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

[hulkster]

**note - if you dont care about how im getting a tv and would just like to know what my questions are...scroll down to the numbered questions**

ive had my 36" sony wega hand me down from my mom for about 5 years...and the tv itself is probably 10 years old.  it "works just fine" as my wife would tell you, but of course like any good man in his right mind....a biggER screen is a must!  after a year or two of my wife laying down the ol' "whats more important?  a tv?  or clothes, bills, and groceries?" 

yep....lose-lose right there.  cant win that battle.  all you married guys know exactly what im talking about....unless your wife is a consumer electronics nerd.

yeah so anyway, back on topic....i found that electronic express is having their big clearance sale.  one of the tvs they have on sale is the Toshiba 50HM67 DLP tv.  so, 50" DLP tv.  now before you start groaning over bulb tv's and how its such a horrible mistake to get one of these instead of an lcd plasma.....hear me out.  the tv is on sale for $799, which is a good deal no matter who you are.  i did my research on the net and everyone that has one of these seems to like it a lot, and for me, the price is right...why?  because im getting it as a combined birthday/christmas present from my mom!  whoo!  so its "free" technically.  so yeah what i really want is a 50" LCD tv, but ya know what?  i dont have that kind of money and even if i did, my wife wouldnt let me spend it on a tv regardless.  and if i had my choice, id probably pick a $1500 tv instead, but again...its a present and my mom doesnt want to spend over $800, so there you go.

so im picking up the tv today at CC (price match) and i have some newbish questions.  i will be hooking my tv up to my receiver, but ill be using this tv for watching shows (obviously), playing xbox 360 and wii games, and watching dvds.  my questions are:

1)  what cables do i need to get the best picture out of my dvds, xbox 360, and wii games? 

2)  i dont have HD programming yet, so HD isnt a huge factor with me right now so i wont be needing an HD cable right now....but any suggestions on which cable to get in the future?

3) what do i need to do to insure that my purchase lasts as long as possible?  ive heard of configuring certain settings so that the bulb isnt used up as much, and ive heard of cleaning out some kind of filter...but i need help understanding what i need to do. 

thanks in advance for any tips/suggestions you can give me!

[shmokes]

As far as cables go, I'm guessing it'll be component (look like regular RCA cables, but the ends are red, green and blue and they don't  carry audio -- just video).  HDMI is a better video cable, as is DVI, but chances are your DVD doesn't have HDMI or DVI outputs and your TV might not have a DVI input.  Your Xbox 360 doesn't have HDMI or DVI unless you have the new elite version, so it's probably component cables there.  Component cables are good.  They're capable of carrying a high def signal, but even with standard def they give you a noticeably better picture than RCA or S-video cables.  The difference, in fact, is really surprisingly pronounced.  It's not like something that only a videophile nerd could notice.  Not to mention that RCA/S-video cables cannot carry an HD signal.

You'll just need a regular set of component cables for the DVD player, but you'll need a special one for the Xbox, since one end of it will have to have the connector on it that plugs into the back of the Xbox.  If you got the premium version, though, I'm pretty sure it came with component cables.  Don't quote me on that -- I don't own a 360 -- but I think that's the case.  Probably if you got the core system you'll have to buy cables separately, but you won't regret that purchase decision for a second, trust me.

[hulkster]

thanks for the great reply shmokes.

im pretty sure i have component cables for my 360 so that will work.  but i guess i will also need component cables to go from my receiver to my tv...plus component cables going from my multi-console switch i got from gamestop as well....plus component cables going from my dvd player to my receiver. 

k, so thats 3 component cables in all.  what about the audio?  whats the best audio i can do?  ive seen the little digital audio port on my receiver....is that the best?

[ChadTower]

You're not going to get better picture than on that WEGA without going HD.  That's a seriously nice TV.  The only drawback to that thing is the fact that you have to reinforce your floor to put it anywhere.  Love those WEGAs.

[CCM]

My buddy has a 36" WEGA and I've had to help him move twice, that damn thing is heavy!!

[ChadTower]

Front heavy, too, which means if you aren't careful it will flop over and shatter.  I wonder if that thing is heavier than a Dynamo cab.  Might be.

Which AV selector did you get?  There is one at Gamestop that is a great bargain at the $80 price point... pretty much anything else to do that job with that many inputs and types starts at double the price.

[hulkster]

yeah ive moved it myself actually but not very far.  my arms are long enough to reach around the back of the tv where the handles are, but the thing weighs about 5000 lbs.  i can move it from my ent. center to my couch but im dead after that.  

i just looked up the weight of the sony 36" wega.....238 lbs!  geez!

but then i looked up the weight of my new toshiba tv that ill be moving in.....only 63 lbs!  holy crap!

ive been calling all my friends to get some help moving the new tv in, but no one is going to be able to help me today so i was thinking i was going to have to do it myself.  but if its only 63 lbs, compared to my 238lb sony wega....this thing will be like moving pillows!

[hulkster]

Front heavy, too, which means if you aren't careful it will flop over and shatter.  I wonder if that thing is heavier than a Dynamo cab.  Might be.

Which AV selector did you get?  There is one at Gamestop that is a great bargain at the $80 price point... pretty much anything else to do that job with that many inputs and types starts at double the price.

http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=801888

thats the one i have.  its only $20, but its got component inputs on the back. 

[ChadTower]

Is that powered or passive?  That will make a difference, the cheap ones are passive and they do degrade the picture somewhat.  Not obvious on a small TV but you may notice it at 50".

Hrm... I can't find the bigger one on their website.  I wonder if they discontinued it.

[hulkster]

Is that powered or passive?  That will make a difference, the cheap ones are passive and they do degrade the picture somewhat.  Not obvious on a small TV but you may notice it at 50".

Hrm... I can't find the bigger one on their website.  I wonder if they discontinued it.

passive.  im not a videophile though so im not going to be looking for little lines or scrambly looking stuff like most would.  if i can play my 360 on an off brand $80 19" tv in my bedroom and only notice thats its a "small picture" then im sure i wont notice anything here. 

[shmokes]

Either digital audio is fine, whether you go coax or optical.  You won't notice a difference between them.  The coax cable just looks like a single RCA cable.  In fact, you can actually just use an RCA cable rather than getting an actual digital audio cable, though the sound will supposedly be compromised.  Never tested it myself.  I would just see how many devices you have that support digital audio, and then see how many digital audio inputs you have on your receiver.  If you have, for example, two optical inputs and two coax inputs, use whatever your devices support.  If your DVD player has a coax digital audio output, use it, and that frees up an optical for another device.

[ChadTower]

If he needs to use the gamestop selector I'm guessing his receiver can't do video switching, and that would make it likely that it doesn't have very many digital audio inputs as well.

[hulkster]

If he needs to use the gamestop selector I'm guessing his receiver can't do video switching, and that would make it likely that it doesn't have very many digital audio inputs as well.

well i can go from video 1 to video 2 on my receiver but thats about it.  i have my tivo set to video 2, and my game systems set to video 1....er rather i have my game selector to video 1.  that way i can keep everything plugged into the receiver, and all i have to do is flick a switch. 

do the newer receivers have like video 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. to allow for multiple game systems???

[ChadTower]

Yep.  Mine has a bunch of source inputs.  Not necessarily newer receivers but more expensive ones do.

[shardian]

Either digital audio is fine, whether you go coax or optical.  You won't notice a difference between them.  The coax cable just looks like a single RCA cable.  In fact, you can actually just use an RCA cable rather than getting an actual digital audio cable, though the sound will supposedly be compromised.  Never tested it myself.  I would just see how many devices you have that support digital audio, and then see how many digital audio inputs you have on your receiver.  If you have, for example, two optical inputs and two coax inputs, use whatever your devices support.  If your DVD player has a coax digital audio output, use it, and that frees up an optical for another device.

You can't just use a regular rca cable on digital coax - I tried to skimp this way too. The receiver didn't recognize the connection. I used digital coax for a few years, then decided to try out the optical since I had bought a dvd player that supported it. I can tell you I heard no difference whatsoever. If I even had to venture a guess, I would say the digital coax might have sounded better.

[hulkster]

yeah see im not an audiophile either, so i probably wouldnt notice much of a difference either.  i thought about trying to buy everything i needed at CC tonight but i think ill hold off until i get my tv hooked up, and then see what i just cant live without.  thanks for the tips guys.

[ChadTower]

Don't buy cables at CC.  They're like 500% markup.  Buy them online and you'll get much better cables at a fraction of the price.  CC's whole model is to sell the electronics at a low margin and push ridiculously high priced "accessories" to go with them.

[hulkster]

Don't buy cables at CC.  They're like 500% markup.  Buy them online and you'll get much better cables at a fraction of the price.  CC's whole model is to sell the electronics at a low margin and push ridiculously high priced "accessories" to go with them.

ah, i see.  care to suggest a place with said "fraction of the cost"?

[ChadTower]

I usually google around until I find a web vendor with a price I like. 

[hulkster]

I usually google around until I find a web vendor with a price I like. 

what is this "google" that you speak of??

KIDDING!  JUST KIDDING!  i guess i could have googled, but i didnt cuz im lazy 

[mr.Curmudgeon]

My buddy has a 36" WEGA and I've had to help him move twice, that damn thing is heavy!!

I had one of those TV's for about 7-8 years. I moved it 4 times. Twice up three flights of stairs. I LOVED the TV, but loathed moving it.
Before we moved into our new house, I absolutely refused to move the thing, and went about trying to sell it on Craigs, etc. With the stipulation that BUYER MUST MOVE. No takers.

On moving day, I fretted about what I was going to do with that thing. I didn't think my back could handle another 238lb carry down three flights of stairs.

...until, at the very end of the day, one of the guys helping me move, offered me $500 for it. I told him, good luck getting it downstairs. (Then he offered me $50 to help him move it)...and even though I was panicked about carrying it...we got it into his jeep and he drove away happy.

Then that $550 went right into a savings account called "NEW FLATSCREEN PLASMA TELEVISION". 
I'm halfway there!

[Chris G]

Then that $550 went right into a savings account called "NEW FLATSCREEN PLASMA TELEVISION". 
I'm halfway there!

With plasma prices dropping so quickly, you'll probably be able to get twice the TV by the time you're done saving.

[shardian]

Don't buy cables at CC.  They're like 500% markup.  Buy them online and you'll get much better cables at a fraction of the price.  CC's whole model is to sell the electronics at a low margin and push ridiculously high priced "accessories" to go with them.

ah, i see.  care to suggest a place with said "fraction of the cost"?

www.firefold.com

They rule for cables.

EDIT: You are in luck, their price melt today is a 6' digital coax for $5.75. How's that for ya?

[ChadTower]

Here is the listing for digital coaxial cables at Circuit City, most of them as less as half the length, starting at $25 and ending at $70 (!).

[shardian]

A few years ago I paid ~$15 for a 3' coax at K-Mart.

[AtomSmasher]

I usually buy my cables from www.partsexpress.com , although it looks like its $8.80 for a 6' digital coax, so shardian's link would be cheaper in this instance.

[HaRuMaN]

Either digital audio is fine, whether you go coax or optical.  You won't notice a difference between them.  The coax cable just looks like a single RCA cable.  In fact, you can actually just use an RCA cable rather than getting an actual digital audio cable, though the sound will supposedly be compromised.  Never tested it myself.  I would just see how many devices you have that support digital audio, and then see how many digital audio inputs you have on your receiver.  If you have, for example, two optical inputs and two coax inputs, use whatever your devices support.  If your DVD player has a coax digital audio output, use it, and that frees up an optical for another device.

You can't just use a regular rca cable on digital coax - I tried to skimp this way too. The receiver didn't recognize the connection. I used digital coax for a few years, then decided to try out the optical since I had bought a dvd player that supported it. I can tell you I heard no difference whatsoever. If I even had to venture a guess, I would say the digital coax might have sounded better.

Um, yes you can.  This is how mine is currently hooked up, and I get Dolby 5.1 through it as well as DTS.

[Green Giant]

Best place for everything you need is http://www.monoprice.com/home/

They even carry a 6' wii component cable for $6.40.

Monster Cable quality at 1/1000th the price.

[hypernova]

I was under the impression that plasma had burn in problems, especially with game systems.  Is that not the case anymore? 

[FrizzleFried]

For me,  I like DLP over LCD or plasma...but if you absolutely need a thin unit (to hang on a wall or something),  i'd go LCD over plasma any day.

[boykster]

I was under the impression that plasma had burn in problems, especially with game systems.  Is that not the case anymore? 

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....

 

[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.    

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! 

[tetsu96]

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.    

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! 

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!    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   

any suggestions for my crappy situation?

[Chris G]

Crappy situation?  You just got a brand new, free TV!  Quitcherbellyachin.   

[SteveJ34]

I know your pain....

I have a 42" Toshiba DLP received as wife/kids gift to Dad at Christmas. I was asked my preference and chose DLP over LCD.

Upon receipt, picture was okay but it sent me upgrading to HDMI and new receiver capable of putting out same with HDMI cable.

[hulkster]

yeah so i messed with it some more last night.  my 360 looked like total crap before when plugging it via composite into my receiver.  i mean...unplayable crap.  as in, 20x worse than on a regular tv.  and since my receiver sucks and doesnt have component inputs, i just plugged the audio into my receiver and the component into the back of my tv and....

BOOYAH!  oh man the picture looks freakin awesome for the 360.  its so clean!  and once i changed the setting on my 360 to 720p, it REALLY looked great.  so that got me more excited and satisifed with my purchase.  it really is the cabling and my receiver thats screwing things up. 

so back to my general tv watching.  since it sucked so bad going through my tivo, i decided to see what it looked like with just the coax going straight into the tv.  it looks GREAT!  theres even the abc HD channel that i watched which looked super great...yeah thats a word...er...phrase.  so i need a few things:

1.) new receiver with component inputs and hdmi
2.) new hd tivo so i can get digital broadcasts and hd
3.) new dvd player with component/upconverting

i plan on spending around $300-400 max for a receiver.   im not looking for the best ever, just something that will look/sound decent.  any suggestions in that price range?

[Green Giant]

1.) new receiver with component inputs and hdmi
2.) new hd tivo so i can get digital broadcasts and hd
3.) new dvd player with component/upconverting

i plan on spending around $300-400 max for a receiver.   im not looking for the best ever, just something that will look/sound decent.  any suggestions in that price range?

What exactly do you mean by reciever?  Are you a satellite man?  Does that mean you would have to by a new sat. box that has hd? 

Just wondering cause when I got my plasma, looks great by the way with not burnin even possible thanks to pixel shifting, I called cable guys and had them bring out a new HD box at no extra cost.

As for the upconverting dvd player, keep your eyes open on woot.  I think I got mine with the recording function for $89.  You should also get a new component cable for your wii, buy it at monoprice.  Without some sort of higher def picture, anything stretched to 50" will look like crap.

[ChadTower]

He means the AV receiver... and it sounds like his is either really old or really low end (or both).  Don't bother using it to switch the video since you can't do HD over the RCA connections anyway.

If he wants to do upconverting, don't get an upconverting DVD player, get an Xbox with XBMC.  Does a fantastic job, cheaper, and with far more functionality.

[shardian]

Um, yes you can.  This is how mine is currently hooked up, and I get Dolby 5.1 through it as well as DTS.

hmmm, after I thought about this one for a while, I think I remember what happened. I set up everything with a rca cable and nothing happened. I went and bought a digital coax and nothing happened. Finally, I realized I also had to go into the dvd menu and set it to digital out. My bad, so yes it should work but you'll have some signal degredation on loner rca cables.

[ChadTower]

Coax is really just a term for a type of cable construction... it's not specifically related to the connectors on either end.  That's why you have multiple types of premade "coaxial" cables.

I suspect when we say "digital coax" (which is the same in terms of construction as a traditional RCA/composite), he's thinking a cable with RG6 connectors, as in what would come in from the cable provider.

[CCM]

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


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.


any suggestions for my crappy situation?

Do you still have Comcast cable?  Why not ditch the tivo and get the HD-DVR box from Comcast.  It would give you all the connections you need, give you the Concast HD channels, and the DVR functions close to a tivo.  I know the DVR isn't quite as fancy as an actual tivo, but with the comcast dvr you would only need 1 box to get everyting.

[ChadTower]

Why not ditch the tivo and get the HD-DVR box from Comcast.

Please, everyone, he must not understand the implications of what he said.  Don't hurt him.

Back away from the man's Tivo.

[CCM]

Well, I'm completely satisfied with the DVR functionality, does everything I need, but to each their own. 

It sounds like hulkster will need to replace his current tivo, and it seems like hulkster doesn't really understand all of this stuff completely, so it would be a much more simple solution for him to have 1 box that does everything...

[hulkster]

well first of all, id like to point out that im not completely ignorant, just mildly ignorant, but im catching on fast!  whoo!   

anyway, the reason i dont just ditch the tivo is because i have a lifetime subscription.  as in, when i got married, my wife and i bought a tivo ($100) and the lifetime service ($300)...that was our present to each other basically.  that was 3 years ago.  i have a series2 tivo with a lifetime subscription.  tivo is awesome and does lots more than the any dvr that the cable companies put out.  HOWEVER, its not as awesome anymore because as of like 2 years ago, they did away with the liftetime subscription and now charge a monthly fee...which is gay because you can get a cheaper (sometimes free) dvr from comcast now.  so tivo is not worth it now, but it was when i got it.

so all that to say, the tivo STAYS!     ive already paid for it, and its awesome, so it stays.  so yeah, back off my tivo!

my main problem here is my AV receiver.  yes its old, and yes its low end.  i bought it about 5 years ago.  it was a home theater in a box deal, and yes i know thats a big no-no and im supposed to know better, but that was all i could afford at the time.  its served me well up until now.  among other problems, im now seeing the drawback as it has no component inputs or anything which sucks...now...it didnt suck before i had an hdtv though....it just sucks now.  hence the need for another one. 

i do have some questions about the upconverting dvd player though.  my current dvd player is crap, and doesnt have component out.  again, its been fine up until now.  so im in the market for another dvd player.  i have plenty of dvds, but have ZERO desire to get hd-dvd or blu-ray so dont even mention that.  so i was guessing my next best thing would be an upconverting dvd player.  am i right?  ive seen some that are under $100 and that sounds good to me.  some of them have hdmi "passthrough"...i know thats probably sounding better than what it actually is just to get the consumer to buy it thinking its "hd" when really its not.  however, will that be good enough for my needs?  i have all regular dvds, and i want them to look good on my new tv.  so will an upconverting tv be good enough for me? 

again, a lot of this will depend on the cables i get to fully take advantage of all this, but im still in need of some advice. 

[ChadTower]

The next best thing is a modded Xbox with XBMC.  Look into that. 

[divemaster127]

The Toshiba SD4000 & SD5000 are both very good upconvert dvd players, they go to 1080i. 
dm

[hulkster]

The next best thing is a modded Xbox with XBMC.  Look into that. 

well i guess i could play my dvds on my 360, but that thing is so loud, id have to pump the volume up just to hear it!  not to mention that it scratches my game discs!  no way id put anything other than games into my xbox.  i know i could buy movies or whatever over xblm but...um....meh....i dont want to do that!  ha.  thats stubborn i know, but i just like the dvds, and the cases and stuff.  dumb?  yeah probably.  but oh well.

The Toshiba SD4000 & SD5000 are both very good upconvert dvd players, they go to 1080i. 
dm

my tv is 720p so the the 1080i does me no good.

[ChadTower]

well i guess i could play my dvds on my 360

I didn't say 360.  First Xbox.  Xbox Media Center.  Look it up if you aren't aware.  It's as good as Tivo.  I run both.

[hulkster]

well i guess i could play my dvds on my 360

I didn't say 360.  First Xbox.  Xbox Media Center.  Look it up if you aren't aware.  It's as good as Tivo.  I run both.

if i told my wife i wanted to buy a modded xbox she would chop my head off.  no more spending for a while for me. 

btw, the money for the receiver is another story.  ive got like $300 store credit at Staples (long story, dont ask) and i was going to buy something expensive, and then take it circuit city or walmart for store credit....then buy the receiver.

[divemaster127]

Those dvd's have three settings
480
720p
1080i
If possible use a good quality HDMI, it does make a difference, the RCA are good & around $20.00
dm

[boykster]

I don't follow AV receivers all that closely, but if you're going to use an AVR as your "central control" unit, look for one that switched HDMI, component, and composite video, that way you can accomodate all of your existing inputs.  Also, if budget allows, look for one that does up/cross conversion to minimize the number of connections TO your tv from your receiver.  Most receivers now will upconvert composite and svideo to component (not a great "up" conversion, but allow you to use component for transmission), and some even now will convert everything to HDMI.

I don't know too much about upconverting dvd players, as I use HTPC's for my dvd viewing pleasure.  Somebody mentioned a couple of toshiba units, from what I've read, thats a really good choice.  Otherwise, if budget is an issue, even an el cheapo dvd player with component video will blow away an old one with only composite / svideo output....

[ChadTower]

Given what he's talking for his budget he's not going to get anywhere near that type of receiver.  He'll be two tiers below it at least.

[hulkster]

I don't follow AV receivers all that closely, but if you're going to use an AVR as your "central control" unit, look for one that switched HDMI, component, and composite video, that way you can accomodate all of your existing inputs.  Also, if budget allows, look for one that does up/cross conversion to minimize the number of connections TO your tv from your receiver.  Most receivers now will upconvert composite and svideo to component (not a great "up" conversion, but allow you to use component for transmission), and some even now will convert everything to HDMI.

I don't know too much about upconverting dvd players, as I use HTPC's for my dvd viewing pleasure.  Somebody mentioned a couple of toshiba units, from what I've read, thats a really good choice.  Otherwise, if budget is an issue, even an el cheapo dvd player with component video will blow away an old one with only composite / svideo output....

well the receivers ive seen in my price range ($300-400) are decent enough for me....and have all the connections i need.  ill probably get a sub-$100 dvd player with component out and a $300 or so receiver that allows for component connections as well.  that will get me by until i can afford something better down the road. 

this receiver looks nice http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers/onkyo-tx-sr605-av/4505-6466_7-32430579.html?ar=o&tag=pdtl-list

[ChadTower]

Better:

http://www.harmanaudio.com/search_browse/default.asp?sp=S&cat=REC&market=HOM

Excellent receivers, will do all you want, much less expensive.  I run one of theirs and love it.

Boykster, what about that panny you said you just switched to?  Wasn't that a "lower end" model that was outperforming even many high end models?

[CCM]

I have this one, it's a great receiver for the price!!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=530504

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-SA-XR55S-Theater-Receiver-Silver/dp/B0009E1YPW

[ChadTower]

I think that's the one I was just asking boykster about.

[boykster]

Yep, that's the one I have, but I don't think it does HDMI switching or upconversion of composite/svid to component.  I may be wrong however, as i only use the AVR as a digital processor/amp section, I don't even switch audio with it.  I have outboard video and audio switching gear that handles all of that.

Sonically, that is a KICKASS receiver...the rest of the features?  dunno..don't use em 

One place I ALWAYS look, but almost never buy, is Crutchfield's website.  They have TONS of info on the models they sell, and can be a great resource for making your decision.  their prices tend to be high, so I then go buy stuff elsewhere 

[boykster]

this receiver looks nice http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers/onkyo-tx-sr605-av/4505-6466_7-32430579.html?ar=o&tag=pdtl-list

That covers the features I mentioned...HDMI switching, outputting analog sources (although it cross-converts 1080i to 720p - that's easy just set your xbox360 to 720p, I find 720p looks better anyway, esp for video games and sports) via HDMI, etc.  2 HDMi inputs, 3 component inputs, 5 svideo, coax, etc....looks decent.

Better:

http://www.harmanaudio.com/search_browse/default.asp?sp=S&cat=REC&market=HOM

while I agree the HK is probably a "better" receiver from an audio standpoint, the Onkyo is going to be more of a jack of all trades, handling the video side as well as the audio.  HDMI switching and cross converting is a great selling point when considering integrating "legacy" analog video with a new digital display.

[shmokes]

Check out Yamaha receivers.  They have a long history of excellent sounding receivers with far more features than any receiver in that price range has any business having.  My receiver is only about a year old or so, and is awesome, so I haven't shopped around in a while so I can't be much help with specifics, other than to say, avoid Harmon Kardon.  HK is a company that makes receivers for audio/videophiles with loads of money.  You will get a receiver with more capabilities, more inputs, etc., for a lot less scratch with another company.  HK makes great stuff, but it's not for a regular joe on a budget who isn't going to appreciate the difference in sound quality that they bring to the table anyway.

BTW, you know that Tivo just came out with a new $300 version of the series 3 that does HD, right?  It's just brand new -- as in just barely hit the shelves or maybe isn't even there yet, but is about to be.  I suspect that you cannot transfer your lifetime subscription thing over, though.  Shame.  It does cablecard, though, which is cool as it means that you just get a cablecard from Comcast and the Tivo box becomes your cable box.  No more IR blaster or any of that.  No more cable box, in fact.  And, while it ain't it's older brother, it's also not $600.

FWIW, my receiver, the Pioneer VSX-1015TX is brilliant, and THX certified, so it's clearly going to sound great.  It upconverts all lesser signals to component, so I only have to have the one cable going to my TV.  It doesn't do HDMI switching, though.  No HDMI inputs.  Since I bought mine, though, they came out with the 1016TX and it does HDMI switching.  It won't upconvert other things to HDMI, so you'd probably want to run component cables to your TV, too, but it will switch, and it can be had for under $400 shipped.  Great price for a THX certified receiver with all the features it has.  I can't vouch for the quality of the 1016, but if the 1015 is any indication it is a fantastic receiver for the price.  One sad thing is that they ditched the beautiful, classy look of the 1015 and went for buttons all over the place on the 1016.  Here are some links:

1015TX

1016TX

By the way, you sound like a dork when you refer to things as being gay when they aren't good.

[boykster]

stylistically between the 1015 and 1016 didn't they really just leave off the hinged door on teh front?  Either way, i agree, the older one looks better.

I keep all my gear behind closed doors though, so I don't really care much what it looks like.
 

[AtomSmasher]

Check out Yamaha receivers.  They have a long history of excellent sounding receivers with far more features than any receiver in that price range has any business having.  My receiver is only about a year old or so, and is awesome, so I haven't shopped around in a while so I can't be much help with specifics,

I'm also a fan of Yamaha receivers, I got one over a year ago and I'm still extremely happy with it.

I offer no help with the tivo's though, I still use an old directv tivo, which I will probably use for many more years simply because it gets free cable.  Don't ask me how, but somewhere along the way after I bought it, it was given free access to all of the channels.  I do still pay for directv for the tv's in the other rooms, but I don't pay for hbo, showtime, etc, which I get for free on the tivo.  I originally set it up with at&t home entertainment, who were a bunch of idiots and is probably why I get tv for free.  One thing I wonder is where do the bills for pay per view go     

[hulkster]

Check out Yamaha receivers.  They have a long history of excellent sounding receivers with far more features than any receiver in that price range has any business having.  My receiver is only about a year old or so, and is awesome, so I haven't shopped around in a while so I can't be much help with specifics, other than to say, avoid Harmon Kardon.  HK is a company that makes receivers for audio/videophiles with loads of money.  You will get a receiver with more capabilities, more inputs, etc., for a lot less scratch with another company.  HK makes great stuff, but it's not for a regular joe on a budget who isn't going to appreciate the difference in sound quality that they bring to the table anyway.

BTW, you know that Tivo just came out with a new $300 version of the series 3 that does HD, right?  It's just brand new -- as in just barely hit the shelves or maybe isn't even there yet, but is about to be.  I suspect that you cannot transfer your lifetime subscription thing over, though.  Shame.  It does cablecard, though, which is cool as it means that you just get a cablecard from Comcast and the Tivo box becomes your cable box.  No more IR blaster or any of that.  No more cable box, in fact.  And, while it ain't it's older brother, it's also not $600.

FWIW, my receiver, the Pioneer VSX-1015TX is brilliant, and THX certified, so it's clearly going to sound great.  It upconverts all lesser signals to component, so I only have to have the one cable going to my TV.  It doesn't do HDMI switching, though.  No HDMI inputs.  Since I bought mine, though, they came out with the 1016TX and it does HDMI switching.  It won't upconvert other things to HDMI, so you'd probably want to run component cables to your TV, too, but it will switch, and it can be had for under $400 shipped.  Great price for a THX certified receiver with all the features it has.  I can't vouch for the quality of the 1016, but if the 1015 is any indication it is a fantastic receiver for the price.  One sad thing is that they ditched the beautiful, classy look of the 1015 and went for buttons all over the place on the 1016.  Here are some links:

1015TX

1016TX

By the way, you sound like a dork when you refer to things as being gay when they aren't good.

yeah i know tivo just came out with the new model.  i plan on getting that....when they offer lifetime subscription transfers.  and while most cust. service reps will tell you its not possible or that they dont offer it.....on the tivo community forums, there are several accounts where people have been persistent enough and gotten it transferred for a price. 

in fact, i know its possible....because i had my hard drive on my tivo crash actually last year.  i called tivo and i had to buy a new box for $150 but "somehow" my lifetime subscription magically transferred to a new box.     so i know its possible, tivo just doesnt make any money from us lifetimers so they are trying to get people off of it.  however, if you tell them direct tv or comcast is offering a free dvr....they supposedly budge after that.  so ill wait till around christmas, and they will probably drop the price of the new hd tivo, and maybe offer some kind of deal for the lifetimers to switch. 

as for the receivers...i want the hdmi inputs on the receiver that i buy, so anything without is a no go.  ill just keep looking around till i see a good buy.

[ChadTower]

Modding a Tivo to think you have a lifetime sub is a 5 minute operation anyway.  I did that a long time ago on mine.  I still pay the fee but I didn't want to bother with the phone line requirement (DirecTivos pull their data off the sat feed).

[shmokes]

as for the receivers...i want the hdmi inputs on the receiver that i buy, so anything without is a no go.  ill just keep looking around till i see a good buy.

Look closer . . . the 1016 has HDMI inputs.

[boykster]

as for the receivers...i want the hdmi inputs on the receiver that i buy, so anything without is a no go.  ill just keep looking around till i see a good buy.

Look closer . . . the 1016 has HDMI inputs.

but it doesn't cross convert other sources so you can hook ONLY HDMI up to your tv...that's very convenient if you can swing it.

[shmokes]

Agreed.  That's what I'm doing now, except with component cos neither my TV nor my receiver have HDMI.  But, can you get a receiver that will convert everything to HDMI under $400?  For all I know, you can.  I haven't shopped for receivers in a long time.

[boykster]

Agreed.  That's what I'm doing now, except with component cos neither my TV nor my receiver have HDMI.  But, can you get a receiver that will convert everything to HDMI under $400?  For all I know, you can.  I haven't shopped for receivers in a long time.

That onkyo he posted a few posts up does, but its right at +/- $400, and I have no idea how it is sonically.  I'd be that the HK that chad posted, and the Pio's you posted, as well as many yamaha's will "sound" better than the onkyo, but it's a total package now when shopping for AVR's

I also use component video for everything because I have a 12x8 component video matrix switch I use to distribute sources throughout my house.  That beast doesnt yet exist for HDMI, and not all my set support HDMI.

[ChadTower]

I don't think the HK does a ton of cross converting as mentioned above... at least I don't think so, I don't use mine for that.  If it does I never noticed and should look into it.

[hyiu]

hey... seems like your problem is just managing the video....

how about this ??
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10112&cs_id=1011201&p_id=3027&seq=1&format=2&style=

this is a componment video switcher...
for like $30+....

you can have 4 video feed to your tv (with remote...)

and you can still use your old receiver for audio switching if you really want to...

that seems to be the cheapy way to enjoy right now....

I am doing a similar thing...
instead of a componment switch, I'm using a HDMI switch....
and a separate audio switch....
(only spending like $100+...)
so, no need to upgrade my 10 yr old receiver....

hope it helps....

[boykster]

as much as I dig monoprice.com, I wouldn't trust my component video switching to that box.  component video, especially HD requires very high bandwidth to not introduce any artifacts or video degradation. 

I would recommend a 4x1 switch from Inday

http://www.inday.com/rgb4x/rgb4x.htm

excellent product, good, but not bargain price.  good quality cables CAN be inexpensively built, switches cannot.

 

[ChadTower]

He's working off a 3 figure price range for the whole setup.  Stuff like that just isn't in the region he's sitting in.  The TV is "free" and he's using his existing receiver with a $20 component switcher... that should all still be a substantial improvement over what he has said he had.

[boykster]

He's working off a 3 figure price range for the whole setup.  Stuff like that just isn't in the region he's sitting in.  The TV is "free" and he's using his existing receiver with a $20 component switcher... that should all still be a substantial improvement over what he has said he had.

sure, but a $120 component video switch is cheaper than a $400 AVR (like the onkyo he posted).  I'm just saying I wouldn't trust my video with a $30 component video switch, unless I knew I could return it no questions asked. 

It's not like I suggested he go out and buy a $4000 Extron matrix distribution switch.....

[ChadTower]

You may as well have, though, since he already has the functionality in his passive switcher.  It's not ideal but it does the job in his price range.

[boykster]

I'm still thinking his best investment would be that Onkyo TX-SR605 AVR.  Lots of inputs, switches HDMI, crossconverts to HDMI, etc.  It even just squeaks into his $300-400 budget (at $399) and will take care of his major issues.

[ChadTower]

Depends on the speakers... I'm thinking if you take the speakers that likely went with that original receiver and plug the Onkyo into them you're going to get shredded paper cones in short order.

[hulkster]

hey guys.  thanks for all the good advice and stuff.  just a little update....i had about $140 of store credit to spend and instead of saving it to buy a receiver later on down the road, i bought an upconverting dvd player instead.  my old dvd player (6 disc changer that came with the HTIB) was about the size of my receiver and just plain sucked. 

so the new dvd player is super thin and is so much better than the old one.  i got it for $99 and i also bought the movie 300 along with some component cables.  all in all, not too bad. 

HOWEVER, i got it home, hooked it up (audio through receiver, video through tv since my receiver doesnt have comp. inputs) and started watching 300....and then i noticed the problem.  no surround sound!  so i thought to myself "no big deal, i just need to change the listen mode/sound modes on my receiver like usual".  yeah see....thats where the problem lies....as the LCD screen on the front of the receiver has completely gone out.  so basically i cant tell what im switching to, or what settings its got.  ive tried to push a few buttons to see if i can get it to produce surround sound but no dice.

so basically my only hope of getting a new receiver (as my wife wont let me spend any money on entertainment stuff right now...tv was free, dvd was store credit) is to sell my old 36" sony wega.  i dont even know how much i could get for it, but i know that i cant use it myself, so i need to sell it.  if i can get my receiver replaced, i should be good to go. 

[ChadTower]

Keep in mind that when upgrading the receiver you will probably expose your speakers if you don't outright blow them.   Those HTIB speakers are not going to stand up to an HK or Onkyo for very long and I'm assuming you have a passive sub which will also get beat around by the receiver. 

[NightGod]

I'm a bit confused why you keep running all these cables to your receiver. You should run everything to the TV and then run the TV's audio out to the receiver. If nothing else, it will tidy up a big chunk of the cable mess you very likely have going on. I've been running my system like that for the couple of months I've had my new TV and receiver (which I got for about $120 at Wal-Mart, I love when they swap out their display models, cut the price almost in half) and it works awesome.

[shmokes]

Please forget everything NightGod just said.  The only reason thing you should ever be using your TV's audio out for is if your TV has an internal tuner and you want to use your sound system rather than the TV's built-in speakers.

As for your current problem, keep in mind that you need to change the settings on your new DVD player to OUTPUT the correct signal.  If the receiver is only getting a stereo signal from the DVD player it certainly can't magically turn that into 5.1.  I'm not talking about choosing surround sound in a particular DVD's menu, but in the setup menu for the player itself.  If your old DVD player was giving you surround sound while plugged into the receiver the new DVD player will too, i.e., you don't need to change any settings on the receiver - just plug the new player in the same way the old player is plugged in and you're good to go on the receiver.  Your problem is in the new DVD players settings menu, I'm sure of it.

[NightGod]

Typical audiophile answer-as I said, I've been using it that way for months (after trying running the audio directly to the surround sound system, neither I nor my friends could tell a bit of difference). Sure, it may be the fact that I'm using a low-end receiver-very likely is, in fact, but given hulkster's current budget concerns, I doubt he's in any different position than I am.

And what do you suggest doing in the case of using HDMI inputs? Since my DVD player uses HDMI and my cable is direct coax (and will be HDMI once my satellite gets installed in a couple of weeks), I'm curious.

[boykster]

The suggestions in this thread are following the "use the AVR as the signal hub" approach.  Run all the cables to the AVR and switch/convert video and audio then send it to the display.  It eliminates cable runs TO the display, only requiring 1 set of video cables from the AVR to the TV.  Considering this run generally is the longest one (other gear tends to reside near the AVR) it can really clean up cabling issues, as well as enabling seamless audio and video switching all in one.

IF you have HDMI devices that support audio transmission as well, its ok to connect directly to your display, then back wire to the receiver, but unless your display will allow you to run a digital audio link back to the receiver, you will only get stereo audio rather than surrounds sound.  It doesn't take an "audiophile" to hear the difference between a properly calibrated multi-channel soundsystem and a stereo feed to 5.1 speakers.

There is no "right" way to hook this stuff up.  The best video/audio system is the one that looks good to you and works for you. 

[hyiu]

if its true audiophile... (a couple of places I have been to...) they have dedicated power lines running from the fuse box.... (one actually have a fuse box pulled to the audio / video room so that everything is separate on a different fuse.... and from that point on, basically everything is separated out.... there's no mixing.... trying to eliminate interferrence.... the whole 9 yards.... (it is crazy....)

for most of us normal people... (me included) we're basically given a budget, and setup a way so that its convinent, and within our budget, and look and sound decent...

to be honest... as long as the componment wires are not too long.... (6 ft or less)...
I really don't think using the monoprice $30 box or a $300 switching box will make any remarkable difference.... (especially you're not spending extra $$$ on PURE copper or silver wires...)

I think it will be acceptable... and within budget....

[Sir Auros]

One thing that I haven't seen answered here is how to care for the bulb in a DLP.

• Don't cut the power on it, so the fan can properly cool down the bulb
• Don't leave it on if you're not using it
• Buy a replacement plan that will cover one bulb replacement

Might be too late for that last bit, but the fear people have over bulb TVs is overhyped. DLP was a good choice for videogames unless you can see the rainbow effect.

As for your 360, if you hook it up via a VGA cable, you can still get 720p and it will upconvert DVDs to that resolution too. Looks so good that I use my 360 as my primary DVD player now.