I Want My HDTV

my new HDTVSo, I won this award at work that allows me to pick something out of a catalog to reward all my hard work for whatever the heck they think I did. It’s a tiered award strategy and this one came in just above the middle for a value of around $500-600. Unfortunately for me, the next two above allowed for a cash payout option, but not this one.

So, I took a look at what was available for that tier and there wasn’t really anything that interested me. I have pretty much all the toys I want and if there’s one I don’t have, I just haven’t gotten around to getting it yet. Not bragging, that’s just the way it is. Most of my friends have a house and kids and I have an apartment and toys. I’d trade for the other were it possible.

Anyway, after finding there was pretty much nothing that interested me, I soon forgot about it. A little over a month goes by and the boss man drops by to remind me that the award runs out next week.

What? It’s got an expiration?

I get back on there and best I could pick from was a 23″ Panasonic LCD flat-screen, which was only HD-Ready, so I’d have to get a standalone tuner for it. Well, I might not want to do that, but at least that would be a decent size to put in the bedroom, but I wanted to think on it.

Think on it I did not. I quickly forgot about the award again and when I remembered, it had expired. So, I had to beg my boss to issue a new one as the web site helpfully noted that’s what needed to be done. After a few “I told you so” sounding words, he relented and said he’d put another thru.

When the new award code arrived in my Inbox, I promptly clicked the link to once again go browsing. Once I started to browse I immediately noted a few new items, most of which weren’t appealing, but at least I had more and newer options. I got to the last page and lo and behold they had added a new television to the mix. Lucky for me, my equal parts procrastination and absent-mindedness turned out to be a reward in itself.

Yes, it was a 27″ Samsung SlimFit (tube) with HD-Built-In. The best part about it was I already knew what I was looking at as Joe had recently purchased a similar model for his living room in his new house. So, you’d think I would have dropped that sucker right in the shopping cart and proceeded to checkout, right?

Wrong. I let it lay and moved on to actual work related activities instead. You know, the reason they give these rewards in the first place? The 5.5 hour day I work to its fullest? Yeah…

So, you probably think I let that one expire too, right? Nope, my boss harassed me on it a week later. Rather than push my new 8/5 deadline, I put the order in that night with the thought that it would arrive on my doorstep three weeks later. Oh, and when they say doorstep, they mean doorstep. The delivery driver will not carry the item up any stairs or inside the house; it said so right on the order confirmation. Funny.

To my surprise, I received my new bundle of joy one week early and took actual delivery on Monday. However, it turned out my driver was a rebel and he insisted he help me lug it up my back porch stairs. The rules be damned! I was grateful for the help because the thing still weighs a 100 lbs and everyone knows carrying a tube TV that heavy on your own sucks ass. Doesn’t matter how long my Stretch Armstrong arms are…

I got it all set up with an HD cable box that night and was able to watch the Sox beat the Athletics. I took the time to retire my DVD player and VCR from my living room stack. With Media Center, I have no need of a VCR and the Xbox 360 is a better DVD player than the old Sony. I also moved my old 27″ Sony WEGA to the bedroom, which looks very much out of place since it is freakin huge compared to the newer Samsung.

I will say, I am impressed with watching the ball games in HD, but now I have to wear my glasses in order to truly appreciate it. With a regular TV, I could get away with it, but not with HD. If you are in the market for an HDTV and don’t want to drop 2K on an LCD flat panel or Plasma, then the SlimFit tube isn’t a bad way to go at all. It’s about half the cost of those others at the same size and the quality is just as good.

That said, I still want a larger flat panel for the living room and I can “retire” this one to the bedroom. I took a spin around BestBuy last night and it’s between a Samsung LCD or Plasma. I’m thinking the 46″ LCD or 50″ Plasma would be righteous, but maybe a bit too large for my current digs. Plus, they are a grand more than their 40″ LCD and 42″ Plasma counterparts, which might be more sensible. I think for this particular decision I will consult the experts at Tweeter rather Jimmy Joe Billy Bob ScrimSean down at BB. I earmarked a bonus two years ago to go towards my first HD set, so while I have waited, the prices have gone down, so my size can go up! Sweet!

Anyway, I’ve got my HDTV now, so I can finally fire up Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (GRAW) on the Xbox 360.

There’s no Sox game on tonight, so let’s see what this sucker can really do!