Operation: Replace The Hi-Fi
Unlike Operation: Whispering Panda and Operation: Lowing Dove, Operation: Replace The Hi-Fi is fairly well-named, so I'll skip the tactical overview and go straight to the battle plan.
It's fairly simple - half a dozen well-placed speakers, spread around the living room to create a Soup Of Sound, and an iPod as the brain of the beast. Mainly because it'll save space and time. The reason we're getting rid of the current hi-fi is that it's HUGE, and every time you change the CD you have to shake the box while it goes in or it will refuse to play. I want something small, and preferrably something where you don't have to change the CD at all.
Anyway, that's sortof by-the-by. My reason for dragging y'all into this mission is this: An 80G iPod currently costs £160. Fine. A bit steep methinks, but I've found a bargain on the speaker front and the whole mission will cost less than invading Iraq. No, what bothers me is that I went to the online Apple store to buy said iPod, and it offerred me the "iPod Protection Care Plan" at an additional £40. Essentially insurance at a 25% premium.
Now I appreciate I'm doing the maths a bit fast and loose here, but doesn't that mean they think it's got a roughly 1-in-4 chance of going wrong? Am I making a mistake here? Am I about to step into a quagmire of techhurt?
Is that £40 per annum or a one off charge? Does seem rather steep either way.
I eventually want to get a new TV/ stereo/ speaker effort but every time I think about it I get all scared and have to sit down. I'm currently trying to decide whether a TV mounted on the wall is cool or eversonaff.
It's cool. Officially.![[smile]](/sites/all/modules/smileys/packs/jenkster/smile.gif "[smile]")
Is mounting a TV on a wall cool or not? Well it depends on the room. If you have a large modern room with no major focal point, then a wall mounted TV will probably bring a focal point, and look good. However, if you have a normal/small room then having a TV wall mounted will probably make the room appear smaller; if you have a fireplace in the room then, the space will look "complicated", thus un-cool. But then it could just be my opinion...![[wink]](/sites/all/modules/smileys/packs/jenkster/wink.gif "[wink]")
But will a wall-mounted TV make a room look smaller if it means that the rather large TV in the corner is then removed?? I don't have a fireplace, so thankfully we don't have complicated issues to deal with.
Of course, the ideal solution is to get a back-projection system in the shape of R2D2.
Large TVs are traditionally "expected" to use a corner of the room. However you are quiet right to move on to the expectations of tomorrow. I recently got a 17" flat TV/Monitor for my office, I was also confused as to how it would look. So I found one that I liked the look of, and made it out of paper and cardboard, and put it where I thought that it would look best. (Glad that watching Blue Peter for all those years finally came in useful!) Needless to say it did not look good where I thought it would... But now armed with my mock up, I could move it around, and bingo, I found the ideal location. Of course for you to really understand if will make your room look bigger, not only will you need a mock up, but also take the existing TV out of the room AND fill the space with whatever you will put in its place. OK so that is a bit of work, but I guess you are planning on spending hundreds of pounds on a new TV; so maybe worth the effort. Remember to take into account that mounting a flat TV on a wall requires a mounting bracket. Sounds obvious, but there are 2 considerations here, 1) will the wall take the weight of the TV (plus bracket), and 2) how far away from the wall will the front of the screen actually be?
One other consideration is, do you actually need a new TV?
Again, all IMHO, and DYOR...
All good points, all good points.
The good news here is that I can buy some new shoes with the money I will save from not getting a new wall mounted TV (and bracket) and STILL have money left over!!!
Glad that you think my pointers where good!![[smile]](/sites/all/modules/smileys/packs/jenkster/smile.gif "[smile]")
I have worked in the world of "TV" one way or the other for all of my adult life (, which is where I first met Kris), and am aware that there are a lot of changes in the world of TV to come over the coming years... If you TV is still working, I would wait until at least 2012 before you get something else. Sounds like a crazy long time, but from 2012 onwards the UK will be 100% digital; and then TVs will be a lot better!
Good luck with the shoe shopping...
Speaking of meeting Kris, when are you next going to meet him? I haven't seen you in ages, fella...
Who knows, who knows... You in London, me in Cambridge, long distance relationships are never easy.![[wink]](/sites/all/modules/smileys/packs/jenkster/wink.gif "[wink]")
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