Upgraded

To quote Vince Vaughn in Swingers, 'you're growns up, and you're growns up, and you're growns up.' In 2008 I took the leap into HD with my first flat screen, but I held off on the living room - figuring prices were due to drop...sometime.

My current living room setup includes a 27" tube tv, which I purchased in my sophomore year of college - 1999. To call that tv a workhorse would be an understatement. It's been with me through 3 moves, across the country, plus in and out of my car countless times; en route to the Halo Parties we used to have in various basements.

The tube (read: square) tv never bothered me until earlier this spring, when my cable provider started broadcasting all channels in HD. This meant that all programming was now letterboxed, and the picture was squeezed even smaller on a traditional tube tv. Football games were tough to watch.

My setup includes all the components for the living room, as well as those for my bedroom next door, xbox, receiver, blu ray. Perhaps the most cringe-worthy part of the setup was the microwave cart (shame) that it all sat on. Back in 1999, a free microwave cart from my parents was pretty baller. It even had a stylish faux wood grain. I was also displaying my dvd's on these S-shaped racks, which, again, were really sweet in 2004.

Time to get upgraded.

As a way of justifying the expense, we'll call this an early Christmas Present to myself. No wife and kids means all the money for their diamond rings and teddy bears can be funneled directly into my electronics budget.

I opted for a 50" Samsung Plasma with 3D and Internet. The price was right, and they threw in a few pairs of 3D glasses, a 3D blu ray player, and a couple movies. The tv selection was the easiest part of the process. More complicated was what I would purchase to replace that old microwave stand...with room to house the growing list of components and dvd's.

As any man knows (or those with borderline OCD like me), wiring and running cables for your video/audio setup can be a near religious experience. You need to be alone with your thoughts, plan out the arrangement,...on and on.

All told, I'm pretty happy with how it all came out. Double upgrade all the way across the sky.

(click for larger view)

I'll have more on the 3D as I watch it a bit more. There's fairly limited amounts of 3D movies at this point. The tv also has the ability to convert 2D into 3D - which is a fairly neat effect. I delighted in watching Manning throw 4 interceptions in 3D this evening.

There's nothing wrong with letting the girls know that you're money and that you want to party.
- Trent