TV – Page 3 – Not Content to Crawl

Samsung 4K UHD TV

Posted onJune 27, 2015

We finally decided to replace our ten and half year old 42″ Panasonic 480p plasma with a 55″ Samsung 4k Ultra High Definition TV we purchased from Costco for $1097 (before tax). We weren’t 100% sure we were ready to upgrade since the plasma’s picture is still quite good, but with Costco’s awesome return policy (90 days to try it and return it for a full refund), there was no risk in giving it a try.

What’s amazing is that we paid nearly twice that for the plasma. Honestly, though, I’m pretty bummed that plasma lost the HDTV wars even though they are a superior technology. Too bad Panasonic did nothing to promote it and allowed the inferior LCDs to win.

And while the new TV is impressive, it has its drawbacks, such as dark corners (which all LCDs/LEDs suffer from) as well as only being 60hz. But the only technology that is superior to plasma, OLED, is way too expensive right now, and will probably be out of our price range for several years. So our choice was to make due with the plasma for even longer, or make the new TV work.

The first few days with the new TV were rough and we were considering returning it. The picture was actually too crisp and life-like. I don’t want to feel like the actors are in the room with me – that’s creepy! Plus everyone’s movements were strange. We read some articles and played with the settings and now things are much better because we got rid of what is known as the soap opera effect. I could not see trying to watch anything larger than 55″, though. The room is just not big enough. As it is, it took some getting used to the screen. I felt like when you’re at the movie theater and get stuck in the first few rows and everything is overwhelming your senses.

I’m happy we were able to adjust to the new TV because it’s nice having four HDMI ports – all our devices can remain plugged in at once unlike before. Plus streaming from Amazon, Netflix and YouTube is so quick and easy. No more need for the Chromecast downstairs either. In fact, E and Joe moved the plasma into our master bedroom and we moved the LCD into E’s room and plugged the spare Chromecast in there. He loves being able to watch YouTube videos in there at night. And we love our new TV – in just nine days we watched all three seasons of Orphan Black. What a great show!

TV Talk

Posted onFebruary 27, 2015

I’ve only got a season and a half left of Scrubs on Netflix before I’ve binge-watched the entire series. It’s been fun, but I forgot how in the 8th season J.D. turns into an annoying douche.

I also recently starting watching the VH1 show, Hindsight. It’s been DVRing automatically since it premiered but I didn’t actually watch any episodes until a couple of weeks ago. At that point I was 5-6 episodes behind which I binge-watched in a single weekend. I was hooked! I love the 90’s music, even though they had to make fun of The Cure song playing in one scene. :(

In any case, now that I’m watching week to week I’m not liking it so much. I’m not sure if the binge-watching made it seem more interesting or if it’s already losing steam.

Another show I’ve been watching is Real World Skeletons because it’s set in Chicago. I can’t stand any of the cast which makes watching it rather enjoyable since I can yell insults at the screen. It’s like sports for girls.

I think I’m actually getting a little tired of The Big Bang Theory. I’d much rather watch The Middle or The Goldbergs lately. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I don’t look forward to it as much as I used to. And just as I was going to complain that Emily is never hanging out with the rest of the gang, last night’s episode had them get together but it seemed really weird and she hardly got any lines. And overall I find her character extremely unlikeable.

Some shows have recently ended, which is a bummer, but a blessing at the same time since it’s difficult to keep up with all the shows on the DVR.

Spoiler Alert

Parks and Recreation – I liked how they ended it by giving us a glimpse into the future, although I felt like Ben got the shaft career-wise. It was fun to see some older characters overall, though.

The Mentalist – Were Joe and I the only one who were thinking maybe, just maybe, Teresa was Red John and was going to stab Patrick in the final scene? I was simultaneously relieved and disappointed when she didn’t.

Amazon Prime, Teenage Shows, and Rat Stuff

Posted onJanuary 26, 20151 Comment

Saturday we decided to sign up for Amazon Prime since it was on sale for $72. I like their Prime Music, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to find a decent book through their Kindle Lending Library since you’re entitled to one free title per month with the membership.

We’ll be evaluating their Prime streaming service as well, even though it’s not compatible with our Chromecast which rather sucks. We just want to see if it’s better than Hulu or not since we’ve already decided to keep Netflix since it’s so awesome. Seriously, I watch something on it every single day. My current obsession is The Carrie Diaries which is the prequel to Sex & The City. I’m not exactly sure what it says about me as a person that I like shows aimed at teenagers, though (like Awkward which I just love).

I hope having the Prime membership won’t encourage us to buy stuff we don’t need. It has already come in handy, however. I ordered these straw brushes so I can clean the straws I use with my reusable tumblers.

Last week we had also placed an order through Amazon for a couple of things – a bluetooth speaker for Joe’s car so he can safely have work-related conversations while driving, Cards Against Humanity, which I can’t wait to take over to my parents’ house and play, and some items for the rats. I wanted them all to have a space pod and hammock in their cages, so I ordered one of each since I only had two of each currently. I was very excited when the package was delivered by the post office, surprisingly, on a Sunday afternoon.

I ended up rotating the hammocks since the one I ordered is so large and only fits in the big cage. I don’t think Milo and Gizmo like it, though, because I haven’t seen them use it once. Maybe it’s because it’s not nice and colorful like the one on Amazon’s site, but a bland grey and black instead. Doug and Steve, however, love cramming their fat butts into their new space pod. They also have Milo & Gizmo’s old hammock since I gave their hammock to Marshmallow, which he loves. So at least 3 out of the 5 rats are happy! I’m gonna be bummed if Milo and Gizmo end up not using the new hammock, though. Plus I’ll have to head to Petco to get them another one like they used to have because I like to spoil my little ratty babies. :)

Shopping & The 100

Posted onJanuary 11, 2015January 11, 2015

Despite the hassle I had with Petco and the free gift card promotion they were running, I did eventually receive two free $5 egift cards from them which I made sure to use today since they were only good until the end of the month. I bought some cage cleaner and yogurt treats. The cleaner was on sale for only $9.09 instead of almost $13 which was nice. I don’t use it exclusively because I’d be buying a bottle monthly. I mix water and vinegar in a spray bottle I got from the dollar store and use that to clean the cages and then I spray the cleaner on at the end just to give it a nice scent. It’s a nice way to save money and still have the rats’ cages smelling good.

Besides a trip to Walmart and Target this morning, we also stopped at Ulta so I could return a couple of things (I got way too excited about $41 going back to our card) as well as Five Below since I had purchased two t-shirts for my brother for Christmas so he could choose which size he preferred. They only offer an exchange or store credit (which I knew about ahead of time), so I got store credit on gift card to be used later.

We had lunch at Chipotle and I used a gift card so it was only $1.16 out of pocket. Sometimes I feel like we eat out too much but part of it is just something to do instead of sitting inside at home all day. There’s not much to do when it’s so cold outside. I received a free movie ticket for my birthday from our favorite theater but nothing good is playing. I don’t think I ended up using it last year either because it seems like the crappiest movies come out in January.

Speaking of sitting at home all day, Joe discovered the series The 100 on Netflix Friday night so we ended up binge-watching the first season with E this weekend. Since it’s currently in it’s second season, there’s no way to watch the older episodes from that season yet. The CW’s website has full episodes online, but only #s 5-8 of the second season which sucks. Why can’t they put all the episodes on there for people to watch? Even Xfinity On Demand is only offering the most recently aired episode. WTH?

TV Addict

Posted onSeptember 11, 2014

I love TV. Maybe I shouldn’t watch it as much as I do, but whatever. In my defense, I tend to do other things when the TV is on. For instance, I will clean the house while I listen to 20/20, Dateline, and stuff I’ve DVR’d from the Investigation Discovery channel. I don’t know why, but I have a weird attraction to real life murder stories. Oh and I loooove Catfish! It blows my mind that people would have an online relationship for YEARS without ever seeing the other person’s face.

I’m sure there are better things I can do with my time, but sometimes I like going back and watching old tv shows, specifically comedies, that are no longer on the air. Last year it was Happy Endings which I thought was cancelled too soon. I cannot get enough of Jane and Brad. Those two are hilarious! I also love Max; I was so happy when Adam Pally was cast in The Mindy Project last season.

Earlier in the year I starting watching Scrubs again, but then Comcast and ABC got into it and they removed Scrubs from their OnDemand service when I was in the middle of watching season 3. I was not pleased.

With Joe working long hours this week I decided to start watching My Boys again. I really loved that show! I’m nearly done with season 1 already. I turn it on when I eat dinner and then I let Milo and Gizmo run around on the coffee table while I watch some more.

I think the next show I might tackle is Charles in Charge if I can stomach it. I really loved it when it originally aired, but I also loved Benji movies and then I made the mistake of buying a movie on DVD and I was overcome by how cheesy it was and had to turn it off.

As for new shows, I’ve recently discovered Garfunkel and Oates which airs on IFC. I was able to catch up on the old EPs (it premiered in August) and set up a series recording for the new ones. I love the little songs the two actresses come up with and how they get intertwined with the plot of the episode. It’s super creative and funny! I made Joe watch two EPs last night and he really enjoyed them too.

I also really like The Meltdown. I love stand-up comedy but most stand-up shows are filled with a lot of boring fluff (Last Comic Standing anyone? I think I fast-forwarded through 80%, if not more, of each EP). They take the best jokes of each act and only air those so I never feel the need to fast forward. Plus it’s only a half hour long which is just enough.