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Where Are All the Women, or: Don't Girls Buy Blu-rays? Seriously! (1 Viewer)

Brent Reid

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This seems as good a place as any to ask... Lots of us hang out here extolling the virtues of the HD big screen experience and drooling over the latest A/V kit, but it's, well - a regular sausage fest!I know the stereotype is that it's us guys that buy and fit the equipment while our better halves just roll their eyes at the cost and general appearance of it. Once fired up of course, they usually love it.

This is true of all my girlfriends over the years too, but when, for instance, I've pointed out just how easily (and cheaply) I could help them upgrade to a big-ish screen or SD/HD projection and 5.1 surround sound in their own homes (£100-200!), they balk at the idea and I've yet to convince anyone to take the plunge... They love watching films at mine but then are seemingly content to trundle off back to their Blu-ray-less homes, with their mono CRT portable TVs and laptops full of blurry, pixelated, tinny-sounding downloads.

It's not just on this site either: I come across any number of women, both in the actual and virtual worlds, writing about/researching/reviewing film in all areas but when it comes to discussion of the actual hardware involved they're conspicuous by their absence.Moderators: I'd be very interested to know what percentage of HTF members are female, though I think the answer wouldn't surprise me. :(

We love all aspects of home theatre; they love the results of it - so why aren't they interested in buying or talking about it; can anything be done to change this sorry state of affairs?
 

Thomas T

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It's a guy thing, simple as that! A guy might enjoy the comforts of his living room (in much the same way his lady enjoys the benefit of the guys home theater set-up) but would he be interested in discussing the pattern of the sofa, the shape of the lampshades or whether the armchair should be facing the fireplace or the coffee table? I think not. So why should she be obsessed with the size of the TV screen, what the latest blu rays are or surround sound speakers?
 

McCrutchy

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To say it is "a guy thing" is kind of sexist, no? Why can't there be ladies who enjoy discussing A/V? The products themselves are gender neutral, yes?On a tangent, though, if any HTF ladies are single (or not, it's a judgment-free zone), McCrutchy is out to STUD...
 

schan1269

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My gf would install a HT, but she has me for that. She did take her parents to get a new TV a while back.Zenith plasma.Made sure it was hooked up with HD service from Concast. They already used Apple, so an ATV was easy.Her dad was a field radio operator for 30 years in the military. He knew what to do with the headphone jack.
 

CraigF

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Yup, agree that it's mainly just that they don't post here, or generally speaking, on most audio, A/V, or tech forums. But the ones who do more actively participate are typically very active indeed. I don't know any of them personally, but back in my day I'll guess they were the girls who came over and told you how you were fixing your car wrong, or they were driving a tractor since they were 8...that sort.

OTOH, I see far more females looking at BDs (and DVDs) in stores around here than I do males. The males are much more grungier-looking too (oops!). :)
 

Rick Thompson

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Two points:

1. You should be happy she has "mono CRT portable TVs and laptops full of blurry, pixelated, tinny-sounding downloads" at home. It gives you a selling point to get her to your place!

2. Remember the wise words of Robert A. Heinlein: “Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.”
 

Aaron Silverman

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Gadgets and related hobbies appeal more to men. It's always been that way. I'd say it always will be, but I used to think that about hobby boardgaming and RPGs. . .
 

David_B_K

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I have never met a female who cared about home theater, good audio, etc; my wife included. Maybe Rick is right. Our knowledge of this stuff is a reason they keep us around.
 

Elizabeth S

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I would much rather shop for A/V equipment than uninteresting things like clothes or jewelry. :D

I love A/V equipment. :) I do a lot of research before buying a new component. I will admit the nitty-gritty specs often are beyond me, but I do know my way around hooking everything up for myself and others. I have multiple hard drive recorders, a multi-region blu-ray player, a PS3, the DVR, turntable, CD, mini-disc (yes, I love it!) in my main system.

I usually start researching only when I'm looking to upgrade a specific item. Currently, I'm pondering upgrading my Yamaha 661 to maybe an Aventage 1040. (I prefer the receiver to have the phono input, rather than adding a phono preamp. This would be my third Yamaha if I get it -- I did try an Onkyo before the 661 but it sounded too bright to me, plus Onkyo seems to have more issues.)

I'm also planning to upgrade my TV, probably to a SamSung LED. I'm not interested in 3D at all but want more acreage for my movies. I did get very annoyed with the Best Buy rep who did not know different manufacturers make the panels for SamSung and why I didn't want a particular model/size.

But yes -- my women friends do not understand what the heck I am talking about regarding my equipment. They just want someone else to hook it up as simplistically as possible.
 

FoxyMulder

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Elizabeth S said:
I'm pondering upgrading my Yamaha 661 to maybe an Aventage 1040. (I prefer the receiver to have the phono input, rather than adding a phono preamp. This would be my third Yamaha if I get it
Good choice, i have a Yamaha Aventage, in this case it's a 1010 so the 1040 is more recent, they have great sound quality and very good connectivity, based on my own Yamaha experience i would certainly recommend you buy it if you are upgrading.

As mentioned above, i have only seen two women posting here, you are one of them.

P.S. This is my 4444th post, all the fours, i like it.
 

Elizabeth S

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Thanks, Foxy. The upper Aventage line is gorgeous with the flip-down panel. I always disliked seeing the array of "Scene" and other buttons on the front. I may wait until holiday time if I decide to get it at Best Buy since I would get a longer return window.

One feature I like on the newer Yamaha line is the HDMI standby passthrough. It would be great to hook all my recorders through the receiver and route them without having to turn on the receiver if I don't need surround for something. For a lot of TV viewing, I'm used to just listening through the TV speakers. This set-up would allow me to remove the HDMI switcher from my current set-up.

P.S. Where did all the other guys go? This is like how men leave when a woman walks into the x-rated movie section or something. :P
 

FoxyMulder

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Elizabeth S said:
Thanks, Foxy. The upper Aventage line is gorgeous with the flip-down panel. I always disliked seeing the array of "Scene" and other buttons on the front. I may wait until holiday time if I decide to get it at Best Buy since I would get a longer return window.

One feature I like on the newer Yamaha line is the HDMI standby passthrough. It would be great to hook all my recorders through the receiver and route them without having to turn on the receiver if I don't need surround for something. For a lot of TV viewing, I'm used to just listening through the TV speakers. This set-up would allow me to remove the HDMI switcher from my current set-up.

P.S. Where did all the other guys go? This is like how men leave when a woman walks into the x-rated movie section or something. :P
HDMI passthrough is fantastic, not needing to actually switch the receiver on to view the image is a very useful feature.

I think the Yamaha Aventage line is very classy, may be worth trying to get it off Amazon, generous return times and they may have a good sale in the Black Friday deals in November, i'd even suggest going for a 1030 since it's the sound quality that counts.

P.S. Yes, they have all disappeared, it's a strange phenomena, maybe it's me, i'm a thread killer. :D
 

Dick

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Charles Smith said:
If Professor Higgins were alive today, he'd be asking in this very thread, "Why can't a woman be more like a man?"
Personally, I am tempted to ask the reverse.
 

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