Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: AKIron on December 29, 2007, 08:44:36 AM
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Was gonna post in Batfink's thread but decided that might be an unwelcomed hijack.
My 6 year old RCA CRT TV bit the dust a few days ago (darnit ;) ) so we bought a new HDTV. While normal DVD's look pretty good I just gotta have a HD player. Opinions?
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IMHO, HD DVD. But that's only because I hate anything and everything Sony-made.
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Blu Ray..PS3 has one built in and you get a good gaming platform. XBox's HD use to only play 1080I(nterlaced) and not P(rogressive). There may be a software d/l fix. Did you get a 720 or a 1080 HDTV?..Pixels. Blu Ray holds more data but is more prone to losing info if scratched since it writes deeper into the DVD. HD holds less but writes more shallow. I bet on Blu Ray.
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HD DVD is cheaper than blu-ray right now due to deep discounts on HD DVD players. They players have been on sale as low as $99 but right now I think you can find one for about $200.
I do have a "thing" against sony due to them porking my computer with their rootkit (required a full windows re-installation) but aside from that, the price difference makes HD DVD an easier upgrade right now.
If you already have an xbox, then you can get an add-on HD DVD player for just a couple hundred bucks and that's all you need. As Stott mentioned, if you're considering a PS3, it comes with blu-ray built in but you're still paying $400ish instead of $200.
Even if the price was the same, I won't be buying blu-ray due to the rootkit thing. But since HD-DVD is cheaper, I think it makes sense even for people who didn't have their computer's hijacked by Sony.
As for title availability, Sony is so huge that there are a few big titles that are available only on blu-ray, but frankly if Sony is going past DRM into the realm of "buy our player or you can't see our movie", then to hell with them. HD-DVD-only titles also exist, but those guys never rooted my computer making it unusable.
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Appreciate the advice guys. I was leaning towards HDDVD but after checking prices it seems that to get an HD DVD capable of upscaling standard DVDs it's gonna cost at least $300. Still doing some research on that. I just read that a recent firmware update does give the PS3 upscaling. If the difference between two players capable of upscaling is only $100 I think I'm going with the PS3 since I don't have a console game and will be living near the grandkids soon. Wondering if the HD DVD for the xbox360 does upconverting?
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It's really irritating that these guys couldn't agree on a single hi-def standard. If history could be depended upon to predict the future then I'd guess blue-ray will go the way of betamax but who knows?
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There are computer drives that can play both standards, but they're very expensive.
The toshiba HD-A2 and HD-B2 HD-DVD players shouldupconvert regular DVDs for around $200. For that matter, you can get a regular upconverting DVD player for about $40 on sale at various places.
Here's a review of the HD-A2.
http://reviews.cnet.com/video-players-and-recorders/toshiba-hd-a2/4505-6463_7-32074340.html
It shouldn't matter very much, but the HD-A2 only goes to 1080i, not 1080p. And if you use a surround sound receiver for sound, it had better accept optical input or have an HDMI passthrough, otherwise you're going to be stuck using your TV for sound since the HD-A2 doesn't have the output jacks for every single analog sound channel.
For me, that's no biggie. My stereo receiver has 3 optical digital sound inputs. But cheapo surround sound in a box setups may not have the right inputs.
If you're just playing the sound through the TV though, it's no big deal. The sound goes through the HDMI cable to the tv and it should all work no problem.
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Eagl's reasons are exactly that of mine I just didn't feel like typing all of my gripes over Sony. I have more, like porked Sony portable CD players that freeze when you put CD-R's in them and then won't play ANY CD...but I'm slowly getting over that.
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I do want 1080p and my sound system does support digital audio. I will take a look at DVDs capable of upconverting, thanks for that tip eagl.
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I dont think any none High Defintion DVD palyer is going to let your see 1080P on a standarad DVD. You can get a Blu Ray or HD to play on a 720 by DEconverting but getting a standard to upconvert to 1080P is not going to happen. I have a Standard and my PS3 connected to my Monitor TV ..a 1080P Sharp 32" Aqous and there is difference between the two. You should consdier buying a 1080P because such a large purchase will make you feel bad if you dont spend the extra money to get the best. Get a Service Agreement also. This system is something you will use for a long time...find a way to get a 1080 AND a BR or HD DVD player.
Just read the above post...you think you can get High Definition on a standard DVD player that upconverts?. Why would anyone purchase HD or BR? Perhaps I am confused
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hd is losing the war. in a couple years it will be a dead platform.
I think right now its 60/40 or so on the split.
399 for the ps3 gives you the player and a nice fancy media center.
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Scott, upconverting a standard dvd to 1080p does not increase the resolution but rather changes the format size to the same as 1080p hd. I've read some saying that there is a noticeable improvement in picture quality (not the same as hd) but the primary reason to upconvert is to get standard dvd to fit the screen properly.
Going shopping now. :)
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Originally posted by Dnil
hd is losing the war. in a couple years it will be a dead platform.
I think right now its 60/40 or so on the split.
399 for the ps3 gives you the player and a nice fancy media center.
LMAO I remember that EXACT phrase being used by a salesman telling me the future was in Betamax and not VHS
Glad I decided to go with the VHS player at the time.
Me Im taking a wait and see attitude.
Probably get an upconverter in the meantime.
BUT for those with the bucks. You can cover all your bases. for $999.99
(http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/8504/8504709_sb.jpg)
LG - Super Blu High-Definition Multiplayer
Crisp, clear images, stunning sound and plenty of media options make this multiplayer an invaluable component in any home entertainment system. Check out Blu-ray Discs, HD DVDs and more with ease.
Product Features
Next-generation HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc format compatible, for true HDTV video with amazing color and incredible high-resolution surround sound
Delivers greatly enhanced video performance with standard DVDs by upconverting their video resolution to HDTV-compliant 720p or 1080p via the HDMI interface
Built-in Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD decoders, plus 5.1-channel audio output
Plays BD-ROM, HD DVD-ROM, DVD, DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, CD and CD-R/RW discs; supports MP3, WMA and JPEG formats
Enjoy full HD 1080p video output on your 1080p display
BD-Java interactive capability for Blu-ray Discs and HDi for HD DVDs
Qdeo advanced video processing and HDMI 1.3 with deep color support
LG Simplink for convenient control of other LG Simplink products through existing HDMI connections
HDMI output provides an uncompressed all-digital audio/video link for the highest-quality connection and supports copy-protected HD broadcast content
USB media host for MP3/WMA audio and JPEG photo slideshows
27MHz/8-bit video digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion
96kHz/24-bit audio digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion
Outputs: HDMI, composite video, component video, coaxial digital audio, optical digital audio, stereo audio
Includes universal multibrand remote
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8504709&type=product&id=1186004964788
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HDi for HD DVDs
Tha HD portion only plays Interlaced.
Get your HDMI cable at Walmart or Target..BB is WAY overpriced.
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Originally posted by Stott
HDi for HD DVDs
Tha HD portion only plays Interlaced.
Get your HDMI cable at Walmart or Target..BB is WAY overpriced.
I just saw one that outputs normal DVD to 1080P.
However, I bought a Playstation 3.
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Originally posted by Stott
HDi for HD DVDs
Tha HD portion only plays Interlaced.
Get your HDMI cable at Walmart or Target..BB is WAY overpriced.
Rule #1
NEVER buy anything mechanical at Wallmart
Better yet. Dont buy anything you dont have to at Wallmart to begin with.
It may look the same, Have the same Brand lable. But from Levi Jeans to Lawnmowers its made cheaper then the same brand you will buy almost anywhere else.
Target V Best buy.
Depends on what it is your buying and when.
The Cannon Digital Camera I just bought for example
Target wanted more money for the 8.0 megapixel then Best Buy wanted for the 10.1 version.
So I bought it at Circuit City which had a sale better then either ;)
But it depends. Sometimes Target has better prices. and other times they are more expencive.
It helps to know the prices in advance.
I dont or I should say rarely shop ands buy on the internet.
Im the type of person that before I buy something I want to be able to pick it up and hold it. See it first hand.
What I DO use the internet for however is to shop prices from store to store in advance.
And If I can I will buy sometrhing online if all I have to do is run to that particular store to pick it up.
And sometimes as in the case with the camera. I was able to get a better sale price online then if I had just walked inot the store and bought it.
the only difference was I paid for it online.
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DRED I've heard that about electronics from Walmart from more than just you...after buying 3 electronics from there and them crapping out within months I'm starting to believe the rumor. You got any real-life experiences to back it up? I don't know if its just the shirty electronics I buy or Walmart.
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Originally posted by AKIron
It's really irritating that these guys couldn't agree on a single hi-def standard. If history could be depended upon to predict the future then I'd guess blue-ray will go the way of betamax but who knows?
Sony learned their lesson from their proprietary BetaMax disaster.
They are licensing Blu-Ray to other companies. You are not limited to buying them from just Sony. You can get them from many other companies like Samsung, Panasonic, Sharp, Phillips, JVC, etc...
SIG 220
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Originally posted by RightF00T
DRED I've heard that about electronics from Walmart from more than just you...after buying 3 electronics from there and them crapping out within months I'm starting to believe the rumor. You got any real-life experiences to back it up? I don't know if its just the shirty electronics I buy or Walmart.
2 Microwaves
1 Toateroven
3 coffemakers
about 5 Vacum cleaners. (story behond this one. Till recently I was getting a brand new Vacume for free every 6 months or so LOL)
And a lawnmower
And if thats not enough for ya.
read the article on
The Man who said "No" to Wallmart (http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/102/open_snapper.html)
"Every year, thousands of executives venture to Bentonville, Arkansas, hoping to get their products onto the shelves of the world's biggest retailer. But Jim Wier wanted Wal-Mart to stop selling his Snapper mowers."
"The Wal-Mart vice president responded with strategy and argument. Snapper is the sort of high-quality nameplate, like Levi Strauss, that Wal-Mart hopes can ultimately make it more Target-like. He suggested that Snapper find a lower-cost contract manufacturer. He suggested producing a separate, lesser-quality line with the Snapper nameplate just for Wal-Mart. Just like Levi did. "
Point, Set, Match
;)
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Watched Casino Royale tonight on Blu-ray. I do not want to go back to non-hidef tv.
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HDMI is a cable and I have 3 on my players and tvs from walmart..about 36 vs 120 from bestbuy. If you have cable get their HD Cable Box, if like Cox's it has a DVR and you need it to watch their HD programs. They broadcase in 1080P and Satellite is 1080I. Excellent ..a DVD and a gameing platform.
Is you tv 720 or 1080?
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I got a Samsung LN-T4665F, it's 1080P. I have Dish but without an HD DVR. I'm moving out of State in a little over a month so will wait 'til I'm settled to get HD through cable or sat. After updating the PS3 O/S or firmware it does upscale normal DVDs to 1080P but there is a quite noticeable difference in quality between those and Blu-ray.
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The HD TV prices are still dropping. Since my living room is large (you sit 15 feet away from the entertainment center), I think a 50 inch set would be ideal.
Im leaning towards plasma over LCD again. Every LCD TV i see on display, I notice the blurring, especially in sporting events. Some to a lesser degree, but I still notice them. That would drive me insane to have at home.
Plasma is more $, but deeper blacks, higher contrast and yes, more power. Not a lot of 1080p's to chose from yet. The CNet reviews are a bit wishy-washy. It seems no matter what they rate highly, they dog it for little things. Even the Editor's Top Picks gets hits for stuff Im not even sure Id ever notice.
I was lead to beleive that HDMI cables werent needed to get 1080i/p but I stand corrected. The article I had read (HDMI vs Component cables) on Tom's Hardware a few months ago was taken down after being torn to shreds by many technophiles.
BestBuy seems to be worth shopping against. Amazon.Com seems to really have some great sales. I was looking for a new THX-Certified surround sound receiver, preferrably a Pioneer. Some that BB listed for $500ish were $290~ish on Amazon. I would suspect HDMI cables would be a worthwhile search.
Didn't the porn biz chose a format? Back in the VHS vs Beta days, their choice to use VHS helped make it the standard!
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I still remember the Beta/VHS wars.
My Father got all Beta gear only to see it phased out in about a year.
I was bummed because I then had to convert my moderate collection of well hidden Beta pr0n to VHS and got caught by my mum copying it! :eek: :cry :lol
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Originally posted by LePaul
Im leaning towards plasma over LCD again. Every LCD TV i see on display, I notice the blurring, especially in sporting events. Some to a lesser degree, but I still notice them. That would drive me insane to have at home.
I notice blurring on my new LCD on non-hd tv. Watching Casino Royale on Blue-ray tonight though there was absolutely no blurring during considerable amounts of fast action leading me to believe it isn't the lcd response causing the blurring.
I decided on lcd because I figured it would be sharper when connected to a pc. Not being able to compare it to a similar spec'd plasma I can't say how it compares but using the ps3 web browser I can say that this tv is very sharp making it easy to read text from across the room.
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That's interesting you see blurring on non-HD stuff.
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There are settings on my LCD..that control the some aspect of the picture. Look in your setup that allows slow medium and fast ..something or other. Also find out the response time..this LCD is made for gaming and is 6ms which is quite fast for a TV ..that I use as a monitor. LCDs are NOT desihgned for fast action pictures. I have a 50" Plasma 720 and that is razor sharp during all movies sports but when watching non HD TV on the LCD you can detect capture motion. Also, standard TV on LCDs will always look blurry just the nature of 480 I on standard TV.
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I am gonna wait until this version of the Betamax vs. VHS thing plays out... Until then, regular DVDs are superb!!!
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Originally posted by LePaul
That's interesting you see blurring on non-HD stuff.
My eyes adapt to it pretty quickly making it not so noticeable after a while. Only when comparing it to HD does it become painful to watch.
Prices on HDTVs have been and will likely continue falling. More HD channels will become available and one of the hidef DVD formats will eventually prevail. Life as a couch potato may be approaching a golden era.
Just don't call me french fried ;)
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You may wait a very long time for the war to end. Two Formats with support from major players. It will be the consumer who makes the decision since this is in essence an election. BR is the choice, PS3 wiht the built in player vs XBox with having to pay 200 more for their player. Dual DVD HDBR players will be the decider. BTW since DVD Recorders are Analog they will soon be worthless. The one I purchased and returned to BB would only record the lower analog channels and even those were not filling the HDTV's screen.
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Originally posted by AKIron
It's really irritating that these guys couldn't agree on a single hi-def standard. If history could be depended upon to predict the future then I'd guess blue-ray will go the way of betamax but who knows?
This seems to happen everytime a new format comes out...gotta love choices. If you all recall when DVDs were first coming out there were several "types" including one idea of disposable play-once dvd's...
If I were you I'd just wait it out another year or 2...or get one that plays both if you have the cash to blow on that. The battle is raging pretty hard...and I'm not even sure one will come out the sole winner.
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Originally posted by RightF00T
DRED I've heard that about electronics from Walmart from more than just you...after buying 3 electronics from there and them crapping out within months I'm starting to believe the rumor. You got any real-life experiences to back it up? I don't know if its just the shirty electronics I buy or Walmart.
It's because of how Wal-Mart operates. I've heard (may be a wild rumor, but my consumer experiences seem to validate it), that Wal-Mart will pick up a product, and sell it for way less then they should. They take a hit to their profits with this product.
A year or two in, they demand that the producer lower the price of the product 10-30%. Should the producer not accept the new terms, they don't sell their product. Since the producer is now accustomed to that money coming in, they either accept the new price and try to cut corners and slash quality for outgoing to Wal-mart products, or they take a financial hit by cutting the size of their company. Most companies choose option A.
If I had some money to burn, I'd try to validate this especially in the Food Department. I have a suspicion that the amount of food is less than the listed amount, but I have no empirical evidence to back this up.
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I think Bray will win the war..... simply because the disc holds more.
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Originally posted by ariansworld
I think Bray will win the war..... simply because the disc holds more.
That, and the logo is cooler, it sounds cooler to say "Blue-Ray" than HD-DVD and the free BlueRay player already built into the ps3 vs having to buy an hddvd for the Xbox360 (i'm an xbox fan btw)
I think they are kind of stupid reasons but I actually think those will win the war...if not win it at least tilt it more heavily towards sony
only reason I have some reservations is that the HD-DVD is a lot cheaper...however with the integrated PS3 I'm not so sure this will be as big a factor as it used to be...and prices will probably continue to come down on the Bray player
edit: i'm still gonna wait this one out myself another year or 2
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Samsung has a unit that plays both for about $799. I just bought a HD-DVD with upconvert. The upconvert brings standard DVD up quite a bit but not to true HD.
I bought the Samsung HD-DVD after looking at the whole setup in depth. Blue Ray has a little more corporate support at this time but HD-DVD is less expensive for the manufacturers to upgrade to. DVD manufacturers can upgrade their lines with very little cost to make HD-DVDs while Blue Ray is a whole new manufacturing process requiring complete retooling.
Basicly to make HD discs it requires a blue, instead of red laser. Blue has a shorter wave length allowing the user to place more info in a smaller area. HD-DVDs in dual layer form are capable of holding 30 gig of info while the Blue Ray in dual layer is capable of 50 gig. One plus on the Blue Ray is that more layers can be added in the future to allow up to 100 gig info in a four layer setup.
I believe that because of the initial cost required to manufacture and mass produce Blue Ray, it will not be the chosen one.
No one will know for a few years.............
PS I just bought a Samsung 61 inch HDTV 1080p DLP with LED engine and the HD-DVD looks GREAT. :aok