Unless you’re an orthodox Mormon, you’ve been victim to, at one point or another, having to upgrade television sets.  In today’s age, we’re very aware that bigger/more is better (pun intended…hehe) from apparel to knowledge to entertainment to technology.  As somewhat of a novice in the fundamentals of television specs and dimensions, my recent move into a new crib (thank God!!!) has forced me to deal with the one thing I knew I would have to deal with at some point: Upgrade!!!

Still rockin’ the 20 sommin’ inch Orion that I had since my sophomore/junior year in those college days (lmao…), I have been on the market to get a TV that I feel has great picture, sound, and a relatively decent size.  In my herculean quest to find the right set I have come across various types of TVs: projection, plasma, LCD.  Projection-style tvs are what we probably grew up with, taking up space, and are catching dust! Obsolete, dare i say!  We are in the age of the HDTV! We want slimmer, clearer, cleaner and finer pixelated resolutions.  We are tired of the standard 720p….We want the 1080i…..For more savvy techies who want to up their game and be the standard, 1080p with the multiple HDMI slots is the only way to go!

Sure, I’m throwing out a lot of terms but don’t let all that fool you. Countless hours at Circuit City, Best Buy, Costco (don’t sleep, TV prices are off the chain), et. al have increased my knowledge base 10 fold within the last month.  This newly acquired knowledge has enlightened me, but it also confused the hell outta me and made me more meticulous and chary as to what I should or should not be spending my money on. What ever happened to the days when we were 7 and we could roll to Sears and pick out a tv that we could play nintendo on? Whatever happened to the days of the red, white, and yellow RCA ports? In this world of complex technology, while things are supposed to get easier, it’s just getting more confusing!

I recently traded in my xbox and got the 360 pro. I wanted to cop the Elite but:

1) i’m not and gamer and

2) i don’t need 120 gigs.

I can’t be playin 360 on a 20 sommin inch Orion. lol. I need to upgrade fast! Apparently Vizio’s are the top thang right now because of their bright colors, nice sizes and most importantly, their affordability.  Check out the Vizio homepage (damn, HM needs to get some kind of love from that free publicity. Some top brands are Samsung and LG.

What do I see myself coppin? I guess it all depends on my budget.  I don’t want to spend anything more than $800. Some of my engineer buddies and tech heads (yo Keith, what it dew?) are sayin, “Yo Theese, might as well go fuh gusto and get the 1080p joints!” I could understand that frame of mind.  As Blu-ray technology is picking up, there’s going to be a standard soon in resolution. Why bother with the 720 when you can be the standard. Sorry folk, but I may wind up getting either a 32″ or 40″ 720p/1080i jumpoff with minimally 2 HDMI ports.  I may not be up there with the jones’ but at the end of the day, all I want is a tv to watch 2 shows during the week, watch dvds, entertainment when company rolls thru the crib, and play Splinter Cell. Other than that, i’m groovy.

 Have you ever dealt with the challenge of what TV you were going to upgrade to? Do you have any recommendations on what to/ what not to cop?

~Thesis