My beautiful new TV has been all hooked up for a while and has been getting lots, and lots of use, but even now, over a week later, I keep discovering bigger and better things about my lovely new entertainment system!
Just five minutes ago my friend Jimi – the lovely friend who made all this possible in the first place with his generous gift of a PS3 – helped me figure out how to finally get my PS3 set up to stream music and video off my newly suped up PC! So now not only do I have an amazing gaming machine and a high definition video system, I also have a wireless media archive at my fingertips, accessible either from my desktop or from the comfort of my own bed! I was preparing myself for the long, arduous, and tedious task of burning my massive music collection on dozens of data DVDs, then copying them over to my PS3, filling up the vast majority of the poor thing’s hard drive, when thankfully Jimi stopped me and explained the media server feature. Thank goodness for that!! Now my gigantic 250GB media archive hard drive can be utilized in an entirely new way, thanks to my PS3 and my gorgeous new TV. Mmmmm, technology, isn’t it beautiful?
In other TV news, my Mom had been meaning to look into getting a better deal on our TV, Internet, and phone services, because she’d looked at what we were paying for each service separately and the total kind of made her gag. We’d been kind of limited in the past with regard to television service, since we seemed to be in a little black out bubble when it came to cable services. For the longest time, the only company that provided service in our little cul-de-sac was DirecTV, so naturally we went with them.
A couple months ago, however, Verizon came knocking on our door. They had to dig up our backyard to lay fiber optic cable for their FiOS service. It sucked that they had to dig up our backyard, and their stupid workmen totally destroyed our beautiful old giant bushes along the back of our property that were worth thousands, but looking on the bright side, that meant we finally had other options for television service.
Since my Mom’s been so busy with taking care of me and figuring out my new diet (more on that later… ugh!), I decided I’d go ahead and do the research on Verizon’s services. We’d gotten a flyer about a bundle package they offered, where you’d get FiOS TV, FiOS Internet, and phone service, all packaged up together. According to the flyer, it seemed significantly less than what we were already paying separate companies for those same services. So I decided to check it out.
I did the research, I made the calls, I waited on hold, and sure enough, not only was it cheaper, but we could get a much better, more extensive service! And best of all… I can get it in my room!!! 😀 Another point scored for my beautiful, wondrous, fantabulous entertainment system, huzzah!!
So for a little bit less than what we’re currently paying for TV, Internet, and Phone, we’re getting two more televisions hooked up (both in HD – a receiver for my room, and a receiver for our projector in the movie room), more regular cable channels, 60 HD channels, Internet service that’s four times faster than what we have now (and it was already pretty fast…), and free unlimited phone calls anywhere in the US & Canada. Pretty damn cool, huh? 😀 Of course, Mom still thinks Verizon should give us the first few months free for messing up our bushes, but eh, I’m just thrilled to add another crazy awesome feature to my bedroom entertainment system. I’m gonna have TV in my room, in HIGH DEFINITION!
So I’ve got a PS3, a giant flat screen HD TV to play it on, my own wireless streaming media archive server, and fiber optic HD television service. What’s next, you say?
TIVO! 😀 That’s right, now I’m saving up for a HD Tivo. Did you know that with HD Tivos, you get access to Netflix’s massive online Instant Viewing archive?!? (If you’re a Netflix subscriber, of course, which I am.) Ooooh, talk about freaking awesome! It’s so awesome I just might ‘splode! That’d be another media archive I’d have access to! Over 12,000 movies and counting, all at my fingertips. I’ve been using Netflix’s Instant Viewing feature like crazy on my laptop ever since they started it. It’s seriously saved my sanity many, many times. But my laptop is so teeny, its speakers so not meant for movies. But my TV… that’s a TV meant for movies. That’s a TV worthy of Tivo’s & Netflix’s total unbelievable incredulous awesomeness. (Think Tivo & Netflix have heard me kissing up yet? *nudge, nudge, wink, wink*) 🙂 Man, I want that Tivo SO bad! Now I just have to save up for it…
So if I’m not blogging as much as I should be over the next few weeks, hehe, you’ll know where I’ll be. 🙂 Ahhhh, entertainment! Finally, I’ll be able to watch movies, listen to music, play games, talk to friends, and watch TV in an environment where I won’t be in pain. No more uncomfortable couches (cause I haven’t met one yet that hasn’t hurt) and no more getting too hot in an environment that’s above 60 degrees; it’s as close as I can get to heaven in the midst of this stupid disease. So here’s to making the best of a sucky situation, courtesy of amazing technology, generous friends & family, and lots and lots of options for fun, fun, fun!! 🙂