Aquos + HD DVR = @#$% yeah!

[Evan!]

We got a 42" 720p Aquos on Black Friday for less than half price, and set it up on Sunday. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to watch any actual HD stuff until last night. This being my first LCD and my first HD, I've been anxious.

See, we went to Sam's Club and picked up a Philips DVD player that said "HDMI". Okay. But then I went and rented an HD DVD, and it wouldn't play. WTF? Oh, turns out that even though it's HDMI, it doesn't play HD discs. I still, for the life of me, cannot understand why you need HDMI output when you can't play high def discs? When I hook it up to the S-vid input, it looks exactly the same, so why bother? Needless to say, I was a bit frustrated. Oddly enough, my friend did the SAME thing. Bought the very same DVD player and thought that, because it was HDMI, it'd play HD media. Just crazy!

So I had to wait 3 days for Dish to come out and install the HD DVR receiver. Whew. They pulled the ol' "between 12 and 5" routine on me yesterday, so I brought my work home and waited for them. They didn't get there till 5:30, and they still had to wait on another guy to show up after that. Everything got settled and they left around 7:30-8:00pm. Ugh. But...I now have HD DVR, not to mention picture-in-picture as well. The picture quality for the HD channels is simply phenomenal. I watched some ESPN, Family Guy and a movie last night on it, and I'm blown away. Now I just need a couch for the basement...

Tonight, GB vs Dallas in HD...:rockin:

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

Dude, a regular DVD player will NOT play HDDVD... the name is a bit decieving, but it's it's own format and you need a true HDDVD player to play the HDDVD videos.

The DVD player you got probably upscales regular dvd's. So it's better quality then on a traditional DVD player, but it's not going to be the quality of HDDVD or Bluray

But, yea, welcome to the HD world. It fu#kin rocks.

 

[user 574]

My old TV finally died and I got a 42 Visio and HD service about a month ago too. It is a wonderful thing ain't it!?! Especially football 'cept for Thu nights for me

 

[Lil' Sparky]

Yeah, the HD TVs and HD format is simply amazing. You don't realize what you've been missing out on until you sit back in front of an old 29" CRT and go "WTF? I can't see anything!"

I do think it's kind of silly when people go out and buy a 50+" flat panel for a "normal" sized room. 40-46" is more than enough for most people IMHO, and HDTVs in that range have really come down in price and will continue to do so.

 

[Evan!]

Dude, a regular DVD player will NOT play HDDVD... the name is a bit decieving, but it's it's own format and you need a true HDDVD player to play the HDDVD videos.

The DVD player you got probably upscales regular dvd's. So it's better quality then on a traditional DVD player, but it's not going to be the quality of HDDVD or Bluray

But, yea, welcome to the HD world. It fu#kin rocks.

I figured it out now...the hard way. I can't justify spending another 2 or 3 hundred on an HD DVD player yet. They'll go down in price next year. I hate shelling out extra $$ just to be an early adopter...especially given the limited amount of titles out there for HD + BD. They could hardly fill a single shelf section at Hollywood video!

 

[zbeeblebrox]

im in the same boat as you were in. my parents got a new tv on black friday but we already had the hdmi dvd player. even though it says up converting it still isnt much better then normal. but then again i dont know to much about dvd players. anyhow the guy is here right now installing the new dish and receiver. cant wait to get some hd stuff goin on.

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

I figured it out now...the hard way. I can't justify spending another 2 or 3 hundred on an HD DVD player yet. They'll go down in price next year. I hate shelling out extra $$ just to be an early adopter...especially given the limited amount of titles out there for HD + BD. They could hardly fill a single shelf section at Hollywood video!

Dude, bestbuy has a whole aisle of bluray and HDDVD videos.

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

I say dude too much

 

[Evan!]

Yeah, the HD TVs and HD format is simply amazing. You don't realize what you've been missing out on until you sit back in front of an old 29" CRT and go "WTF? I can't see anything!"

I do think it's kind of silly when people go out and buy a 50+" flat panel for a "normal" sized room. 40-46" is more than enough for most people IMHO, and HDTVs in that range have really come down in price and will continue to do so.

Especially the 720p's. Ours was $800 marked down from $1800. And therer are very few components out there that send 1080p signals, so I couldn't justify spending twice as much for that. The 720p (which is upconverted to 1080i for the satellite) is simply beautiful. I'm not a "buff", so I'd probably never really notice much difference anyway. I couldn't see anything different at the store! I'm sure, at some point in the future, more components will output 1080p, but for now...

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

720p is way better than 1080i for fast moving visuals, i.e. sports, action movies, video games. Interlaced(i) you lose frames, progressive(p) you get the full framerate.

 

[Evan!]

not sure why it's upconverting then.

 

[kornkob]

The various acronyms and technologies overlap and are ratehr confusing since they are all so similar (not to mention misrepresented in marketing materials).

Maybe these very low level explaiantions will help otehr people avoid yoru mistakes-- keep in mind they are very basic 'common language' defintions and thus the language is not precise.

HDMI = type of high quality connector

HD DVD = data format and media type for data recording/reading (mostly video) Not cross compatable with other formats

BluRay DVD = data format and media type for data recording/reading (mostly video) Not cross compatable with other formats

HD television = format for transmission and display of video on a monitor/screen/tube

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

I dunno, you get more pixels from the 1080i, so it's kind of a personal choice. I use 720p for all of my video games, because I can personally tell a difference (I think ).

 

[Evan!]

I think they do it on purpose. I had to look in the users manual to find the compatible media list.

Either way, the damn thing was only $60. I'll probably keep it and use it as is until the HD players drop in price.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Sounds sweet. SWMBO and I are thinking about a new TV. I'll add this to the list of things to consider.

 

[Evan!]

Sounds sweet. SWMBO and I are thinking about a new TV. I'll add this to the list of things to consider.

It's so nice to just hang your teevee from the wall...

 

[blacklab]

HDMI = A way of passing the signal to your TV, regardless of resolution. Basically, a single cable which passes vid/aud

HD DVD/Bluray = A new format of DVD which plays at HD resolution. Can be hooked up to the TV in many ways.

All - I worked in the video industry for 15 years and am very well versed in HD technology(helped several TV stations convert to HD). Feel free to ask me tech questions and purchase advice.

 

[Rhoobarb]

... I can't justify spending another 2 or 3 hundred on an HD DVD player yet. They'll go down in price next year. I hate shelling out extra $$ just to be an early adopter...

Plus, better to wait and see which format wins out - BluRay or HDDVD. And one will win. And it'll be based on nothing more than how well they are marketed to the public; not which one is superior. Just look at the old Beta vs. VHS war of the early 1980s.

 

[El_Borracho]

If you want BluRay, buy the PS3. For the price you get a console and a blue-ray player. Or buy the Core Xbox360 and spend the extra $ on their HD DVD player.. Just some suggestions.. I'm into consoles, but not enough to spend that kind of money on it... I don't watch more than a few hours a week during college football season..

 

[BrianP]

My TV also died an untimely death last week. So sad (actually I was geeked - good timing too with all the deals).

I got a 46" DLP Samsung (720p) at CC for $720. I threw in a home theater, an upconverting DVD player, and all I can say is WOW.

I thought about 1080p, but couldn't justify the extra cash. Same thing for the BlueRay or HD DVD. The 720p is more than good enough for me (I'm blown away by the quality), and the upconverting DVD makes my DVDs look much better than my other DVD player.

Life is good.

 

[Buford]

I want to see which format wins the wars and until it's fully cracked before I'll bother. DRM is evil.

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

Everyone is saying one will win, but I think both have their foot in the door enough that they could both thrive, constantly competing with each other. Not to mention, there will soon be players that play both HDDVD and bluray at an affordable price.

 

[Evan!]

I worry about DRM when it comes to musik, but movies...not really. I just watch stuff on Netflix and DVR, and stopped trying to amass a movie collection long ago. Whereas I can listen to plenty of albums over and over again, there are very few movies that I care to watch more than once or twice. So whether or not it's cracked isn't too much of an issue. I do agree with Chris, though...my main worry, after calming down from my post-Aquos-purchase high, is not as much that one will wholesale "win out" over the other as it is certain studios will go exclusively with one and others with the other, and so if I commit to a specific player now, I might not be able to watch the films from certain studios. Once they come out with a dual format reader, then we'll talk.

Oh, and by the way, I watched the GB-Dallas game last night in HD, and I've gotta say, it was amazing. I don't say this often, but between the NFL Network's teleplay and the 42" of HD output, I really felt more immersed in the game, felt like I was closer to the field. Too bad about Brett, though.

 

[Bobby_M]

If you don't want to commit to an HD disc format just yet, at least get yourself digital cable or satellite with HD service. Most cable companies don't charge more for HD content so you just have to ask for the newer box. If you want to cheap out even more, get yourself an HD antenna and plug it into your LCD if it has a built in ATSC tuner. You'll get all your local channels in HD!!!


Anyone with a 720p display without any HD content is living in the stone age.

 

[Rhoobarb]

Everyone is saying one will win, but I think both have their foot in the door enough that they could both thrive, constantly competing with each other. Not to mention, there will soon be players that play both HDDVD and bluray at an affordable price.

It doesn't matter what players are out there. It will depend on what format media providers decide to throw their support to. BluRay was looking like the front-runner, but then the HDDVD mfrs. started lining the pockets of some of the studios. Don't be surprised if ten years from now we're talking about one or the other in the past tense.

 

[Evan!]

If you don't want to commit to an HD disc format just yet, at least get yourself digital cable or satellite with HD service. Most cable companies don't charge more for HD content so you just have to ask for the newer box. If you want to cheap out even more, get yourself an HD antenna and plug it into your LCD if it has a built in ATSC tuner. You'll get all your local channels in HD!!!


Anyone with a 720p display without any HD content is living in the stone age.

I'll say. What a difference. When I first hooked it up, I was watching standard def DVD's, albeit through an HDMI input, but still, not digital. But when the hooked up the satellite on Wednesday, it was a whole new world.

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

It doesn't matter what players are out there. It will depend on what format media providers decide to throw their support to. BluRay was looking like the front-runner, but then the HDDVD mfrs. started lining the pockets of some of the studios. Don't be surprised if ten years from now we're talking about one or the other in the past tense.

Oh, it's entirely possible, and I wouldn't be surprised one bit, but the ps3 is not going to die any time soon, its just picking up pace and it uses blu ray and so does all of it's games. So blu ray may quit being a movie format, possibly, but it will still be used as a mass storage device, they are making technology right now that will let it hold over 200gigs on one disc.

I suspect we may be talking about both in past tense in 10 years though maybe less.

 

[iamjonsharp]

Upconverting DVD players work pretty well too. They will interpolate the dvd from 480 to 720 or 1080, and makes DVDs look alot nicer on HDTVs. Some HDTVs have upconversion built into them, blue ray or hd dvd players that also can play dvds probably can also upconvert. You get a nicer picture without having to drop $30 bucks on a blue ray disc and whatever the horrid price for a blue ray or hd player.

 

[Evan!]

Upconverting DVD players work pretty well too. They will interpolate the dvd from 480 to 720 or 1080, and makes DVDs look alot nicer on HDTVs. Some HDTVs have upconversion built into them, blue ray or hd dvd players that also can play dvds probably can also upconvert. You get a nicer picture without having to drop $30 bucks on a blue ray disc and whatever the horrid price for a blue ray or hd player.

My DVD player is HDMI + upconverting, and I honestly didn't see a huge difference when playing regular DVD's. I'm sure if I got an HD DVD player, it'd be great. I mean, I got "Smokin' Aces" the other day on DVD and watched a little bit of it. It was okay quality, even through the HDMI input. But then, the same movie came on Cinemax and I DVR'ed it and watched it last night. Cinemax is HD. The quality is astounding.

If you ask me, the LCD with HDMI only makes a relatively poor quality SD-DVD picture slightly more sharp, which, in some ways, only accentuates the crappiness. I mean, I didn't see much difference between playing a DVD in my PS2 which is hooked up to the aquos via RCA cables, and watching it through the upconverting DVD player through the HDMI cables. Maybe a little less noise, but not enough to make me say it's "alot nicer".

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

My DVD player is HDMI + upconverting, and I honestly didn't see a huge difference when playing regular DVD's. I'm sure if I got an HD DVD player, it'd be great. I mean, I got "Smokin' Aces" the other day on DVD and watched a little bit of it. It was okay quality, even through the HDMI input. But then, the same movie came on Cinemax and I DVR'ed it and watched it last night. Cinemax is HD. The quality is astounding.

If you ask me, the LCD with HDMI only makes a relatively poor quality SD-DVD picture slightly more sharp, which, in some ways, only accentuates the crappiness. I mean, I didn't see much difference between playing a DVD in my PS2 which is hooked up to the aquos via RCA cables, and watching it through the upconverting DVD player through the HDMI cables. Maybe a little less noise, but not enough to make me say it's "alot nicer".

There's really not a lot that can be done. I mean, it's like taking a small jpeg and trying to make it bigger in photoshop, it's gonna be blurry, so you try and sharpen it, then it just looks jagged and, bleh. I'd rather watch it in it's natural format, then blown up and filtered, ya know?

 

[Evan!]

There's really not a lot that can be done. I mean, it's like taking a small jpeg and trying to make it bigger in photoshop, it's gonna be blurry, so you try and sharpen it, then it just looks jagged and, bleh. I'd rather watch it in it's natural format, then blown up and filtered, ya know?

Precisely my point. Not that I mind watching SD DVD's on the aquos, but it's nothing to drop my jaw over, like the game last night was.

 

[iamjonsharp]

There's really not a lot that can be done. I mean, it's like taking a small jpeg and trying to make it bigger in photoshop, it's gonna be blurry, so you try and sharpen it, then it just looks jagged and, bleh. I'd rather watch it in it's natural format, then blown up and filtered, ya know?

It's not going to be as good as full blown hd, but it makes regular dvds look better. The upconverting DVD player I have has a noticeable difference when the upconverting setting is on compared to not on. There is more to upconverting than simply blowing the picture up, its uses some sort of algorithms to blow it up and then sharpens the edges and stuff or something.

 

[Bobby_M]

I have an upconverting player and I can't tell the difference between letting the player upconvert or letting the front projector do it. I DID notice an improvment when I started using the HDMI cable though, again, no difference regarding which device did the upconverting to the projector's native 720p res.

People talk about the HD disc war like it's some lifelong, irreversible decision. I've given up buying discs period with all the mail order rental availability. By the time there's a "winner" in the format war, whatever player you buy is probably going to be landfill material anyway. Pick up any sub $400 player and simply rent movies for a few years. Once you watch a really good HD transfer, you'll start treating SDDVD like is was recorded on VHS.

 

[kornkob]

but the ps3 is not going to die any time soon, its just picking up pace and it uses blu ray and so does all of it's games.

I don't think that is true. I'll have to grab one of our games when I get to work on Monday but I am reasonably sure that we are not yet producing games on blu ray. We are not yet testing any games using blu ray media or formatting because none of the games we have made as yet exceed the capacity and capability of a dual layer DVD.

I have a Blu Ray burner at work at a dozen or so discs in order to test if we need to but I've only made one disc thus far and that was just to make sure the burner worked.

We're paying about $11 per disc, in bulk, for Blu Ray discs at this point. We pay a little less than $1 for a dual layer DVD. It simply doesn't make fiscal sense for us to make games on Blu Ray at this point, especially budget titles.

A game costs us about $5 in packaging and media on a DVD. Then there is $7-12 that goes directly to the company that makes the console (varies based on console). PS3 is top of the heap right now at $12 per disc we make. So we're looking at $17 bucks in costs coming out the door for a PS3 game. That's before we pay salaries, overhead, marketing, sales fees, etc. If we add $10 to each disc because we use Blu Ray media, that would seriously impact our ability to make a profit on our games.

I could be wrong and I'm sure that there are a few games out there produced on blu ray, if only so that Sony cna have a live proof of concept.

*returns to his beer*

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

I don't think that is true. I'll have to grab one of our games when I get to work on Monday but I am reasonably sure that we are not yet producing games on blu ray. We are not yet testing any games using blu ray media or formatting because none of the games we have made as yet exceed the capacity and capability of a dual layer DVD.

I have a Blu Ray burner at work at a dozen or so discs in order to test if we need to but I've only made one disc thus far and that was just to make sure the burner worked.

We're paying about $11 per disc, in bulk, for Blu Ray discs at this point. We pay a little less than $1 for a dual layer DVD. It simply doesn't make fiscal sense for us to make games on Blu Ray at this point, especially budget titles.

A game costs us about $5 in packaging and media on a DVD. Then there is $7-12 that goes directly to the company that makes the console (varies based on console). PS3 is top of the heap right now at $12 per disc we make. So we're looking at $17 bucks in costs coming out the door for a PS3 game. That's before we pay salaries, overhead, marketing, sales fees, etc. If we add $10 to each disc because we use Blu Ray media, that would seriously impact our ability to make a profit on our games.

I could be wrong and I'm sure that there are a few games out there produced on blu ray, if only so that Sony cna have a live proof of concept.

*returns to his beer*

You're probably right, i was probably talking out my ass, but all the ps3 games I've gotten so far have been on blu ray.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Hey....all I'm sayin' is......70-somethin-% of purchases favoring Blu-Ray this holiday season is a pretty bad disparity. Like Bobby says, you're not committed to one choice or the other, but most of us want to make the best decision the first time. The studios/game designers may find it cheaper to produce, but if 70% of the market is buying blu-ray, I bet you can guess which group they're gonna target That's all I'm sayin'

 

[kornkob]

I was speaking specifically to games in my case.


However, I'd be wary of the numbers games that both parties are playing right now. Sell throughs vs sell to are easy to manipulate into showing 'sales wins' for marketing purposes.

 

[budbo]

I figured it out now...the hard way. I can't justify spending another 2 or 3 hundred on an HD DVD player yet.

Take it back

 

[Evan!]

Take it back

That was my first thought, but I do need some kind of DVD player on the aquos, even if it's standard def. And if there is some kind of crazy deal on HD DVD players in the near future, well, this Philips one was a whopping $60, and we've been wanting one in the bedroom anyway, so...there you go. Not worth returning for $60, when we'll probably be using it for awhile, or at least until a reasonable HD player comes along.

 

[Bobby_M]

Some people scored the A2 from Walmart for $100 a couple weeks ago. I frickin missed it and I'm solidly pissed. At that price I'd buy two.