The DVD player I inherited from Mum and Dad when they died in 2009 has just stopped working.
They upgraded their home entertainment setup in 2008, acquiring a Samsung 'widescreen' LCD panel TV. It was the latest thing in TVs then, but it looks rather old-fashioned now, although it continues to give me a good picture, with nice colour and crisp sound.
To go with the TV, there was a Sky box. Dad loved to watch golf and snooker. I stopped the expensive Sky subscription as soon as I put my executrix hat on, but the box has remained very useful as a Freeview device, the satellite dish being the best way nowadays to get a dependable TV signal.
There was also an older VHS video player (Hitachi, I think) which I didn't use much. It died by 2014.
And there was the Sony DVD player that has now, tonight, fatally malfunctioned. Whatever DVD I pop into it - and they are all pristine - it says the disc is dirty. Well, I think the dirt is actually inside the player! If I were skilled in such things, I'd open the player up and fix it. But I'm not. So the Sony DVD player now languishes in my garage, awaiting a trip to the tip.
Will I get another? I do still have a collection of films on DVD, and some of them are worth watching at long intervals. On the other hand, DVDs are 'old tech', entirely replaceable by a streaming service.
But I dislike subscriptions. I'm not a constant watcher of films, and would never get full value for money from any of the media companies that want to sign me up.
Besides, I see (with some surprise) that DVD players are still sold. A direct replacement for the Sony player, to plug into my TV with a SCART, would not cost more than £35 online. A smaller, straightforward DVD player, which I can plug into one of my laptop's USB sockets, can be had for less than £20 online. (Less indeed then the cost of a nice hairband!)
Of course, the delivery charge would add a bit, but at these prices I'd hardly hesitate. Something for later in the month, then, when I'm back from my upcoming caravan break. I think I'll go for the USB option, then the thing can fit in my laptop bag and travel with me on a future holiday. Or allow me to watch a film in any room of my house.
Mind you, if I didn't already have a stack of DVDs in the corner of my lounge, many of them in box sets, I don't think I'd even spend £20 on a replacement. I'd just eliminate DVDs from my life entirely, and see it as another small victory for tidiness, space-creation, and having a decluttered home life.
