Feeling a little Blu... part II

Quick recap: bought a BR with the SO not in town. Spent $567. SO not happy.

So the next day after this ginormous purhcase, I went to lab to get stuff ready for the week. I planned out everything for that week so I could keep busy and get everything necessary done before my advisor left. That took an hour or so. At that point I thought I would check to see what cnet.com had to say about HDMI cables and what I needed. Little did I know that would start a chain of events I'd never be able to stop...

Come to find out that you should never pay more than $10 for an HDMI cable. I was livid. I could feel the blood just oozing out of my eyes. Yeah, my eyes, I was that mad. How could I be so stupid to spend 130 bucks on a cable, when I could get a quality cable for 10 bucks or less? I followed cnet's advice, went to Amazon, and bought a cable for 22 cents! I know, that's incredible! With shipping, it was a total of $3.20. That meant I was returning the cable, and I knew I could be back at Fry's next weekend because I would be traveling that way to take the SO to my BF's fiancee's bachelorette party.

With a much cheaper cable (like 100% cheaper), I went through cnet's review of the 4600, and it flat out said that the 3600 was just as good. The blood began to ooze out of my ears. It was as if I knew at that moment that I got hosed by the Fry guy and I wanted to zoom down there to return it because I felt so dirty by being in possession of this filth. With the blink of an eye, I left lab to go to HH Gregg's and talk to the people who sold us our TV. I told them how I wanted a BR for DVDs and he pointed out the Samsung BD P1600, and that it was the ability for Netflix streaming if I needed (through an ethernet cable, not wirelessly like the 3600 or 4600). Doubtful that I would ever use that service, I knew this was a better BR for the SO and me. The price there for the 1600 was $279.99. That sounded like such a reasonable price after dropping 400 bucks on something that looked like it could fly to Mars.

The whole idea sounded absurd after the fact, but I decided after getting out of HH Gregg's that I needed to go to Fry's to return the BR and HDMI cable. Of course I was delayed by the fact that I wanted to drive my car but forgot to grab the keys as I left lab! So with the SO's car freshly gassed up (and no cruise control), I zoomed down to Fry's to get my money back. I was able to get everything back on my debit card, but I thought I should see what kind of price Fry's had on the 1600 (I know, I never learn). $249.99! It's a shame I couldn't have bought this from HH Gregg's but this was a good deal. With the box in hand, the cashier rang it up and I swear I first thought I heard him say 300 dollars. I looked at the receipt and he priced it at 200 bucks! I couldn't believe it. A 300 dollar BR for 200!

In total, I went from spending 567 dollars to spending 317 dollars... a savings of $250! At this point, I needed to grease the wheels of my SO's heart, and the first thing I thought of was going to Border's to get her the knitting mag she had wanted. Of course they didn't have it, but I knew there was something I could get her: a large Dunkin Donuts iced coffee with coconut syrup, cream, and sugar. Bringing it to her, she knew that something was up. I told her the whole story about how I was really angry about getting ripped off and how I saved so much money and now we have a BR that will be perfect for us. Yeah I was doing everything not to permamently stay in the doghouse. And somehow... it worked.

Opening it up that week was like having Christmas in June. The smile couldn't get off my face. Only one problem... where could it go? With the cable box, Wii, and surround sound, there wasn't much room for the BR on the entertainment center. But I found room... I also found out I didn't need the A/V cable (which I returned before dropping the SO off at the bachelorette party).

And so, from this point on, I can give reviews for movies that will be in quality picture. And someday I might be able to purchase a BR disc (BRD), but what will be the first choice? My first DVD was The Matrix, but I'm not sure I want that as my first BRD. It'll come to me at some point what should be the first, and I know it'll be a good one. But until then, I have all these DVDs that need to be watched with the clarity and quality from a BR. Later!

Feeling a little Blu... part I

Hey everyone. Back with an update about getting a Blu-ray. So funny story...

A couple weekends ago, the SO and her friend were planning on going up to Chi-town to see the Harry Potter exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. For some strange reason, I had to ask her if I were to go out and get a Blu-ray (BR), what would be her reaction? Would she kill me or kill me beyond recognition so not even the coroner's office would know it was my body (or what's left of it). She actually responded by saying she would be really mad but she wouldn't be completely disappointed. I was as happy as a little school girl...

It just happened that I was going to meet my 'rents for lunch for Father's Day so I would be able to hit up some electronic stores, like Fry's, and see what was available and what was in the budget (budget... hahaha!). Now I had been looking on cnet.com for what was the best BR player available and what sort of prices there were, but when I get in an electronic store without the SO, my brain goes out the door.

So I'm clearly interested in a BR that will give the best quality to my DVDs, while at the same time will be good for years to come with future purchases. So I'm looking at the Samsung BD P4600. Priced at 400 big ones. Again, the latest and the greatest. Of course there's no one around to help me figure out what is good and what isn't. After about 10 minutes of looking, an employee of Fry's finally comes over to ask if I need help. I put it simply to him: "What's the best BR for watching DVDs?" With my eye on the 4600, he of course said the 4600 or the 3600 (probably because they were the most expensive). He said the 4600 has built-in Wi-fi so I can easily update the BR when needed.

This is when he went in for the kill. He asked what kind of TV I had. I puffed up the chest, metaphorically, and said a Samsung 860 series plasma, 50 inch. He was impressed with my TV, and he knew he could get me with the line: "Well, if you have the top-of-the-line TV, for high quality you'll want a top-of-the-line BR." So I naively grabbed the box. Of course now I needed a top-of-the-line HDMI cable, which he gladly led me to the Monster HDMI cables, the 900 and the 1200. He said the 1200 is what I want...at 130 dollars! Being the idiot I was at the time, I went with the 1200, thinking I need the most expensive to have the best quality. He quickly rang me up so he could have the sale, and I went to the Cashier to make the purchase. In total, it was 567 dollars.

I felt the rush alright. So much that I forgot I'd probably need an A/V cable for hooking the BR up to the surround sound. So I dropped another $8.55 at Fry's. I felt so paranoid with it in the car all afternoon while having lunch with the 'rents and doing errands. I wanted to get home so it would be safe. During the car ride home, I thought, "I won't open anything so I can talk with the SO and decide if this is what we need."

Around 7:30 that evening, the SO called to say she was starting the trek back home from Chi-town. She asked if I bought a BR and I flatly said yes I did. She was surprised when she responded, but it didn't sound like an angry surprise. It was a "Oh, I'm so mad at you but I know that a BR is what we need so I will try to sound angry but I can't do it right now" response.

When she finally did get home, I showed her what I had purchased. She was still in shock and asked how much. That's when I felt my throat closing as I told her 567 bucks. She really gave me the death look. I quickly calmed the fire by saying I would take a look the next day at cnet.com and we can go to HH Gregg to see what they tell us about what we should have for BR. Little did I know that wouldn't be the end of this debacle...

Next post: The exciting conclusion to whether or not I would ever see the light of day again, or at least my half of the bed. Tune in to find out!

Later!