Magnum Mania!

I think I already know the answer to this. I suspect most people have those large black widescreen LCD rectangles.

I too was going to get one of those years ago, waiting for LCD quality to improve. Then I realized - why bother? Most of the TV shows I like are 4:3 - and most are from the 50's to the 80's. So I kept the good old CRT (27" flat square tube) to watch the old TV shows as they were meant to be seen.

But most movies are widescreen - so I got a cheap 1080p projector and project movies on my wall, 14 feet wide. It's like going to the movie theatre every night (and it's only really playable at night). The projector is hidden mostly out of sight on top of my china cabinet - no need to reserve a giant space for a giant TV. (much cheaper than a giant TV too!)

So what is your setup like?

If it is just me watching it will be usually over a laptop. If I am using that laptop for something else I put the video over to a large external monitor. If someone else is watching with me or I need two monitors for what I am doing on the laptop I send the video to a larger TV (which doubles as another external monitor). If it is on a blu-ray (or however it is spelled) it has to go straight to the TV.

All my episodes are ripped to my iMac, but I stream them using my Apple TV onto a decent sized plasma TV. Yes, the top and bottom of the original 4:3 are cropped off, but it doesn't really bother me.

We have two smart TV’s that we stream on and also watch broadcasts. They aren’t really very big though. The one in our bedroom is 27 inch and I think our living room one is 32 or 35 inch. No big black panels on the walls then. They both sit on pieces of furniture. Our living room has a console with all the boxes for DVD, cable, my son’s video games, etc... My chest of drawers in our bedroom has the other TV on it with just a DVD player. That’s where I watch my favorite DVD’s in my comfy chair by our fireplace... with snacks. The bottom drawer has all the DVD’s I watch.

Styles Bitchley wrote: ↑Fri Feb 19, 2021 7:33 pm All my episodes are ripped to my iMac, but I stream them using my Apple TV onto a decent sized plasma TV. Yes, the top and bottom of the original 4:3 are cropped off, but it doesn't really bother me.

That is messed up and would drive me nuts. I am amazed that it is incapable of maintaining the aspect ratio. No, I am not saying you are doing it wrong, I am only saying I am amazed that Apple (or any other company) would put out a device incapable of this.

I don't do "streaming". Internet streaming is like a spy mechanism to determine exactly what and when you're watching something. Also, when you're finished watching, the thing you were watching is gone. I like to have the file permanently on micro SD and watch it whenever I want by plugging it into my player - and nobody knows when or what I'm watching (well... except me). I can understand streaming locally if your TV/player doesn't accept digital files. I prefer not to use "WI-FI" and just physically insert micro SD.

For broadcast TV, I guess you must "stream", but I haven't watched broadcast TV since they went digital - and my internet is so damn slow it would probably be low resolution, horribly jerky and choppy anyway.

I've actually got my own broadcast TV. I've got 2 modulators transmitting on 2 different TV channels - with attached digital players. Then I can use my 1978 portable CRT TVs, tuned to either channel and watch whatever is on at the moment. My channels only play TV from the 50's to the 80's - and only within a radius of 300 metres of my house. I could have an "All Magnum channel" if I want. (...and occasionally, I do! )

80s Big Hair wrote: ↑Fri Feb 19, 2021 9:19 pm

Styles Bitchley wrote: ↑Fri Feb 19, 2021 7:33 pm All my episodes are ripped to my iMac, but I stream them using my Apple TV onto a decent sized plasma TV. Yes, the top and bottom of the original 4:3 are cropped off, but it doesn't really bother me.

That is messed up and would drive me nuts. I am amazed that it is incapable of maintaining the aspect ratio. No, I am not saying you are doing it wrong, I am only saying I am amazed that Apple (or any other company) would put out a device incapable of this.

I didn't say it was incapable, it's just on that setting (it's the TV, actually). I could keep the original aspect ratio, but it really doesn't bother me. You don't miss much.

Pahonu wrote: ↑Fri Feb 19, 2021 9:19 pm We have two smart TV’s that we stream on and also watch broadcasts. They aren’t really very big though. The one in our bedroom is 27 inch and I think our living room one is 32 or 35 inch. No big black panels on the walls then. They both sit on pieces of furniture. Our living room has a console with all the boxes for DVD, cable, my son’s video games, etc... My chest of drawers in our bedroom has the other TV on it with just a DVD player. That’s where I watch my favorite DVD’s in my comfy chair by our fireplace... with snacks. The bottom drawer has all the DVD’s I watch.

Ah, so that's where you watch ROCKFORD!!

What's your favorite season? Favorite episode?