We were in the process of watching the last two episodes of the MacGyver TV series when our SONY DVD player went on strike. It's pretending that I haven't put any in the player. It's really insistent. It's playing hardball.
What to do?
I could take the $200 SONY DVD player in for servicing, or, for $29, buy a new, off-brand, made-in-China model.
I opt for the $29 model. I buy it at Future Shop (although I could have just as easily bought one at the SuperCentre). They try to sell me the four-year insurance package, which, at $10, or the price of two double-doubles a year, I guess really is a good deal. But, as a matter of policy, I don't buy them. I know that, statistically, the reason they are so eager to sell me one is because they make a lot of money from them.
Get the new DVD player home, plug it in, and voila! MacGyver never looked better.
Plus, this new player has features my five-year old SONY player doesn't have. The best is the improved sound. It has Dolby, and I immediately noticed better, cleaner, stereo sound coming from my $29 model.
The remote is, admittedly, goofy. Way too many tiny buttons illogically placed. And you have to point it just-right at the TV.
But, at $29, I'll take it.
This reminds me of a day about 10 years ago when VCRs were in vogue. Our dog "ate" our SONY VCR remote. I phoned SONY in Toronto to find out how much a replacement remote would be.
It was well over $100; I think something closer to $150.
I found out later that this high price was supposedly to inhibit theft, since apparently many VCRs were stolen and the thieves would forget to take the remote. I suspect it was more likely because SONY thought they had a captive audience who would cough up more than $100 for a remote.
Anyway, last night I got both a functional DVD player, and a working remote, complete with batteries and cables, and a fabulous ninety-day warranty,
for $29.
And that's the way the Ball bounces.
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