HDTV

[MrRant 0]

It would be worth it as it is better than SD. Just set the box to output at 1080i if that is the set's native resolution.

[Ripper 0]

The difference between Component and HDMI isn't as huge as people like to pretend. The digital audio is a major plus though.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

CRTs only do 1080i, anything 720p or 1080p scales up/down to 1080i.

 

 

Not true. There are some CRTs that do 720p. And a shit load of plasmas.

 

A CRT can "do" 720p if by "do" you mean "upscale to 1080i". There is no CRT that is 720p native.

[Ripper 0]

For fucks sake dude. I mean they can DO 720p by meaning that the Monivision has a line of CRT's that display 720p. Its not the only one either. There are others but they are rare and expensive.

 

And as I said, a lot of plasmas have both settings.

[Dandy 0]

I switched to DirecTV, and got the premiere package. I have HD DVR, every channel, NFL Sunday Ticket, and 5 boxes total (counting the two that my neighbor is using). I used my parents as a referral and got $10 off each month for 5 months, had to purchase the HD DVR box for $200, and the package I got was supposed to be $69.99 per month for 4 months, but they gave it to me for $49.99 (before the $10 off per month). With my neighbor paying 1/4th of the bill each month, we have a kickass TV package that is very affordable. This is my first experience with HD, and I am more than satisfied!

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

HD DVR box for $200

 

I've said this a few times now, but that seems, at least to me, to make infinitely more sense than does a DVD recorder. My uncle got one since he's living with five kids and one TV, and said it's absolutely ideal for hockey season.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

If you have any problems with your Directv HDDVR..go here

 

Ive been having random problems with it not recording but some resets have fixed things nicely..for now. DBSTalk is the place to figure things out. Im looking forward to the Directv on Demand launch here in the next couple of weeks..as well as the 30 remaining HD channels that add up to 100.

 

The MPEG4 HD Channels are absolutely stunning, when the channels actually show HD thats not stretched (see the damn turner networks). Most of them aren't doing that though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Sears is going to have the Toshiba HDA3 HD-DVD player for $169 on Black Friday from 5am-noon and they also usually give out $10 gift cards to the first 100 customers. The HDA3 comes with 300 and Bourne Identity plus its eligible for 5 free movies via mail. It goes back to $299 at Noon.

 

Pretty much a tip as to how the Black Friday sales are going to go..Toshiba HD-DVD players will be on sale everywhere for about that price and Wal Mart will even supposedly be selling the HDA2 for $197 as a normal price as well. This holiday season is going to be the telling point in the HD-DVD vs Blu Ray format stalemate (refuse to call it a war). With Toshiba heavily discounting players to be really cheap, it might tip their way but Sony is putting the $399 40 GB playstation out. And theres the $800 Samsung dual format player that if given a discount might be a better option for a lot of people.

 

Some people are saying go buy it at Sears now since BF is less than 30 days away and get the difference when the sale starts (wouldnt have to be there at 5 am either, but at least before noon) but Id be affraid that Sears wouldn't honor it or something stupid.

[MrRant 0]

DirecTV On Demand.

 

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

DirecTV On Demand.

 

 

I wouldnt laugh..they just took away the #1 thing cable had against satellite "satellite cant give you on demand!!" (and Dish Network has on Demand now as well)..It works as long as you have a fast internet connection. Plus, in enabling DoD, they've also paved the way for multi room sharing (something I dont think cable offers??) on a home network and media sharing between a computer and the recievers. Plus the HR20's can have their hard drives upgraded as easy as installing an ESATA HD in the back (IM thinking of buying a 1TB HD myself, which would triple the 50 hrs of HD I can record and store currently) I can already stream music from my PC to the box now, video is supposedly going to be supported as well.

 

Combined with the HD Smackdown Directv has levied on cable (79 HD channels right now) I think Cable is in a bad place, and Directv is getting ready to launch another satellite for even more HD channels and services.

[MrRant 0]

Good god, it's not OnDemand. It's programming downloaded to your harddrive you albino fucktard.

 

Learn about the technology. OnDemand is streaming from servers to your set top box, this is not that DirecTV nor Dish are doing.

 

The "79" channels of HD are mostly regional sports channels that will be blacked out for sports anyways for most people. Do they currently have more? Yes, but not by a huge margin.

 

What a dipshit.

[Ripper 0]

Now Rant. Thats mean.

 

At least he didn't put "duh!!!!" while being completely wrong this time.

[Dandy 0]

I'm sorry Rant, but Comcast has sucked for me and I couldn't be happier after my switch to DirecTV. I don't care about the on Demand shit as it only worked 5% of the time with Adelphia and then Comcast, so I don't miss not having it.

 

I have had my internet out for all but about 24 hours over the past 3 1/2 weeks. I kept making calls to complain and get a service call. We had three guys out here over that time. My roommate was the only one here the first time and he has no backbone. The modem started working like an hour before the guy showed up. He looked at it and said, "well, it's working now," and my roommate said, "Oh Okay." The second guy never came in the house becasue he was convinced that DireccTV had used Comcasts lines and spliced away from my modem on the outside lines. I told him I helped them install the new lines, but he was convinced he was right. He called to say he was here and going to check the box outside. He changed out a new connector and called and asked if it was working. I said yes and he hung up and left. The internet went out again an hour later. The third guy came this morning and I made him listen to everything that had happened and told him that whenever I had this much of a problem before, there was water and leaves in the box outside. He walked back and saw that the tap on the outside pole had two splitters coming off one and 3 coming off another. They aren't supposed to do that but there were 22 customers and only 16 lines. He said he couldn't believe they would do that or that the other guys reported it as fine. They are finally coming today to redo the taps.

 

The only issue with DirecTv was that the girl who took my order worded it like I was purchasing the HDDVR box for $199. That is a one time lease fee for two years. I owe nothing after that, but I don't own the box. That is a minor complaint, but at least I can watch TV with a decent signal and not have to put up with the Comcast "service."

[MrRant 0]

Hey service varies sometimes due to different issues and most are fixable. Some aren't like house wiring and stuff. Gotta go with what is best for you.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Good god, it's not OnDemand. It's programming downloaded to your harddrive you albino fucktard.

 

Learn about the technology. OnDemand is streaming from servers to your set top box, this is not that DirecTV nor Dish are doing.

 

The "79" channels of HD are mostly regional sports channels that will be blacked out for sports anyways for most people. Do they currently have more? Yes, but not by a huge margin.

 

What a dipshit.

 

A) On Demand - My GF has a comcast DVR and she has on demand, and if you try and watch a movie, you cant pause for more than 5 minutes or else you have to restart it over from the beginning which is very annoying considering the FF speeds are slow. With Directv it saves it to the DVR's hard drive so you can watch and pause as you like. Its still streamed to the receiver by way of your internet connection. It still starts with a minute or so of you selecting the program just like comcast so its still pretty much "on demand" but better because its actually saved to the hard drive and you can watch it over and over without having to redownload it or whatever. As an added bonus the on demand stuff can be scheduled ahead of time via the receiver or on the internet so the download is done when you get home from work or whatever.

 

B) #of National Channels - There are 16 RSNs included in the 79 80 figure. There are still 49 non-Network/RSN/full time/PPV HD channels available right now including new channels that just launched in the last month and are scarecely available anywhere else (NHL Network HD, MGM HD, Smithsonian HD and Fox Business HD) MGM is awesome as they have the older James Bond movies in HD. And there are still 25 non RSN channels coming by the end of the year as well as 17 more RSNs. Not to mention that Directv is the only place that offers the NFL/NBA/NHL/MLB season pass programs in HD. All of these channels will cost $15 by the end of the year ($10 til then). And to top off everything, the picture quality of the MPEG4 channels blows away everything Ive seen in HD with the exception of HD discs, its even better than OTA HD.

[Dandy 0]

Oh trust me, I know. Sometimes I get guys out here that do anything it takes to make sure I am happy. Those guys care about doing a good job. Most from Adelphia and then Comcast have not given two shits about whether or not I get to check my work e-mail or watch my television. I just hate the fact that I wait up to a week for them to come and when they get there nothing gets fixed so I have to wait another week on a new guy. If I had another option, I would already be done with the company, but right now the cable modem is my best choice.

 

On a side note, how far does a custmor being nice go for you when you are servicing a home?

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Settle this:

 

Wal*Mart's half-assed HDTV product training had at least one error in it (HD can only be reproduced using HDMI cable). I claim it has a second, a co-worker disagrees. It read that for a broadcast to be considered HD, it also had to be 16:9.

 

My cause for disagreement was predicated on the following two principles: I own a widescreen television and digital cable. I've watched programs digitally in 4:3, shouldn't there logically be things broadcast in HD in the same ratio?

 

My second case may become a "well, why then" if I'm wrong. We used to carry a 4:3 HDTV made by Sanyo. If a broadcast has to be 16:9 to be considered HD, was this specific model just showing everything in stretch-o-vision?

[Guest Vitamin X]

Your co-worker is right. Digital broadcast is not the same thing as high definition broadcast. High definition is classified as 1,920 by 1,080 pixels (that's the 1080 in 1080i or 1080p). If you look at that aspect ratio, it's 16x9.

 

A 4:3 HDTV actually shrinks down the screen size for HD when it adds in the bars on top and bottom, or worse yet, it will put things in stretch-o-vision as you said. Which is why those TVs are pointless and a total rip-off, but the fact of the matter with that is many people don't care or realize that widescreen is the way to go on that.

[Ripper 0]

Your co-worker is right. Digital broadcast is not the same thing as high definition broadcast. High definition is classified as 1,920 by 1,080 pixels (that's the 1080 in 1080i or 1080p). If you look at that aspect ratio, it's 16x9.

 

A 4:3 HDTV actually shrinks down the screen size for HD when it adds in the bars on top and bottom, or worse yet, it will put things in stretch-o-vision as you said. Which is why those TVs are pointless and a total rip-off, but the fact of the matter with that is many people don't care or realize that widescreen is the way to go on that.

They are not a ripoff. I have my 4:3 CRT and the fact of the matter is, while you do get the bars on the 16x9 HD outputs, most channels aren't HD. So you will get the bars on the sides of the 4:3 Widescreens. Seeing as you would be getting the bars more often on the Widescreen, wouldn't that make it the ripoff?

 

I don't think either are a ripoff. Black bars aren't the end of the world.

[Guest Vitamin X]

On a 16:9 TV, you can have the image fill the screen natively, while you can't do so on a 4:3. I don't mind black bars, trust me, I have grown up hating fullscreen and slapping my forehead when someone refuses to buy the WS version of a film because of them. But buying a 4:3 HDTV is going to be a bit of a waste, since you're actually getting much less picture than you would if you bought a comparable size 16:9.

 

But, regarding your point, I don't mind having the bars on the sides for 4:3 broadcasts, since I watch a lot more films and play games than I watch channels broadcast in 4:3. And maybe it's just because my current TV isn't that large, but I haven't noticed too much stretching when I changed the viewing mode to fill up the screen, so I just leave it like that, or I zoom a bit.

 

I suppose it really depends on more what you want to use it for. If you just watch sports, movies, and play games, it makes more sense to go 16:9, because the more HD channels you have and watch often, the less sense it makes (at least to me) to have a 4:3.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Although the input and answers were appreciated, I suppose it's a fairly moot point, with so few 4:3 HDTV's available. It was more to settle a bet than anything.

 

And yeah, I'm with you on the black bar issue. My stepdad and I have argued about this quite a bit. I don't mind the black bars on the sides when stuff is shown in 4:3, I'd rather have a better picture than a bigger one.

 

[skullman80 0]

There is honestly no good reason to get a 4:3 HDTV. Really....no good reason at all. It's a waste.

[Ripper 0]

once again, I don't understand that logic.

 

Say you have a 4:3 32inch HDTV. You get to watch the SD programming (the vast majority of TV) at 32inchs and with HD programming in 16:9 you have the equivilant of a 29 inch HDTV.

 

On the other end, with a 32inch widescreen, You have the HD programing at 32 inches (losing a whopping 3 incheswhen compared to the 4:3 display) but get SD programming at 26 inches(losing 6 inches off you view size.

I honestly don't think that unless you are getting a widescreen of at least 42 inches, it makes more sense to, me at least, to stick with the 4:3 because you get more screen for your money.

 

Of course, I don't think many people are buying smaller widescreen TV's. But to say that having a 4:3 HDTV is a ripoff seems kinda false to me seeing as most of them would be in the 32-36 inch range.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Toshiba A2 HD-DVD player on sale at Wal Mart tomorrow for $98 plus its eligible for 5 free movies. Best Buy stores are pricematching as well.

 

Less than a $100..the "mythical" price point for mass consumer adoption of HD-disc formats..and its not some no name chinese player either.

 

$60 more gets you the better player (A3) and 2 movies (300/Bourne Identity) at Sears on Black Friday though..

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Hundred bucks? Wow.

 

Whats the diff between A2 and A3?

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

A3 is 3rd generation toshiba box whereas the A2 is 2nd gen, and includes 300 and Bourne Identity in the box. After thinking about it, I suppose you could probably find/buy 300/BI seperate for cheaper than the $60 cost to go with the A2.

 

However, my WalMart had ZERO A2s..bah.

 

 

[NoCalMike 0]

In the same press release that originally announced the $399 PS3, they also said it would be reduced in price again before Christmas. I am not sure if this is just going to be a holiday sale on the 40gb model, or if an entire new model is coming about before Christmas.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

I was told by our PS rep that the 40 gig model wouldn't be backwards compatible, which is kinda lousy. Even so, 399 for a PS3 is dirt cheap.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

What kind of HDMI cable should i get from Monoprice for a HD DVR to a HDTV?

 

Which one would be the best for that setup?

[Guest Vitamin X]

once again, I don't understand that logic.

 

Say you have a 4:3 32inch HDTV. You get to watch the SD programming (the vast majority of TV) at 32inchs and with HD programming in 16:9 you have the equivilant of a 29 inch HDTV.

 

On the other end, with a 32inch widescreen, You have the HD programing at 32 inches (losing a whopping 3 incheswhen compared to the 4:3 display) but get SD programming at 26 inches(losing 6 inches off you view size.

I honestly don't think that unless you are getting a widescreen of at least 42 inches, it makes more sense to, me at least, to stick with the 4:3 because you get more screen for your money.

 

Of course, I don't think many people are buying smaller widescreen TV's. But to say that having a 4:3 HDTV is a ripoff seems kinda false to me seeing as most of them would be in the 32-36 inch range.

 

I am planning on getting a 28" widescreen HDTV, and the size is more motivated by the size of my apartment(s) (I use plural because I'm probably moving to another one in the next few months, though it won't be much bigger) than anything else, and as I said, it just depends on what you use it for. I think your math may be a tad off, as I don't think I've ever lost THAT much off SD programming and you have to consider that many people don't mind a bit of stretching or zooming for standard definition on smaller screens, myself included.