tqft's Journal: I now own a monster cable

Had to buy a new tv this weekend.
The old one died - as expected, bought a CRT 4 or so years ago when big flat panels where way to expensive and it finally gave up.
Panasonic - 37", last years model - no DLNA. The sales dudes at all the stores were actually pretty helpful, it did pay to have done my homework. But this store was having the best sale on TVs as well actually having a 37" model, even if it was the show floor model and the last 37" they had.
I would have got a 42" model but it won't fit in the TV cabinet easily. Going shopping with a tape measure.
Decided all new AV gear was going to be Panasonic a while back. Well engineered and hopefully all compatible.

The last sales guy was really helpful answering all those questions that needed to be asked. I asked about HDMI cables to connect with and his eyes lit up. Tried to sell me on a Monster cable for $130 or more. Said no. Decided on a Phillps cable (still $60 - grrr)

Looked at home theatre systems (budgted for and had cash in my wallet for TV and sound system) - older model with big speakers (no DLNA) or newer model with tiny speakers. Gave up on the home theatre.

Haggled slightly (cash and all) - they must have had a directive to move Monster cables, coz he offered and I accepted to swap the Phillips cable for the Monster at the same price.

Only two problems remain - one can't be fixed. Harddisk TV thing now won't respond to commands when recording when HDMI cable is in - I think this might be fixable by playing with some options that have never previously been touched.
The other problem is the wife doesn't like 16:9 as a TV shape.

The other problem can also be fixed

[damn_registrars]

Provided, of course, that you have HDTV through something more exciting than just over-the-air TV. If so, your wife will eventually find there is something she used to watch which is also available in HD, and she'll realize how much better that is than how she used to watch it. Then your non-HD-TVs will get a lot less use.

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[tqft]

The only other non-HDTV is smaller than my computer screen.

Australia and HD TV don't really mix - most of the commercial stations have dropped HD in favou of more channels - but we can get HD news (oh so useful) and SBS which she doesn't watch and maybe a sportyish channel with mostly stuff we don't care about.

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[damn_registrars]

I expect you've probably mentioned it before, but I had completely forgotten that you lived in Australia. Don't take that personally, though, as there are only two people on my friends list whose geographic locations I have an idea of to better than "North America" level resolution (and plenty who I don't even know that well), and that is only because they frequently mention where they live in their journal entries.

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[tqft]

I am already at Wife2.0 and the upgrade to 3+ is very expensive. Software yes but the idea of an open source wife isn't quite working for me.

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[tqft]

I am just here to click the ugly widgets