Rear projection TV RIP

Consider it triple confirmed:

From Engadjet:
"It's unconfirmed at the moment, but we're hearing that Sony is planning to discontinue sales of all rear-projection HDTVs, including its 3LCD and SXRD lines, after current inventories are exhausted to focus on the hot-selling Bravia LCD line. We've been tipped on it twice today and now This Week In Consumer Electronics is reporting that a Sony spokesperson has told them that "We are moving our resources more toward LCD TV, because that's what people really want." It looks like all backorders for the KDSZ70XBR5 are being canceled, as the unit will never be manufactured, and Sony's making a "no promises" effort to fill backorders for the KDF46E3000 and KDS60A3000. The move isn't exactly unprecedented or even all that surprising -- Toshiba, Philips and Hitachi have all stopped producing rear-projection sets, but Sony's SXRDs were still extremely popular and it's strange to see them get dropped just like that. "

3 hour install

Not untypical changeover from NTSC to HDTV





Assume CRT TV out to LCD TV in will be easy peesy 10 minute job.
Unplug old TV. Set on bed (TV is heavy & bed is empty and close). Spend 10 minutes cleaning dust bunnies that had accumulated below old TV.
Unpack new LCD HTDV.
Use included cables to make "good" connection to DVD/VHS player (formerly used "basic" connection - coax cable). Find power cord and learn that is a 3-prong plug. Look at walls - every outlet is 2 prong.
Search house for 3-prong adapter that I know I have somewhere. Fail to find it.
Go to Walgreen's. Buy 3-prong adapter - despite reading that the fact that I have "old wiring" means I probably shouldn't use it.
....
Discover cord for new TV does not reach outlet.
Find 3-prong extension cord (bought by mistake a couple months ago but never returned cause I knew I'd need it some day).
Plug in TV and DVD/VHS player.
Turn on TV. Juice!
Turn on DVD/VHS player. Juice!

Time spent: about 2 hrs.
Set TV to "airwave" - get blue screen and "no signal" message.
Be unhappy. Plugging in a TV should not be this much work.
Attempt to switch TV input to DVD/VHS unit - but fail at using buttons on TV.
Find remote for new TV. Put in batteries. Scroll TV through input options till DVD/VHS player is found (AV3).
Everyone is blue.
Change DVDs. Everyone is still blue.
Disconnect DVD-to-TV wires, 1 at a time in different combos. Either lose signal or make everyone red.
Reconnect everything - color is magically repaired.
Reattempt TV input from airwaves - still fail.
Connect crappy (and broken) rabbit ear antennae directly to TV (was running through player).
Use remote to make TV detect airwave channels.
Discover I now have about 4 times more channels than before!! Can't get some stations (ABC, ABC DT) but figure I'll work that out later (a non-broken antennae??).
Wonder why HD channels are in different aspect ratio. Don't care. Enjoy AMAZINGLY CLEAR signals and wonder JEEBUS, WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME HD RECEPTION WAS THIS MUCH BETTER - and adds so many channels?!?!
Start to cleanup disaster area created by last 3 hours of annoyance. Find TV user manual. Find out use for remote contol buttons labeled "S Mode" (sound options), "P Mode" (picture color options), and "P size" (normal, wide, zoom, cinema, and letterbox). Learn that "cinema" stretches HD channels to full screen.
Get happy. .....

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