Wide Screen TV?

[Twitterbait]

Hey Dick,
Most all new shows on TV are broadcast as a widescreen picture and your tv will shrink it down if it does not support widescreen. the stores just have a crappy tape on a loop that is not necessarily going to show correctly. when you hook it up to your cable it will be better.

[dobejazz]

Dick
The one I have is last years model of this

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-...oductDetail.do


I even have a bad pic of it

[Fat Tony]

Originally Posted by DarthOcellaris

The FCC is REQUIRING all broadcasts to be done in HD by 2009 ( supposed to have been 2004 ) and that requires a viewer to upgrade equipment.

False... all Broadcasts have to be in DIGITAL format, not HD... much different, for example... right now you can get analog channels without a Digital converter box for cable... in 09, you will not be able to get Any channels without a converter box. yes HD programming is worth it if you have enough channels.. i pay like $5 a month plus $7 a month to rent the HD receiver from Charter Comm. My recommendatiojn for an inexpensive widescreen LCD is Olevia... i have the 27" and it is fantastic. if you get the cheap 32" it will likely not have a built in reciever for HD channels, but if it does, you will be able to pick up over the air HD networks (local channels) but that is always a hit or miss situation. Dick, do you have an HH Gregg electronics store near you? if so they carry the Olevia brand.

[Loverotties]

Originally Posted by DarthOcellaris

I worked at Comcast and I can say that the HD programming is a crock of bull!...The FCC is REQUIRING all broadcasts to be done in HD by 2009 ( supposed to have been 2004 ) and that requires a viewer to upgrade equipment.

Well, Comcast introduced HD in some markets back in 2003 and only had TWO channels! They charged 5 bucks a month. Doesnt sound like a lot but when you think about it, you shouldn't pay at all since the FCC requires it to be done that way....

I don't wanna get started on the communication industry......

Comcast has alot more then 2 channles now!

[DarthOcellaris]

Originally Posted by Loverotties

Comcast has alot more then 2 channles now!

heh heh..i sure hope so!

[Weatherman]

Things I learned since getting HDTV back in May…

The following companies produce the best LCD or Plasma TVs (not necessarily in this order):

Panasonic
Samsung
Sharp

Other companies with good-quality product:

LG
Sony

I wouldn’t buy an LCD or Plasma from any other company, unless you are not too concerned about defects. To really get the “full-experience” of your new set, you should get a “home theatre” system, since even the best LCD or Plasma set has poor speakers. Home theatre systems include things like amplifiers, speakers and DVD players. Onkyo is the quality leader in this area, but other companies, like Sony, produce good products.

For programming, DirectTV and EchoStar (Dish Network) provide the largest number of HD channels, but the content broadcast on those channels is not always HD. The most annoying thing is when a broadcaster will stretch a standard definition broadcast (aspect ratio of 4:3) to an HD aspect ratio (16:9) without increasing the resolution. This is called “stretch-o-vision” and is a trick some broadcasters use to try to convince customers they are getting HD when they really aren’t. A properly formatted standard-definition broadcast, displayed on an HD television will produce a “pillar box” with black bars on the left and right side of the screen.

The two limitations of using a satellite provider is that you have to have a clear view of the southern sky (so the satellite dish can see the satellite), and when you get heavy rain, the signal will be lost. You also need to be lucky to get a good installer who will properly align your dish. If the dish isn't properly aligned, not much else will matter. Signal levels on a clear day should easily be in the mid 90s to 100 on all transponders with a properly aligned dish.

As for the real HD broadcast picture quality, I can only speak for DirecTV, since that’s the provider I use. Until about a month ago, DirecTV only provided about ten HD channels. Picture quality was a vast improvement over standard definition broadcasts, but wasn’t nearly as good as “true HD”, since they really had to compress the signal to broadcast over their older satellites. The result was a picture that got “blocky” or “pixellated” especially when there was rapid motion.

Their newest HD channels come from their new satellite, which went live in October, and the picture quality is much better than even the original ten channels they provided.

[FishDaddy]

Thanks for the good information, it was very helpful. I went 'window shopping' online and found the really good ones were way over what I'd budgeted. (Ain't that always the case?) Wally World had better prices than the local big box stores so wound up with an RCA 32". It was still more than I wanted to pay but it does have a built-in amp for pretty good sound. I mainly just needed a bigger tv.

I appreciate all the help.

Dick

[tdwyatt]

Originally Posted by FishDaddy

...It was still more than I wanted to pay but it does have a built-in amp for pretty good sound. I mainly just needed a bigger tv.

I tell ya, Dick, Just get new glasses and a battery for that hearing aid, You have to do that once a year, so your birthday is a good date to do it...

[tellycoleman]

starting january of next year u can get up to $40 bucks in rebates if you need a digital to analog conveter

[FishDaddy]

Originally Posted by tdwyatt

I tell ya, Dick, Just get new glasses and a battery for that hearing aid, You have to do that once a year, so your birthday is a good date to do it...

I already did that Tom, but I was wearing the carpet out rolling my Hoveraround up close to the little 20".

Originally Posted by tellycoleman

starting january of next year u can get up to $40 bucks in rebates if you need a digital to analog conveter

Thanks for the tip, Telly. I'll check into that. $40 is $40, after all.

Dick

[tdwyatt]

Actually, this will be my next big purchace, but I keep waiting for the prices to drop a bit more. I think I am going for home theater, as I do not anticipate getting rid of the TV I have now so I can watch some of the regular satellite fare, rather, I want a venue to watch DVD movies on, I do not care to watch another RONCO ad on TV in HD on 54" of screen while Ron Popeal screems his message at me with snipes across the bottom. I hate ads to start with, so paying for a DVD and having a true HD image makes each purchase worthwhile... ...until I start seeing ads on DVDs...

Not to steal the thread from Dick, but how about come recommendations about info on these types of setups, sound and screen and player for DVD viewing?

[Doug1]

One of my pet peeves is that its hard to find just a TV monitor anymore, everything has all the bells and whistles I have a 100 wpc Dolby 5.1 JVC setup that works plenty good, plus the Sat reciever has stereo broadcast out the wazoo, I just need a picture screen with good resolution now, since I have sat when they switch i will get the equip upgrade but I just need a monitor for the new improved picture, the little tvs in the bedrooms i will prollyy get the adaptors or the upgrade box from DTV

[FishDaddy]

Originally Posted by Doug1

One of my pet peeves is that its hard to find just a TV monitor anymore, everything has all the bells and whistles I have a 100 wpc Dolby 5.1 JVC setup that works plenty good, plus the Sat reciever has stereo broadcast out the wazoo, I just need a picture screen with good resolution now, since I have sat when they switch i will get the equip upgrade but I just need a monitor for the new improved picture, the little tvs in the bedrooms i will prollyy get the adaptors or the upgrade box from DTV

Doug, Wally World has an RCA 32" flat screen that I almost bought instead of the 32" widescreen. It's only $276. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...em+Description

I would probably been just as happy with that one except with my recent surgery, I couldn't wrestle the beast into the house and set it up by myself.

[Doug1]

Originally Posted by FishDaddy

Doug, Wally World has an RCA 32" flat screen that I almost bought instead of the 32" widescreen. It's only $276. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...em+Description

I would probably been just as happy with that one except with my recent surgery, I couldn't wrestle the beast into the house and set it up by myself.

I hear you on that, we replaced the 25" tv in the living room a few years ago, then the 32 plasma or LCD tvs were over $800+ so we got the JVC 32" CRT, which doesn't fit in the entertainment center so it went on top, it was all Dyan and I could do to get that beast up there

[tdwyatt]

Originally Posted by FishDaddy

I would probably been just as happy with that one except with my recent surgery, I couldn't wrestle the beast into the house and set it up by myself.

You let me know when you need to do something like that, I'll bring the truck and a crew, a pair of folding lawn chairs, and a few skimmate beers and we'll watch them move it into the house...

I'd get Cath to come help supervise, but then I'd never get ther at 35 MPH...