Beyond the Byline: Another big screen big decision

WILKES-BARRE — In these pandemic days, having a quality TV is paramount to survival.

In the pre-pandemic days, our televisions were important, but they weren’t our most prized possession. Yes, we watched TV a lot, but before COVID-19, we had other things to do.

Like go out for instance — to dinner, or to a favorite watering hole to watch the games, or to attend sporting events, concerts, movies, and church, even.

Now, in our self-imposed isolation world of survival, its TV that keeps us sane and able to get by day to day.

Just six years ago, I was faced with the loss of my longtime TV — a 35-inch RCA housed in an oak cabinet that swiveled. It served me well for 25-plus years, but the time had come to get another.

It was an emotional time. I purchased the TV when I got divorced and moved into an apartment. At the time, the TV was a top of the line beauty and like I said, it served me well for 25-plus years.

It wasn’t easy dealing with the loss of an electronic loved one, but deciding what to replace it with was even more daunting. The attachment was strong. Replacing it was very emotional.

What I was soon to learn was that it is not easy to find the right TV in this day and age of big screens, 4K, NANO, O-LED and endless brands just waiting to be chosen. I mean, really, what’s the difference? Besides price, that is.

So as I again venture out to browse store after store, brand after brand, I must deal once more with shopping for an appropriate replacement. I thought this would be easy this time around, but so far, it has been anything but. It’s even worse than in 2015.

I have been face-to-face with several sales people who, I must say, have been extremely helpful in explaining what each brand has, or can do, and why this one is a better TV than that one, etc.

For me, as well-intentioned and knowledgeable these salespeople are, they might as well be speaking in a foreign language. I am not tech-savvy, nor do I understand any of it.

I must rely on the “I test” — the TV that I look at and see as the best picture — within my budget, of course.

My current TV is shot — all 65-inches-wide screen of it. The picture is cloudy/blurry/not sharp. I’m told that these TVs have a lifespan of 4 to 7 years. I got 6 years out of mine. Come on, man.

I come from the early days of television when most programs were broadcast in black and white and a color TV was big news in the neighborhood. On Reynolds Street in Plymouth, it was the Miklosi family that purchased the first color TV — a Zenith. Down at 210 Reynolds, we were still watching our black and white Admiral. We were invited up to watch “Bonanza,” a western and one of the first TV shows to air in color.

My mom, dad and I walked up the street to sit in the Miklosi living room to watch this historic event. It was amazing. We could see the blue skies, the flesh-toned skin, the red bandana worn by Ben Cartwright. Oh, this was the way to go.

On the way down the hill, I recall my dad saying, “I don’t know how we’re gonna afford it, but we’re getting a color TV.”

The next Saturday, we were at Shawnee TV to choose our new color television. The sales clerk, probably the store owner, was very helpful. He showed us a few models and walked us through the adjustments. It didn’t take long before my dad decided which one — an RCA — would grace our living room.

Today’s experience is far more involved. There are many steps to get through before you narrow down your selection. What screen size is appropriate for your viewing area? Do you need a Smart TV? Are you going to use your TV for far more than a television was ever intended? Do you like a brighter picture? Do you stream?

Wait, what?

So I will walk into a store and the salesperson will say, like an old Western bartender, “What’ll ya have?”

I will respond, “Give me that LG, no, make it a Vizio, no wait, Samsung, no SONY, yeah that’s it.”

“What size, pardner?”

“Oh wow, uhhh 65, no 70, wait, 75, yeah, 75. Throw it in the back of that horse-drawn carriage out front.” Wait, do you deliver?

All I want in my search for a TV is a great picture to watch my shows — the New York Yankees World Series wins, the Masters golf tournaments and the annual thrills of March Madness. I want to watch “NCIS,” “The Blacklist,” “Law & Order,” “Two and a Half Men,” and, of course, “Leave It To Beaver.”

And let’s hope whatever I choose, it’s on sale.