Shopping at Best Buy: I can see clearly now, the strain is gone

Do you ever wonder “Why do I make things so difficult on myself”?  Several nights ago I was watching my customary show before bed, The 11th Hour with Brian Williams and noticed the words ‘BREAKING NEWS’ in that news-ticker that scrolls at the bottom of the screen.

I jumped up from the couch to get a closer look and felt a POP in my right knee followed by a jolt of pain.  2 things sprang to mind:

• I better get a knee wrap tomorrow (darn it, I haven’t worn one since retiring 6 years ago).
• I NEED A BIGGER TV.

I’ve been mulling getting a new tv for around 4 years now, and here it is.  I am (almost) speechless.  I’m in real love.

When I bought my first LED tv back in 2011, a 32 inch Panasonic Viera, it was fine.  I had a narrower room then, and my tv only sat 3 1/2 feet from my sofa.  10 years and a much wider livingroom later, the TV still worked perfectly, but was now 8 feet away.

I could still see the picture okay, but even leaning forward and squinting, any text on the screen was a blur.  I have pretty severe astigmatism and my glasses take me from 20/140 and 20/200 to 20/60 and 20/80, which is still poor.

For things like foreign movies, where you have to rely on subtitles, I got down on the floor in front of the tv like a kid watching Saturday morning cartoons.  Once when I told Dr. Cho, my gastroenterologist that, she said “How do you get back up Douglas?  I can’t and I’m in better shape than you!”

I’d been holding off buying a new tv for a variety of reasons, none of which had to do with money:  I didn’t want a smart TV with internet doodads I didn’t want or need.  I didn’t want a big glossy screen (my Panasonic screen had a matte finish), I didn’t want to have to deal with accesories like a sound-bar (I heard today’s tvs had a tinny sound). 

I also didn’t want something that would consume my room.  Enormous tvs might be a fun addition to a family room, but not an apartment.  But it still had to be big enough to make a difference. 

Anyway, I got a smart tv after all (Consumer Reports warned not to buy a “dumb” tv, you’ll get lower quality components for the same price as a smart) and this was delivered a few days ago.  It’s perfect.

LG - 43" Class LED HD Smart webOS TV

• Model: 43LM5700PUA
• Vendor: Best Buy
• Price: $269.99
• 2 Year Geek Squad Protection: $39.99
• Shipping: Free

You can’t tell the tv’s size in this photo, I should’ve taken a pic of my old one before packing it away.  My 32” tv left a half foot of space on both sides of the stand here, this 43” fits the width of the stand like it was custom-made.

This TV is coniderably taller too, and where my Panasonic had a 2 inch bezel (frame) around the screen making the picture even smaller, this LG barely has 1/2 inch.

The picture has 4 color presets so you don’t have to fiddle with the color, sharpness, contrast, etc.  I left mine at ‘Standard’, and it looks wonderful.  Same with the sound, you can choose from 4 settings including ‘Cinema’ and ‘Clear Voice’, mine is set on Clear Voice and sounds terrific—nothing tinny about it, no sound-bar needed.

The glossy screen isn’t at all what I imagined, I only see a dull reflection of my couch & lamp opposite the tv (when the tv is off).  It was a breeze to set up, took me all of 15 minutes.  I let the TV find my Xfinity internet and auto-update it’s software, then disconnected it from the internet. 

(The only thing my new TV wanted to do was update the apps for streaming channels like Youtube, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto, Tubi, Paramount Plus, etc.  I already get those same channels on my Xfinity box.)

Everything was just right, from start to finish.  Best Buy went out of their way with delivering my order, from bringing it inside the building to carrying it upstairs to my 4th floor apartment, to giving me numbers to call if it was defective or I needed help setting it up.

They even called me a few hours later to ask how things were going!   I was very glad I didn’t order this thru Amazon, I’m tired of running to them for everything.

.     .     .

It’s been 4 days now, and I’ve grown more accustomed to that 43” screen (unless I’m a couple feet from the tv, then I’m surprised by it’s generous picture).  From my couch, it’s a hugely comfortable watch.  I can’t believe how nice it is, how easy it is to see, and how much I’ve been missing.

What the heck was I waiting for!