I am remodeling my basement into a modern home theater. It’s a daunting project , but I’d like to share the experience with you from time to time.
This is an admission I hate to make publicly, but I am a Retro Grouch. It’s the term for someone who wonders why companies feel the need to improve reliable technology the grouches are already happy with.
When I built a micro home theater out of a windowless basement room a little over 10 years ago, I thought I’d be set for a good couple of decades. After all, my first color TV, a Mitsubishi, lasted me about 25 years. When the contacts in the mechanical dial finally wore out in 1999, I splurged on a $2100 36-inch Sony Wega XBR tube TV with squarish 4:3 screen. I didn’t need one of those crazy expensive flat panels – they cost, what, $5000 or more back then.
It turns out that the Sony Wega was not immune to obsolescence.About a year after my purchase, I noticed a lot of TV makers were touting that they were “HD ready.” Feh! Who needs it?
Finally last year I caved in and decided this high definition fad wasn’t going away. I bought a new TV.
Now, a year later, I am being forced to concede that this Internet TV craze isn’t going anywhere either. It’s not just the ability to watch cute cat videos from YouTube on a big screen, but a lot of TV series I missed out on the first time around are available online, and as Internet TV providers Hulu, Netflix and Amazon start making their own original shows, I will want the option to see them easily.
And as if on cue, my source for TV, DirecTV dropped MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and a slew of other Viacom channels in a contract dispute. It seems prudent to broaden my sources of entertainment.
So after a mere decade, I am forced to update my whole rig.
In some upcoming posts, I’ll invite you along for Project Basement as I try to remake my TV room, looking for the best values in components and services. What kind of TV screen. What kind of audio system? what do I do about seating? I’m trying to see how little “wow” can cost, and how simple I can make it. Your two cents is always welcomed. Let’s see if I can get settled for the next decade.
O.K., five years, maybe? Two?
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