yay, no tv

22.08.2025

A week ago I got rid of my TV. And no I'm not talking about cutting traditional cable TV, but the device itself. I had a 77" LG OLED, which provided the best picture I've ever seen, anywhere (except theaters, can't really compare that since the size difference is so huge). Why did I get rid of it?

It's ugly

Seriously. It's ugly. When you're not watching a TV, it's just a big black box, ruining the feng shui of the living room. And not only is it ugly, it's also a huge waste of space. This is assuming you don't have a separate home theater room.

When you decorate with purpose you make the living space look more like you. You make space (literally) for the stuff that actually improves your life and brings happiness. And if you live with other people you might find yourself more social, because your not brainlessly watching something.

It's escapism

It's escapism in the easiest form. After a tiring day, you get home, sit on the sofa and ✨ tada ✨ it's right there in front of you! Just pick the remote and start watching something. Imo it's way better to skip the screens and do something meaningful instead (like, relax without staring a glowing light)

I suggest for everyone to reduce constant stream of entertainment and instead be more intentional about the media you consume. Maybe, just maybe you'll find better mental clarity, sleep quality, more time and less opinion overload :)

I was too much of a perfectionist

I got the C2 OLED because it provided the best picture. And it really did, OLEDs look stunning. Unfortunately, I discovered that getting most of it is pain in the ass. You need to acquire the best bluray discs, have the optimal streaming box (which doesn't exist), buy good speakers and make sure your setup isn't downgrading the audio. If you watch anime that will also bring a whole set of new problems (.ass subtitles, library management etc.)

When everything works perfectly, it's gorgeous. But often there are some problems and I just got tired of it. At the end of it I just streamed 1080p movies with low bitrate (because my internet is sloooow) and didn't bother with any of the extra stuff :/

This critique is directed to home theater hobby rather than just having TV. It just takes too much time, money and frustration. Unless you're okay with mediocre setup.

What now?

I still love movies. I still want to play games occasionally. Who knows what kind of setup I'll end up with - but for now I enjoy not having a TV. I've watched some movies, and played a bit with my cheap ass macbook. Seems to be good enough for now. Actually it feels like, that my whole mindset about optimizing stuff and buying the best gear has changed over the years - nowadays I just don't care as much and am perfectly happy with not-the-best tech, in most areas.

Maybe in my next apartment I'll have some kind of projector setup which I can put away when not using.