while i didn't get to see everything i wanted, i did see two movies in the annual lund fantastisk film festival, namely wasting away and bathory. both were quite excellent, though understandably in their own ways

coming back a bit late after seeing the latter, i stopped by the grovsoprum, to discover two super finds!

the tv table was a bit chipped, but otherwise perfectly fine. the htpc seems to be in perfect shape minus a blown power supply (which is probably why it was thrown out), so i'll have to go dumpster diving again soon to see if i can find a replacement

swapping out the old and not-so-nice looking predecessor, we get:

i decided to retire the short-lived frankenstereo, mostly since it didn't fit easily into this table and wasn't too nice to look at anyway. i took the main unit back out to the grovsoprum, though we've kept the speakers just in case they come in useful later.

then, with a final touch from annika:

starting to look a bit respectable now...

(see also: part one)

so the first priority was to get a new TV. i spent basically an entire weekend reading reviews, learning tech terminology, price searching, talking with friends, comparing specs, etc, and ended up with three main contenders:

• Pioneer PDP-4280XD (plasma)
• Sony KDL40W4000 (lcd)
• Samsung LE40A656 (lcd)

they each have their strengths and weaknesses. the pioneer had amazing black levels and picture quality, but i was concerned that plasma is kinda on the way out, and some of my typical use cases would be better suited for and lcd (gaming, computer screen / htpc usage). also, the plasma will probably have a shorter lifespan and higher power consumption. the two lcd's were by most review standards the best 40" lcd's on the market. The sony has excellent picture quality for film/cinema and a really nice sound system built in. The samsung has a better 100Hz scanning tech built-in (meaning better fast-action scenes, sports footage, etc), but the sound system was of somewhat less quality.

i saw all three, and quickly reduced to the two lcd's after reconsidering my use cases and other concerns. the 100Hz scanning in the samsung quickly won me over. they had two systems side-by-side in a nearby store and the sony came off as looking a bit more pixellated/jaggy when a lot of noise was going on. playing around with the settings didn't seem to help much either. it also helped that the samsung was about 2000 SEK cheaper i couldn't tell the difference picture wise, and i really didn't worry too much about sound-related issues since i will probably "invest further" in the future.

actually getting the TV ended up being somewhat difficult, largely due to the unfortunate timing of some unknown malefactor in florida deciding that they also wanted about $allmymoney worth of stuff and conjured up my card's digits to help them with the process. some creative social engineering got me a name and some of the items acquired, but ultimately it was a matter of taking a couple half-days flex and going to the bank, filling out some paperwork, and waiting about a week to get my money back.

and then i had to wait for my new card to spend the money...

and then the TV was sold out and i had to wait another week...

and then the driver was sick and couldn't deliver it...

but finally it arrived, and the old tv was retired to the basement.

nice tv, but the setup still leaves a little something to be desired

so it's been quite a while since i've spent a large sum of money for anything in the realm of personal entertainment. largely thanks to my current employer, i've been provided with reasonably well performing laptops, cell phones, etc and haven't had to drop $$$ (er, SEK) on anything silicon-related since i got here. before i got here, i lived in a wonderful place where most of my visual entertainment came from roomates who placed such things at the highest of priorities, allowing me to be a lazy mooch.

sadly i now have to fend for myself if i want anything, as the good ol' roomates are still in the states, and i'll have a hard time with convincing the bosses to that a new home theatre system for my apartment is be a wise business investment...

so, it all starts with the current system:

• half of an old balsa wood IKEA shelf, sawed and sanded, with a drape covering.
• a 19" TV which must be from the late 80's or early 90's or thereabouts (hidden).
• frankenstereo, a recycled stero system assembled from various components found in the nearby grovsoprum (hidden).

it works, i guess, but leaves a bit to be desired. it's also pretty much out of the question for anything "serious", like console gaming or cinema. on the positive side, it hides itself easily and doesn't dominate the room.