Single guy wondering if big RPTV's turn women off? (1 Viewer)

[Michael Silla]

Do they?
My sister swears so. I have only had my set for a couple of months and haven't had any ladies over (I'll leave the chiding to others :rolleyes. I did have a group of friends over the other week and the ladies didn't say much although no outright disapproval was voiced at my HT.
Heck, we have so many cool, HT minded women on this forum that it almost seems kinda strange to me that some women may be "offended" (my sisters words) by the HT. Perhaps some find it a irresponsible use of money (I won't go there....) - especially considering that generally I don't have any furniture to speak of.
What do you all think?. Would I be foolish to think that *most* women would be in approval of the HT?.
Give me your thoughts....
Michael.

 

[Leila Dougan]

I don't talk with most women so honestly I don't know what most of them think. I doubt they are "offended". They probably don't see the necessity, think its frivolous, or are simply intimidated by it. But offended? I doubt it.

Besides, if these women are indeed offended by your HT, what's it matter? You wouldn't want them around anyway.

 

[Michael Reuben]

If a person (male or female) enjoys watching movies at home, then that person (male or female) will usually appreciate the impact of a good large-screen TV. At least that's been my experience. My lovely wife has no great interest in technology, but she likes the fact that I know enough about it to provide us with a 65" widescreen set, properly calibrated, on which she can enjoy movies and TV.

It's true that, when couples visit us, it's always the guy who wants to see a demonstration. But the wife or s/o usually wanders in as well, and most of them end up sitting and staying.

M.

 

[Mark C Sherman]

Mike

Im just speaking from experience BUT. The Women I have had over my House LOVE the Big Screen. They Like the fact that we can watch a movie at my house on the "BIG COMFY COUCH" have a bottle of wine and relax.

Now if you Don't have any real Furniture that might be a turn off. NICE PLACE, NICE TV, AND YOUR WATCHING LOTR ON LAWN CHAIRS, NOT GOOD.Get some nice furniture for the well rounded look and maybe some nice artwork. Girls love the French impressionist, Monet, Renoir, and some Good quality wine also helps.

later

 

[Dave E H]

It may depend on what's showing on the HT when they walk in...
Seriously, I think that the negative reaction from women who don't really know you yet is that it sends a message about where you spend (or don't spend) money. My girlfriend and I have an understanding about it - it's my #1 hobby and it's important TO ME - thus, she needs (and does) deal with it. But would she miss it? Not too much. If my hobby was cars, she'd have to deal with that instead. It's not the worst thing to be into (drugs, gambling etc) so that's good, but when someone sees that you invest thousands into a TV setup, they do tend to take it the wrong way.
When you look at your HT and see your pride & joy, a potential mate may see lack of trips around the globe, or lack of the newest car, or trips to ballet etc. Thus, I find it's best to no leave off conversations when I meet people with it - and don't thrust it into their face either (unless they proclaim that they love HT or are a big movie buff.) I think when they know enough about you, you can work through most reservations they may have about it. Some will be a lost cause though.

 

[MickeS]

I think that might be a problem...
Maybe someone would see the big, presumably expensive, big-screen TV in the room, and then hardly any furniture and think "what a geek, all he cares about in this house is his tv, he's not gonna care about me".
Then again, they might think "wow, this guy probably spends most of his time at home, good for me, he won't be out chasing other women".
/Mike

 

[Philip_G]

most the women I know like the end result of a HT and big screen, but aren't interested in the specifics of getting there.. so I'd have to say no. There are a fw that like the equipment. When I find one I'll marry her

 

[Don Black]

I don't think it's necessarily a turn-off to women. As discussed earlier, I think it's just another indicator of your personality. Personally, I think having a huge RPTV in one's living room is a little gauche. It's just too big and too imposing for a living room piece. A large RPTV in a basement is another matter of course... as is one in a stylish interior casing.

This is a problem, of course, for apartment dwellers (like myself) who don't have basements but want a big screen. I solved this by using a projector in the living room (99% of people don't notice the screen and like the "movie-feel" of the projector) and -- soon -- a plasma in the bedroom.

This is all a bit shallow... Do you really want a relationship (implied I assume by the "single" in your topic) to hinge upon something as trivial as television size? But no more so than clothing, cars, and careers I suppose.

 

[Philip_G]

Don- I've avoided projectors because of the weight, and mounting issues in an apartment, I guess the new ones aren't too heavy? I'd LOVE to have a projector, in fact I'd probably sell my tv lol

how does it work out otherwise? do you use it oNLY for movies? or a little TV too?

 

[Jim_F]

"She's really turned on by the television, and vice versa."

-Ian Anderson

 

[Todd Hochard]

especially considering that generally I don't have any furniture to speak of.

In this case, maybe. Are you speaking of living room furniture? Do you own a couch that would look bad in a frat house, and smells of cat urine? In this case, definitely.
I have the Elite 510HD in our living room. My house is very Mediterranean-looking, so the shiny black box is a little gauche, as said above. Given what I paid, if I had it to do over, I'd go front projection, with a motorized drop-down screen, as Don mentioned. But, at the time (2000), I didn't see many FPTV workable options in that range, especially since I need BRIGHTNESS.
Todd

 

[Joe Bernardi]

Congratulations!
No one has yet stated that women are turned on by big front projections.
:b oops

 

[Don Black]

One of the more popular small projectors, and the one that I own, is the NEC LT150. It was priced at about $1750 a year ago from Dell.com and is about the size of a fat shoe box. It's colors are great and the black level is pretty good.

The two areas where this particular projector doesn't shine is in throw distance and brightness. The LT150 has no zoom function so your screen size is completely dependent upon the physical placement of the unit. I've mounted mine underneath my coffee table and people never see it.

I, unfortunately, can't use the projector during the day since I would need to purchase blackout curtains in order to do so (it can't cut through daylight) and I rent. This isn't really a problem for me since I'm a night person but is probably a big negative for families.

Phillip: I watch both movies and "primetime" TV on the projector. 1100 bulb hours costs about $275 (1 bulb comes with the projector).

Todd: Timeframe is definitely a factor. Projection has come a long way cost and quality-wise in the last two years...

 

[Philip_G]

interesting, thanks for the info!
i've got a 45" mitsu RPTV I bought in like jan of 1999, maybe when I'm done with school and get a "real" job I can afford to replace it with a projector, or add on
I had never thought of mounting under a coffee table, had always seen them on the ceiling and never given much thought to other possibilities.
at school all of our department classrooms have projectors and a computer, some have been replaced with new ones (I want to say canon) they image quality is EXCELLENT, even in light conditions similar to my apartment during the day. Wonder if they'd miss one? :b
Anyway, that's the extent of my knowledge/experience with them. However I don't use cable, just DSS so a sat would work well using my AV rec. to switch video and audio inputs and output to S vid to the projector (I assume you do something similar?)

 

[Vickie_M]

Well, personally, I prefer guys who measure their TV sets in feet, rather than inches!
Seriously, it's been so many years since I've been in the dating pool that I'm not qualified to say, but I've always been a movie fan, and so I would find meeting a guy who has a big TV VERY desirable.
My first thought would be to find a movie fan, but that's a fine line too. Many guys into HT, as evidenced here in this forum, are more interested in their setup than movies, and prefer to watch movies at home, rather than going out to the theater. A female movie fan would probably still want to go out and see movies a lot. It's hard to say, and I can only speak for myself, but I'd dump a guy who ONLY ever wanted to stay home and watch movies and didn't care about seeing movies upon release. If I didn't dump him, I'd be going to the theater all the time by myself, and that could cause tension ("why don't you want to stay home with me?" "Because a new COEN BROTHERS film opened today...bye!")
And yeah, buy a nice couch set. My hubby and I have a double reclining loveseat. (We have a ceiling-mounted projector and a 7 1/2' x 4' screen. In our living room. And over 1000 DVDs, most of which I bought.)

 

[Philip_G]

but I'd dump a guy who ONLY ever wanted to stay home and watch movies and didn't care about seeing movies upon release.

my (female) roommate is the same way, she prefers the experience of going to a theater to the quiet relaxing experience at home. Myself I spend half the time being pissed at the other moviegoers

 

[Michael Silla]

Thanks for the responses so far,
The only couch I have is a circa 1980's couch that I inherited a few years ago. No, it doesn't smell like cat urine although it might smell a bit like my dog Jake . That's it for furniture so far. My condo has 1740 sq feet, most of which is empty (I have had the place for a year). The TV sits in the basement in what so far is a dedicated HT room.
I plan to by some furniture in the near future - as soon as I have my TV paid off. Perhaps I should look for some more "tie me over" furniture until then.
Michael.

 

[Todd Hochard]

Don't feel obligated to fill the place with furniture "just 'cause." Get stuff that will get used.
For instance, skip getting beds for all bedrooms, if no one stays over. Skip the formal dining table (which, IMO, looks odd in a bachelor pad, anyway), if you don't entertain and have a breakfast nook table.
Do get yourself a nice bed, if you'd like, ya know... And do get some nice chairs, and perhaps a new couch, if you have people over to watch movies often.
For my house, our biggest regret is the dining room set. We either eat in the nook, or out on the patio (tables & 4 chairs in both spots). What were we thinking?? It's probably going soon, and converted to an office/computer space, so that the "guest" room can REALLY be for the guests.
Todd
Todd

 

[Jim_F]

"tie me over" furniture

I think a much smaller (though enthusiastic) percentage of your dating prospects will go for that.
I've gotten both positive and sarcastic comments about my big TV. I don't worry about it. I'm still (foolishly?) hoping I'll meet a woman who shares my interests and is not interested in trying to change me.

 

[Philip_G]

Skip the formal dining table (which, IMO, looks odd in a bachelor pad, anyway), if you don't entertain and have a breakfast nook table.

Man, I don't have a table at all.