i got a sony hdtv for my birthday, which also was fathers day, and direct tv is coming tomorrow to hook up the hd service. i am curious to see the difference from digital signal to high def with hdmi cables. anyone here already have this set up?
Quote from: frankieG on June 22, 2007, 08:02:15 PM
i got a sony hdtv for my birthday, which also was fathers day, and direct tv is coming tomorrow to hook up the hd service. i am curious to see the difference from digital signal to high def with hdmi cables. anyone here already have this set up?
its gonna look pretty good. unfortunatly, after it gets to you it is compressed so hard so they can fit so many channels into their freq allotment that it isnt nearly as good as it could be.
which sony is it? if it isnt a CRT, standard def will look worse on it. but more and more HD programming is coming every day so itll just get better.
im thinking about buying an hdtv, but i need a CRT, and sony stopped making them. Im going to go check out the samsungs soon.
oh and dont waste your money on those expensive HDMI cables that the stores try to sell you, they make no difference.
The cheapest cable you can find that meets the HDMI spec is just as good as the most expensive one you can find.
Sony.........:dunno_white:
The best difference in high def over standard digital is watching widescreen without stretch distortion. :thumb:
I notice that starting Monday ESPN2 HD will be broadcasting Wimbledon and since I also notice that you bear a resemblence to Jim Courier I thought I'd just mention that. :laugh:
Quote from: jdanna on June 22, 2007, 08:41:47 PM
oh and dont waste your money on those expensive HDMI cables that the stores try to sell you, they make no difference.
The cheapest cable you can find that meets the HDMI spec is just as good as the most expensive one you can find.
I went with HDMI cables from monoprice.com. I actually had the thicker 24 gauge, but it was too stiff and I don't think it was staying plugged in properly, or it was just crap. I didn't get to send it back in time, but I later ordered one of their 28 gauge HDMI cables and I have been very happy with it. And it's like 1/50th of the price of over-hyped monster cables
edit: I use this from my upconverting DVD player to my Westinghouse HDTV... I'm to cheap to order HDTV service, though I did get some through my basic cable for a while and they looked awesome
just to put the overpriced cables in perspective a bit:
a 3.3 foot monster HDMI cable is $100. thats $33/foot, to move HD video, and audio, right?
When we are MAKING the HD programming that you watch, we move fully uncompressed HD and 12 channels of uncompressed digital audio on 75ohm coaxial cable. Its about 50 cents/foot, and we just cut it to length and put a BNC connector on each end. try doing that with HDMI.
HDMI is a conspiracy to sell cable, it isnt neccessary at all. Why the dell does it need like 16 or however many pins it has?
Coax has 1 copper pin and a sheild. thats it.
HDMI computer monitor cables work great :thumb:
its all set up and amazing...direct tv also included the hdmi cable but i had one of my own that was better. now the next decision is HD DVD or Blue-ray
Quote from: frankieG on June 23, 2007, 01:06:34 PM
its all set up and amazing...direct tv also included the hdmi cable but i had one of my own that was better. now the next decision is HD DVD or Blue-ray
i would wait that one out
Or if your a big console gamer just make sure you have a PS3 and a Xbox 360 then you have no worries both formats covered :thumb:
Dude, Wii. I'm not really into video games but that Buddha Loves You is addictive :thumb:
i;m not really a gamer, once in a while i will play C&C the old one or tiberian sun but that is about it. i got stuck with beta in the early 80s because i believed the sony hype about better quality. stupid me. however marketing and web key word tracking shows that HD DVD has just over 66% of positive rating while blue ray is around 37% positive. the greatest complaints about the blue ray is 1. sony "arrogance" 2. Gamers not having the choice with the PS3 3. sonys track record, ie beta and mini disc
Quote from: frankieG on June 23, 2007, 06:28:38 PM
i;m not really a gamer, once in a while i will play C&C the old one or tiberian sun but that is about it. i got stuck with beta in the early 80s because i believed the sony hype about better quality. stupid me. however marketing and web key word tracking shows that HD DVD has just over 66% of positive rating while blue ray is around 37% positive. the greatest complaints about the blue ray is 1. sony "arrogance" 2. Gamers not having the choice with the PS3 3. sonys track record, ie beta and mini disc
beta WAS better quality.
who said it was not?
the people that purchased VHS over Beta did hehe :icon_lol:
We used to have both ... my dad was an old-school technophile hehe
Last year I got a Samsung 1080i. I can't stand watching non-HD channels anymore. Horrible. HD is so much better.
Here is the ultimate set up: 50 inch 1080i, HD, and TiVo/DVR. You won't understand how you lived without TiVo.
I agree on the tivo... its great. I understand the new generation tivo makes uploading programs to video ipod a snap, I'd love to get that.
I'm still playing the waiting game with HDTV, the 46" 1080p Sharp Aquos I've been eyeing has went from $2600 to something like $1890 last time I checked it about 6 months. When I keep seeing prices drop, I'm keeping myself content to wait. I'm also avioding watching big games over at friends houses that have HD, cause I know when I spend any length of time watching it, I won't go back.
Hey Frankie, how much did the switch to HD add to your monthly Directv bill?
i have a 37" hp 1080i and i def. agree with everyones love for the hd channels. the markup on thos hdmi cables is seriously outrageous, I had a rocketfish (sp?) hdmi cable that retailed at best buy for like 89 dollars and then i switched to a monster hdmi cable and I noticed a difference but it was in the 150's retail
the HD is 9.99 a month
Quote from: Jake D on June 25, 2007, 09:19:45 AM
Last year I got a Samsung 1080i. I can't stand watching non-HD channels anymore. Horrible. HD is so much better.
Here is the ultimate set up: 50 inch 1080i, HD, and TiVo/DVR. You won't understand how you lived without TiVo.
Remember, on an LCD or plasma, standard def channels will actually look significantly worse then they did on your old tube tv
Quote from: Nepix on June 25, 2007, 10:38:54 AM
i have a 37" hp 1080i and i def. agree with everyones love for the hd channels. the markup on thos hdmi cables is seriously outrageous, I had a rocketfish (sp?) hdmi cable that retailed at best buy for like 89 dollars and then i switched to a monster hdmi cable and I noticed a difference but it was in the 150's retail
you imagined the difference.
Its a digital signal, you dont loose anything in the cable. the only time the cable will make ANY change in the picture, is if the cable is SO bad that it doesnt meet the minimum specs for HDMI. In that case you will see tons of blocking and digital artifacts.
Sorry, but if your signal isnt breaking up, changing to a "better" cable, will not make any difference whatsoever.
Quote from: jdanna on June 25, 2007, 08:26:27 PM
Quote from: Jake D on June 25, 2007, 09:19:45 AM
Last year I got a Samsung 1080i. I can't stand watching non-HD channels anymore. Horrible. HD is so much better.
Here is the ultimate set up: 50 inch 1080i, HD, and TiVo/DVR. You won't understand how you lived without TiVo.
Remember, on an LCD or plasma, standard def channels will actually look significantly worse then they did on your old tube tv
I'm sure that there is a lot of truth to that. Just reason 143 why you ROCK!!
Also, I bought my TV last fall, 32 days before thanksgiving. Thanksgiving day rolls around and the prices on all the TV's went down like $500 because of the Christmas shopping season. I felt sick.
Quote from: Jake D on June 26, 2007, 10:02:07 AM
Also, I bought my TV last fall, 32 days before thanksgiving. Thanksgiving day rolls around and the prices on all the TV's went down like $500 because of the Christmas shopping season. I felt sick.
Same thing happened to me, well except I bought mine in August so I didn't feel quite as bad
Quote from: jdanna on June 25, 2007, 08:26:27 PM
Quote from: Jake D on June 25, 2007, 09:19:45 AM
Last year I got a Samsung 1080i. I can't stand watching non-HD channels anymore. Horrible. HD is so much better.
Here is the ultimate set up: 50 inch 1080i, HD, and TiVo/DVR. You won't understand how you lived without TiVo.
Remember, on an LCD or plasma, standard def channels will actually look significantly worse then they did on your old tube tv
good point, if you do have an older tv it will be obsolete in 2009 though, when all channels have to be HD
Quote from: frankieG on June 26, 2007, 01:56:41 PM
good point, if you do have an older tv it will be obsolete in 2009 though, when all channels have to be HD
Thats not entirely true. In 2009 all broadcast channels will be digital, not neccessarily HD.
The digital broadcast spec allows for 480i, 720p, and 1080i resolutions. All a station has to do to be compliant is to move to a digital transmitter. all their programming can still be standard def.
You old TV will work fine, you will just need an aftermarket tuner to recieve over the air broadcasts.
Cable probably wont change at all, since the FCC doesnt regulate it. And most cable companies use proprietary networks for their digital service.