10 Years of Stuff #7: Hi-Def Television

Who could have foreseen ten years ago, that we would be getting an image at home that often looks better than reality itself?

Full 1080 Hi-Def makes everything that much more awesome! The added depth of image and sharper colors make a beautiful woman's curves look (without getting too pervy) almost unbearably sexy. The superior sound quality makes concert footage sound as clear as ringing a bell beside one's own ear. And oh, Lord, sports are just amazing!

Before I'd even seen tennis in Hi-Def I was already hearing how a tennis court had never looked that big on TV. Now, having seen it for myself, I don't know how I could ever go back. You can actually see the depth and curve of shots in tennis; a soccer pitch looks simply massive, making the effective long balls seem impossible; and I distinctly remember when my sister and I were first blown away that we could make out the faces of the crowd behind home plate. We have reached the point where one might easily be getting a better view in one's home than if one were actually at the game.

As for films, everyone usually remarks how great modern films shot in digital look, (like Dark Knight or Wall-E) and they do look amazing, but its older films that have had the biggest impression on me. One of the first films I saw in HD was Dr. Strangelove, and I recall ignoring the story and the characters because I was staring slack-jawed at the depth of the hallway they were talking in. It looked so big! And you have not seen the car chase scene in Bullit until you've seen those car's-eye-view shots in lovely 1080. It even made me a little light-headed the first time, and that's just AWESOME!

They say the next innovation will be fully immersive 3-d in our homes, a la James Cameron's Avatar. Hopefully, by that point they'll have worked out a way for me to see 3-d, because if there's something I really can't wait to see in 3-d it's... well, you can guess.