Brad Hollerbach is the Director of Information Technology for the Southeast Missourian. His opinions are his own and do not reflect those of the newspaper or its editorial board. He writes this blog primarily for his own amusement and to parody the absurdities of the world we live in. He lives with his wife and two cats that don't really care for one another in Cape.

My Next TV

Posted Wednesday, May 25, 2011, at 12:00 AM

I found my next TV this past weekend.

Actually to call this find a mere TV is to do it an injustice. It would be like calling The Pope a Catholic. Of course he is that, but he is also The Number One Catholic On The Planet.

And I'm convinced that this television has to be The Number One TV On The Planet and just possibly, the known Universe.

I wasn't planning on TV shopping this past weekend. The existing TVs in our house do an adequate job and show no signs of dying. Shopping for a new television was about the last thing on my mind when my wife and I went to St. Louis on Sunday to see the rock group Bon Jovi in concert at the Scottrade Center. But when we got into the sold-out arena, the TV that dangled from the ceiling above the stage immediately captured my attention.

For any A/V geeks reading this, The TV technically wasn't a single television, but a series of identical smaller displays that formed one monstrous screen. It's known as a video wall and they've become quite common at arenas and stadiums.

But even though they're not as unique as they once were, this one was still pretty large for a video wall. And its size was nothing compared to the other features it showed off once the concert started.

The wall that appeared to be one giant TV, would split apart into smaller TVs throughout the show. Sometimes there were 4 junior video walls suspended from the roof. At other times the entire wall would divide into 96 individual TVs each showing a different image.

Can you imagine? I could watch every single channel I get on cable at the exact same time without once having to channel surf. What a time saver!

The computerized rigging that held the TVs together was the brain behind the whole operation. I don't know what geniuses dreamed up this device, but not only would it split the TVs apart, it would fly them around the airspace above the stage at will. It would raise them. Lower them. Spin them. It was a mesmerizing video ballet.

A second video wall was almost as impressive. Its sections could form one large screen, 5 smaller ones or create horizontal stair steps that allowed Jon Bon Jovi to walk up while singing a song. I don't remember what song it was, but it certainly went well with those fantastic TVs.

I was simply mesmerized by those televisions for the entire two and half-hour concert. In a word, they were awesome. Well worth the price of admission.

Oh, and Bon Jovi wasn't too bad either.

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Jon Bon Jovi standing in front of you and YOU were mesmerized by the TVs!!! What a waste. ☻

-- Posted by Turnip on Wed, May 25, 2011, at 8:01 AM
isn't Jon Anchovi about 50 yrs. older then your current TV ?

-- Posted by Rick* on Wed, May 25, 2011, at 9:35 AM
What was your roadkill count on your way to and from St. Louis? On Sunday, I counted 29 between Cape and Festus, northbound. About 4 or 5 deer, several armadillos, coons, possums, and the rest were unidentifiables.

-- Posted by travellin man on Wed, May 25, 2011, at 9:45 AM
Thanks Turnip, I was waiting for someone to point that out. While I do appreciate Bon Jovi's music, his target audience is obviously the ladies.

For instance, the stage was configured with an inner seating area where the ticketholders (mostly women) got special perks like a meet and greet with the band AND they got to keep their commemorative folding chair. Tickets in this area ranged from about $600 to $1200 a seat.

We stayed the night at the hotel across from the center and the next morning ran into some of the women who had those tickets. The one lady said she owned 12 of those chairs. She also said she was planning on being at their Dublin, Ireland concert in a few weeks and had seen them recently in Tampa and Milwaukee, but felt that Madison Square Gardens was their best show. Bon Jovi is no dummy catering to these groupies with money.

Melange, I have a plan for my 32" Sony Wega. The thing has a beautiful picture (although no digital tuner) but I hope to donate it to one of the local charities that do pickups before it dies. The thing weights 165 pounds and I'm not really wanting to move it.

Rick I think "Jon Anchovi" is 49.

I did not count roadkill on this trip, Travellin Man, but there did appear to be less than my trip north on Mother's Day.

Sounds like an equally awesome TV, Spank. MIght have to put an addition on my house to fit it.

Thanks for reading.

-- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Wed, May 25, 2011, at 12:19 PM
Brad...only 49 , are you sure ?

dang , i thought he was older than dirt...

-- Posted by Rick* on Wed, May 25, 2011, at 12:55 PM
I have a couple of other dense pieces of "furniture." The one that needs moved in the next few months is a 1960 Coke machine (has a glass door, but is a square top and not one of the very collectable roundtop machines).

According to a reference book I own, the machine weighs about 430 pounds. I think I'm going to hire someone to move it for me.

TFR

-- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Wed, May 25, 2011, at 2:42 PM
Still dreading the day when the ol' 1979-vintage Sony 60" projection bites the dust - but until then - coupled up with a 1982-vintage 250-watt per channel Hafler amp and 1985-vintage Bose 901s - concert DVDs, football games, and movies on LaserDisc like Memphis Belle make for an experience almost like being there. :-)

Cool thing with the TV - the parabolic screen makes for some neat-o Guido psychedelic sounds when running the vacuum cleaner around.

-- Posted by fxpwt on Wed, May 25, 2011, at 8:07 PM
6 months ago I replaced my Ameican made 25" Zenith with a 32" that now cost $150 less. I slid the guts out of the still well working Zenith and took it to the recycler. It hurt but I broke down the well built cabinet for the bonfire.

-- Posted by Old John on Sun, Jun 12, 2011, at 12:09 PM
me too..

-- Posted by Rick* on Thu, Jun 16, 2011, at 9:02 AM

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