How to Enjoy Watching TV

One would think that the process of watching TV is a simple one that consists only of turning the TV on.  However, this person would be wrong.  Television is perhaps the greatest invention of all time.  Yes, it is true that television is not really the productive invention, but it is still one the most technologically complex devices present in the world today.  Therefore, the process of enjoying this wonderful piece of technology is not one to be taken lightly.  There are many things one must take into consideration in order to enjoy television to the fullest.

            Today there are many different kinds of television.  There’s the standard antenna reception, there’s basic cable, there’s satellite, and finally there’s digital cable.  The most important step one must take to enjoy their television viewing experience is that of equipping them self with whichever television provider they feel is right for them.  If they think standard antenna reception is right for them they’re wrong; it’s not.  In my opinion basic cable is not sufficient for televisual satisfaction either; however this is debatable.  I believe that in order to enjoy watching television to the highest capacity one can never say, “This sucks, there’s nothing on.”  The only way to insure that there will always be something good to watch is to have either satellite TV or digital cable.

            Once you have your arsenal of channels and shows you are almost ready to fully enjoy watching TV.  Now it is absolutely essential that you get yourself a comfortable chair.  You can never go wrong with a couch, and a Lay-Z-Boy is also very comfortable.  It is very important that you are comfortable while watching TV.  If you are uncomfortable while watching TV your brain may mistake the level of discomfort you are feeling as a result of the uncomfortable chair for one that is coming from the television.  If your brain thinks that the television is causing you such dissatisfaction it will much more difficult for you to enjoy the television.     

                        Before you can watch TV there is one more thing you need to do.  You need to get food.  Having some sort of snack to eat while watching TV makes the television viewing experience much more enjoyable.  I’m not exactly sure why this is, but it is definitely the case.  Perhaps to the same extent that being uncomfortable, and therefore unhappy, makes the TV seem less enjoyable, eating food that you like, which usually makes you happy, makes the TV seem more enjoyable.  After you have prepared yourself with the proper service provider, a comfortable chair, and something good to eat you are finally ready to turn on your TV. 

            With most television sets, turning the TV on and watching it is very simple and doesn’t take that long to do.  Usually all you have to do is turn the TV on, then turn the cable box on, and then sit down and watch.  On the other hand there are other television sets that require you to set it up as a home theater with DVD players and multiple video inputs in order to get it to work.  This takes a ridiculously long time and the process is outlined with lengthy directions like the ones for the Sony plasma 50 inch entertainment unit taken from www.sony.com which are stated below.

“if you are assembling a collection of various independent components, the task may seem a little more complicated, but actually follows the same general outline as a prepackaged system. In a basic setup that includes a television, AV receiver, a DVD player, and a VCR (or DVD recorder), here is an example of one approach, which is illustrated in general terms:

1. Connect your satellite, cable, or antenna to your VCR (or DVD recorder) and then to the television. This will allow both your television and your VCR (or DVD recorder) to be able to receive broadcast, cable, or satellite signals, depending on what service you have.

2. Connect the audio and video outputs of your VCR or DVD recorder to your AV receiver's VCR video inputs (if you have both a VCR and DVD recorder, use the AV receiver's VCR1 connections for the VCR and the VCR2 connections for the DVD recorder). In turn, connect the AV receiver's VCR audio and video outputs to the audio and video inputs of your VCR. This will allow your VCR or DVD recorder to record video signals that come through the AV receiver or to play back tapes or DVDs for viewing on your television.

In the case where you have both a VCR and DVD recorder connected to the AV receiver, you can dub non-copyprotected video tapes and DVDs between the two units via the AV receiver.

3. Connect one of the video outputs of your DVD player to the DVD player video input on your AV Receiver. In addition, also connect the digital optical or digital coaxial audio connection to your AV receiver. In order to access digital surround sound, you must make use of the DVD player's digital audio connections.

4. Connect the TV monitor output of the AV receiver to one of the video inputs on your television. This allows you to view the video image from your VCR or DVD player on your television after it goes through the AV receiver.

Remember, your AV receiver needs to be on and either the VCR or DVD player selected, with your TV switched to the video input (not channel 3 or another channel) in order to view the video feed from your AV receiver.

5. Connect the audio outputs of your television (if it has them) to the TV or Aux audio inputs on your AV receiver. This allows watching standard television programs through your broadcast, cable, or satellite connection and to be able to hear stereo or surround sound audio from programs that have it, through your home theater system.

6. Connect your speakers up to the AV receiver. Pay attention to the correct polarity (positive and negative - red and black) and, make sure the speakers are connected to the correct channel (center, front left, front right, rear left, rear right on a five channel system).

7. Connect the subwoofer line output of the AV receiver to your subwoofer.

The above setup description is a basic illustration on what to expect when hooking up your home theater system. The extent, combinations, and types of connections vary depending on how many and what types of components you have.”  After setting up such a complex entertainment unit you will be very well entertained, but it’s not really worth it.

                        As you can see the process of watching TV is a very delicate one.  The most miniscule of things, such as a broken spring in your chair or a slightly bad tasting piece of pizza, can completely ruin your television watching experience.  If you really want to enjoy watching television you can do one of two things: you can either follow the steps I have outlined exactly, or you can choose to believe that the steps I have outlined are simply overly detailed, unnecessarily elongated descriptions designed to take up space and enjoy watching TV in your own way.  I hope that my essay has been informative and that you can now enjoy watching TV better than you could enjoy it before reading my essay.