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.