Since I’m using my new Xbox as the DVD player for my rear-projection TV, I moved the old dedicated DVD player into the bedroom. The TV we have in there is an old GE 19″ shadow mask that I originally got in Orlando when I first moved there in 1998. It’s a pretty bare-bones set. The only input is a single RF jack for your cable or antenna, and that’s it. The tube is one of those really curvy jobs with the light coating. Pretty basic stuff. In order to get the DVD player hooked up, I had to buy an RF modulator box from Radio Shack. That did the job, but jeez, are DVD movies tiny on that screen. Especially when it’s a widescreen disc with a near 2:1 aspect ratio; most of the 19″ screen is taken up by the black bars and you gotta squint to see the action!

To solve this, we’re thinking about getting a new TV for the bedroom one of these days. My mom has a really awesome TV in her little office room up north; it’s a Toshiba with a built in DVD player and VCR. All we need is just a TV, but I’m thinking of getting a widescreen high-def set in there. Toshiba’s 26HF84 looks perfect — plenty of inputs, plenty of next-gen features so we can be sure the TV will take whatever’s thrown at it for years to come. These things have come down in price a good deal since they debuted, so that now high-def is a realistic option when you’re just shopping for TVs in general.

Not gonna be making a purchase anytime soon, but you know me — already doing the research.