What would you rather have, a huge plasma or LCD TV or a nice pair of walking shoes? I guess it depends on how old you are, right? In the 1970’s and 80’s, when I was in my twenties or thirties, I didn’t give much thought to shoe comfortability. And the big thing for me in those days was buying my first portable 16 inch color tv. All those tv shows that I had seen in boring black and white now came to life in “glorious living color”, as the promo ran on NBC.
When my favorite shows were in black and white, I concentrated on the plot. Nothing to distract me. With color, I spent more time looking at the clothes the actors wore and the background scenery on such shows as The Love Boat and Fantasy Island.
It didn’t matter to me about the size of the picture. But, to Gen-Xer’s or what ever they call the people who are supposed to give me their seat on bus, it’s a different story. That is, the tv story is not so important, it’s how they watch it. Like other unmentionable things, it’s all about size. This person has a 40 inch set, that one a 50 inch, and so on. Tv is no longer a bulky device that sits on a special table. It’s like a picture that hangs on the wall. Instead of looking down, you look straight out. Hmmm… maybe when the younger folk get to my age, they won’t have sagging chins.
The first time I saw a color tv was at my buddy Perry’s house in the mid 1960’s. His dad worked for an electronics manufacturer so he got to bring one of their sets home. I would watch the Cubs games with Perry. Of course, those were the years before transistorized circuit boards. It was all tubes. The picture was somewhat blurry and fuzzy. But, the colors were where they were supposed to be. The outfield area looked green, that’s all I can say.
Today, the GenXer’s are spoiled. The tv picture has to be digitally mastered and it has to look like the actors have come out of the frame and are in the room. If it’s a football game, you have to see each blade of artificial grass. A movie has to show the acne on teenagers faces or the viewer feels cheated.
The last television set I bought was in 1989. It was a Sony Stereo 19 inch. Good enough for me. Even though the picture alternates every few minutes in size, I hope to continue to use it until it dies. I said “it”.
The last good pair of shoes I bought was two years ago. It was a Rockport because of my flat, but swollen feet. But, that’s another story.