10-22-2007, 03:24 PM
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#241
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Calgary, Alberta
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Quote:
Originally Posted by photon
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Thanks for the info photon. This gives me a bit more information to make a decision with.
Quote:
burns2002You should look at the replacement warranty. Does it take 1 or 5 dead pixels before you get a replacement. I went with a sony over LG for that reason.
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I'll have to check that out. Is it dependent on the place I buy it at? The problem is Sony's are quite a bit more expensive.
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10-22-2007, 05:59 PM
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#242
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First Line Centre
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Erp, wrong forum!
Last edited by Cerebral; 10-22-2007 at 07:10 PM.
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10-22-2007, 07:33 PM
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#243
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Sunshine Coast
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10-23-2007, 08:02 AM
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#244
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Powerplay Quarterback
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Quote:
Originally Posted by simmer2
I'm finally looking at buying a flat screen TV, as prices have come down to a pretty affordable level.
We're going for a 42" TV because the room is a little smaller and I really don't know whether to go with Plasma or LCD. It looks I can get a 1080p LCD for the same price as a regular plasma without the 1080p.
The one that has kind of peaked my interest is the LG 42LB5D 42" 1080p LCD HDTV. It has a refresh rate of 5ms and a 7000:1 contrast ratio, both of which seem quite good. The price is also reasonable at $1699.
I guess these are my questions:
1) Should I go with 1080p LCD if I can, or a plasma that doesn't have 1080p? Plasma's with that technology are getting out of my price range. (Looking to spend around $1700).
2) Does anybody have the LG TV I'm talking about? All the reviews I've read sounded good, except for the CNET one which has me worried.
3) Can anyone recommend something better than what I've found, or at least send me on the right direction? I'm going to be watching movies and sports, that's about it.
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My buddy at work is looking at a home theater package and he found what looks like a decent deal at the Brick. It's a pretty sweet TV, and the sound system is almost like a throw-in, check it out.
http://thebrick.com/Application/Cart...Code=KDL40VHTP
I know some people will say negative things about the Home Theater in a Box, but if you're looking for bang for your buck, that deal looks pretty good. For $1998, a decent deal I think.
The Sony Bravia LCD also happens to be at the top of Photon's list
I guess what makes this a deal is if you have an existing sound system.
Last edited by Top Shelf; 10-23-2007 at 08:05 AM.
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10-23-2007, 08:20 AM
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#245
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Playboy Mansion Poolboy
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Close enough to make a beer run during a TV timeout
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Top Shelf
I know some people will say negative things about the Home Theater in a Box, but if you're looking for bang for your buck, that deal looks pretty good. For $1998, a decent deal I think.
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That same TV is on "sale" for $1999 at Best Buy, so getting the HTiB for free makes it a good deal.
I also echo the choice of the Bravia as well. I borrowed one for Superbowl just prior to getting my TV (A Dell branded Phillips TV) and I found the Sony to be much better.
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10-23-2007, 08:48 AM
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#246
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Calgary, Alberta
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Top Shelf
My buddy at work is looking at a home theater package and he found what looks like a decent deal at the Brick. It's a pretty sweet TV, and the sound system is almost like a throw-in, check it out.
http://thebrick.com/Application/Cart...Code=KDL40VHTP
I know some people will say negative things about the Home Theater in a Box, but if you're looking for bang for your buck, that deal looks pretty good. For $1998, a decent deal I think.
The Sony Bravia LCD also happens to be at the top of Photon's list
I guess what makes this a deal is if you have an existing sound system.
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Yeah, we do have a sound system at home we're likely going to hook it up to, so I don't know if I'd spring for the boxed deal. It is a pretty good deal, but I'll likely just spend my money on the TV itself. But which one to get...it's a good problem to have I suppose.
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10-23-2007, 09:22 AM
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#248
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Playboy Mansion Poolboy
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Close enough to make a beer run during a TV timeout
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Quote:
Originally Posted by photon
There are some others, make sure and get one that's HDMI 1.3a.
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Just curious, what is the difference?
I'm guessing better speed which will make a difference as we go towards 1080p and 1440p- is that it?
Just have a buddy who wants me to help him fish some HDMI cable, and he's current balking at the price.
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10-23-2007, 10:13 AM
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#249
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: in your blind spot.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ken0042
Just curious, what is the difference?
I'm guessing better speed which will make a difference as we go towards 1080p and 1440p- is that it?
Just have a buddy who wants me to help him fish some HDMI cable, and he's current balking at the price.
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Bandwidth is the main difference. It will allow up to 16bit colourspaces (even though everything HD right now is 8bit). I also allows some Audio improvements to allow things like Dolby-TrueHD to be passed to an external decoder.
So really, all 1.3a does is futureproof yourself.
Here is a good explanation
http://www.audioholics.com/education...g-hdmi-ver-1.3
__________________
"The problem with any ideology is that it gives the answer before you look at the evidence."
—Bill Clinton
"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance--it is the illusion of knowledge."
—Daniel J. Boorstin, historian, former Librarian of Congress
"But the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity"
—WKRP in Cincinatti
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10-23-2007, 10:46 AM
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#250
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Playboy Mansion Poolboy
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Close enough to make a beer run during a TV timeout
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Thanks Bobblehead. I'm just trying to talk my buddy out of running component cable and getting HDMI instead.
So would you agree with the following:
Component <<<<<<< HDMI 1.0 << HDMI 1.3a
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10-23-2007, 11:24 AM
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#251
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: in your blind spot.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ken0042
Thanks Bobblehead. I'm just trying to talk my buddy out of running component cable and getting HDMI instead.
So would you agree with the following:
Component <<<<<<< HDMI 1.0 << HDMI 1.3a
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Well, Component isn't actually that much different (video quality wise) from HDMI. I might only use one <
But if he is wanting to string component through is walls instead of HDMI he is shooting himself in the foot, bigtime. Main reason - Digital Rights Management.
Built into both the Blu-ray and HD-DVD spec is support for the Image Constraint Token (ICT). None of the studios have enabled it YET, but when they do, any HD movie that is not played on a system with a secure datapath will be downgraded to 540p. And a secure data path, as defined in the DRM specifications, mandates HDMI.
So if you buddy installs component right now, in a few years he will only be able to view movies in DVD quality because of the DRM.
__________________
"The problem with any ideology is that it gives the answer before you look at the evidence."
—Bill Clinton
"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance--it is the illusion of knowledge."
—Daniel J. Boorstin, historian, former Librarian of Congress
"But the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity"
—WKRP in Cincinatti
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10-23-2007, 11:36 AM
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#252
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The new goggles also do nothing.
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Calgary
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Agreed. Too bad too because component was so much nicer to run seeing as it's actual coaxial cable, far less worries about run length.
Oh well, my 35' HDMI cable from Monoprice works really well.
__________________
Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position.
But certainty is an absurd one.
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10-23-2007, 12:34 PM
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#253
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: South of Calgary North of 'Merica
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wow so much to know when it comes to all this stuff. I'll have to tap into the vast expanse of knowledge that comes from CP
__________________
Thanks to Halifax Drunk for the sweet Avatar
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10-23-2007, 03:13 PM
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#254
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Sunshine Coast
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobblehead
Well, Component isn't actually that much different (video quality wise) from HDMI. I might only use one <
But if he is wanting to string component through is walls instead of HDMI he is shooting himself in the foot, bigtime. Main reason - Digital Rights Management.
Built into both the Blu-ray and HD-DVD spec is support for the Image Constraint Token (ICT). None of the studios have enabled it YET, but when they do, any HD movie that is not played on a system with a secure datapath will be downgraded to 540p. And a secure data path, as defined in the DRM specifications, mandates HDMI.
So if you buddy installs component right now, in a few years he will only be able to view movies in DVD quality because of the DRM.
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From my reading DRM comes in a number of different versions. Windows, Apple, Sony, etc all have their own versions and maybe one of them mandates HDMI but the generally accepted form by Intel is HDCP which uses DVI and HDMI connections. Where this becomes important is with computers interfacing with your home theater as most computers have only a digital DVI connection. This is why it's important when buying video cards and monitors to have a HDCP enabled DVI connection.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDCP
Last edited by Vulcan; 10-23-2007 at 03:22 PM.
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10-24-2007, 01:19 AM
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#255
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Sunshine Coast
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Bell ExpressVu is coming out with their long awaited mpeg 4 HD satellite receiver tomorrow. It is model number 9242 PVR with 30 hrs HD recording time. Not much of an improvement over the 9200 but it is mpeg 4 so it should future proof you when Bell upgrades their system giving them more HD bandwidth for a better picture and more HD channels. The price seems to be $599 but not sure and there should be some sales for the older 9200. Here's a link.
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=72348
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10-24-2007, 08:03 AM
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#256
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Calgary, Alberta
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vulcan
Bell ExpressVu is coming out with their long awaited mpeg 4 HD satellite receiver tomorrow. It is model number 9242 PVR with 30 hrs HD recording time. Not much of an improvement over the 9200 but it is mpeg 4 so it should future proof you when Bell upgrades their system giving them more HD bandwidth for a better picture and more HD channels. The price seems to be $599 but not sure and there should be some sales for the older 9200. Here's a link.
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=72348
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So is Bell a decent option for a cable supplier?
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10-24-2007, 08:08 AM
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#257
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Playboy Mansion Poolboy
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Close enough to make a beer run during a TV timeout
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Bell usually has the best content as far as number of channels available. However their customer service........ well without trying to circumvent the swear filter, I really don't like it.
If you do go with Bell, any time anybody promises you anything, get their name and CSR code, and record that along with the date and time of the call. And when the eventual peeing match starts, tell them that you are recording the phone call for your own records.
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10-24-2007, 03:25 PM
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#258
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: South of Calgary North of 'Merica
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so now that you guys have gone waaaayyy over my head lets dumb it down a bit. Seems how there really are only a few actual manufacturers. Does it really make sense to purchase a Pioneer or Panasonic Plasma over a Toshiba, Samsung, etc.
__________________
Thanks to Halifax Drunk for the sweet Avatar
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10-24-2007, 06:25 PM
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#259
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Franchise Player
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Quote:
Originally Posted by photon
That takes a signal and splits it, what you need is an HDMI switcher like Juventus3 was asking about, and a DVI to HDMI cable. Then you can switch between the HDMI sources. You'll have to add audio cables as well.
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Ok I so bought a DVI to HDMI cable, and a HDMI switcher, but there is no video on the tv. Is there some setting I have to change on my computer?
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10-24-2007, 08:48 PM
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#260
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The new goggles also do nothing.
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Calgary
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You'll have to set the proper resolution I think, to the native resolution of your panel. Either 1366x768 or 1920x1080 usually.
Are you using as the primary display, or a secondary display?
EDIT: Sometimes it's not easy getting a video card to display on an LCD TV apparently, sometimes you have to use powerstrip to tweak the settings of the card to get it to work. You might have to search for people with the same video card and see what they did. In the past I just hooked it up and away it went, but apparently I've just been lucky.
__________________
Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position.
But certainty is an absurd one.
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