May 7, 2005 Archives

I came home from work, turned on the TV and began to watch Countdown with Keith Olberman (yes - I'm the one). I wasn't more than 10 or 15 seconds into the show when I heard "pfffft" and the picture went out.

I approached the TV cautiously. There was the very distinct smell of fried capacitor. Without looking, my guess is the power supply is gone.

In the good old days that wouldn't be a major problem. We've progressed beyond the good old days. This TV is now ready to be thrown away! I took a piece of notebook paper and some Scotch Tape so I could attach a hand written sign that says, "TV Dead."

It is a Zenith projection TV, probably 45" picture. In this day and age it's small for a projection TV. The picture is OK, not great. Years ago, not long after we got it, someone scratched a small portion. It's only visible from obtuse angles.

Helaine is prone to watch QVC for hours on end. Sometimes, especially on solid colors, you can see where QVC's standard screen is burned into the display.

Now comes the interesting part.

Back when we bought the TV, maybe 10 or so years ago, we had a cabinet in our family room built around it. They still make TVs with 45" screens, but now they're 16:9. Our is 4:3. In other words, sets are wider and shorter. It will be interesting finding one that fits.

Once we find the proper size, we've got to decide whether to get HDTV or standard definition. Should it be another rear projection or a new technology like plasma¹ or LCD?

The shopping starts later today, I suppose. I really hadn't planned on forking out the cash for a new TV. This sucks.

¹ - It is my understanding plasma is very susceptible to burn in (like our current set) while LCD is burn proof.

When I left you early this morning, I had just discovered the TV was a goner. And then the realization that TVs are now shaped differently - 16:9 rather than the old 4:3. That little change is a huge difference because our wall unit was built to accommodate a 4:3 TV.

We headed out to Circuit City to survey the candidates. The first thing we realized was, with the new aspect ratio anything that would fit in the space would have a smaller screen! Sure, we might be able to find a set as wide as the old one, but with 16:9 it wouldn't be anywhere near as tall.

We searched and searched. Some models were too tall. Some models were to wide. Others were too big in both directions. We weren't panic stricken, but we were concerned.

Next we headed to Target. I had been to the new Target in North Haven once and remembered it had an electronics section. They did - but no big TVs.

Steffie needed something small, so as she and Helaine checked out, I stood in front of the store watching seagulls fly into today's howling wind. They weren't very successful.

My pocket began to vibrate.

There was a call from an unknown number in an unknown location. I answered. It was the central monitoring station. Our burglar alarm had gone off. The police were on their way.

I rounded up Helaine and Stef and headed home. We got there 10-15 minutes later, with the alarm still yelping away. A window in Steffie's room hadn't been properly latched. In today's wind it shifted enough to register a fault.

The police had come, but seeing everything locked up and in good shape, they left. Thank heavens there wasn't a door ajar. They would have gone upstairs, seen Steffie's room and called for reinforcements thinking the house had been ransacked!

As it is, I understand we'll get a warning on the alarm. That means if it happens again, we'll be fined for calling the police.

We re-measured the TV space and had out again. This time we went to BJ's.

They don't have a particularly large collection of big TVs, but unbelievably they had one that fit the bill. It was a Daewoo with a 47" screen. I think it will fit in the space with less than an inch to spare on top. Even then it will have to be turned sideways and cajoled before it will fit in.

BJ's doesn't deliver.

I went to the car only to find the inevitable. It was bigger than the cargo space in the SUV! I couldn't think of anyone with a pickup, which was what we needed.

I called my friend Kevin. He is truly the solver of all problems. Not this time. He had no access to anything large enough to haul a big TV.

Within the same strip mall as BJ's is a Home Depot. They have a truck they rent out by the hour. Unfortunately, as I found out, they only rent it if you're hauling goods of theirs.

Back to the drawing board.

We drove around and pondered. Finally, Helaine came up with a friend we though might have access to a pickup through her business. We called... and then, we hit paydirt.

Tomorrow morning... Mother's Day morning... Rena and Albert and the kids will come over with their trailer and we'll all go to BJ's to get the TV.

Yes, this will leave me with the old one to dispose of. I can deal with that. On the other hand, if I've miscalculated... if there isn't that fraction of an inch to spare... I might go "pfffft" just like the first TV.