Buying an HDTV: 720p vs. 1080p

Samsung 720p LCD HDTV
One of the most important decisions an Alpha Man can make is what kind of HDTV to buy. After all, a man’s HDTV is where all his great rivalries are settled; Man vs. Roommate in a Wii Tennis Match, Man vs. Online ESPN Fantasy League during Monday Night Football, and the feverish bout of Man vs. Genitals via the newest installment of Girls Gone Wild, in Blu-Ray HiDef of course.

I recently moved, and in traditional Alpha Man fashion, have no furniture, but I did go out and buy a grill. The next necessity is a television. I have been looking at a few different models, but ever since I began my search I had my heart set on 1080p. I plan on getting a PS3, so I figured it’s a must…

Talking with a friend of mine who works for Circuit City, I heard a different opinion. He told me that 1080p is a huge marketing ploy, and it’s by far not the most important consideration when buying a new TV. Things like color accuracy, contrast and refresh rate (on an LCD) are far more important. He explained that the best reviewed HDTV ever made was in fact a 720p model.

This insight got me thinking if 1080p really was worth the extra money (which is a big step for someone like me who needs to have the best everything.) I did some research and have posted an excerpt from what seems to be the definitive source on the topic:

720p vs. 1080p HDTV: The final word - Fully Equipped

We believe that when you’re dealing with TVs 50 inches and smaller, the added resolution has only a very minor impact on picture quality. On a regular basis in our HDTV reviews, we put 720p (or 768p) sets next to 1080p sets, then feed them both the same source material, whether it’s 1080i or 1080p, from the highest-quality Blu-ray and HD DVD players. We typically watch both sets for a while, with eyes darting back and forth between the two, looking for differences in the most-detailed sections, such as hair, textures of fabric, and grassy plains. Bottom line: It’s almost always very difficult to see any difference.

So there you have it, unless you plan on buying a 60″ HDTV and then sitting 2 feet from it to make happy time with Skinemax in HD, save the money and go with the 720p model. One cool thing about saving money on technology is that the less you spend, the sooner you can rationalize replacing the item. Let’s say if you would spend $2000 on an HDTV and replace it in 4 years time; if you only spent $1500 you could replace that HDTV in 3 years, and lets face it, in 3 years whatever HDTV you buy today is going to be a relic.

The American Express Black Card, Are You High Class?

American Express Black CardApparently AMEX makes an American Express Black card, but it is only available to people with more money than God.

Also known as the Centurion Card, this tribute to excessive consumption lifestyles is forged out of solid titanium, making the card too thick for the credit card machines at places rich people would never be caught dead (i.e. Target, Sears, pumping their own gas at Mobil). The card totes a $5000 start up fee and a $2500 annual fee. All I can say is that I better be able to use my rewards points for lap dances from Jessica Alba.

Requirements and Benefits of the AMEX Black Card | BlackCardSource.com

Requirements:

1) Charge $250,000 or more a year to AMEX

2) Be invited by AMEX or ask to join

3) Pay the $5,000 initiation fee

4) Pay the $2,500 (US) annual Fee

Benefits:

1) Very high spending limit. Each card has a different limit and the limit is based on the income of the individual. The most expensive purchase known to date on a black card, is that of a $30M private jet.

2) 24hr personal concierge. They can make reservations, plan weddings, or score tickets.

3) Private shopping services at the finest retailers. It is known that Tiffany’s offers up private shopping for Black Card customers.

4) Invitations for special events, such as a round of golf with Tiger Woods.

5) Complimentary companion airline tickets on international flights.

6) Access to Airport Clubs.

7) Free hotel stays.

8) Subscription to Black Ink magazine.

9) International emergency health care.

These are the benefits received from being in the elite circle of about 17,000 people.

Known cardholders include Jay-Z, Britney Spears and The Olsen Twins. In fact, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil Wayne have all rapped about the card at some point. Bow Wow was apparently so impressed he’s rapped about his card three times in the songs Marco Polo, Oh I Think They Like Me, and Get Money. One can only imagine that when Lil Wayne opened his card in the mail, he was so excited that he proceeded to lick the wrapper.

I find the most impressive part about this whole thing to be that the people over at Blackcardsource.com have put together a Blog that is just information about the card, pictures of people with their cards, and adds for other AMEX products; I bet they’re making a killing! Huge props to anyone who can see that money can be made in blogging about a ridiculous credit card and make it happen.

Learning from the Best

Darren Rowse of Problogger.net

In writing AlphaMantra, we have learned the overwhelming importance of cyber-jargon such as SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and terms like Blogosphere. Kill me now :)

One of the places we go to learn from those smarter than us is problogger.net. Darren has a great site going over there and we hope one day that Alpha Mantra will be as useful to our readers as ProBlogger has been to us.

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