The Bunny Ears

Since moving into our new home, we have only had basic cable. No high def, no DVR and no "on demand". In the past I would have said that the idea of no digital cable was inconceivable but it hasn't been all that bad. I do LOVE my HD TV but have been quite satisfied with not having to pay that monthly cable bill.

We have always enjoyed watching certain weekly shows together and definitely enjoyed said shows in 1080p. A fellow blogger friend introduced one particular show to us which was the joys of Smallville which my boys took to a bit more than I did have but I have to admit that I do watching "the Blur" save the day and especially so in HD.

Now back in the day, this fellow blogger friend would make his way over to our house and watch this beloved show in HD with us but now that we are in our new home, we are seeing less and less of him. Truth be told, I am almost certain it has something to do with the lack of HD in our home and in all honesty, it is hard to go from HD quality to that standard old fuzzy picture BUT we have come to learn that something is better than nothing and had settled for the fuzzy.

SO... one Friday night, my boys and I headed on over to that friends house so that we could enjoy watching "the Blur" save the day in splendid HD. During one of the commercials, I mentioned how the only thing I presently able to view on the 19" high def TV in my room,were DVDs on the blu ray. Now don't get me wrong, there was happiness found in watching my favorite sitcom over and over each night before bed and there was even a bit of gratification found when playing a movie every once in a while but I was really missing those days where I could flip through channels before bed. This is where my friend mentioned rabbit ears. I must have looked confused because he then went on to explain that I could pick up a pair at the local drug store. I must admit that for a moment, I was lost. What did I want a pair of rabbit ears for and how would they help my current high def dilemma? Again, the look of confusion on my face must have led him to the realization that a further explanation was needed. He began explaining that a pair of ears would give me access to some high def tv in my room. WHAT???????? Two months in our new home with no HD TV!! Why was I just now learning about this particular miracle?

We finished our episode of Smallville and headed to the car, where the decision was made that we WOULD be stopping at Target to check out these so-called "rabbit ears". We headed for the electronics section and found the antennas on an end cap. I began looking them over, trying to figure out whether the ten dollar would suffice or if the purchase of the twenty-five dollar pair was necessary. After consulting with the boys, the decision was made to purchase one of both in order to see which would deliver the most superb picture quality. We made our purchase and headed home with our two sets of "bunny ears", one for mom's 19" TV and one for the boys nice 42". I have to admit, I was a little skeptical as to how well these things would work. How in the world could these metal stick thingamajigs deliver the quality picture that Time Warner once brought into my home?

There was excitement in the air. Could it be possible?? Could we actually experience high def TV yet again without the costly price of a cable bill? Once again, I was skeptical but felt certain it was worth a try. We walked in the front door and headed straight to the bedroom. The set-up was easy. The twenty-five dollar number had to be plugged into an outlet as well as into the back of the TV but this process was a breeze and it wasn't long before the searching of channels began taking place. I sat on the edge of my bed with great anticipation as I watched the channel count progress. The bar slowly climbed and when it ended, I had about thirty-five channels. I was in awe.

I took a deep breath and picked up the remote. It was time to test the abilities of those tubular telescoping thingamajigs. I punched in 5.1, which is our local HD CBS channel. And what to my wondering eyes should appear??? HIGH DEF TV!!! It was a miracle!! I was ecstatic at my newfound discovery!

We quickly headed into the boys rooms and set up their "bunny ears". Again, the process was simple and there was even more success as their TV picked up about forty channels. I was impressed to say the least. It was not until two days later thought that the real thrill took place. It was Sunday night and it was time to watch another of our favorite shows, The Amazing Race. We gathered around the big 42" screen in the boy's room. Excitement filled the air as the music began but our eyes grew large as we took in the AMAZING picture that was before us. It was as if we were right there with those contestants taking in the picturesque scene of a foreign land. We were beyond impressed and quite pleased.

This spectacular 42" HD TV has been a part of our lives for about five years. In our former home, we paid for the upgraded digital cable, bought all the expensive cables needed but the picture never seemed to amaze me. I had never seen a picture as clear and vibrant as the picture that we were receiving through our ten-dollar "bunny ears". It was spectacular! Now each time we take a seat in front of our TV to watch our favorite shows, I am reminded all over again how gullible we can be when it comes to the selling techniques of a good salesperson.

We may not have all the digital cable channels, DVR or even "on demand", but by golly we have the MOST amazing picture I have ever experienced on HD TV and we did all for one lump sum of $38.76! What more can a girl ask for?