OK... so, its obvious to see the price difference. go to the store and check out the TVs and the ones labled "HDTV" as opposed to "HDTV Monitor" or "HDTV Ready" are substantially more expensive. ive been trying to get some reading done on it, but i havent quite had my questions answered, so i was hoping that some of you on here might know. with HDTV, as i understand it, you can tune into HDTV programming over-the-air. thats nice, but i dont care about that. now, with HDTV ready/monitors, you cant do this. they say you need a set-top-converter or some such thing. Now... if i, say, buy one of these and subscribe to HD service from either comcast or directv or something, will the box provided by that company suffice, or do i need another box in addition to it? so, basically, does a cable box satisfy that set-top-conversion requirement... aside from that confusion, is there any other good reason why the HDTV monitors are priced so much cheaper?
HDTV - Can receive HD programming right away. Without an HD box, you're limited to what you can pick up over the air. HDTV ready - You need a HD converter, available from cable companies (replaces current box), also available as an HD-DVR. Both Dish and Directv offer HD boxes. I don't know if you'd need a new dish, or just a new box. Obviously programming varies by region, but with cable, it'll probably work something like this: You should get local channels in HD just by plugging in the HD box. Other HD channels are available with digital cable subscriptions. By subscribing to a premium channel, you'd get the corresponding HD channel(s). Other channels like HDNET and ESPNHD might be part of a "Premium HD" package.
there is no reason to buy an hd set. you are either gonna have a cable box or a directv box, and they are chargin you for a tuner you won't use. frankly, i feel the same way about speakers, you might as well use better ones thatn what they offer. so buy a pro model instead of a consumer model. best prices: visualapex.com, panasonic of course!
HD question - I currently have DirecTV without an HD set-up. My father just bought a plasma and has offered me his HighDef TV. I don't really want to shell out the couple hundred $s for the DirecTV HD DVR right now so here are my two questions - 1) What is the picture quality if I am running a normal signal through a HD TV? I know it won't be HD but will the picture quality be worse than the picture I am currently receiving? 2) What happens if you run an HD signal through a normal TV? In other words, will I have to replace my second TV if I decide to upgrade the signal to HighDef?
I work for Magnolia Home Theater and have to deal with this question quite often. If you are receiving HD from a provider, you need a set top box anyway, unless the provider is cable-based and your tv has cable card access. The whole HD-Ready/HD-Built in concept didn't factor in the fact that providers would restrict high definition content to a subscription basis, therefore rendering it meaningless.
Not so great, but not much different. HDTV's are made to accept a digital signal, and under normal circumstances, sending analog in requires the tv to down-convert to analog, and unless the tv has a good DAC (like anything Sony) it will look like ********. Direct TV is all digital, therefore forgoing this problem, however, it will still look bad. A normal tv wont accept an HD signal. However, with direct tv and pretty much every other provider, its done per converter box, so just use a normal Direct tv receiver for the non-HD tv.
so why buy 50" plasma when obviously not all stations are gonna be HD? it must not look too terribly bad, i mean what can be worse than my current 25 inch analog tV? I plan on getting a panasonic 50 inch with the dish network HD package.
heh heh. There've been a few posts on BS where people have taken a HD box, attached to a SD TV via s-video, and been able to receive channels like HDNet. True, it's not HD, but apparently it can receive HDNet.
AFAIK, plasma is NOT necessarily HD. A lot of people get confused and think it is. It's the same thing with any other TV. A lot of people are buying the "flat-screen" TV's (another term I don't like), obtaining a HD box through satellite or cable and receiving HD channels. Yeah, a crapload of them will still be SD even with a HD TV and HD box, but more and more HD channels are becoming available.
Dood, I got a Sony Dream System last year but have to keep connecting/disconnecting the video inputs when I switch from a PS2, dvd, satelite, etc. I figured the "system" would have all sorts of inputs, but I basicly use a projector which has no tuner. The sound connections also need more inputs. Once I finish the home theater project, I will not and don't want all these cables exposed. Is these some sort of splitter setup or what?
I bought a Sony Dream System like two weeks ago. I also have to move plugs around for either my Satellite DVR receiver or a PS2. I can get the audio from everything, except my regular TV, as in whatevers over the air, regular antenna programming. I've played around with the plugs trying everything since I've bought it, and I still can't get sound from the TV to the system.
If you're running component video from the Sat, DVD, ect. You can purchase a Component video switch. Everyone has them, Radio Shack, Best Buy, ect.
that was the problem for me but tube tv just gave out after id been switching the input and outputs to much. i think getting a swtichput adapter is good they sell some at radio shack.
I am trying to help my parents with this as they are looking to get a Flat screen HD ready TV. They got turned off when the salesman starting adding on all the additional boxes, and pieces they need. My question: Is the picture quality okay if you just play it on regular Direct TV and cable (which they have)? It seems like alot of hassle and extra expense for HDTV and I am tempted just to let it all get settled and wait for more channels to become available b/4 I have them get this. Am I missing something?
What's yoru budget? Buy the Panasonic 42in plasma at visualapex.com. It's the best deal on the internet. Use me as a referral and i get 25 bucks off my next plasma - that'll save me a ton!
Can I ask a really stupid question? What are High Definition TV's? Has it got anything to do with the HD on the trailers section of apple.com? How do they work? Can anyone help me out?
hd (high def) was a new broadcast standard adopted in the 1980s. it has a wider aspect ratio (looks like a movie not like a tv), better picture quality (looks like a photo not like a tv) etc. It is an all digitial format, so theoretically there is no signal degradation in travel.
I believe, however, that beginning March 1st of this year, all TVs 25" or larger must include a built-in ATSC tuner to receive over-the-air HD broadcasts. The price difference is almost negligible between TVs that have them and those that don't (although "industrial" models are usually a good bit cheaper). Not that I care much for that antenna I had to hook up to get local HD channels, and I'm just waiting for Dish Network to offer HD locals in my area (supposedly in February) so I can ditch the antenna, at which point it won't really matter if I have a built-in tuner.
I did that before, mainly because I got my HD receiver from Dish Network before I actually got an HD television. Long story, but it ended up being cheaper that way when I went to add a receiver in the basement. The HD channels are picked up, but it was in 4:3 and so the sides of the screen (including where the score was during MLS games) was cut off.
Picture quality will be fine for your parents if they have cable (well, relatively fine, though I personally prefer satellite's picture quality). If they get it from their cable company, they should just get the one cable box, but I'd call the local company to verify all that.