Main > Everything Else

i'm FINALLY getting a big screen tv!! i have questions....

<< < (7/17) > >>

boykster:

--- Quote from: hypernova on August 01, 2007, 06:00:36 pm ---I was under the impression that plasma had burn in problems, especially with game systems.  Is that not the case anymore? 

--- End quote ---

nope, not really.  If you're a retard and leave it on the same screen for several days you might see what is known as "image retention", but that can and will be reversed just by normal usage. 

As far as splitter/distribution amps/etc  definately buy an amplified (non-passive) one.  Component video cannot be properly split (ie without some munging of the signal) passively, it CAN be switched passively however as long as it is a mechanical isolating switch.  www.inday.com sells some very nice and reasonably priced options for both splitting and switching of component video.

Re: cables, I like to build my own with canare connectors and belden brilliance cable, but I highly recommened monoprice.com for their line of component video cables, as well as DVI/Hdmi cables.  They are WAY cheaper than anything you'll find locally and are very good quality cables.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10235&style=

I would recommend their "premium" cables (($12.54 for a 6' 3-RCA component) over their standard ones ($4.21 for 6') but frankly either one would work fine.  I DID have one of their non-premium cables fail after about a year, but it was installed on an lcd mounted on an articulating mount and the cable got bent A LOT.

I won't go into the DLP/LCD/Plasma debate...the best tv for you is the one that looks good to you at the price you are comfortable with.  I'm a big fan of plasma, but LCD is good too, as is DLP.  They all have their shortcomings and are not perfect.

Oh, and I hear ya on the 36" wega being a monster.  I used to have a 36XBR400 Wega HDTV...that sucker weighed nearly 300lbs....and as Chad said, VERY front heavy....

 :o

hulkster:
OKAY!  i got my tv home and well....im kinda bummed, but i think its because all my cables are total crap. 

and please dont laugh, but i had no idea there were different types of coax.  i thought my old coax that ive been using for the last umpteen years would just magically give me digital cable into my new tv.  i didnt know there was a digital version of coax.  yeah im retarded...sue me.   :dizzy: 

anyway, i hooked up the tv and the picture is super grainy while watching tv.  granted, i have a tivo and im guessing the picture is going to be like that until i can get an hd tivo.  my current tivo doesnt even have component inputs so im stuck with rca on that.  but will digital coax give me a better picture even if it has to go through the tivo??   can someone list the things i need to get in order to improve my cable picture?

so i also hooked up my xbox 360 hoping for super awesome picture, but nay....i hooked it up using rca cables and it looks like crap.  granted ive been playing my xbox on my 22" widescreen pc monitor for a while now (which looks awesome) so i may be spoiled, but i KNOW it can look better.  so do i need to get the component hookups for my xbox as well??

and i havent even bothered messing with my dvd player because i know it will look just as crappy through the rca cables, so i need component for that.  HOWEVER, i probably will be getting a new dvd player soon enough.  i dont really care all that much about hd-dvd or blu-ray so ill end up getting a upconverting dvd player.  do i run hdmi through that as well?

sorry for the all the questions, but as you can see im clueless!  :dunno

tetsu96:

--- Quote from: hulkster on August 01, 2007, 08:58:13 pm ---OKAY!  i got my tv home and well....im kinda bummed, but i think its because all my cables are total crap. 

and please dont laugh, but i had no idea there were different types of coax.  i thought my old coax that ive been using for the last umpteen years would just magically give me digital cable into my new tv.  i didnt know there was a digital version of coax.  yeah im retarded...sue me.   :dizzy: 

anyway, i hooked up the tv and the picture is super grainy while watching tv.  granted, i have a tivo and im guessing the picture is going to be like that until i can get an hd tivo.  my current tivo doesnt even have component inputs so im stuck with rca on that.  but will digital coax give me a better picture even if it has to go through the tivo??   can someone list the things i need to get in order to improve my cable picture?

so i also hooked up my xbox 360 hoping for super awesome picture, but nay....i hooked it up using rca cables and it looks like crap.  granted ive been playing my xbox on my 22" widescreen pc monitor for a while now (which looks awesome) so i may be spoiled, but i KNOW it can look better.  so do i need to get the component hookups for my xbox as well??

and i havent even bothered messing with my dvd player because i know it will look just as crappy through the rca cables, so i need component for that.  HOWEVER, i probably will be getting a new dvd player soon enough.  i dont really care all that much about hd-dvd or blu-ray so ill end up getting a upconverting dvd player.  do i run hdmi through that as well?

sorry for the all the questions, but as you can see im clueless!  :dunno

--- End quote ---

Digital Coax?  I'm not sure I follow.  I've seen Coax and optical cables used for Dolby Digital, but for the TV input you're using regular Coax most likely.  Figure the rest of your house is using it, how much worse can it be for the TV?

That said, probably the better way to go with with a digital receiver / box.  The lower channels are analog / no difference, but the higher ones typically are digital and the majority of HD will be as well (I can only get 3-5 channels OTA vs ~25 on cable using the digital cable box).  That, along with Component video minimum from the cable box (and DVI prefered) should look pretty darn sharp.  There still may be a grainy channel or 2 bot most will be very sharp.

Interesting side note - DVI looks a lot more grainy than component on my DLP set.  Not exactly sure but my theory is that this 720P set (Sammy HLR) resamples the image for a slightly lower resolution on DVI to compensate for overscan (full computer image would be something like 1096x696 instead of 1280x720 which overscans quite a bit).  YMMV here of course, but try both on the high end to see what looks better in your opinion.

But yeah - ditch composite, ditch RF adapters (anyone still use those?), ditch S-video if possible.  Component video is the minimum for a really sharp picture, and digital in most cases is the way to go.

hulkster:
okay so i did some messing around with my setup, and i have two bottlenecks.

1.) my piece of crap receiver...it has ZERO component inputs.  yep, its all composite...gay!  :banghead:  so whatever i used, i cant put the video through my receiver because its composite only.

2.) my tivo only has composite outputs and is an analog box.  its the not the fancy schmancy new tivo with hd...nope, its an older one.  ive tried digital cable box (comcast) with my tivo before, but the channel changing is all messed up and just doesnt work well together.

so basically what i need to do is to upgrade my receiver to a new one with component and hdmi inputs as well as upgrade my tivo to the new one.  i wont be upgrading the tivo until they lower the price and allow me to transfer my lifetime subscription to the new hd box (which wont happen for a while im guessing).  and i cant upgrade my receiver unless i find a really good deal....and IF i can sell my old sony wega tv.  i would love to sell it for $500 but i doubt i could get that for it  :cry: 

any suggestions for my crappy situation?

Chris G:
Crappy situation?  You just got a brand new, free TV!  Quitcherbellyachin.   ;D

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page

Go to full version