Got the plasma, lost my hobby....

I can relate.


There are two types of people in this forum. The first is here to just find the best possible solution for themselves and once done, is satisified, and will enjoy the product.


The second is here for the sake of the hobby itself. The hobby is not watching television. Its about knowing the products, getting excited about improvements and advancements, and dreaming about OLED paper thin pulldown screens for the livingroom. It has nothing or very little to do with watching source material. Give these guys AVIA HD test patterns and they'll be happy.


I'm the second group (although the part about the test patterns is pushing it a little bit.. that only satifisfies me for a few minutes).


I think it can be just as exciting holding out for that dream 1080p 40" LCD for $2k versus just going out and buying a plasma today.

[OT} Enigma, I had the Quad ESL 63 electrostatics mated to the Gradient Subwoofers - a dipole subwoofer set designed specifically to mate with the ESL 63. The sound, in my relatively small but acoustically marvelous room, was astounding. However that set-up was mighty big and while the electrostatics had their own charms, I began to long for some of the qualities one finds in dynamic speakers. Unfortunately the sound quality characteristics of the ESL 63s had really spoiled me, pointing out the colorations of most box speakers. Thus...the quest for electrostatic transparency, expansiveness of imaging, combined with the physicality of the dynamic loudspeaker sound. I eventually ended up with Von Schweikert VR-4 Gen II speakers which pretty much did all of that.

But of course the quest never really stopped and I continued keeping an eye out long afterward. Just like my plasma purchase. And lemme tell ya, I heard some truly astonishing systems in some well-heeled audiophile homes, and had the good fortune of having many incredible speakers pass through my place as well. But it's hard to keep up two such hobbies and for now Home Theater has cast it's spell. [/OT]

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Yeah, I 2nd that idea, esp if you like time & $$ sinkholes. I started with an HTPC, although it originated with ripping all 300 CDs to a PC. Then I decided I wanted to rip DVDs. Then I decided I wanted any piece of audio/video we own on demand in any room of the house. Then I found out about DVDs being recorded in 480p, and wanted at least an EDTV display.


This weekend I'm putting up an HDTV antenna so I can receive OTA HD without paying a monthly fee.


I bought an MX-800 RF/IR remote. Next weekend/months, I'll spend moving all the equipment to a closet, running wires in the crawlspace/walls, so I can hide every piece of equipment other than the TV & speakers and still control them as if they were in front of me.


I thought that would be it. But then this jerk in the HTPC forum told us about his complete HTPC-controlled drapes/lights, sync'ed with what he happens to be watching. [i.e., pressing the "watch DVD in theater mode" button on his remote closes the drapes, dims the light to 50% while the movie is starting up, once the credits roll the lights dim to 80%]. If he watches TV, only 1-2 of the drapes that happen to glare off his plasma get closed.


You can't post something that cool without expecting me to run out and try and do that too.


And there's about 101 other projects down that HTPC/home automation pipeline...

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I absolutely hate that part. I've watched some of the stupidest damn movies since I first took the HD plunge. AWFUL AWFUL movies. Last night I watched this crap movie "Just Married" on HBO. The movie was so boring and useless...but I just couldn't turn it off because the picture quality was amazing.





I *never* would have watched this movie on purpose before I went HD.