HDTV.......big screen advice.....HELP!

[Gary Keedwell]

I think both Blu-ray and HD-DVD are going to be in trouble.
As the different providers come out with HD content and fatter broadband pipes there will be less need for discs. I rarely use a DVD anymore. I just rely on my DVR.
My movie viewing has been seriously curtailed since my kids have come on the scene.
I like to read until I pass out from the exhaustion at night.

With the junk coming out of Hollywood, I rarely rent DVD's anymore.

gary

[Karl Laustrup]

I haven't seen any mention that one can get HD broadcasts over the airwaves also.

Our local NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX and PBS all broadcast HD signals that can be picked up with roof antennas.

I don't know if you need a special antenna or what else is involved as we are too far from Madison [50 miles] and have many hills and valleys in the way, to get the signal.

Karl

[David G Baker]

The guy who yesterday convinced us that 1080 and 120 hz was the way to go tried to convince us that HDTV DVD would be going away and Blueray was the way to go. I'll hold off doing anything on that as while Bill is a straight shooter.....he's the same guy who convinced me to buy the most expensive Sony Beta recorder.......4 years later.......well......

Ken,
The Sony Beta format was the better format at the time. Most TV stations switched to the Sony Beta format when they got away from the two person camera crews and started using the camera and recorder as a single unit.
Bill gave you good advice if you were looking for quality but he was wrong when it came to longevity.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

David....Yeah Bill did give me good advice regarding quality. It just made my wife look at me with that "I can't believe he did that!" look when about 4 years later you couldn't rent Beta tapes anymore.

So now she has 2 VHS/DVD stereo recorders....one in the living room and one in the family room. I never use them except to show her how to use them. The only 2 things I ever watch on tape she bought me as gifts "Jeremiah Johnson" and "Animal House" my two favorite movies.

[Michael Gibbons]

Geez, Remember when Phillips came out with the original flat screen? My friend who was really into electronics said it was really cool but not worth $21,000. He said wait a few years and the price will go down. Thank goodness!! I think it is a good idea to go to a place like Best Buy because of the selection of sets they have on at one time. And usually they are playing the same program so you can really get an idea what they look like. I haven't taken the plunge yet, but what I saw made me lean towards a Phillips. Super sharp, items not stretched in any direction and the colors are just right. But it sure is a personal choice. Ken, maybe you should take your wife with you and have her input on what she likes and is willing to spend.

[Greg Peterson]

I believe that effective February 14th, 2009, broadcasters will cease analog transmission of television programming. Existing analog televisions will require a digital/analog converter to display over the airwaves digital broadcasts. The federal government will be issuing two $40 vouchers to each household for purchasing the required converter. I assume cable users will not require the converter.

Local broadcasters in my area are currently broadcasting digital signals. However, a digital signal is not automatically a HD signal. Broadcasters may chose to alot their bandwidth to a HD signal or multiple low definition broadcast channels.

Once my 32" CRT TV dies, I'll wade into the HD waters. Until then, I'll also let the DVD format wars progress until a format becomes dominant.

[Forrest Price]

Ken,
I encourage you to look at his site :
hometheatherspot . com

They can and will answer all of your questions on this subject. A terrific group of people, and even access direct to MFG's.

They helped me greatly several years back when I was researching my big screen options, and what, 5 years or so later, I still love my 57" Hitachi 1080i and have never had an ounce of trouble with it. Sure, it's outdated now, but I'm still happy with it.

Good luck with your decision, I know it's a tough one.

[Dustin Bartlett]

Everything you wanted to know and more about 1080p

http://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_14...07-part-1.html

One thing I haven't seen mentioned in this thread is the difference between what signals a TV will accept and what it's native resolution is. All the new digital TV technologies (LCD, plasma, DLP, LCOS) use fixed pixel displays. This means the displays have a native resolution. This is seperate from what signal formats they will accept (480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p). Just because a set says it will display a 1080P picture doesn't mean you're getting an actual 1080P picture.

A lot of lower cost plasma and lcd flat panel monitors have a native resolution of 1024x768 (with retangular pixels to get the 16:9 aspect ratio) or 1366x768. They'll accept a 1080P signal, but have to downconvert it to the native resolution of the panel before they can display it. Always look for the native resolution of the panel, not just what it will accept for signals.

As for what looks better signal wise, depends a lot on what type of material is being displayed. For sports, 720P will look better than 1080I. When there is very little motion, you won't be able to tell the difference between 1080i and 1080P. With lots of motion you will.

The grey section in the middle of this article is also very good:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...e-10-2000.html

[Rich Stewart]

A friend of mine who recently bought a HDTV told me that the TV's now come with what is known as a QAM (?) tuner. Built into the TV. Makes any kind of converter box from the cable company unneccessary. He claims he bought the cheapest package his cable company offers and get EVERYTHING for about 11 bucks a month. Anybody know anything about this? He says the cable companies are trying to keep it hushed up but they really can't do anything about it.

[Jim Becker]

A friend of mine who recently bought a HDTV told me that the TV's now come with what is known as a QAM (?) tuner. Built into the TV. Makes any kind of converter box from the cable company unnecessary. He claims he bought the cheapest package his cable company offers and get EVERYTHING for about 11 bucks a month. Anybody know anything about this? He says the cable companies are trying to keep it hushed up but they really can't do anything about it.

Your friend is incorrect. A QAM tuner only gives you access to unscrambled local HDTV stations that are physically on the provider's network. Any HD channels that are not sent "in the clear" will be inaccessible with out the provider's converter box or a CableCard if your TV has a slot for them. (Few TVs sport CableCard slots but Tivo Series 3 has them and can often be used as an alternative to the providers DVR offering) CableCards still carry some minimal monthly charge from the provider.

[Christopher Stahl]

Well, I have 2 Sony 60" LCD RP, 1 60" Pioneer Plasma and 2 26" LCDs. One of the Sony's is 60" WS model that I bought in 2004, the other is a 60" XBR that I bought in 2005. While they have great pictures, they have both been replaced twice. In order to get them replaced under the warranty or extended warranty, a tech needs to come out 3 times. As you can see, that is a lot of visits.

I bought 2 26" Westinghouse LCD's early in the summer at Sam's Club that were on sale for $375 each. They are not high end in any way, but they do have a pretty good picture and work great. One sits in our home gym and the other in one of the guest bedrooms.

The 60" XBR has just been moved our bedroom, the 60" WS is in the game room. Hopefully I won't have any more problems with them. (Crossing fingers)

Last week, I purchased, for our living room, a 60" Pioneer Elite Pro-150FD Plasma which is light years ahead of any panel I've seen. The picture is amazing and puts a smile on my face every time I turn it on.

If you're looking for high end, then I would look at Pioneer. Can't beat their picture quality.

For Ken, you just need to take your wife out and let her look at the panels, and see which you both like the best. Their are a lot of good models out there.

Depending on what you purchase, 1080p may not be that big of a deal for you. Technically, you can't tell a difference between 1080p and 1080i beyond 8 feet. If you sit that close, then you may want to have it, otherwise, i wouldn't worry too much about it. To an untrained eye, you may not be able to tell at all.

If you're interested in getting a lot of info about flat panels, take a look at avsforums. You'll find everything you need to know there and plenty of talk about all the flat panels.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I was watching a Sony 46" LCD this last weekend at a relative's house in VA.

He had HD on his cable. The HD was astonishing on that set. The non-HD was a little weaker than my tube Sony 36" Trinatron.

If you get the LCD you gotta get HD. It's a HUGE difference.

[Rich Stewart]

After he told me about that QAM tuner deal i went and turned in all my cable boxes that I thought I had to have. I still get all the stations I used to get but i'm not paying 3 bucks a month on four cable boxes. Also turned in all the remotes that i thought I had to have. Savings per month? $16.00. I do not have HDTV.

[Gary Muto]

We recently bought a Sharper 1080p 46" LCD and really like it. They are down to $1000 now for the lc46d62u? since a newer model came out.
I liked the picture better than the Sony which had just come out with their first generation 1080p at the time.
I also liked the Panasonic Plasma TV's, but our room is really bright, so the LCD technology won out.

[John Bailey]

I bought 2 26" Westinghouse LCD's early in the summer at Sam's Club that were on sale for $375 each. They are not high end in any way, but they do have a pretty good picture and work great. One sits in our home gym and the other in one of the guest bedrooms.

Funny how folks see things differently. A number of times I've gone into the big box electronics stores and looked pictures, purposely not looking at price or brand. Each time, so far, I've picked the Westinghouse over everything else, regardless of price. Since I don't watch TV at all, (haven't been hooked up to an antenae or cable for 7 years) and watch only about 6 movies a year, I figured it was my lack of sophistication on the matter. With your comments about the Westinghouse having a good picture and working great, now I think it must of been my sophistication of appreciating value that was in play.

John