psipsy

Lately I've noticed that I have a lot of anime in my arsenal but haven't watched much of it. The resulting backlog means that if I were sealed away into a cave with my computer and DVDs, it would still take me eons to go through. This is largely because of how it's viewed, although the fact that I can download entire episodes faster than I can watch them is another factor. Anyway. For instance, there's plenty of regular xvid.avi files that will work on my laptop. However that doesn't get much use for anime-watching because I would watch while it's sitting on my lap, and when the internal temperatures reach 150°F it can make for an unpleasant experience. I've learned the hard way that my laptop is capable of inflicting 2nd degree burns if I'm not careful. So, most of the anime I watched on it was usually at anime club.

Meanwhile, on the PC, it can handle just about any format, and putting it on my lap isn't how it works, but sitting in a chair that I ganked out of my kitchen while at a desk is largely uncomfortable for extended periods of time and it's at an odd angle in relation to my recliner.

Now, there's always the option of running it through to my TV. But the TV doesn't do so well on that for a variety of reasons. It's still a valid option for watching DVDs and things like... TV and VHS tapes, but as the video files are coming out in crazier resolutions, the effect is lost.

So! I went and got myself a 23" wide-screen 1080p monitor, and have it sat on a table right in front of my recliner, and a DVI cable running to it from the PC. Which means that I'll be able to watch anime in my comfy recliner without cooking my lower torso. The monitor itself also didn't cost too much out of pocket, because a stack of gift cards offset more than half the price.

Audio isn't so much of an issue, I have an older model receiver with some inputs for 2-channel audio but it works. Got it used for thirty bucks, so I can't complain. Most anime DVDs have just a 2.0 audio track for Japanese anyway, though I'm seeing that change to everything being 5.1. So, it'll do for now.

All this just to watch Japanese cartoons.