Computers, TVs, VCRs, DVDs, and all the stuff that comes next.

I love new things but I usually need someone with a lot of patience to explain it and teach me how to use it.

Unfortunately, eventually, it will be phased out enough that you won't be able to use the "old fashioned" stuff. Look how hard it is to even FIND a turntable for records. People have loads and loads of these things and now are pretty much forced to buy the same album in cd form. Kinda sux! LOL There are some songs and albums I would love to hear just to look back but would NEVER spend the money to repurchase them. I see that happening with VHS tapes too. I have a ton myself but recently our last tv that has a tape player stopped working, at least the tape player part, and I doubt I'll replace it. I have slowly but surely been building our DVD library with repeats of what we already have on VHS.

The key to implementing technology in our every day lives is through the integration of new and existing technology, reusing the frameworks we already have and understand. The future of home appliances is about to change drastically; in fact, a major appliance manufacturer is about to revolutionize the way we use machines in our home. The "smart" home of the future may be closer than we think, but what should we be looking for? Can we expect affordable, easy to use products, with minimal changes to our existing home? With "smart" homes right around the corner, appliance manufactures needed to find a way for the consumer to adopt this new technology without it being intrusive.In the early 80's consumers raved about the VCR, how it would change the way we interacted with our entertainment consoles. The VCR was going to communicate with our TV and automatically record programs when we told it to, based on standard twentyfour hour clock. For many people this new technology was a dream come true, for other the beginning of a nightmare.

I'm not a techno-phobe. My husband and I both work in high tech industries... I'm an engineer and he's a programmer, so we are by no means techno-phobes. BUt we also aren't part of the consumer machine. Does a VCR, DVD or Blu-Ray player make my life better? MUST have I have the latest and largest hard drive on the market? (you know that drives go end of life 6 months after they are produced) My computer works just fine and I am NO where near using up the space on my laptop. I don't need a new processor because some commercial told me it's better than the one I have. I don't need a Blu-Ray drive. Most of the "technology" we have today isn't really needed at the consumer level. SO I don't run out and buy the latest and greatest because I don't NEED it and I don't want to waste my money on it.

I have a DVD burner and use the heck out of it. I use the cheap 4.7 gig blank DVD's to burn things. I use MP4 format because the resolution rocks, although I use MPEG2 to make DVD's of home flicks and photo slide shows for the parents DVD player. I also have a VCR that is hooked into my computer for converting my vintage tapes so they don't get chewed by over use. I won't go Blue Ray or Hi Def DVD until they get their format war figured out. Their DVD's are also exceedingly fragile. A harsh look can ruin the disk. They are also extremely expensive. All High density DVD's have this problem. Using MP4 gives you all the high res with out the fragility or high cost. The fact I don't use a DVD player lets me stick to MP4, as I think that most DVD players are too fragile and over priced too. DVD drives for the computer can be had for under $40. Off the soap box LOL!

I am not into that myself. If I am catching movies, I will catch them at the big screen. It is just different viewing it in the cinemas with strangers around you lol.