Hdtv, sdtv, my mtv 123 abc

WWJD

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Getting an HDTV. THIS CLOSE to buying a new DVD player. Should I order one of Toshiba's brand new not even out yet HDDVD units that upscales regular DVD AND plays teh new HDDVDs or are there 6 - 10 competing new DVD technologies out that will replace HDDVD in a couple months? I haven't kept up on video formats - can anyone REALLY keep up?

Also, I am guessing some of my cable stuff will be in HD. I can't REALLY tape or DVD Record any HD without an "HD" recorder, right? Does such a thing exist other than TIVO or a Computer setup?

Anyone have HDTV with an upscaling DVD player? I'm curious about the quality of regular DVDs upscaled to HDish screen



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I just bought one . An lg cheaper version you can tell slight diff. The new fangle plug that hooks it to the telly is 59.00 for one cord liked to had a heart attack..
 
blu ray is coming out too but if you plan on buying a new playstation 3 when they come out youll be good to go on that.depending on what tv youre buying it may upscale most signals for you too.
 
You should wait until the format war regarding HD DVD / Blu-Ray plays out before plunking down $$$ on a player. It's going to be a mess, and there isn't going to be a lot of content - the HD DVD player rolls out weeks before a single movie will be available from a single studio. You can bet that anything out of Sony Studios will be on Blu-Ray, while other studios are behind HDDVD....
 
Getting an HDTV.  THIS CLOSE to buying a new DVD player.  Should I order one of Toshiba's brand new not even out yet HDDVD units that upscales regular DVD AND plays teh new HDDVDs or are there 6 - 10 competing new DVD technologies out that will replace HDDVD in a couple months?  I haven't kept up on video formats - can anyone REALLY keep up?

Also, I am guessing some of my cable stuff will be in HD.  I can't REALLY tape or DVD Record any HD without an "HD" recorder, right?  Does such a thing exist other than TIVO or a Computer setup?

Anyone have HDTV with an upscaling DVD player?  I'm curious about the quality of regular DVDs upscaled to HDish screen



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Like others have said, you should hold off on buying the player for now. There's a lot of things coming and no real up side for the purchase today unless you are just *that* critical about the movies.

As for your other questions....

Yes there are computer DVR options and there are set top box HD DVR options (DVR = Tivo stuff).

Check around online for HTPCs. This place is a resource for HTPCs and can show you some options. If you have an extra PC you can build it up by adding an ATSC (Digital) and NTSC (analog) tuner card that will give you full DVR function. You could also order one from Dell, Gateway or other makers.

I know DirecTV has an HD Tivo box and I hear that some cable companies now have them available as well.

Bottom line, the content "off the air" is growing every day but the "recorded" media is years behind. Its the chicken & egg issue.... do you start making the devices but no content immediately (seems the way they are going) or do they queue up the content and then push to get the players out.

Anywho, do your research and you'll find that you have lots of options when it comes to HDTV
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Good info, guys. I'm getting a cheap, yet decent Toshiba with upscaling. I think it will do a better job than the TV itself will - got nothing to loose and need a newer DVD player NOW anyhow, and can't wait for new tech wars.... my exercise DVDs arrived and I gotta get crackin!
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Since I havn't watched TV for about 2 years now, I doubt there's much I'll want to tape. Reinstalled basic cable just so I could watch whales mating in hi-def on Discovery. I can always tape Simpsons, Sienfeld, and Family Guy on good old fashioned VCR
 
I bought the HDTV sony widescreen takes some getting used to it stretches the screen on regular tv or you have to shrink it then you go from a 36 to 20 ...

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I bought the HDTV sony widescreen takes some getting used to it stretches the screen on regular tv or you have to shrink it then you go from a 36 to 20 ...
YOU NEED TO IMMEDIATELY..


Check you contrast, picture, and sharpness settings on that tv. From the factory defult settings are at 85% to 100%. That sony TV will develope a pixel fade and deterriation at the 11 oclock position from center screen if you do not turn the settings down. Turn off the AUTO tint, color, etc controls.

Set your sharpness on all of your seperate inputs to approximately "3". It's on 85 or so now unless you changed it.

Set your contrast somewhere around 48% and use your brightness to get the picture where you want it. Then adjust your color control until your reds arnt bloody and the yellows dont look orange. Then adjust your tint control until folks faces look right. This is an approx setting that will help you so much in longevity.

GO buy a dvd called

VIDEO ESSENTIALS. Run that DVD and set up your shytt. It will be as perfect as you can get it with your equipment in the lighting you have. Then make sure you adjust all other video inputs to match those numbers.

Best $30.00 you will ever spend if you value your purchase. (own a Multimedia company and HDTV/projection is all we do)

Vidikron down to Toshiba brand stuff.

Later.
JD
 
I bought the HDTV sony widescreen takes some getting used to it stretches the screen on regular tv or you have to shrink it then you go from a 36 to 20 ...
YOU NEED TO IMMEDIATELY..


Check you contrast, picture, and sharpness settings on that tv. From the factory defult settings are at 85% to 100%. That sony TV will develope a pixel fade and deterriation at the 11 oclock position from center screen if you do not turn the settings down. Turn off the AUTO tint, color, etc controls.

Set your sharpness on all of your seperate inputs to approximately "3". It's on 85 or so now unless you changed it.

Set your contrast somewhere around 48% and use your brightness to get the picture where you want it. Then adjust your color control until your reds arnt bloody and the yellows dont look orange. Then adjust your tint control until folks faces look right. This is an approx setting that will help you so much in longevity.

GO buy a dvd called

VIDEO ESSENTIALS. Run that DVD and set up your shytt. It will be as perfect as you can get it with your equipment in the lighting you have. Then make sure you adjust all other video inputs to match those numbers.

Best $30.00 you will ever spend if you value your purchase. (own a Multimedia company and HDTV/projection is all we do)

Vidikron down to Toshiba brand stuff.

Later.
JD
Ice, great info! I always crank down my contrast - it's always too fuzzy.

Do you trust in the the PLASMA BURN IN DVDs peopla re using for the first 100-200 hours? I am borrowing a burn in disc and Video Essentials for my new tv.

This is probably a silly questions, but is the THX Optimiser on all the discs any good? I've used many different versions of those with 'OK' results
 
HDTV kicks ass. i have had mine for about 3-4 years. HDdvd comes out next tuesday 28th. i'm waiting for blueray dvd may 23rd 1080P singnal. make sure what ever tv you gets has HDMI connector. also it can do 1280X720 for 720P or 1920X1080 1080I singnal. samsung has some nice lcd screens i'am planning on getting one for my computer 26" should do just fine.
 
I got a sweet little deal on a 42in Philips from Costco 3 months ago. HD is absolutely unbelievable, especially the aforementioned whale humping. It actually does a pretty good job of upscaling SD signals as well as dvd's. I did notice that DVD's are a little nicer on the tv once I got my Xbox 360 since it has a progressive scan DVD player as opposed to my Aiwa that was not progressive scan. You may want to look into the 360 if you like games because the rumor is that you will be able to buy an external HDDVD drive for it that you plug into the usb ports on the front of the Xbox. The other cool thing is that if you have a windows media center pc and you use it as your DVR then you can stream HD feeds through your home network to the Xbox and use the xbox remote to stop/start rewind and all that jazz. The other nice thing about the 360 is that you can stream your mp3's to it and also listen to your own music while playing games. There is also a cool slide show function to look at pics from your computer as well.

Ok enough about the 360(I am a huge fan if you can't tell) but the only way to watch tv is through a DVR. I currently have Comcast cable and I rent an HD DVR(80 hours SD, 15hours HD) from them for $10 a month, it is an ok one but not as slick as my SD Tivo. They are coming out with a new Panansonic DVR that should be better and they will also offer a Tivo for Comcast in the 3rd quarter of the year. DirecTV has an HD receiver(30 hours HD I think) that you can get for free by signing up for a year but you would have to buy the HD Tivo which is around $400 after some rebates. They also have some in house DVR's that are non Tivo and cheaper but I am not sure if they have an HD one or not. I know DirecTV is also coming out with a new mpeg3 or 4 system that is not compatible with older dishes or something like that so you may want to confirm with them when they will be rolling it out in your area. Dish also offers HD programming and DVRs but I am not that familiar with them.

I am not sure you will really want to watch recorded shows from your VCR on your HD tv, SD signals dont look that great on an HD set anyways and having them recorded would make them even worse. Another option is to get a decent powered HD indoor antenna to get some free local channels in HD or get an external antenna to put on the roof which would be the best but is a hassle to install. Plus I would guess that being in West Des Moines that you are close enough to the television stations to get a good signal(HD signals are a ton stronger than SD ones, I was able to get the HD broadcast on a local channel but not the SD version by just using a pair of rabbit ears). If I remember right you are only 8-10 miles from the WHO station that is downtown(not sure where the other stations are).

Give me shout if you have any more questions on this stuff. www.avsforum.com is also a great resource on all things electionic.
 
if my HDTV has "RF" inputs, I assume I plug my 'cable' into that... would that get HD signals from cable okay or does HD from cable need a separate box? ? Like the discovery channel? ? maybe I'm wasting my money on Cable and should just use the AIR HD?
 
if my HDTV has "RF" inputs, I assume I plug my 'cable' into that... would that get HD signals from cable okay or does HD from cable need a separate box? ?  Like the discovery channel? ?  maybe I'm wasting my money on Cable and should just use the AIR HD?
The RF inputs (the kind with the copper needle on the end that you screw onto the television) are COMPOSITE standard definition - basically the lowest quality input on the TV since the analog video signal is combined with the audio channels. For HD, you will want either HD COMPONENT video output - (separate cables for red, green and blue and audio, + keep in mind that there is also an SD COMPONENT...not all setups will have HD COMPONENT) or the best option, HDMI - an uncompressed, digital HD feed.
 
but if it has HDTV built into it, won't it get HDTV thru the cable on channels that send it? I've heard it might not and I should go buy an HDTV Antenna instead?
 
but if it has HDTV built into it, won't it get HDTV thru the cable on channels that send it?  I've heard it might not and I should go buy an HDTV Antenna instead?
I don't know if they send HD signals down an RF connection or not; nonetheless you wouldn't want to use an HD signal that's been jammed up with a carrier signal and audio anyway - it will still look ok, but nowhere near what a digital HD signal will look like.

Keep the signal flows digital or component to get your $$$ worth!
 
but if it has HDTV built into it, won't it get HDTV thru the cable on channels that send it?  I've heard it might not and I should go buy an HDTV Antenna instead?
High Def is only available thru a componet cable connection (three rca cables, red/blue/green) or a DVI, or a HDMI.

If you want to get free HD tv you need a SET TOP BOX...any t.v. antenna will work but one on the roof will be able to pick up more channels...if your t.v. already has a digital tuner inside then you just need an antenna for over the air broadcasts.

The coaxel cable (the one with the little copper cable sticking out will go from your antenna to the digital tuner (antenna in connection). From there you will connect the digital tuner to the t.v. with either the componet video cables, DVI or HDMI input.

With the DVI connection you will only get the picture and no sound....with the HDMI connection you will get both picture and sound....with the componet connection you will only get a picture. So with DVI or componet you will need to run your sound seperatly with either (left/right RC cables), or (optical, this is best) or coaxial.

I just got the LG HD DVD player and a Samsung 32in LCD.
DVD's look smooth and almost film like.
I connected a set top box for over the air HD and receive about 15 channels all in HD for free.

Hope that helps some anyhow.
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yeah man! greeat info from you all. I really appriciate it being an HD n()()b, I kinda jumped first. I guess I will cancel CABLE since they lied and said I'd get HD over the basic package. Since I rarely watch live TV, antenna will be just fine.

Ozz, does yout HD DVD upscale your regualr DVD's or are you talking about viewing HD DVDs? My current Samsung CLAIMS it upscales to 1080i, and I have the cable to go from DVI to HDMI [minus sound], but I wasn't thrilled with the quality when I took it to the store to demo it.... which DVD player will get me the BEST looking picture on a 50" plasma with HDMI inputs?
 
Yes, it upscales regular DVD's to HD.

I think what your talking about is that your t.v. will up scale ntsc broadcast or standard definition to a higher resolution but it does it by filling in the lines or info. that is missing (called progressive). This is not True HD but still better than it was.

My DVD player is a LG HD player and will play regular DVD's at HD quality. It looks much cleaner and smoother than my progressive DVD player.

Best Buy has the LG for around $150 bones. I think this is the right price due to the fact that bluetooth is coming sometime down the road and that way you would'ent have alot invested if you decied to upgrade later.

I think an LG will give you the results your look'in for with your 50 in. Plasma..
 
Also...most cable boxes are standard broadcast but you can get a HD cable box from your provider as long as offer HD programming...and that's where they get ya, you have to pay extra to receive the HD stuff along with the standard broadcasts.

Basically you can get HD from the correct box provided by your cable company but then you have to pay for the HD programming to on top of your regular definition channels.

A standard coaxial cable feeds the box and you then plug either the component cables, dvi cable, or the HDMI cable to your t.v. set and your watching HD.

I like the set top box best...it's free over the air HD and it looks as good as any HD from direct t.v., dish, or a cable company. Most everywhere broadcast HD along with their regular programming and it's only going to grow into more HD channels as time goes on.
 
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