Discarded TV’s Displayed in HDR

Yes, this post is primarily centred around word play on HD and HDR. Yes, I have considered that I may be the only person in existence that considers this kind of thing amusing. And yes, despite all this I have decided to continue…

It’s funny yeah? HD referring to High Definition in televisions – something the poor broken units pictured never possessed. Showing them just this once, in HDR – the photographic term for High Dynamic Range – the process of shooting multiple photos at different brightness levels (exposures) and then combining them into a single image using software. The technique seems to be either loved or hated, I’m on the fence, but thought it would be amusing in this situation.

I actually thought showing old discarded televisions in HDR would be funny…

You know when you’re watching TV on some old unit that’s been kicking around the house for ages, and then some ad comes on advertising the latest and greatest TV. I’m talking about those ads where they advertise the TV by showing it playing some fast action scene and tell you how amazing the definition is. Well I find this kind of thing funny too. I’m thinking “Wow, that TV looks great on my TV. Guess I don’t need to replace it after all if my TV can make that one look so high def.” Instead I think TV ads should come on all fuzzy and full of static; with a simple voice over, “Face it consumer, your TV sucks. Buy this fancy new one and your life will be so much better!”. 

So this is about travel right?

Well yes, because I’m in Montreal (Quebec, Canada) and it’s different to back home in Auckland (NZ). I can’t speak for all the neighbourhoods in Montreal but not so long ago I realised that there were a lot of broken TV’s kicking around on the side walks – literally five, within a five minute walk from my apartment. Occasionally I’ll see mattresses, tables, chairs and various electrical appliances just discarded on the side walk. Back home throwing your old furniture onto the street is illegal – there are a few times each year when you are allowed to put your ‘inorganic rubbish’ (that is too large for the normal collection) out on the street and the local council comes and picks it up and takes it to the dump – any other time of year and you need to take it to the dump yourself and pay to have it disposed. I have a theory that it could be illegal here too, but when it happens outside apartment buildings it is simply too hard to track down the culprit. But that’s just a theory…

Things happen differently in different countries, that is why we travel!

It’s different to back home here, but I’ve found this particular difference pretty useful at times. I’m currently working on a desk and chair I found outside an apartment building just down the street; in fact I’ve scored two chairs this way!

“One man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure

Can’t see these TV’s being any use to anyone however…

Times, they are a changing.

These discarded TV’s got me thinking. How many years before LCD and plasma screens are littering the side walks? Replaced by high definition projectors which can operate in any lighting conditions. 10 years?

Comments

  1. I like it, it’s funny and I get it. =) I might be the only other person on the planet who sees the irony in this.

    Cheers !