HDTV

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Isn't 540p just the short-lived EDTV? I doubt you'll ever use it or see it.

 

 

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

I thought EDTV was 480p.

[NoCalMike 0]

Ok, but if I have a TV that doesn't do 720p, what happens when I am dealing with channels broadcast in 720p? Or do all HD channels broadcast in 1080i now and/or does the HD-box upgrade the signal to 1080i......!?!

[sfaJack 0]

Not to derail the thread, but this is bugging me:

 

 

So one of my coworkers had her TV die a couple of weeks ago and she saw this as an opportunity to upgrade. Last week, she bought a full 1080p set...and then hooked her regular old digital cable box up to it.

 

I asked her if she planned to get a HD box and HD service; she said no, because it cost an extra $15 a month for the box and service and "I wouldn't know what to watch in HD anyway."

 

I asked her if she planned to get a Blu-Ray player; she said no, because "the movies I watch probably won't ever be in HD."

 

I then asked her why she bought a HD set at all and she said, "Well, don't we have to have one in February of next year?"

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Ok, but if I have a TV that doesn't do 720p, what happens when I am dealing with channels broadcast in 720p? Or do all HD channels broadcast in 1080i now and/or does the HD-box upgrade the signal to 1080i......!?!

I think it just scales. ABC, ESPN, and Fox use 720p. I've never noticed any real visual difference between the two. Pretty much any TV you buy will be completely fine for HD television programming.

[-DeN- 0]

Hey ppls. Tad off-topic, but maybe someone can help or at least point me in the right direction.

 

The exciting subject: Possible ground loop(?)

 

Long story short, just bought a crappy '26 Dynex. Not because I wanted to upgrade (my roomate has the whole theater shit going on downstairs), but b/c my old tube joint folded (literally) and died.

 

So I bring this thing home and...

 

a) Plug it into the same slot on the surge protector as it's predecessor

 

b) Connect the same yellow vid wire (all audio goes through a receiver)

 

Then Wham: Hum city, like some War of the Worlds shit; or more accurately for anyone who's used a turntable--like the ground is out.

 

I'll not bore you with the specifics of my setup, but I can move the vid wire to any number of things and the TV will work fine. The trouble is coming from the Sony VCR/DVD Combo (yes, I have one of these), but it wasn't an issue yesterday.

 

Only difference between then and now is that the new TV uses a 3-Prong Plug, whereas my old one didn't. Tried moving it all around (different surge protectors/outlets) to no avail.

 

So here's the thing: I mainly use this setup for recording games (via VCR and the Bedazzler), so I kinda need to keep the VCR in the mix.

 

What am I supposed to do? Near as I can tell from Googling, some type of transformer applied to something or other may help, but to be honest it's a bit beyond me.

 

//Long story short

 

[NoCalMike 0]

So here http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread....=1#post14496534

 

They basically told me that the Dish HD Receiver itself should be able to be programmed to upconvert the signal to my TV's native resolution which is 1080i so with that said, I just talked to the Dish rep and crunched some numbers and the total will only be $12 more than I pay now....I think I'm gonna pull the trigger....

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Two questions I'm ashamed to ask.

 

First, in my never-ending quest to get my mom and stepdad into HD, I've given them an HDMI cable. (Read: My mom and I bought a Jeopardy game the other day that required fucking around with their home theatre's DVD out. When we finished, we didn't bother unplugging the game, and thus, they couldn't watch anything, so I insisted on giving them my spare). My mom's on board, but is kind of shy about it. Conversely, my stepdad doesn't understand, so he doesn't care and I'm wrong. (see my previous posts). So I plugged in the HDMI and it sent the signal to 480p from 480i. Minor difference. I looked up the specs of the home theatre and it does upconvert to 1080i, but the tv info onscreen still says 480p. Shouldn't it upconvert automatically? If not, how do I achieve this? And, if they watch a 1.33 movie or, say TV show on box set, will the upconvert function put it in widescreen? If not, well, refer my stepdad's position again.

 

Second, I'm also in the market for a home theatre. There's a cheapy from Wal*Mart, which is ideal for me: 50 bucks, 100 watts. (My soon-to-be living room is only about 12 x 12, so I don't care how loud it is. And if it breaks in six months, well, it's 50 bucks. I simply want the clarity of five different channels*. There's another reason it's ideal: It's a receiver with five speakers, not an HTIB. I plan on using my 360 and HD add-on. So, my question: The receiver features two RCA audio ins. If I run RCA audio from my TV's audio out to the receiver while playing my 360, will that be enough, or will I need that adapter that came with the 360 HDMI cable?

 

* I'd always been kind of indifferent to sound, but my folks aforementioned new HTIB, at 1200 watts, was amazing. For a more practical example, the place I was staying in Calgary had a 150w package. It was plenty loud for our place, but moreso, I can't get over how much better hockey was with one channel for ice ambiance, one channel for the crowd, one channel for the announcer, etc.

[-DeN- 0]

I corrected the ground loop by getting a 3-prong to 2-prong adaptor.

 

Cable, VCR/DVD, XBox 360 work fine, but I get input lag from the Wii (even when set to 480p and hooked w/HD cables).

 

Stoopid Nintendo. Have to push the HD set to the side and hook up this tiny tube tv in order to play correctly.

 

Kind of a hassle.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I'm planning on selling my Mitsubishi WS-48413 rear projection HD-ready set so we can downsize slightly to a 42" flat panel TV (the Mitsubishi was perfect in our old apartment, but it's a little too big for the living room in our house now). The TV works perfectly, has been well cared for, and is in great condition. I know rear projections aren't really made anymore and are becoming less desirable as prices on newer sets continue to slowly fall. What's a realistic expectation of what someone would pay for a set like this? I was thinking about $500.00...crazy thing is we bought it brand new for two grand, less than five years ago.

 

I actually put an ad on the local craigslist, but have only had one bite so far...some dumb broad thought I was only selling it for $50, and thought I was being misleading. Actually I mentioned in the ad that I also had a separate digital tuner I was looking to sell for $50 as well, when the price of the TV was right in the headline. So we'll see how many others fail at reading comprehension.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

The Score HD now features stuff actually in HD!

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

I'm starting to notice a lot of green in some shades of black, and some SD channels (Spike TV being one of the worst when I watch Impact) look very dull and have all these green lines on black screens. It's not bright green or anything, but it's noticeable.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Remember when I mentioned an interview with Future Shop in June? They figured out that I wasn't going to be in Calgary forever, and told me to call a local store when I got home, and eventually an interview would come. That day was today. I don't find out until mid-week, but that's not why I'm posting. I was told to look around while the interviewer was getting ready, and I heard this gem from a woman looking at Wii stuff:

 

Customer: What are these? (Picks up Wii Component Cable)

Saleswoman: Wii Component Cable. They improve the picture quality of your Wii.

Customer: Oh. Well, I have a hi-def TV already, so I won't even need them.

[Thoth 0]

Customer: What are these? (Picks up Wii Component Cable)

Saleswoman: Wii Component Cable. They improve the picture quality of your Wii.

Customer: Oh. Well, I have a hi-def TV already, so I won't even need them.

 

I used to work in Electronics at Target; this sort of thing drove me up the wall.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

But at least that example, the stupidity falls on the customer and not the sales person.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

But at least that example, the stupidity falls on the customer and not the sales person.

 

Explain; had you heard a salesperson say something similar?

[Thoth 0]

But at least that example, the stupidity falls on the customer and not the sales person.

 

Explain; had you heard a salesperson say something similar?

 

I had a salesperson who didn't know jack shit about anything. Someone wanted to know what cable they needed to hook up their router, or cable modem, or something. His response was, "USB or Ethernet"?

 

He pronounced Ethernet wrong. Also, in America, hardly anything at all (nothing at Target at least) uses USB for network data (I have heard it is used in the UK). I stepped in and corrected him. He gave me a dirty look later, and I told him that "Next time, you may feel free to give the guests the wrong information."

 

He quit later. I heard he works at Del Taco now.

 

He was in his 40's or 50's.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

But at least that example, the stupidity falls on the customer and not the sales person.

 

Explain; had you heard a salesperson say something similar?

 

The Best Buy sales people are horrendous when it comes to stuff like that. The times Im wondering around our BB and I hear a salesperson blabbering on about TVs I almost always get the urge to want to scream at them for the BS that they spew.

[Guest Vitamin X]

But at least that example, the stupidity falls on the customer and not the sales person.

 

Explain; had you heard a salesperson say something similar?

 

I had a salesperson who didn't know jack shit about anything. Someone wanted to know what cable they needed to hook up their router, or cable modem, or something. His response was, "USB or Ethernet"?

 

He pronounced Ethernet wrong. Also, in America, hardly anything at all (nothing at Target at least) uses USB for network data (I have heard it is used in the UK). I stepped in and corrected him. He gave me a dirty look later, and I told him that "Next time, you may feel free to give the guests the wrong information."

 

He quit later. I heard he works at Del Taco now.

 

He was in his 40's or 50's.

 

It's not a bad question to ask, though. While yes, if you're networking you need an Ethernet cable, there are several routers out there that have dual outputs for a PC. Here's one I found on newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16825134007 and another http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16825115020 and then of course there's the possibility he could've been asking whether the person needed it for wireless or what-have-you. Of course, you would know Target's inventory better than I would since I never shop there and you used to work there, but it's a fairly legit question.

[Thoth 0]

If you need USB out from your router, you need it for a very good reason, and you're not going to go to Target, I imagine.

 

Anyway, when I worked at Target, they used to only carry D-Link. They now also sell Linksys.

[haws bah gawd 0]

I wonder how some of the Best Buy home theater people maintain their employment. I once went into a Best Buy looking for something I could use to split my Optic audio connections, so that I could have my PS3 and 360 all connected to my 5.1 surround receiver at the same time (only has one input). The guy told me, with no hesitation, that such a device did not exist. I walked to the gaming department, and within 3 minutes, found a switch box made by some company called Psyclone. I then showed the guy that such a device DID exist, and he just gave a shrug. Prick.

[SuperJerk 0]

Maybe because you told him you were looking for a splitter instead of a switcher?

[Thoth 0]

I wonder how some of the Best Buy home theater people maintain their employment. I once went into a Best Buy looking for something I could use to split my Optic audio connections, so that I could have my PS3 and 360 all connected to my 5.1 surround receiver at the same time (only has one input). The guy told me, with no hesitation, that such a device did not exist. I walked to the gaming department, and within 3 minutes, found a switch box made by some company called Psyclone. I then showed the guy that such a device DID exist, and he just gave a shrug. Prick.

 

Speaking only for Target, I know for a fact that management could give a shit if you knew anything or not. Your job was to sell accessories and credit card subscriptions. I am positive Best Buy is the same.

[haws bah gawd 0]

I wonder how some of the Best Buy home theater people maintain their employment. I once went into a Best Buy looking for something I could use to split my Optic audio connections, so that I could have my PS3 and 360 all connected to my 5.1 surround receiver at the same time (only has one input). The guy told me, with no hesitation, that such a device did not exist. I walked to the gaming department, and within 3 minutes, found a switch box made by some company called Psyclone. I then showed the guy that such a device DID exist, and he just gave a shrug. Prick.

 

Speaking only for Target, I know for a fact that management could give a shit if you knew anything or not. Your job was to sell accessories and credit card subscriptions. I am positive Best Buy is the same.

 

Yea, I could have probably used to term switcher instead of splitter, but in the end I would have most likely got the same "uh, huh?" response. I can't fucking stand these places putting people in departments where they know nothing about the products.

 

By the way, if anyone is looking for a high-quality HDTV, I bought one back in May that is really awesome, and a great value for the price. I picked-up a 42" 1080p LCD by Philips. It has 4 HDMI inputs and 3 Component inputs, as well as a 29,000:1 contrast ratio. I have it mainly outputting to my 5.1 surround receiver, but even the built-in speakers sound great. Cost me a little under $900.

[Thoth 0]

I wonder how some of the Best Buy home theater people maintain their employment. I once went into a Best Buy looking for something I could use to split my Optic audio connections, so that I could have my PS3 and 360 all connected to my 5.1 surround receiver at the same time (only has one input). The guy told me, with no hesitation, that such a device did not exist. I walked to the gaming department, and within 3 minutes, found a switch box made by some company called Psyclone. I then showed the guy that such a device DID exist, and he just gave a shrug. Prick.

 

Speaking only for Target, I know for a fact that management could give a shit if you knew anything or not. Your job was to sell accessories and credit card subscriptions. I am positive Best Buy is the same.

 

Yea, I could have probably used to term switcher instead of splitter, but in the end I would have most likely got the same "uh, huh?" response. I can't fucking stand these places putting people in departments where they know nothing about the products.

 

By the way, if anyone is looking for a high-quality HDTV, I bought one back in May that is really awesome, and a great value for the price. I picked-up a 42" 1080p LCD by Philips. It has 4 HDMI inputs and 3 Component inputs, as well as a 29,000:1 contrast ratio. I have it mainly outputting to my 5.1 surround receiver, but even the built-in speakers sound great. Cost me a little under $900.

 

What is the lag time on that thing? Primarily, what annoys mbe about HDTV is when I am playing PS2 on it and the lag on the input is awful.

[haws bah gawd 0]

I've noticed little if any lag time. In fact, I can only name 1 PS2 game (Mega Man X Collection) where I have seen any kind of delay between controller input and onscreen movement, and it may just be because I'm playing on a 20gb PS3 (backwards compatibility issues?). Blu Rays, DVDs, even broadcast television all come off without a hitch. This is the first product I can remember buying that was made by Philips, but I am very impressed.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Had another interview with Future Shop Friday, with more time to look around the store. I never appreciated the difference in price between TV's that were and were not 1080p, especially in the size I'm looking for.

 

Nonetheless, I spoke with a mortgage consultant last week as well; He recommends waiting to buy a house until the spring, when it becomes more of a buyer's market around here (thanks to the Deere plant closing in Welland). So, I may wait until next May or June to buy a new set, unless Pro*Line pays for it.

 

My buddy Chiu just got a new Samsung. The model number escapes me, but he paid 2300 for a 42-inch set. He recommends it to me, and the specs are phenomenal, but I'm still sticking to my "hopefully under 1000" budget.

[Thoth 0]

I've noticed little if any lag time. In fact, I can only name 1 PS2 game (Mega Man X Collection) where I have seen any kind of delay between controller input and onscreen movement, and it may just be because I'm playing on a 20gb PS3 (backwards compatibility issues?). Blu Rays, DVDs, even broadcast television all come off without a hitch. This is the first product I can remember buying that was made by Philips, but I am very impressed.

 

Funny. The only games where I truly notice input lag on PS2 are the Mega Man collections; though I know it has to be happening on all PS2 games.

[haws bah gawd 0]

I've noticed little if any lag time. In fact, I can only name 1 PS2 game (Mega Man X Collection) where I have seen any kind of delay between controller input and onscreen movement, and it may just be because I'm playing on a 20gb PS3 (backwards compatibility issues?). Blu Rays, DVDs, even broadcast television all come off without a hitch. This is the first product I can remember buying that was made by Philips, but I am very impressed.

 

Funny. The only games where I truly notice input lag on PS2 are the Mega Man collections; though I know it has to be happening on all PS2 games.

 

The only other PS2 game I own that shows any hints of irregularity if Final Fantasy X. About 1 out of every 10 battles doesn't render properly or something, and you will see a very slight shadow behind the characters. Otherwise, everything else displays and performs without a problem.

[Thoth 0]

I've noticed little if any lag time. In fact, I can only name 1 PS2 game (Mega Man X Collection) where I have seen any kind of delay between controller input and onscreen movement, and it may just be because I'm playing on a 20gb PS3 (backwards compatibility issues?). Blu Rays, DVDs, even broadcast television all come off without a hitch. This is the first product I can remember buying that was made by Philips, but I am very impressed.

 

Funny. The only games where I truly notice input lag on PS2 are the Mega Man collections; though I know it has to be happening on all PS2 games.

 

The only other PS2 game I own that shows any hints of irregularity if Final Fantasy X. About 1 out of every 10 battles doesn't render properly or something, and you will see a very slight shadow behind the characters. Otherwise, everything else displays and performs without a problem.

 

That's a PS3 back compat issue, at any rate.