Archive for February, 2008
Fed up with the satellite company, and fully aware of the fact that with 200 or more channels I still had frightfully little to watch and enjoy, I unplugged.
I cancelled my subscription around New Year’s, and decided that I’d simply rent videos and watch occasional fuzz vision, whatever I could pull in through the urban airwaves.
This is my report, approximately one quarter after taking the free fall into non-HBO land.
In a word, it has been great, what else can I say?
I feel that I’ve regressed to that Norman Rockwell time in my youth, up in the wilds of Michigan, when we’d only be able to get three or four channels a night on the tube.
Wow, did we ever appreciate what flowed through that humble appliance!
Now, I’m lucky to get a PBS station and three Los Angeles channels, along with some Spanish and Korean language fare.
And really, with the rental videos that I cherry pick, I don’t need anything else.
I save a lot of time by not channel surfing, and this enables me to do other things that I enjoy, such as writing articles.
Also, I’m reading a lot of newspapers on the web and doing research, so I’m busy enough.
And I’m saving about a hundred bucks a month, and not feeling that I have to watch something just to recoup my out of pocket.
Is there anything I miss? Maybe sports, but the big events are on the three channels I do get, and I can always subscribe again to Major League Baseball’s web channel, and catch my White Sox, there.
You should try unplugging and see how it changes your life. You may find that you start having meaningful conversations with those who used to huddle around the tube with you!
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Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone
Filed under Plasma TV
Is it possible to buy an expensive LCD TV? Liquid crystal display television (LCD TV) technology has come a long way in recent years. The implementation of thin file transistor (TFT) technology has removed many of the angular resolution and ghosting problems previously associated with cheap LCD televisions. It is now possible to buy an inexpensive LCD TV that has state-of-the-art features and superior picture quality. What is an LCD TV? An LCD TV is a flat panel television that utilizes advanced materials technology to create a bright, attractive picture on a flat screen. An LCD TV screen is made up of two glass plates with a thin layer of liquid crystals in between. When electricity passes through the crystals, tiny color pixels light up to produce an image. How do LCD TVs Compare to Plasma and Tube TVs? In the past, plasma TVs were the only real flat panel television option. Now, LCD televisions have progressed to the point where they can compete with plasma TVs in terms of picture quality. LCD televisions are easier to maintain, less likely to degrade with time, and use less power than plasma TVs. And the new crop of LCD TVs have a sharper picture, require less space, and use much less electricity than tube TVs. What are the Features of an LCD TV? Here’s a list of features found on newer model LCD TVs: * Digital picture – the picture on an LCD screen is much sharper than on a tube TV and is now comparable to plasma TVs. * Space saving design – LCD TVs are thinner and lighter than tube or plasma TVs, and can be set up almost anywhere. * Widescreen format – LCD TVs utilize a widescreen format, similar to movie screens, so they are compatible with HDTV programming. * Flat screen – LCD TV screens are flat, so there’s no distortion as with tube TVs. Where can I Buy a Cheap LCD Television? The best way I’ve found to get the best deal on a television is to first check out various models at your local electronics stores and discount stores. After you get a good idea of what you want in a TV and what’s available, go online and check prices and ratings at a comparison shopping site. With the site I use I can compare various LCD prices and find out which stores are reputable and give good service. I can also get detailed product information, ratings by electronics experts, and even consumer reviews by people who actually own the product. Forget about sales and discount warehouses. The best way to save money on big ticket items like LCD TVs is to comparison shop online. I’ve saved thousands of dollars on TVs, computers, appliances, and even furniture using this method (click on the links below for more information on the site I use).
Filed under LCD Televisions
There is little doubt that the LCD TV is one of the fastest growing markets for television makers around the world. Because they just look so great, people around the world are demanding this amazing experience and they want it at great prices. The LCD TV is one that will be more and more available throughout the next few years. Will you have one? The first LCD TV’s that came out were not as good as they could have been. Although the technology was new and improving, people did not think that the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) would be worth the investment. In larger versions, faster moving images were harder to see than other types of televisions including plasma screens and cathode ray televisions. But, that has changed dramatically. In many areas of the world, the LCD TV is in demand. Now that it has been made more effectively through improved technology, you will have no problems with seeing a view clearly. In 2004, television giants Sony and Samsung come together to build a factory that would produce upwards of 60,000 screens for the LCD TV each and every month. Other competitors tried to disprove the quality of these televisions but they were not as successful as they hoped. In Asia, there is a huge demand for the LCD TV and it continues to grow. Technology keeps expanding as well. Throughout the world, sales are said to be climbing and the expectation is for many televisions in this display would be available and in homes. If you have not seen the LCD TV, it is worth a trip to take a look at. The pictures are amazing in their quality and you will likely not find a more beautiful display of colors and graphics. You will even realize price savings on these televisions throughout the next years as technology brings costs down as well on the LCD TV. for more information please see http://www.lcd-tv-shack.co.uk
Filed under LCD Televisions
Before talking about plasma TVs lets talk about a technology we are already familiar with, cathode-ray tube (AKA CRT). CRT TVs work by an electron gun or laser firing negatively charged beams of electrons at gas molecules (AKA the pixels), which cause them to change color and produce very crisp and sharp pictures that most of us are used to everyday. Although these types of TVs produce great pictures they also are very bulky, this is due to the fact that as the screen of a CRT TV get larger the electron gun has to move farther back so that the gun can hit every pixel on the display. Therefore a CRT TV gets deeper in it’s behind. In contrast to CRT televisions, plasma TVs are really the newest technology in TVs and come as widescreen TVs that are only about 6 inches deep at max. In comparison to CRTs this is a massive improvement in size and depth. Instead of having a laser to hit every single pixel like a CRT TV has a plasma TV is built with single transistor electrodes at each pixel, because of this you do not need a massive void at the rear of the TV to accommodate an electrode gun. Since plasma TVs have transistors instead of a light source each pixel contains 3 fluorescent light cells: one red, one green, and one blue. The picture on a plasma TV is created by each pixel varying in intensity to produce a different color, with this happening to every pixel a picture consisting of millions of pixels is produced. This light consists of free flowing ions called plasma and hence is why this type of TV is called a Plasma TV. As we know CRTs use one electron gun or laser to charge a pixel and create it to light up in a certain color. Plasma TV on the contrary has two sets of electrodes, one which runs vertical and the other which runs horizontal. These two electrodes form a grid like structure by the horizontal electrode running along the front and the vertical running along the rear. The pixels on a plasma TV can be colored one at a time by the horizontal and vertical cathodes been sent a signal by the computer to do so. The pixels are colored by gas molecules releasing protons as light particles, there is however one problem with this as protons are in an ultraviolet spectrum and invisible to the human eye. To combat this, the surfaces of the cell in which these particles are released is covered with a chemical called phosphor. Phosphor has the power to produce light after been hit by another source of light, hence the protons hit this phosphor surface and show up as light visible to the human eye. If you think about this technology on a basic level, each light source is a mini fluorescent light and means that a when you watch a plasma TV you will see a great flicker-less picture that is of high quality. Another thing to note is that this technology also contains sub-pixels and depending on how they are charged, you can see a picture that is of slight redder, greener of bluer color and as said before when they come together produce millions of pixels. All the information above is the basics of how plasma TV works and shows how a plasma TV is so thin and can produce such clear pictures. http://electronicsexpressonline.com is a electronics information portal founded by Jakob Culver.
Filed under LCD TV Wall Mounts
Seems like the market for cathode ray tube monitors is dwindling with each generation of technology shifts and market place preference changes. There are still individuals who prefer to use cathode ray tubes for one reason or another, and the following list of pros and cons should illuminate the differences, both good and bad between the two generations of monitors. The biggest single pro of flat panel monitors is that they offer more viewing area while taking up less space. Another big advantage is that they normally provide great clarity and can be used out of the box without too much configuration. OK so here comes some of the cons. Well truth is it’s impossible to list pros and cons that will cut straight down the middle since the monitor market is so vast and there are so many different models and manufacturers out there. But in general customers have said that flat panels lack in certain areas relative to cathode ray tube monitors. Elements such as the sharpness, color, and also the response of flat panel monitors have been said anecdotally to be less on par than when compared with cathode ray tube monitors. In general, cathode ray tubes are considered better for “work horse” type applications such as if you need to do heavy duty video or digital manipulation and editing. However remember one size doesn’t fit all, so it’s in your best interest to find out if you really need to use powerful applications as mentioned above, or you prefer a better quality experience and space saving features that are native to a flat panel monitor. The choice is yours. Rush onto our website for great stuff on flat panel televisions insider tips before it’s too late! http://www.flatpanelmonitorzone.com
Filed under Big Screen Televisions
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