HDTV

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

But at the same time, can YOU really tell the difference?

 

are we talking difference between 720p and 1080i or the difference between 1080i downconverted to 720p and 1080i straight up?

 

You can definitely tell the difference between 720 and 1080 with fast motion content (looks better on 720p) and if you're downconverting fast motion content from 1080i to 720p its going to look worse than straight up 720p since theres resolution lost in the downconvert process. Thankfully for those with 720p sets, most fast motion content is done at 720p because of this. Sometimes though you'll get a scenario where NBC does sports (NFL) and they broadcast 1080i..so it looks jittery do to the lack of progressive scan. Most networks do 1080i cause its better for minimal movement shows like dramas and sitcoms.

 

and 720p upconverted on a 1080i set (like I have) makes it look a tad bit better since its upconverting, though its not as noticable of an improvement as a 480p upconvert to 1080i dvd player.

 

I would always have my box set to display native resolution to the program, not the tv and not on a fixed resolution.

[Craig Th 0]

I know what you are saying, but can he tell the difference. That is the most important thing. If 720p looks better to him, then let him use that. If 1080i looks better, let him use that.

 

Go watch your old DVI set.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

The difference isn't huge, but the flicker is annoying when changing a channel and going from 720p to 1080i.

[Perfxion 0]

I am in need of getting a new TV. But I am going to breakdown and get a new one, I am on a tight budget so I saw this one and was wondering what anyone thought of this.

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...d=1172880155897

[Dobbs 3K 0]

MX, the reviews on the Best Buy site for that one don't make it sound too promising.

[Ripper 0]

I am in need of getting a new TV. But I am going to breakdown and get a new one, I am on a tight budget so I saw this one and was wondering what anyone thought of this.

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...d=1172880155897

 

 

Dude...no.

 

First of all, that still a CrT and those shits are heavy. you can find one of those on craigslist or some shit for alot cheaper.

 

Shit, if you lived closer I would sell you mine for 350. Its kinda just taking up space now.

 

You should be able to find a 32 inch flat for around that price though.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

First of all, dont be putting down CRT HD sets. They still have the best black levels (ie the color black is really black and not a shade of gray) and when properly calibrated they look every bit as good as an LCD or Plasma.

 

That being said...

 

Current D.L.P. sets are able to generate a three-dimensional picture if the user is wearing special glasses and a decoder is attached to a video game console or DVD player.

 

The company expects to have installed 500,000 3-D-capable sets by February, but that would still be only half the number needed to encourage the movie studios to create high definition, 3-D DVDs.

 

The same technology offers intriguing possibilities. It can be used to create two different images on a screen simultaneously. When two viewers wear special glasses, each one sees a different scene. In a demonstration at T.I.’s labs here, two video game players raced cars through city streets, each seeing only his own vehicle. While the screen contained two images, each seemed as sharp as would a normal view.

 

Figure out how to work the audio to split it (headphones would be really gay) and you have the solution to "I wanna watch the football game" "Well I dont want to watch it so we aren't..."

 

and I could have gotten a 1080p 47 inch Vizio LCD for $999 recently but I had to hold off unfortunately.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

I'm surprised the reviews were so poor for anything Samsung made.

[El Psycho Diablo 0]

For someone who's primarily going to be doing gaming (Xbox 360, eventually PS3) what type of TV is best between LCD, Plasma, and DLP?

 

Price range is under $1500, if that makes any difference.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

For someone who's primarily going to be doing gaming (Xbox 360, eventually PS3) what type of TV is best between LCD, Plasma, and DLP?

 

Price range is under $1500, if that makes any difference.

 

I'd lean towards plasma(provided the lighting allows it)....hear me out.

 

Higher contrast ratio and response time would be, it seems to me, ideal for video gaming. The screen-burn in thing shouldn't be unsolvable, simply don't leave the game idle with the television on.

 

To be fair, I don't know a whole hell of a lot about DLP.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

You cant get a decent plasma sub $1500..

 

LCD prices are good right now to where you could get a good LCD but Id go with a DLP.

 

BB has a 32 inch LCD from Sharp thats 1080p for $1299, they also have a 50 inch 1080p Samsung DLP for $1599. You can get a 32 inch samsung 720p LCD for $799, but if you have $1500 you might as well put as much towards it for 1080p as you can, thus futureproofing your set as much as possible since 1080p is as good as HD gets for the foreseeable future and it will allow you to take full advantage of the PS3 when you get it.

 

 

[Guest Vitamin X]

I just got a sexy recert. Olevia 27" LCD HDTV for $389 from Newegg. Perfect deal for me. Check out the specs:

Display

Screen Size 27"

Recommended Resolution 1366 x 768

Aspect Ratio 16:9

Viewing Angle 178°(H) / 178°(V)

Contrast Ratio 1600:1

Response Time 8ms

Connectivity

Input Video Compatibility PC Input: RGB Analog

ATSC/NTSC Combo Tuner

480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i

HDTV Capability HDTV Tuner Inside

Connectors Audio Output: 1 R/L RCA Audio

Earphone Output: 1 Stereo Mini Jack

Component Input: 2x Component + 2 R/L RCA Audio (VGA connector accepts as 2nd Component source)

Composite Video Input: 1x composite + 1 R/L RCA Audio (Shared with S-Video)

Digital Input: 1 HDMI w/HDCP, PC + Video, Plug & Play, CEA EDID Extensions

Service Port: RS-232

VGA Input: RGB 15 Pin D-sub with Analog EDID, PC + Video, Plug & Play, Second Component Input + R/L RCA Audio

HDCP Ready Yes

HDMI 1

 

Now, I mostly watch sports and movies, so I'm pretty happy with how everything turned out. I currently have my DVD player with progressive scan set up in the YPbPr input, and just regular cable hooked up (for now, anyways).. soon, I'll get my digi-cable with HD on again. I wish Comcast would improve their HD service, but I'll deal with what they give me for now.

 

27" is PERFECT for my place, too. I don't need a huge TV, and it's better than the 20" monitor I was using as a TV for the past year now. I just need a wall mount, then it'd look really nice...

[Mik 0]

I'm not sure where this should go but I think I'll get answers in this thread:

 

Does anyone know what the deal with Time Warner's HD channels is? I believe we were supposed to get a ton more channels by end 2007 including TBS, USA, etc. but they never showed up on my box.

 

Probably Marv or someone knows where to find such information. Why no new channels?

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Well, in our neck of the woods, we have Charter, and I have it on authority that they're having a really hard time adding more HD channels due to bandwidth issues. I can imagine most cable channels are in the same boat.

[Ripper 0]

First of all, dont be putting down CRT HD sets. They still have the best black levels (ie the color black is really black and not a shade of gray) and when properly calibrated they look every bit as good as an LCD or Plasma.

 

That being said...

 

Screw properly calibrated, they look better period

 

But like I said, they are heavy as shit, Samsung is getting to the point the are ignoring the fact that they have ever made CRT Tv's(like most companies), the parts are hard to find for repairs because most companies have started scraping the bulk parts or selling the to distributors and good luck finding the parts, and for nearly 600 bucks, you can get a slightly bigger flat.

 

 

[Cartman 0]

Well, in our neck of the woods, we have Charter, and I have it on authority that they're having a really hard time adding more HD channels due to bandwidth issues. I can imagine most cable channels are in the same boat.

I wish these companies would give us choices at least. Cox in RI just announced they are adding Travel HD! *sigh*. All I need is USA, Sci-Fi, and FX in HD, fuck the travel channel.

[Ripper 0]

there is a FX HD channel? Why don't I have this yet!!

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Well, another frustrating thing is that Charter carries FSN, but not the FSN-HD feed. Most of the Brewers schedule here is going to be in HD this season, but of course, I won't be able to watch that

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

there is a FX HD channel? Why don't I have this yet!!

itsa huge waste as far as I can tell..though I dont watch the shows lik Nip Tuck or Damages to know whether theyre in HD or not. Only show I care about on Fx is Shield and it wont be in HD when the last season starts.

 

heres the majority of the HD channels I get with Directv as of now (struckthrough I dont sub to but is available):

 

• ESPN HD (206/73)
• ESPN2 HD (209/72)
• HD Theater (76)
• HDNet (79)
• HDNet Movies (78)
• TNT HD (245/75)
• Universal HD (74)
• The 101 (101)
• HBO HD East (70/501/509)

• Showtime HD (71/537/543)

  MPEG4 RECENT ADDITIONS

  Added 9/26

• A&E HD (265)
• Animal Planet HD (282)
• Big Ten HD (220)
• CNN HD (202)
• Discovery HD (278)
• History Channel HD (269)
• TLC HD (280)
• NFL Network HD (212)
• Science Channel HD (284)
• Smithsonian HD (267)
• TBS HD (247)
• Versus HD / Golf Channel HD (604)
• Weather Channel HD (362)
• The Movie Channel HD (544)
• SHO Too HD (538)
• Showtime HD West (540)
• Starz Comedy HD (519)
• Starz HD East (520)
• Starz HD West (521)
• Starz Edge HD (522)
• Starz Kids and Family (518)

  Added 10/3 & 10/4

• Bravo (273)
• MHD (332)
• SCI FI (244)
• USA Network (242)
• Cinemax-E (512)
• Cinemax-W (514)
• HBO-W (504)

  Added 10/10

• CNBC (355)
• Food HD* (231-1)
• MGM (255)
• National Geographic (276)

  Added on 10/15

• Fox Business Network (359)
• HGTV HD* (229-1)
• FX HD (248)
• Speed Network HD (607)
• Fuel HD (612)
• The Cartoon Network (296)

  Added on 10/29

• NBA HD (601)

  Added on 10/31

• NHL Network HD (215)

  Added on 11/14

• Nickelodeon HD East (299)
• Spike HD (325)
• Country Music Television (327)
• MTV HD (331)
• VH1 HD (335)

  Added on 11/28

• Biography HD (266)

  Added on 12/28

• CSTV (610)
• Tennis Channel HD (217)

+ 0ut of the 37 RSNS in HD I can get:

• Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic (629) added 9/26

Plus these channels are announced as coming soon or at least announced:

• ABC Family
• Disney Channel
• ESPN News
• Toon Disney

  HD channels promoted by DirecTV under "end of year heading" (source: DirecTV website)

• BET
• Chiller
• MTV2

  Previously announced as "Fall 2007" (source: Press releases and/or statements made by one or more of a variety of sources)

• Sleuth
• MoreMax
• HBO2-E
• HBO2-W
• HBO Family-E
• HBO Family-W
• HBO Signature

   

  Channels that showed up in Engineering Mode with no official carriage announcement

• Outdoor
• Comedy Central

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

As far as to why your cable company isn't carrying any of those, it comes down to cable co.s needing to upgrade their systems to handle the increased bandwith required to deliver additional HD channels..specificaly called Switched Digital technology.

 

If you can get fios, their only limitation is negotiating carriage deals since they have bandwith out the wazoo

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

First of all, dont be putting down CRT HD sets. They still have the best black levels (ie the color black is really black and not a shade of gray) and when properly calibrated they look every bit as good as an LCD or Plasma.

 

That being said...

 

Screw properly calibrated, they look better period

 

But like I said, they are heavy as shit, Samsung is getting to the point the are ignoring the fact that they have ever made CRT Tv's(like most companies), the parts are hard to find for repairs because most companies have started scraping the bulk parts or selling the to distributors and good luck finding the parts, and for nearly 600 bucks, you can get a slightly bigger flat.

 

 

 

CRTs have nasty overscan issues as well as geometry issues (sides can be pushed in likd pincushions or bowed out like a ball). I had to go into the service menu of mine to fix the overscan on mine which not only voids warranties but also can turn the tv into a doorstop.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

I'm not sure where this should go but I think I'll get answers in this thread:

 

Does anyone know what the deal with Time Warner's HD channels is? I believe we were supposed to get a ton more channels by end 2007 including TBS, USA, etc. but they never showed up on my box.

 

Probably Marv or someone knows where to find such information. Why no new channels?

 

 

I have Brighthouse, and they just suck, period.

 

 

I get...

 

 

WB HD

ABC HD

CBS HD

PBS HD

Fox HD

NBC HD

HBO HD

HBO West HD

TBS HD

Showtime HD

Showtime West HD

Discovery HD

A&E HD

TNT HD

CNN HD

INHD 1

HDNet

HDNet Movies

Universal HD

HistoryChannel HD

ESPN HD

ESPN 2 HD

National Geographic Channel HD

Home and Garden HD

Music TV HD

[Guest Vitamin X]

Yeah, I think that's more or less what Comcast gets. Their HD service is awful.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

It's pretty amusing to be at a point where having "only" 20 HD channels sucks. TV is sweet.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

Considering what is available from other companies, it does suck. Also, you have to pay to get those HD channels. So yes, it does suck. Plus, their DVR makes me want to punch it in its face. It's horrendous. Always breaking and shit.

[Guest Vitamin X]

It's pretty amusing to be at a point where having "only" 20 HD channels sucks. TV is sweet.

Well, if you consider that not only does it cost extra per month, but that all the local channels are available OTA for free, plus if you don't subscribe to any premium channels, you'd only be getting 10-15 channels (depending on your local crappy cable provider) on HD. I really don't think Comcast should charge for their HD service until they add on a hell of a lot more channels. Their only claim to supposedly "having more HD than anyone" is only because they have a ton of programming available onDemand which is in HD- provided onDemand isn't having some sort of technical issue, which it frequently is.

 

*sigh* I can't wait until Verizon FiOS expands to downtown Portland.

 

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

What's the difference between response time and refresh rate? How much better is 120hz refresh rate compared to 60hz?

[Dandy 0]

What's the difference between response time and refresh rate? How much better is 120hz refresh rate compared to 60hz?

To be a smartass, I would reply that it is double the 60hz. I won't do that.

 

The refresh rate is how many frames per second that the tv can show without repeating the same image to make more frames. 120 is supposedly really good for smooth pictures. You are, in effect, doubling the frames per second, which is significant. A lot of LCD's are going this route, but you probably notice that there is a big price boost witht hat as well.

 

Response time is more like the shutter speed on a camera. The response time is the amount of time it takes a pixel that is black to turn white and back to black again. I believe this is unique to LCD's, but I am not 100% sure.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Since Baron and his better half are getting my Toshiba 37HL57 when I head out west, I'm going to buy a new flat panel in a few months. I've got my eye on two Samsung models: LNT4065 or LNT4069.

 

They have an absurdly high 15/20,000:1 contrast ratio, respectively. The 69 has a 120hz refresh rate, compared to the 65, which is 60. I asked about this the other day, and now that I have a basic understanding of it, is it really that much better, especially on that particular screen size? Is it going to make a difference by and large, or will it be comparable, to say, megapixels on a camera, in which there's little difference unless the image is really big?

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Went back to look at those two TV's today. Commission-based salesperson shooed me away from the 4069, saying it really wouldn't be much different unless it was on a bigger screen, like 56 or higher (no fucking thank you). He could not, however, tell me about the QAM tuner in the 4065. Here's what I've narrowed it to:

 

A) Will allow for broadcast of digital channels within OTA range that are only currently available on digital cable/satellite. Example: TSN has a broadcast tower in Toronto. I can pick up CTV's Toronto affiliate using rabbit ears. TSN is only available on digicable/sat. The QAM tuner allows me to view TSN with rabbit ears.

 

B) Will unscramble a variety of currently blocked channels on my set-top box. For example, to watch something on The Game Show Network, I need to pay Cogeco another 2 dollars a month. I don't want to pay to see Pat Sajak circa 1987, so the QAM tuner will unscramble certain blocked channels on my set-top box.

 

C) Both

 

D) Neither

 

I seem to recall Marvin mentioning something pretty similar to B, but I don't really remember.

 

Potentially really stupid question: Why don't projection TV's/CRT's have contrast ratio/response time/native res, etc? What makes them different, in that regard, from flat-panels?