'Antiques Roadshow' Appraised a 2008 Flatscreen TV and It's Hilarious

We're pretty spoiled by the constant forward march of technology these days. So it's not unusual to hear someone refer to consumer electronics that are more than a year old as "antiques."

Of course, if you take more than a moment to think about that statement, it falls apart. Antiques gain value over time, and our mass-produced gadgets are practically worthless once an upgrade comes along ... or are they?

Nope, they're worthless. That's the hard truth Gizmodo writer Brian Barrett learned when he took his 2008 Toshiba flatscreen TV to be appraised on Antiques Roadshow. Below we've embedded the hilarious video, in which Barrett's "ancient" TV is treated like an actual antique, but you should certainly click through to read his account of the entire ordeal. Our favorite part is when Barrett asks whether his TV's two HDMI inputs are particularly "rare" for a 2008 model, and professional antiques dealer Gary Piattoni flatly responds, "No."

It's all in good fun though, and Piattoni eventually concludes that Barrett's 32" set might be worth $100 now, leading to what will surely be the most well-researched eBay listing of all time.

Check out the video below, and if you're tired of your own ancient set, bring your living room out of the Stone Age by browsing our HDTV deals.