Twelve months ago, phrases such as ‘lockdown’ or ‘social distancing’ were alien to us all. Life went on unhindered, with people going about their business as they pleased.
Sadly, 2021 has seen a continuation of restrictions placed upon everyday life, restrictions which as of December 31st once again see us confined to our homes in all but the most extreme of circumstances. This places additional strain on people’s well-being as they have to remain in their homes for leisure time and their working life.
With the city of Manchester also still in winter’s grip, the best sources of home entertainment will be those that allow you to remain by the heater in your home, but still allow you to connect to something. Whether it is other people you wish to be connected with, your inner child or even your childhood, we have got some suggestions as to where to upgrade your home electronics this winter to maximise the quality of your home leisure time.
Television
An obvious place to start when overhauling your home entertainment offering is the television. For years, your television was the focal point of family life, although technology has moved on since Mums, Dads and kids would all wait patiently for a program to start. Thanks to streaming services, television is very much controlled by you, from what you watch to when you watch it, and a new flat screen will doubtless be a big addition to your home entertainment. There are many things to consider when buying a new television, but the important thing is not to fall into the trap of thinking ‘bigger is better’. Size is important, but only in terms of your room and how far you will sit from your new purchase. A good rule of thumb is that the distance between your seating position and the television should be one-and-a-half times the size of the display. If you go for a 48” television, you should be sat around 72” away. Make sure your new box offers you everything you need too – a smart television should allow you to stream, and maybe even video call.
Games Console
Plenty of people asked Santa for a PlayStation 5 this Christmas, but sadly Santa does not work at Sony and supplies were limited. The gaming giant has recently announced their flagship machine is set to ship once more, and with Xbox also delivering more units of their consoles too, there has never been a better time to upgrade. Gaming has moved on in leaps and bounds in recent years and buying a console is now not just about buying a gaming machine, but a whole entertainment system. You can stream television shows, play online with friends and access thousands of games almost instantly with a good internet connection. With a new games console, your home should provide you with plenty to do until life does finally return to normal.
Record Player
Yes, you have read that right. You could update your home entertainment offering by buying a piece of music-playing equipment that is arguably 30 years out of date. It might not be the most cutting-edge bit of technology on the market, but the humble vinyl player is making a comeback in a big way. Vinyl sales were up 10% last year and remain on track to top £100m nationwide, the most successful year for the format since 1990. On the other hand, CD sales are set to drop 30% and experience their worst year since 1987. Vinyl might have been considered obsolete by the mainstream music world, but there is no denying the sound quality is better, something the market is a testament to. Besides, with all the options for streaming and downloading, the personality of buying music has been eroded and with vinyl, you can get a physical product in your hand to open, cherish and admire. What could possibly be more entertaining than that, especially when you can buy straight from Amazon, and thus increase your collection whilst locked down?
