![]() |
#1 |
Administrator
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Lake Wylie, SC
Posts: 25,953
![]() |
![]()
So I've been loving HDTV since getting it after moving a month ago. I am, dare I say it, getting used to the clarify and brilliance of it. But where I mainly watch it, in my room on my 22" TV, I had the crappy 10-watt speakers from my TV.
Black Friday came around and I discovered a good deal from Circuit City for some Samsung 5.1 surround sound speakers that deliver 800 (!) watts of power. Hmm ... 10 watts to 800 watts of surround sound. It's made the viewing experience complete! I'm watching football in HD right now and I can hear ambient noises all around me, such as crowd noises and music, etc. And the subwoofer makes a big difference, too. I now notice the "boom" from things as simple as FOX's special effects for the on-screen scoreboard. My advice? HDTV prices are dropping like a rock and many are getting one this holiday season. If you are getting one or have one, make sure you get 5.1 surround sound! Turns out all HD programming (i.e. sports) is broadcast with 5.1 surround sound, so the two complement each other nicely. Also, my entire audio setup cost $250 tops — pretty affordable! Check out the "home theater in a box" packages from Circuit City and you can really enjoy the audio *as well* as the great video you already expect from HD. It just seems everyone makes a big deal about the video, but forgets audio. It's equally as important!
__________________
Marc James - SCMB Administrator | Sports Central Managing Editor & Founder Teams: [Kentucky Wildcats] [Green Bay Packers] [Charlotte Hornets] Follow on Twitter: @mnjames | @sportcentral |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#2 |
Sports Virtuoso
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Durham, NC
Posts: 11,138
![]() ![]() |
![]()
You cannot get HDTV without surround sound, it just defeats the purpose entirely. It is definitely a viewing experience. Just wait until you watch MNF I think they actually pump through DTS rather than the standard Dolby Surround. The sound is much more cleaner and crisper.
__________________
Can I get an Amen from the bobbleheads? Hey I said pass the ketchup! I'm eatin' salad here! Oooh, there is so much I don't know about astrophysics. I wish I had read that book by that wheelchair guy. You SU-DIDDILY-UCK Flanders!! |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#3 |
Administrator
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Lake Wylie, SC
Posts: 25,953
![]() |
![]()
It's affordable and pretty easy to setup, so I'm just waiting until nearly everyone has it. It's so worth it! Anyone else planning on making the jump soon?
__________________
Marc James - SCMB Administrator | Sports Central Managing Editor & Founder Teams: [Kentucky Wildcats] [Green Bay Packers] [Charlotte Hornets] Follow on Twitter: @mnjames | @sportcentral |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#4 |
FFB #2
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5,850
![]() ![]() |
![]()
I'm shopping now. Can't wait for Pats/Jets MNF now... :cheers:
__________________
Homer: "All right, brain. You don't like me and I don't like you, but let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer." |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#5 |
Administrator
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Lake Wylie, SC
Posts: 25,953
![]() |
![]()
boston_aloha: So are you shopping for yourself or family? And what kind are you considering? If you're not a tech person, the alphabet soup of letters can drive you crazy. I'm sure doublee and I would be glad to help.
![]()
__________________
Marc James - SCMB Administrator | Sports Central Managing Editor & Founder Teams: [Kentucky Wildcats] [Green Bay Packers] [Charlotte Hornets] Follow on Twitter: @mnjames | @sportcentral |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#6 |
FFB #2
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5,850
![]() ![]() |
![]()
Uh, by family I guess you mean my dog huh? LOL. I actually wanted to hit circuit city next weekend. Not sure what kind I'm considering - thought I'd window shop first. Any recommendations? I'd like a 50-60 inch.
__________________
Homer: "All right, brain. You don't like me and I don't like you, but let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer." |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#7 |
Administrator
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Lake Wylie, SC
Posts: 25,953
![]() |
![]()
I would start at a site like CNET.com for reviews and more info. It's always good to build your knowledge before getting sucked into the allure of all the pretty pictures.
![]() I think you're looking at $3K-$5K for that size. I would look as plasmas for DLPs, depending on if you need flat or not. Panasonic, Samsung, Pioneer, and Sharp are all good.
__________________
Marc James - SCMB Administrator | Sports Central Managing Editor & Founder Teams: [Kentucky Wildcats] [Green Bay Packers] [Charlotte Hornets] Follow on Twitter: @mnjames | @sportcentral |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#8 |
Sports Virtuoso
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Durham, NC
Posts: 11,138
![]() ![]() |
![]()
It depends on what kind of HDTV you are looking for. You can get the generic (CRT) 50-60" HDTV for between 1,000-1,500. It looks like some of the LCD's are in the 2,000-2,500 range. Also, depending on how big of a room you have don't rule out the 42's you may be surprised at how big they are when you see them.
You also want to make sure you get one that supports the 1080p resolution and I don't think the old CRT TVs support anything higher than 720.
__________________
Can I get an Amen from the bobbleheads? Hey I said pass the ketchup! I'm eatin' salad here! Oooh, there is so much I don't know about astrophysics. I wish I had read that book by that wheelchair guy. You SU-DIDDILY-UCK Flanders!! |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#9 |
Administrator
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Lake Wylie, SC
Posts: 25,953
![]() |
![]()
1080p? Not so fast, doublee. You're going to have to pay a huge premium for that, and there is zero content available for it. Many networks have yet to go into "regular" 1080i/720p HD, yet alone 1080p. I think that might be better five years from now, but there's little point in getting 1080p now.
If this has your head spinning, I don't blame you. But check this out: http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6361600-1.html
__________________
Marc James - SCMB Administrator | Sports Central Managing Editor & Founder Teams: [Kentucky Wildcats] [Green Bay Packers] [Charlotte Hornets] Follow on Twitter: @mnjames | @sportcentral |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#10 |
FFB #2
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5,850
![]() ![]() |
![]()
Great info - thanks guys.
__________________
Homer: "All right, brain. You don't like me and I don't like you, but let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer." |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#11 |
Sports Virtuoso
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Durham, NC
Posts: 11,138
![]() ![]() |
![]()
I highly recommend getting a DVD player that supports high-def upscaling. It is not true high-def but it is superior to normal DVD video. I just picked one up yesterday at Best Buy and it was well worth the $150 I paid for it.
__________________
Can I get an Amen from the bobbleheads? Hey I said pass the ketchup! I'm eatin' salad here! Oooh, there is so much I don't know about astrophysics. I wish I had read that book by that wheelchair guy. You SU-DIDDILY-UCK Flanders!! |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#12 |
Administrator
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Lake Wylie, SC
Posts: 25,953
![]() |
![]()
I have one of those, and don't think it's a huge improvement over progressive scan ones. The problem is DVDs still only have 480 lines of resolution, at least twice as few as HDTV. It's kind of depressing that my whole DVD collection is now of significantly worse quality than the HDTV I'm used to. DVDs were great and exciting when I had regular TV, but they're so ... unsatisfying ... when they're actually a step down from TV.
__________________
Marc James - SCMB Administrator | Sports Central Managing Editor & Founder Teams: [Kentucky Wildcats] [Green Bay Packers] [Charlotte Hornets] Follow on Twitter: @mnjames | @sportcentral |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#13 |
Sports Virtuoso
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Durham, NC
Posts: 11,138
![]() ![]() |
![]()
I don't know, I think mine looks quite a bit sharper than my older DVD player did. The manufactures need to quit screwing around and settle on a standard HD-DVD format already.
__________________
Can I get an Amen from the bobbleheads? Hey I said pass the ketchup! I'm eatin' salad here! Oooh, there is so much I don't know about astrophysics. I wish I had read that book by that wheelchair guy. You SU-DIDDILY-UCK Flanders!! |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#14 |
Baseball Fanatic
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Marshalltown, Iowa
Posts: 6,484
![]() |
![]()
I've never seen it in person.
__________________
Keith "baseball nut" Thronson |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#15 | |
FFB #2
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5,850
![]() ![]() |
![]() Quote:
__________________
Homer: "All right, brain. You don't like me and I don't like you, but let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer." Last edited by boston_aloha; 12-28-2006 at 03:52 AM. |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Bookmarks |
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|