Holy Crap! HDTV comes to the Jinks house!

JINKSTER

I Love my Wife!
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So....the timing and finances couldn't of been worse but as it turns out?....maybe it was a "Bad/Good" that our 6 year old "analog only" TV burned out (i know...life in the dark ages 'round here!
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) as i just swung by the cable company today and picked up our HD Box annnnd....holy shid....it's like being there....football games are like i'm sitting on the 50 yd line and almost got seasick watching humpback whales on DiscoveryHD channel...and get this...i ragged the cable company out 'cause my monthly bill for Highspeed Internet and Basic Cable has been a whopping $118 a month and told'em that i thought that was a bit steep and now adding $8.50 for the HD "Box Rental" and they knocked my entire monthly bill down to $75 a month...for everything...HS Internet, Cable and HD Service...but i wired the box in myself and have a question for the home entertainment guru's here..so here goes...

Whe they gave me the HD Box they also gave me the "Component Cables" to hook it up...however...my new Sony WEGA 34" Widescreen HDTV has what's called an "H.D.M.I. Input" on the back and the HD box does have an HDMI Output....and as i hear it?...the HDMI gives you "Digital Audio" as well as the Digital/HD Video feed...however....the HDMI cables are quite expensive....the "Cheapy" HDMI cables can be had for about $70 and the "Monster" premium HDMI cable is upwards of $100..now here's my question...

Is the HDMI feature that much better than the "Component Cables" that it's worth the cost of the HDMI Cable?....or?..just stick with the freebee component cables that the cable company gave me?

if it makes a noticable dif?..i'd be willing to spring for the HDMI cable but i'd hate to pi$$ away the cash if it doesn't do much better than what i got...and i gotta tell ya...i can't see how "what i got"...could be...."much better"...hence why i'm asking.
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T.I.A. and L8R, Bill.
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(captain @ Jan. 13 2007,13:23) Just use the RCA -  RGB cables and you will be fine...
Thanks Cap...but i gotta ask...are you saying that the HDMI cable/feed ain't that much better than the compnent cable feed?...that it doesn't condone the cost of the HDMI cable?
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As far as I am concerned the only benefits of the HDMI is the audio is included and you only have one cable to run. I get just as good a picture from the RGB as HDMI 1080 Hi def is 1080 either way..
 
(captain @ Jan. 13 2007,13:30) As far as I am concerned the only benefits of the HDMI is the audio is included and you only have one cable to run. I get just as good a picture from the RGB as HDMI 1080 Hi def is 1080 either way..
Cool....thanks Cap...so alls i'm missing is the "digital audio" and that's no biggy eh?...leastways not enough to condone blowing $70+ on a cable?
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(JINKSTER @ Jan. 13 2007,18:35)
(captain @ Jan. 13 2007,13:30) As far as I am concerned the only benefits of the HDMI is the audio is included and you only have one cable to run. I get just as good a picture from the RGB as HDMI 1080 Hi def is 1080 either way..
Cool....thanks Cap...so alls i'm missing is the "digital audio" and that's no biggy eh?...leastways not enough to condone blowing $70+ on a cable?
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I run my audio through my receiver and it doesnt have HDMI inputs like the new receivers so I use RCA... I think you will be fine....
 
(captain @ Jan. 13 2007,13:39)
(JINKSTER @ Jan. 13 2007,18:35)
(captain @ Jan. 13 2007,13:30) As far as I am concerned the only benefits of the HDMI is the audio is included and you only have one cable to run. I get just as good a picture from the RGB as HDMI 1080 Hi def is 1080 either way..
Cool....thanks Cap...so alls i'm missing is the "digital audio" and that's no biggy eh?...leastways not enough to condone blowing $70+ on a cable?
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I run my audio through my receiver and it doesnt have HDMI inputs like the new receivers so I use RCA... I think you will be fine....
Yeah...that's cool Cap and thanks...heck....the 190lb TV has a heck of a sound system in it and my living room is a scant 14'X24' with a tile floor....so?..between the acoustic/echo value of tile floor in a small living room and my old ears?...i'd probably never notice "digital audio"...besides....like i said...the sound of the set itself is killer...so thanks for saving me the denaro Cap...also thanks to NJ helping me out in a time of need.
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L8R, Bill.
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PS....Thanks HB....they're also airing Starz/HBO/CinMax for free this weekend...my youingest is out there digg'in on "Chicken Little"...and man-o-live....it's like 3D Cartoons...never had that when i was a kid!
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the component cables the cable company gave you will be just fine, considering the bandwidth the cable companies are confined to, you wouldn't see an improvement with the HDMI cable. it would clean up the install though.
Also, on a sidenote, some cable companies are not routing the information for the guide though the hdmi cable port. at least this was the case with Cox cable and the scientific atlantic HD DVR boxes that OKC were getting when it first came out. not sure if it has changed yet. the best bet is to call and ask tech support to see if they know.

the next big step will be fiber optic for bandwidth. FIOS from verizon has so many capabilities, they could rock the cable, phone, internet, and heck even dvd rental companies. can you say direct feed rental of a high def movie?! but I digress. sorry about the rambling. I'm a A/V junkie.
 
(Mr. Anderson @ Jan. 13 2007,19:25) the component cables the cable company gave you will be just fine, considering the bandwidth the cable companies are confined to, you wouldn't see an improvement with the HDMI cable. it would clean up the install though.  
Also, on a sidenote, some cable companies are not routing the information for the guide though the hdmi cable port. at least this was the case with Cox cable and the scientific atlantic HD DVR boxes that OKC were getting when it first came out. not sure if it has changed yet. the best bet is to call and ask tech support to see if they know.

the next big step will be fiber optic for bandwidth. FIOS from verizon has so many capabilities, they could rock the cable, phone, internet, and heck even dvd rental companies. can you say direct feed rental of a high def movie?! but I digress. sorry about the rambling. I'm a A/V junkie.
I have HDMI from my Sat Receiver to my Hi Def TV and I use that when I am not going through the receiver, not sure about Cox....

CAp
 
My high def dvd player is hooked up through HDMI, I wouldn't want it any other way. My HD cable box is hooked up with the standard cables from Comcast and they seem fine.


Exactly how did you get your bill lowered? You have Comcast? I also pay $118 a month for internet and cable.
 
Use the HDMI cables. The signal produced is only as good as the type cables used. RCA jacks suck!

Walmart has the best prices on HDMI cables.

If connecting a sound system use optical cable.

runeight....
 
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I want to get my bill lowered. I have a 1080 hi def too and run hdmi cables to dvd player and the picture seemed better. I do not have the hi def dish or box yet. I don't know anything about the stuff so I am not much help. I may try that on satelite co. to see if I can get my bill lowered. I had cable for my internet and bill was high. Phone company made me a deal I could not refuse.
 
(Mr. Anderson @ Jan. 13 2007,17:25) The next big step will be fiber optic for bandwidth. FIOS from verizon has so many capabilities, they could rock the cable, phone, internet, and heck even dvd rental companies. can you say direct feed rental of a high def movie?! but I digress. sorry about the rambling. I'm a A/V junkie.
Verizon will be digging up my yard any day now for the FIOS. They already have the lines painted out in my yard. Hope they don't hit my underground sprinkler system.

Some friends of mine have it and it's capabilities are amazing. I can't wait.

Bye-bye DirecTV, hello FIOS.
 
(Fate @ Jan. 13 2007,15:53)
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 I want to get my bill lowered. I have a 1080 hi def too and run hdmi cables to dvd player and the picture seemed better. I do not have the hi def dish or box yet. I don't know anything about the stuff so I am not much help. I may try that on satelite co. to see if I can get my bill lowered. I had cable for my internet and bill was high. Phone company made me a deal I could not refuse.
Fate ( & others)...ref: how'd i get my bill lowered?...

"Dumb Luck" i guess...and i guess i should also mention that the "bill lowering" is potentially "temporary"....but here's what and how it happened...

When i bought the TV at Bestbuy?...it turns out that Bestbuys "Magnolia Theater" service is hooked up with Adelphia/Comcast and they offered to give me $100 off the TV set if i signed up for Adelphia/Comcast HD service for a year at an additional cost to my existing bill of $8.50 per month ( for the monthly "HD Set-Top-Box Rental" )...so i jumped on that deal...sorta like getting the HD Box Rental free for the first year...and then?..They (adelphia/comcast) were supposed to contact me within 48 hours to set up an appointment to come out and install my HD Box...well...an entire week went by and nobody called...so i called them...and while i calmly explained the situation to the nice lady on the other end?...i also mentioned that i thought the fees for the services rendered (thus far) was a tad steep for what i was recieving and she fully agreed....and then?...she told me she was going to see what she could do for me and put me on hold...and when she came back?...she told me that there wasn't much she could do long term but that she had TWO (2) promo's she could put me on for three months each...one promo was to reduce my cable bill from like $48 too $24 and another promo was to reduce my HS internet from $62 down to $29...and then the $8.50 HD Box rental..meaning...

My Old Bill: 48 (cable) + 62 (HS net) + Taxs = $118

My New Bill: 24 (cable) + 29 (HS net) + 8.50 (hdbox rental) + Taxs = like $72

and it's only good for three months...at which point she recomended that i call them back and see what...if anything else...they can do for me.

I think the "Provider Competition" is starting to heat up....i also think folks are getting sick of paying gargantuan provider service bills...i also think that they may be flexing with the consumers to instill some "consumer loyalty" in light of the serious threat that verizons new coming FIOS presents to the existing cable corps.

JMHO but that's my story on the bill reduction folks and?...

L8R, Bill.
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Fate, i am subscribed to Charter's 3 mb download and when my initial trial period ($19.99 for 6 months) was over they started to raise my bill to $49.99/month...i called them and told them i would be going to AT&T and they lowered it to $29.99/month...worked for me
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