Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Buying A Bigger TV

I’m not sure any of you have noticed, but we have a tiny TV. Well, some of you have definitely noticed because you keep laughing at us and commenting about how overdue we are for a bigger one. And as the resident man of the house, I have to say I agree. Our little 26-incher made sense in the old house, where our den was so narrow that I could practically change the channel with my toe…

Final Den Take 2

But now that we have a bit more space in our current living room (we actually miss the cozy-ness of our first living room, but love having extra room for Clara to play/run around), the phrase “we really need a bigger TV” gets uttered anytime a subtitle pops up, a news ticker rolls across the screen, or we have anyone over to watch a movie with us. Yeah, we can’t read those things without standing up and walking halfway across the room. But a new TV is something we’ve just been putting off and putting off, which is surprising considering how much TV we watch.

Living Room1

But ever since we got the tip that February and March were the best times to buy a TV (supposedly these post-Christmas, post-Super-Bowl months are the television industry’s slow season, and when demand is low, prices can drop) we’ve been waiting for the right moment to seize the day and just upgrade already. And after a bit of research, a bit of chatting with my brother-in-law Martin (who went through a vigorous research process of his own a few months ago), and a bit of price checking – we narrowed it down to these two TVs – a Vizio and a Samsung, both sold at Target:

TV Decided Between Two

They’re both LCDs, both 1080p, and both in the neighborhood of 40″. They were also both eco models that only cost $17 a year to run, so they’re very low on the energy scale (the lowest we saw was $15 a year for a costs-double LED). The around 40″ size wasn’t any magic number that we calculated, it’s just what we arrived at after discussing that we wanted something big, but not crazy-big (and when we held up a tape measure at home, it felt right). Both had 4+ star reviews on Target, Amazon, Walmart and a few other sites that came up on our Google search. Any idea what we ended up choosing?

Naturally, we went for the $100 cheaper / 2″ larger Vizio. But that $449.99 wasn’t our final price. You know us and our coupons…

TV Coupons In Store

The reason we wanted to buy our TV at Target was:

  • They were having a temporary price cut – taking it from $479 to $449
  • We have a Target credit card, which gives us 5% off every purchase – knocking it down to $427
  • Target randomly sent us an “additional 5% off all HDTVs on top of the 5% for using your card” coupon (I think coupons like these go out to Target cardholders) – shaving it down to $406
  • We had a couple of leftover Christmas gift cards, which left our final out-of-pocket cost at $356

Which isn’t bad considering our much tinier TV was purchased for about that much five years ago (we think that old TV will either go into another room or get craigslisted). So after 15 months of staring at our too-small TV and saving up/stalking sales, we brought that baby home. And Burger couldn’t have been more excited to watch… the news? Seriously Vizio? You thought this lady was the most exciting graphic to show on your box? Can’t a guy get an exotic underwater scene with fish and coral in all colors of the rainbow? Or at least a charging bull or a running horse or something with a little speed/excitement?

TV 3 Vizio Box

Before we set it up, we wanted to try to capture exactly what sort of an upgrade we were making. So here’s a pic of our old TV:

TV 1 Before From Couch

Ridiculous, isn’t it? It’s a bit exaggerated because this is a small picture of a small TV, but you get the idea. So we broke out the new guy just for comparison’s sake. It’s starting to look a bit better, right? It’s also starting to look like we’re gonna need a bigger media console too (we’ve been planning to build something from scratch or retrofit something from the thrift store, so we’ll keep you posted).

TV 4 Both TVs On Stand

Here’s that view from the couch with the new TV on. Hey look, now you can actually tell that we were watching Cougar Town now! As in, all of the letters are readable now (again, this isn’t a life sized photo, it’s a small picture of a TV across the room, so in person it’s a lot bigger and reading small things like the subtitle are now no sweat). Whew.

TV 7 After From Couch

Oh and we tethered it to the wall with a wire that came with the TV along with a screw and heavy duty anchor (we may eventually mount it on the wall, once we figure out what’s going on under it so we can determine the height, etc). But for now this will at least keep it from tipping.

TV 5 Tethered To Wall

Hopefully this is just the beginning of updating that whole area of the living room. We definitely think it needs a bigger piece of furniture – preferably with more storage and a bit more height – to ground our big new TV friend. But until then, we’re just happy to give our squinting muscles a break… and of course we’re happy to have the Cul De Sac Crew back in our lives.

TV 6 After From Ottoman

Is anyone else making any television upgrades lately? Or just watching some good TV? Now that the book shoots are done, maybe we’ll actually have time to watch the boob tube again! So much catching up to do. But you know we’re up to date on The Walking Dead so nobody spoils that for us. Haha.

Comments

  1. Kristal says

    I just bought a 40″ as well and it has changed my life! That’s so funny that you said that you can actually tell you’re watching Cougar Town…I honestly thought it was the weather channel at first (on the small tv) w/all that green. I thought it was a weather map and you guys were going to be getting some rain! Lol…

    Reply

  3. Lindsey says

    That fits really well. We have purchased over 4 Vizio TVs so far and we LOVE them. They really hold up well (and we have moved twice). You made a smart choice! We got ours (52″) at Walmart (what can I say.. my husband loves his large TV).

    Reply

  5. Laura @ DMHB says

    Monoprice.com definitely has the CHEAPEST wall mounts I’ve seen. They’re actually the best place to get your HDMI cables and any other theater tech, so much cheaper than even Amazon. We’ve gotten two wall mounts, one for a 32″ TV and one for a 52″ TV and they’re great. I have read reviews about bolts breaking from them (I haven’t had this problem, our were sturdy as can be) so if you’re concerned you can pick those up at a local hardware store, and its still a fraction of the price.

    Reply

  6. erin says

    I can’t believe how much less big flat screen tv’s cost than they did a few years ago! Our tv is the size of your old one but I’m looking forward to upgrading. I might have to run to Target.
    Tom Cruise run :)

    Reply

  7. Tom M says

    My tip as an A/V geek, go to monoprice.com for wall mounts, cables, and such. There is no reason to buy at monster cable prices.

    Also, seems like a nice choice of TVs (LCDs are best in bright rooms) and a great price. I couldn’t find any settings tips for you on tweaktv.com, but I would recommend changing the settings to a Pro or Movie setting rather than the washed out Vibrant standard most TVs ship with.

    Cheers!

    Reply

  8. Candice says

    Isn’t it fun to get a new TV? We have 4 Vizios at my house. One in each bedroom, one in the loft TV room and one in the kitchen. The old TV with the heavy picture tube was a nightmare to get up the stairs when I inherited from my mom. When we got the new Vizio we got the bright idea of wrapping the old TV in a heavy blanket and sliding it down the carpeted stairs. I love the flat screen TVs. They are so much easier to handle.

    Reply

  10. Dianne says

    OMG I can so relate to this kind of an upgrade. Recently we went from a 26″ screen (u know the kind with the BIG box of tubes in the back) to a 42″ HD flat screen. The picture quality is a bit “too good”. I was watching House Hunters and this couple was looking at a house that had so much dust I was disgusted. And did you know that Martha Stewart labels her dishes (on her talk show) so she knows what the ingredients are. YEP, I love my new tv. Hope you do as well.

    Dianne

    Reply

    • Krystal says

      I totally agree with the “too good” quality. I was at my parent’s house watching Pirates of the Caribbean on their 55″ HDTV, in addition to it being blu-ray, and I could not stop staring at the enormity of Johnny Depp’s pores. In fact, the only things I got out of the movie were 1) huge pores, 2) literally watching make-up drip off the actors’ faces, and 3) wow, the ocean really is beautiful.

  11. Samantha M says

    We upgraded to a 47″ 3years or so ago I thought it was huge and in our first house it was but it works now.

    Ok I live in Chester va an just wanted to say if you craiglist the small one by chance I’m interested. I hope that wasn’t too forward lol. We want a small flat panel for the bed room right now we have an older huge 32″I believe and it takes up 1/2 the room it feels like. It would be a good surprise for my husband especially since we dont want to drop 300 on the one he wants right now.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks for the tip Samantha! If we decide to sell it we’ll definitely make a big blog announcement with the craigslist link so it’s fair game for any locals!

      xo,
      s

    • KathyG says

      Nice! We are looking for a 55″ right now, and all the stores seem to be sold out – I’m thinking we waited toooo long into March, and the stores are clearing inventory.

      Put the little one in the guest room (if you don’t like one in your own bedroom) – your guests will thank you! I have one in one of my guest rooms and not the other, and they all “fight” over who gets that room. HAHA. They say it makes it just like a hotel room.

  12. kelsey says

    this is totally unrelated to your wonderful new tv & other extraordinary things that you do, but I just wanted to say that I love you all so much more for never (unless it makes sense) using the “read more” feature on your posts. it’s so great to just be able to pop in, scroll through the post + pictures & not have to guess at what comes next (especially when you’re on a dinosaur computer like mine.)

    keep on keeping on!

    Reply

    • Lisa in Seattle says

      Kelsey, I totally agree! If I were a less charitable person, I would think that some bloggers go with “read more” to increase the hit counts on their sites. I actually end up reading *less* of those blogs and have dropped some from my reading list because it is kind of a hassle. iPads are like dinosaur computers in a way, because the cache is pretty small and you have to keep reloading pages as you navigate away from them. First World problems for sure, I know!

  13. Christine says

    I still say that you need to build a media cabinet like that wood sculpture you saw at the Portland home show!

    We actually did a tv downgrade. We rid ourselves of cable. However, with March Madness upon us, Game of Thrones and Mad Men starting up, I am second guessing my decision.

    Reply

  14. Kim @ Yellow Brick Home says

    That’s the same size TV we have on our media wall (the one from the Reader Redesign, thank you again for sharing that!). I think it’s the perfect size for your space :)

    http://www.yellowbrickhome.com/2011/04/11/the-wall/

    Just a fair warning – we recently turned our office into a studio for me to paint out of, and we added a 20″ Vizio tv for me to watch Today and crappy daytime television… We also hooked up external speakers through a receiver, and for the life of us, we cannot get the Vizio TV to work through the speakers! We have the other television in our home hooked up through external speakers and all that jazz (different brand), so we called Vizio’s customer support (which by the way, they’re really nice!), but they said something how their brand doesn’t support it? Seriously weird, considering most people would like a booming home theater, right?

    Anyway, it could just be our model.

    Looking forward to seeing what you build out for that wall!

    Reply

  15. Megan D says

    Yay Vizio! My husband works on energy standards for electronics in the states, and Vizio is definitely the most progressive, happy-to-comply company they deal with. After many meetings with the industry, he is a huge Vizio fan.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yay! That’s awesome to hear. We have also heard they have great customer service (completely replacing TVs with issues, etc) so they sound like a great company!

      xo,
      s

  16. Amber says

    We just upgraded our tv too! We were also waiting out the sales and we have been hanging in there for March all year. We didn’t get ours at such a good deal though! Happy watching!

    Also, Walking Dead…blew my mind. I think these last 2 episodes were the best I’ve seen yet.

    Reply

  17. Shona says

    Not that you asked, but I would definitely keep the old TV! We moved a couple of years ago and like you, we found that our old TV was too small for our new living space. So we bought a big new one, and moved the old smaller one to our bedroom. We hadn’t had a TV in our bedroom before, and truthfully, even once we did, it was a good year before we started using it. But once our baby came along, it proved to be a necessity. We DVR just about everything we like, and after the baby goes to bed, we curl up in bed, close the door, and watch our shows at any volume we like. It’s great!

    Anyway, so you might consider doing something like that with your old TV, or maybe using it in your office or guest room. Just a thought!

    Reply

  18. Amy @ this DIY life says

    Yay! Do you wonder now how you ever lived with something smaller? We upgraded from 27″ to 62″ last winter (thanks to a free post on craigslist – it was broken, but the hubs is like an electronics ninja) and when we go to other peoples houses I don’t know what to do because the people aren’t life size. Seriously though, great find on the TV!

    Reply

  20. Shona says

    Oh, and I know they say that you shouldn’t have a TV in your bedroom because it can negatively impact your sleep, or your… ahem… marital good-times. But we have found that as long as we are just watching recorded shows rather than just having the TV on for its own sake, and turning it off before it gets late, those other things are just fine. ;)

    Reply

  21. Robin says

    Congrats on the TV! I had a major TV upgrade happen recently, too! I found a 32-inch Vizio out on the sidewalk in front of my building waiting for the trash pick up. I wondered if it was mistakenly left there (because aren’t TVs supposed to be recycled or something special?), so I brought it inside, and asked around my apartment building. One girl said she was getting rid of it because it just wouldn’t turn on anymore. So – I talked to an engineer friend of mine who likes taking apart appliances in his spare time, and he was able to fix it for $12! I was rocking a 12-year-old, hand-me-down tube TV, so this new (practically free) guy is a total blessing :)

    Reply

  22. Diana @ frontyardfoodie says

    NICE! We bought our tv (first time we ever bought one!) in 2009 when, at the time, the prices were at an all time low. We were planning no budgeting $1500 for a 40″ which now sounds ludicrous….but that was the market then. As soon as the prices reached what we thought was an all time low we found a deal for $570 for a 42″! 1080p and our fav tech brand.

    Glad you guys were able to upgrade to something that fits your room for such a great price!

    Reply

  24. Beano Wagner says

    If you wall mount, don’t forget to think about wires. If we weren’t committment-phobe renters, we’d probably drill a hole in the wall to hide our cords. (Our tv console is also wall mounted–IKEA BEAUTY), but the cords are an issue…

    Reply

  25. Donna says

    Our big purchase has been booking a trip to Williamsburg, Va., to take the kiddos to Busch Gardens. Any other nearby recommendations from anybody? We also plan to drive out to Virginia Beach for a day or two! :)BTW, John and Sherry, awesome choice for the TV. I cannot believe how much these have come down in price!

    Reply

    • Sayward says

      I went to VA Beach for two days this past summer. The boardwalk and walking areas of the town were so tourist friendly – there were visitors kiosks and maps and coupons everywhere. There was some sort of haunted house ride on the boardwalk that offered coupons on its website. My favorite place to eat was a few blocks in from the boardwalk – Badass Coffee. It was a cute, old fashioned surfer themed cafe with all kinds of healthy organic fare and free Internet. We stayed at the Virginia Beach KOA campground. They had nice showers/bathrooms, lots of kid friendly equipment and activities, a fantastic inground saltwater pool, and a FREE shuttle bus to and from all parts of the beach and boardwalk… the parking lots were in the $20 to $30 range, so we made back our campground fee and then some. Definitely head back to the boardwalk at night – it’s lined with street performers… lots of free entertainment!

  26. Ashley says

    We so need to get a new TV as well. Ours is the straight 90s, huge box, hate-to-have-to-move-it type and we’ve moved it 4 times, yikes! Love your choice!

    A question: I absolutely love the wall color and am desperately trying to find Benjamin Moore paint chips to color match. I can’t seem to find them anywhere, where were you able to find them?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      There are stores here in Richmond called Virginia Paint which carry Benjamin Moore paint. I would go to benjaminmoore.com and check out their store locator!

      xo,
      s

  27. Natalie says

    We finally, finally upgraded from a 17-year-old humongous CRT TV to a 32″ LED flat screen (Samsung, BTW) and it’s so much better. We’ve got an old laptop hooked up to it so we can stream Netflix and Hulu and we cancelled our cable! So much better.

    We’ve got a huge TV cabinet that we don’t need anymore and are looking forward to reclaiming more floor space with a new (to us) stand for the new TV. Looking forward to seeing what y’all go with and getting inspiration.

    Reply

  28. Karen F says

    we have had 2 Vizio TVs for several years now, and have had no issues! Congrats on the great deal, and enjoy being able to see again!

    Reply

  29. erin says

    I’m so glad you went with the Vizio. I can attest to teh picture quality of that tv by a constence side by side comparison.

    My BF lives with his brother who is an electronic nut and they have two flat screens side by side for viewing pleasure everyday! one 42″ Vizio and a 50″ sony. the Vizio is by far a clearer picture. He has since replaced the 42″ Vizio (he gave it to us, Yay!) and bought a 68″ 3D Vizio tv. that thing is da bomb!! the picture is so clear its like you’re right in the room with the actors! My fav was Moneyball wiht a 68″ Brad Pitt. hehe

    Vizio is by far the best tv maker out there for the price!!

    Reply

  30. Sam @ Leave the Nest Up to Me says

    I bought my first flat screen plasma in 2006 for $1299, then replaced it in 2010 for half that price (same TV, newer model). Crazy how quickly these things change!

    (I also had some issues with my Samsung but the picture is so good that I still bought another one — and I got the extended warranty this time)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Ooh, somewhere back in the comments someone posted a link about a class action suit against Samsung for defective TVs so maybe you can get some money back for the dud one! Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  31. Karyl says

    I know other people have commented on this already, but I wanted to add my thanks to you for bringing up the tv tether issue. So many people read your blog that you’ve probably saved a kidlet or two. We parents grew up up with hulking tvs that would’ve taken quite the effort to knock over and so we don’t think about how precarious the new flat screens can be. That’s a good day’s work for you guys!

    Reply

  32. Kate says

    We got a new TV (I think around 37″) for the basement a few weeks ago (our basement is finished, so it’s more of a second living area) and my husband loves it. I think it’s a bit silly to have two fairly large TVs in the house, but I guess it is kind of nice for us to each have a space to go watch TV if he wants to watch hockey and I don’t.

    Reply

  33. Holly says

    We upgraded from a 40″ Samsung to a 55″ Samsung last year. Now that we moved our couch back even that is starting to look small. I love having the giant screen mounted to the wall. It’s a super thin panel so we got a slim mount so it only sticks off the wall about an inch. It looks amazing!

    Reply

  34. Stephanie says

    I was shopping around for our first flat screen TV, but then I had to buy a car and now I have a car payment! Boo! Anyway, how do you find the time to watch so much TV? I imagine you guys working on projects around the house 24/7! If I even turn the TV on while trying to even clean the house, it doesn’t get done b/c I am always getting distracted and I stop what I am doing. I hardly ever turn on my TV, but I do try to catch up on Disaster DIY when it gets recorded. Bryan cracks me up!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We usually need to watch a show or two to decompress before we go to sleep, so we usually DIY a few nights a week until 12-1 and other nights we just park it in front of the TV and write posts, size photos, upload pics, etc.

      xo,
      s

  35. Sayward says

    So just like everyone else, I originally misread the part about an ‘exotic underwater scene’ and ever since then I’ve been picturing Katie B dramatically shouting “One Bra!!! One Bra!!!”

    (Actually, as a fellow owner of one primary bra, I picture her shouting that at least once a day. That girl is hilarious.)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hahaha, I got a new bra for my birthday! Of course I came home and tossed the old one in the trash. Still a one bra household. Can’t wait to tell Katie. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  36. Lauren H says

    I have a Vizio! It’s about 5 years old and there’s not a dang thing wrong with it. I’m trying to figure out how to mount mine on the wall when I move in June. I love it, though. Good choice!

    Reply

  38. Eric says

    We just used our tax return for a home theater system from Magnolia. Love it. Add in an AppleTV and we are in media heaven. Streaming from the iPhone and iPad is sooooo nice.

    Reply

  39. Trista says

    I read in the comments that you like The New Girl. This weeks episode looks hilarious. We’re a few weeks behind on Walking Dead but have heard that the finale was amazing. We also like Once Upon a Time. Good twists on Fairy Tales.

    Reply

  40. Jenny A. says

    We’re in the same situation. We had our 23″ (I think that’s what it is) in our old house and it worked just fine. We had it on a cart with wheels, which we pulled-up to the end of our bed, and the four of us piled-on the bed to watch movies, etc. Fast forward 2+ years and we now have a real family room where we watch TV. (Not only that, but the kids have grown and our 13 year-old is taller than we are, so four people definitely do not fit on the bed anymore. It makes me a little sad, actually. Sniff.) The 23″ TV, which is in great shape, is way too small for the family room. We’re thinking of going with something in the 40″-42″ range, as well. This is a timely post and the comments have been a great help, too. I’ll take all these things into consideration when we get ready to purchase. Thanks for posting!

    Reply

  41. Elizabeth says

    I have a 50″ plasma and sometimes when I see those “VIEWMONGOUS” commercials I want the 80″ television! So I can always feel like I’m at the movies! HA!

    With HD bigger and closer really is better. They have much different optimum viewing distances than old tube TVs.

    I seriously love my TV.

    A lot.

    Can you tell?

    (P.S. I just tweeted this blog entry to the creator of CougarTown so he could see the free advertising you contributed to his campaign to keep the show on the air! I went to one of the viewing parties they held over the holidays and met the other creator and the actor who plays Bobby Cox…was a great time…hilarious show!)

    Reply

  42. Jessica says

    I’m sure you had said in previous post but where did you get the LR rug from? I love it! FYI-I’m from Richmond as well but live in Athens, GA now :-)

    Reply

  43. Audrey says

    Bahahah, I totally read ‘underWATER’ as ‘undeaWEAR’!

    I thought wow, John really just went there! An exotic underwear scene, huh? I don’t think Target is really *that* kind of a store, guys…

    Reply

  44. Kate B says

    Oh man, I am really happy that your demo show for this post was Cougar Town. It is so, so funny and that stupid title has lost it SO many viewers who are all “I would *never* watch something called Cougar Town.” I’m hoping that some people give it a shot after seeing it on your blog!

    Reply

  45. Krystal says

    I remember going with my parents to Best Buy when the flat panel TVs first came out, and the salesman actually convinced my parents to not buy a TV at all because the replacement bulbs were $1,800 and there were a lot of issues with them back then. The whole way home my dad kept muttering, “I can’t believe he talked us out of buying a TV!” He still rants about it sometimes, despite having acquired three new TVs since then, and he’s sworn off Best Buy forever. The man seriously cracks me up.

    Reply

  46. Jenna says

    My hubs and I must be too attached to the TV because we currently have 7 (100″ projection, 50″, 42″, 32″, 26″, 15″ and 13″) and are on the lookout for another small one to mount on the wall in our bathroom. How many is too many? Ha! I do a lot of multi-tasking so if I have a TV on in every room, then I never miss a moment of whatever show I’m watching! lol We only really sit down with the intent to watch TV for two hours at night, but it feels way too quiet in our house if a TV isn’t on at all times. We’re really not that big of couch potatoes, so saying we have 7 TVs is kind of embarrassing…

    So glad you finally took the plunge and upgraded!

    Reply

  47. Alex F. says

    Glad you went with the Vizio. My boyfriend and I purchased a Samsung from Target and the screen was deformed and pixels were missing. A Samsung technician came to our house to take a look at it and told us to return it. We ended up switching to a Philips, but while we were returning our Samsung we saw other returned Samsungs… so good choice!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh no! We have heard that Samsung has had a class action suit, so anyone who has a defective one should scroll back through the comments to see if you can get some money if you got a dud (someone posted a link). So glad you were able to return yours!

      xo,
      s

  48. julie says

    We just got the exact same Vizio you did, have you figured out anything about the guide. We can only see whats showing at the moment not ahead and is there a clock anywhere??

    We love it but only missing those two items.
    Would love to hear your feedback
    :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hmm, it sounds like it could be your cable box? We have Verizon Fios so our guide has a clock and shows us what’s coming up next (and waay later) on the guide (just keep scrolling and you can see the programming for days). Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  49. linda says

    OHMIGOSH!? you have that HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE wall and only went with a 42″????????

    we just replaced both our living room and “xbox room” (hubby’s mancave) with 70″ tv’s on black friday and LOVE them! your HUGE wall seriously needs something that big (and hang it from the wall! that way john’s feet won’t block any of it! :P )

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, yeah since we’re hoping to put a console/media cabinet under it to ground it, so we worried that bigger TVs might make it hard to create a cabinet around it or find something long enough to go under it! Haha. I think from having such a tiny TV this one feels huge!

      xo,
      s

  50. Leigh says

    I live your new tv. Congrats! We also watch Cougar Town and I was so glad when it returned. But i read somewhere it may get cancelled, which makes me sad. :(

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, I just read that two of the guys on it have signed on for other shows, so all signs point to this being the final season. Sad penny can.

      xo,
      s

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