New Television

I gave in and bought a new television. My old one is only 4 or 5 years old and perfectly good. The problem is that I sized it for a 685-square-foot Center City apartment, where space was a precious commodity. But then I moved. A 50″ screen can’t hold its own in my much larger suburban pad.

I waited a year before deciding what to do about the matter. After resolving to upgrade, I spent months reading reviews and online window shopping. I ultimately concluded, spec for spec, Hisense provided the best value. Amazon recently put them on sale with deep discounts, too. To sweeten the deal, they teased 0% financing for 12 months.

The Hisense was the obvious choice, so, naturally, I bought a Sony instead.

It is beautiful. Truly a joy to behold.

And HUGE!

Well, maybe not huge, but at 75″, it’s a dominant presence in my living room. Looking back on it, I could have gotten away with 65″, but all the purchasing guides suggested it’s better to go a little larger than you think you need, because people are more likely to regret going too small than too big.1 And they were right. I don’t regret it.

Within the context and scale of my living room, the viewing experience is closer to a small movie screen than watching TV. Which was the point. I hope to start up a regular movie night. Get people socializing more. My 50″ TV on a wheeled cart was not pulling in the crowds. So here we are. My big-ass TV and me, looking to party. Or watch art documentaries. Both good.

Footnotes

  1. I suspect the purchasing guides are mostly underwritten by TV manufacturers, which may play a part in their reasoning. ↩