Weekly Wish – Sharp Aquos HDTV

Until Wednesday night, I knew a fair bit about computers but my knowledge of HDTV was limited to flat screens, clear pictures and knowing it was far better quality than the TVs I have at home.

Mr. B. works in broadcasting and has always been the a/v expert in our house. So when I was asked if I'd like to attend Sharp Aquos Ladies Night in High Def, I said “Hell, yes!” Honestly, the fact they were trying to lure me there with the prospect of wonderful door prizes didn’t hurt but I rarely pass up an opportunity to learn something new. And that was what this event was all about.

Did you know? Women make something like 80% of all purchasing decisions in the home, yet only 2% feel knowledgeable about HDTV, according the invite. This event promised to demystify HDTV in plain language. No marketing gobbledygook or tricky technobabble. Until last night, I fell into that 98% group. Not any longer. I’ll be sharing my new found knowledge in the next edition of Tip of the Week.

Back to the event...
The more I looked around the room at the incredible picture quality across the screens of the multiple Sharp Aquos HDTVs in different models, sizes and colours around the room, the more my jaw kept dropping. I wanted one. I wanted one bad.

Two very knowledgeable Sharp reps told us everything we could ever want to know about HDTV. They patiently answered all of our questions – and believe me, some of the questions asked by the journalists and bloggers in the audience really tested their patience.

After the presentation, there was lots of mingling too. It was great meeting some smart women who were outside of my typical circle of digipals. I think this was the first time I was invited to an event with a mixed crowd of bloggers and traditional journalists.

While mingling, I learned I could request a loaner and test it out at home but I was somewhat afraid my family wouldn’t want to give it up at the end of the trial period. The best of the best HDTVs was just not in our budget this year.

So this week, I’m guessing you’re thinking I’m going to wish for a new Aquos LCD TV from Sharp. Wrong!

Why, you ask?
Well, you remember I mentioned something about prizes? You’ll never believe this but… I WON the grand prize:
• 32” Sharp AQUOS TV – the perfect fit for our compact den
• Sharp Blu-ray DVD player – it’s backwards compatible – I had no clue
• HD PVR from Rogers – I’ve wanted one of those (or TiVo) for a long time – and I understand it’s a life-changing experience
• Rogers is also throwing in one year of digital cable with all kinds of extras

I don’t have the goods just yet, but this time round I’ll get my wish. Yipee!

By the way, thank you Sharp (and Rogers) for the awesome birthday gift. How did you know? ;)