would be kind of overkill for a garage. Wouldn't it?

To say that the size of televisions has grown would be a vast understatement. I have seen TVs that were so large they practically needed their own zip code. I know people who have these gigantic 90" sets. When we watch the football game, the players are practically lifesize. You throw in the high definition picture quality and it looks like you're on the field with these guys. While watching a Raven's game last year, I dropped my beer and nearly sh*t my pants when Ray Lewis appeared to be running towards me!

Remember the old days when the "big screen" was the 25-inch model? We'd often see those console models with the built-in "large" speakers (which were actually only about 4 inches). The console took up the better part of the living room, but the actual TV screen was relatively small by today's standards. If you were "lucky" enough to have one of the deluxe models, you might have had a built-in record player. This gave you the ability to listen to your favorite Kiss album through the lame audio system.

Most people that I knew watched their favorite TV shows on a basic 19" set. I can remember crowding around these small televisions and watching major events like the Super Bowl. This seems a bit surreal considering some of the gigantic theater-size screens we watch the games on now. When I grew up, there was basically three sizes. You had the 13" for bedroom, the 19" for the living room and the 25" for a status symbol.

Buying a TV today can be somewhat confusing. How many HDMI inputs do you want? Should you get a 720p, 1080p or go for broke with a 4k? Do you prefer a Plasma, LED or LCD screen? Do you want a "smart" TV or maybe you'd rather save a few bucks and opt for an intellectually challenged model? 60 Hertz or 120 Hertz? All of this is technical jargon is actually making my head hurt! Remember the days when you didn't have to worry about any of this? You just took the TV out of the box, plugged it into the wall and adjusted the rabbit ears until you could clearly distinguish Starsky from Hutch. 

Although modern televisions are much more sophisticated, the price is relatively cheap when compared to the cost of yesterday's inferior CRT models. With the continuing price decline of today's high quality TV's, they've almost become disposable. If you have a TV for a few years and it goes bad, it's often cheaper to buy a new one rather than have the old repaired. By the way, is there even such a thing as a TV repairman anymore?

I give items away to charity a few times a year. Recently, while preparing some items for pick-up the next morning, I decided to give away an old 19-inch TV (with a built-in VCR). I figured I would never use it again but perhaps a family with small kids might be able to use it to play movies. Well, I set everything up in the morning and then left for work. When I got home later, I noticed that everything had been picked up except for the TV. I sent the charity an email and told them that they forgot to take the TV. They replied back that they did not forget it. They just didn't want it! A TV that was worthy of projecting the Super Bowl twenty-five years ago can't even be given way today. It's funny how things change.....

kw