I was expecting, some to say that they still were watching a black and whtie tv....btw, we have a 13 inch one that is about 25 years old that we use in the basement...
Well, I was watching "I Love Lucy" this morning, so does that kind of count?
Nevermind it was on a 50 inch plasma!
One of my roommates had been wanting a big tv. Prior to this we just had a 32 inch tube tv and my sentiment was "sit closer to the screen if it's not big enough for you!". He kept trying to talk me into going in with him, but I just could not justify the expense. Then, last week, Best Buy had a sale on them, and I think this sucker was about $1200, out the door, with a 4 year warranty, so he went out and bought it himself.
I guess about the best way I can describe the difference is when I first got a DVD player. At first, I didn't see what the big deal was. I really didn't see a difference between the quality of a DVD versus a VHS tape. Until, that is, the next time I watched a VHS tape! It's like you don't notice the step up in quality, until you get forced to take a step back and see how bad it used to be!
Now, I have noticed a few side effects of the improved picture quality. Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" was on the other night. With the bigger, improved picture quality compared to the 32" tube tv, the special effects tended to stand out a bit more. For instance, the matte paintings of the town and such. There's one scene in the movie, a shot looking down on the town, as a fire is spreading, and one by one, the birds start to soar onto the scene. In the past, I always thought that was a real aerial shot with the birds superimposed on. But suddenly, I noticed that parts of the shot looked fake, like they were airbrushed. Then the more I looked at it, the whole thing didn't look real. I found out, searching on the net, that the whole thing was a matte painting, except for a parking lot that was filmed at a Universal Studios backlot. Here's the scene, if anyone's interested:
http://www.filminamerica.com/Movies/TheBirds/birds26.jpg
Now, this is either a testament to the artist's ability, or perhaps just my failing eyesight, but I swear that's a damned realistic looking painting! And if it wasn't for this 50 inch plasma tv, I never would have realized it was a painting!
I've also heard that these bigger tvs, especially with an HD signal, will show up every flaw, pimple, crows foot, and wrinkle on a person's face, like tv never has before. So now may be a good time to invest in plastic surgery stocks.
OK, I know, I'm weird. 
