High Definition TV

[tboy]

Ummm are you the one who asked this question at RFD lol? SOmeone else asked just about exactly the same question.

I'll repeat for you:
What are your preferences? LCD or Plasma?
What size are you after?
Do you want 720 or 1080?
Interlaced or Progressive Scan?
Do you want brand name or any fricken thing?
Are you particular about contrast ratio?
Will you be playing video games on it?
How many HD inputs do you need?

A good deal for me is a 42" Panasonic 1080P 8 ms refresh rate, Plasma (due to the none ghosting issue), 120 hz, 2 HDMI, 500,000:1 contrast, for a grand.

I'll keep posting this for those that still need to know: if you purchase a 720 tv you won't be able to EVER see the full 1080 of blu-ray or HD DVDs. The TV isn't capable of producing those resolutions. If you don't ever think you'll play a full HD image, then pick whatever suits your eyes......

Here's the link to the rogers boxing week flyer:

http://boxingday.redflagdeals.com/index.php/flyers/category/C20/

*rollseyes*

 

[Rockslinger]

Yeah they do, and check out their boxing day sales. They are offering the HD PVR for sale at $200.00 off (to purchase) and something like 6 months free rental.

Wait a minute. You BUY the HD PVR for $200.00 and Robbers still charges a monthly rental fee?

 

[tboy]

Wait a minute. You BUY the HD PVR for $200.00 and Robbers still charges a monthly rental fee?

No, you buy it instead of renting it......and the savings is $200.00, you buy it for $299.99. The rental is $24.99 a month so it pays for itself in a year. Yo ubuy or rent the HD PVR but you still have to pay for the HD channels.....

LOL I can understand why you'd think that, I bet rogers thought of it and couldn't figure out how they could do it without people revolting.....

 

[Photoboy]

You definitely want to go for the 1080p. Forget the 720 - the picture quality isn't worth it. Spend a bit more and you'll be happy. Also want to focus on the refresh rate - at least 60hz but 120hz would be good and you want a high contrast rate. I bought a 50" Samsung Plasma last year and it's fantastic.

 

[Rockslinger]

at least 60hz but 120hz would be good

The Samsung with the 120Hz cost about $400 more. The sales guy ask me what the TV is for. I jokingly said porn. He said that no human can f@#k faster than 60Hz so why pay an extra $400 for something I'll never need? So, the question is do you really need 120Hz for more than 10 minutes a year plus I heard that 120Hz is not yet a "matured" techology.

 

[Rockslinger]

No, you buy it instead of renting it......and the savings is $200.00, you buy it for $299.99. The rental is $24.99 a month so it pays for itself in a year. Yo ubuy or rent the HD PVR but you still have to pay for the HD channels.....

Wow, you are a wealth of knowledge. What do I do with this HD PVR box? Do I connect the incoming cable to the HD box and the outgoing cable to the TV. (This is what I do now with the Rogers digital box on my analog TV.)

 

[tboy]

Well, the faster frequency is best for things like hockey games, car chase scenes in movies etc, anywhere there is a rapidly changing image.

To be accurate, I think the hz isn't really what is called the refresh rate, that is measured in ms. I think the hz rating is the scan rate (the number of times the image is updated in x amount of time). The refresh rate is a measurement of how fast a pixel can go from black to white to black. (some manufacturers go grey to white to grey to make their numbers look better).

That is coupled with whether it is progressive scan or interlaced. Progressive scan (the P in the 1080P) means that each line of information (image) is updated with each scan. Interlaced means every second line of information is updated with each scan.

If you've ever seen a video of a CRT screen and seen that black line that travels down the screen? That is the scan line and that is what updates the image. I think 60 hz means 60 times per second or something like that. 120 means the image is updated twice as many times per second.

As for being able to "see" it. I think I read somewhere that your eyelid blinks closed and open in about 1/10th of a second. So if you blink fast enough, you can actually catch the scan line....

One thing that is really cool about HD and PVRs is that you can do a frame by frame and see how images are faded/edited together. You know when one scene fades into the next? You can see how it's done and the two images overlapping. Kind of cool. I saw one program where they basically changed pixel by pixel and at one point it every second pixel was one image and the other pixels were the next scene.

 

[tboy]

Wow, you are a wealth of knowledge. What do I do with this HD PVR box? Do I connect the incoming cable to the HD box and the outgoing cable to the TV. (This is what I do now with the Rogers digital box on my analog TV.)

Kind of. Yes, you connect the incoming co-ax cable to the input of the HD PVR/box but use the HDMI cable out from the box (you'll have to buy one, they're expensive) to the TV. I think some use the composite video cables (3 separate cables for each colour). Check with model of PVR you have to know which type of cable to get. I can't recall if you get a composite cable with the box but I doubt it.

One thing that HDMI does that DVI doesn't (or composite) is it carries the audio signal along the same cable so you don't need extra audio cables running to your TV from the PVR. But if you use composite cables you will need additional audio cables.....

 

[Rockslinger]

Yeah they do, and check out their boxing day sales. They are offering the HD PVR for sale at $200.00 off (to purchase) and something like 6 months free rental.

Do I understand? I buy the HD PVR box for $200 off the regular price (what is the regular price?) I also get 6 months of free HD cable TV but no rental charge for the HD PVR box because mine would be a purchase. Sorry for confusion.

 

[tboy]

Do I understand? I buy the HD PVR box for $200 off the regular price (what is the regular price?) I also get 6 months of free HD cable TV but no rental charge for the HD PVR box because mine would be a purchase. Sorry for confusion.

Yup, you've almost got it. The regular price is $499.99 so $200.00 off would give you a price of $299.99.

No, robbers never gives you free HD channels. Unless you work a deal with them. You would only be saving the rental of the HD PVR (btw, you might not know that PVR stands for personal video recorder). I can't live without a PVR now. I haven't watched a commercial since I got mine. It also allows you to record one program, and watch another, or record 2 programs and watch a recorded one.

Check out www.redflagdeals.com. I believe sony was selling them for around $200.00 but I can't recall if they were PVRs or just HD cable boxes.

 

[Rockslinger]

(btw, you might not know that PVR stands for personal video recorder).

No, I didn't know that PVR is personal video recorder. (I am truly an HD TV virgin.) Is the PVR similar to a VCR? Does it record to tape, disk, harddrive, etc.)? If I record say the Grey Cup game, how do I keep it for future viewing? Do not all HD PVR's come with the PVR? If I have an HD PVR, is there any point in also buying a Blu-Ray DVD player? Sorry, so many questions.

 

[tboy]

No, I didn't know that PVR is personal video recorder. (I am truly an HD TV virgin.) Is the PVR similar to a VCR? Does it record to tape, disk, harddrive, etc.)? If I record say the Grey Cup game, how do I keep it for future viewing? Do not all HD PVR's come with the PVR? If I have an HD PVR, is there any point in also buying a Blu-Ray DVD player? Sorry, so many questions.

LOL no problem about the questions, I may be a dick but I do know SOME things lol.

Yeah, a PVR or Personal video recorder is like a vcr. You can fast forward, rewind, stop, pause, play, etc. The PVR is basically a harddrive enclosed in the cable box. You can keep them as long as you want but you are limited to how many or much you can store on it. The rogers HD PVRs can be expanded with an external USB hard drive to expand your capacity. Rubmeister has done this.

The thing about blu-ray players is that you will get FULL 1080 imaging. I believe the HD PVRs only record at 720. it is really good, but I have the Iron Man blu-ray and it is almost orgasmic the quality and yes, there IS a difference.

Not to complicate the issue but Hauppage now has a card/usb gadget that allows you to feed an HD signal into your computer for storage. I'm thinking about picking up one so I can transfer my recorded movies onto my hard drive them burn them to disc for permanant storage.

Unfortunately the PVRs do not allow you to digitally transfer the recorded movies. Like you if you record a bunch of movies, you can't take your PVR to your buddy's house and play them there. (don't know exactly how they do it but...).

 

[Keebler Elf]

Futureshop has a special on now where if you buy a HD TV the regular HD box is $100 and the PVR is (IIRC) $250 (or maybe it was $150, I can't remember). These were for Rogers. They also have a deal that if you buy a Samsung TV you can get a Blu-Ray box for $100.

Can you hook up an HD TV to a cable line that's been split?

 

[Keebler Elf]

... you connect the incoming co-ax cable to the input of the HD PVR/box but use the HDMI cable out from the box (you'll have to buy one, they're expensive) to the TV.

The cable was $69 at Futureshop for 8-ft. length and around $100 for a 12-ft. length.

So yeah, pretty expensive for a frikken cable.

 

[Keebler Elf]

Ummm are you the one who asked this question at RFD lol? SOmeone else asked just about exactly the same question.

I'll repeat for you:
What are your preferences? LCD or Plasma?
What size are you after?
Do you want 720 or 1080?
Interlaced or Progressive Scan?
Do you want brand name or any fricken thing?
Are you particular about contrast ratio?
Will you be playing video games on it?
How many HD inputs do you need?

Not me. But maybe I should check out that thread too!

No preference on LCD/Plasma.
40-46"
1080
No preference on interlaced vs. scan
I'm liking Samsung
Not particular about contrast ratio
Yes, will be playing games on it
Don't know how many HD inputs

 

[Rockslinger]

The HD Cable Boxes are $99.99 and the HD PVR for $299.99 are good deals

If I buy the HD PVR for $299.99, I don't have to also buy the HD cable box?

 

[Keebler Elf]

If I buy the HD PVR for $299.99, I don't have to also buy the HD cable box?

Correct. It's either/or. You also won't have to pay a monthly rental charge for the box.

 

[Rockslinger]

you can get a Blu-Ray box for $100.

All Blu-Ray players on the market now are only players, they do not record. I suspect that Blu-Ray RECORDERs will appear in the market sometime in 2009.

 

[Keebler Elf]

All Blu-Ray players on the market now are only players, they do not record. I suspect that Blu-Ray RECORDERs will appear in the market sometime in 2009.

That's very good to know. Thanks. I'm not jonesing for a blu-ray player anyways so I'd rather wait for the recorders to come out.

 

[Keebler Elf]

The cable was $69 at Futureshop for 8-ft. length and around $100 for a 12-ft. length.

Futureshop's online (web only) boxing day specials include a Rocketfish 8-ft. HDMI cable for $24.99 (reg. $62.99). They don't appear to have this deal in-store on boxing day though.