TW3 - Streaming Video!

 
In the muddle over computer issues I have not said much about my Vizio HDTV.  Maybe that is because the moment I took my saved up money to purchase it the computer failed and I began to regret the money spent. I do not use credit cards so I save for what I want. I had wanted the flat screen TV for more than a year as I put away cash for the eventual purchase. Everything had gotten in the way - like car repairs.

With at last money in hand, product research completed, and friend along to keep me from going bonkers over the unconsidered options I got the flat screen of my dreams. Okay, due to prices I went 5" bigger (glad I did) and when my friend mentioned the HTML cable I also jumped in an got a new Samsung Blu Ray/DVD player capable of streaming Netflix video. That was a couple hundred I had not planned to spend. But it seemed to make sense until the computer failed.

The failure of the computer had far reaching ramifications - beyond budget. The whole fight with HP over the first faulty computer they shipped me consumed all my left brain so set up of the HDTV and player never went beyond being able to play DVD's. The budget crunch of robbing Peter to pay Paul and get a new computer made me regret the TV and also hedge on upgrading my Netflix account to Blu Ray. It definitely made me hate manuals, tech support centers, and fear that all electronics when touched would fail. Bottom line was I wanted my new entertainment center to hook itself up to the ethernet. I was tharned.

Saturday I finally got to a level of frustration with myself that I was going to do it or die trying. I had already proven to myself that the directions made no sense. They were originally written in Chinese no doubt and translated to English by a non-English techno nerd. I used to translate computer techno nerd speak to engineer and accountant language in my real world life. But they all spoke English. Well, there was some question about the engineers. I tossed the manual aside after connecting the ethernet cable. Schematics seldom need translation. Then I decided to work upstream as opposed to downstream (electrical troubleshooting technique). TV first, then player, at lastly computer.

Success! I will not go into the details but you definitely have to begin with the TV AND the TV remote even if the TV can be controlled by the player remote! I was at last able to watch Netflix streaming video on my new HDTV! This has far reaching ramifications (favorite word of the week). I can exercise while watching as opposed to being stuck in a computer chair. I don't panic when I have forgotten to mail back the last Netflix DVDs in a timely manner to get replacements before the weekend (I only get mail delivery 3 days a week in my rural area). And I am not regretting my 3 year ago decision to disconnect satellite TV.

Saturday evening I sat in my easy chair and watched streaming video on my HDTV and just kept saying spontaneously to the fur kids, "I love this TV."

Comments

  1. thebutlerJanuary 10, 2011 at 4:50 AM

    Wow, didn't take you any time at all to become a SVA addict; knew you would, once you could get the set-up to work! lol

    ReplyDelete
  2. JBinford-BellJanuary 10, 2011 at 4:53 AM

    I have an addictive personality to begin with. I just try to aim my addictions toward the more healthy alternatives. Ergo the exercise in front of the SVA, chocolate in moderation, coffee to excess because the neurologist prescribed it, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ien in the KootenaysJanuary 10, 2011 at 7:31 PM

    Congratulations! You are so clever!
    Enjoy the slow snow season this way.

    ReplyDelete

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