Racer's Lounge - quiestions about HDTV

hey guys my girlfriend just gave me an early xmas present a Samsung TX-R2765 flatscreen HD ready monitor yada yada...so far i love the tv...a lot better than my old phillips 19'' lol anyway i want to get it all hooked up...HD,surround sound,tivo,DVR etc etc....but i really am a :newbie: when it comes to HD and all the other stuff i mentioned...so someone SCHOOL ME on what products to get as far as HD tuner and surround sound and tivo and DVR...the only 2 things i am looking for is to keep it within a good price and i wanted it all to be Samsung(if that really matters)
thanks guys

If your TV is HD "ready", then it probably doesn't have the built-in HD tuner. I use my cable company's Motorola box for HD even though my TV has a built-in tuner. My TV has Cable Card which is a nice feature if you want de-scrambled cable/sattelite but do not want the box. The drawback is you cannot access the special features of your cable company's box like on-demand and ppv. Some of the cable/sattelite services offer DVR which is like Tivo.

yea my tv is HD ready but doesnt have the tuner so i was gonna buy one from circuit city or bestbuy or something but just didnt know the kind to get....i have comcast cable for all you philly people and i want to know a good set up?
thanks

If you have cable call them up and order their HD box or a cable card. Most companies will let you rent the box for a few bucks a month.

but will the hd box they let me rent be a good one or will it be some piece of crap?

I don't have Comcast, but I'm sure it will be fine. I have Dish Network and the HD channels are amazing. Go 1080i baby. The DVR is identical to tivo, and I'm not sure of Comcast's options on that, but I do know if you have it you will love it. I haven't really done any research on cable/dish company HD boxes compared to store bought tuners, but I'm willing to bet they aren't that much better, if at all, especially to justify the price. But that's just my opinion.

I have Comcast (philly guy too) and their box is pretty good. Get a DVI->HDMI cable with the box for a great picture. I don't know if Comcast offers CableCard yet, but that won't require anything other than the coax.

yea i think it says in my manual that my tv is set up for 1080i for hd is that a good one? there is a comcast guy comin out today cause my tvs are all a little fuzzy should i talk to him about it? so i can ask him about getting an hd box and dvr?

yea i think it says in my manual that my tv is set up for 1080i for hd is that a good one? there is a comcast guy comin out today cause my tvs are all a little fuzzy should i talk to him about it? so i can ask him about getting an hd box and dvr?

Pretty sweet Christams gift!

I currently have a Panasonic HDTV with a Samsung HT-P38 DVD Home Theatre System (5 disc changer, 800W- plays nearly everything you can throw at it! It also has a usb port. I saw that SAMs club has this one and a 1000W if you want to get Samsung!)

My cable company is Charter and I have their HD DVR box. When the tech brought it he didn't set it up or anything, so I had to go in an change the settings for HD myself.

As for the fuzzy picture...I can't say that it will solve your problem, but for me...it was a lousy connector on the end of my coax cable. Once the old one was off, and a new was put on it was much better.

1080i is the 1920x1080 format 16:9 aspect ratio. The "i" means interlaced vs. 720p "p" for progressive. Either format looks great and is the same "size" although I believe the numbers are misleading for which might actually look better. I think 720p might have more lines of resolution depending on how you measure the format. It's like comparing a CISC and a RISC processor...not exactly apples to apples.. Your TV probably handles both as well as 480p and 480i which I believe is the old aspect ratio -->4:3.

If your TV's are fuzzy there might be an issue with the cable that requires Comcast to install some type of device (I think it's a booster) on your line outside. I have heard a few people complain about the same problem and that was the solution.

Check out the prices of HD and DVR on Comcast's site. The service tech will have the equipment on his truck if you decide to get it. I fortunately live around the corner from a Comcast service center which is extremely convenient.

I have the comcast HD box and it works great. I'd just rent the box if I were you. Connections with HD make a huge difference. Don't use the RCA or S-video connections since they are the worst quality. Use optical for sound and either the component video (green, blue, orange) connections or the previously mentioned DVI cable. Surrond system depend on you. I'm a Denon fan, but you'll pay for the quality. I'd not limit yourself to just samsung products though they make an awesome tv. The little all in one systems available now days are pretty good for the newbie. The next level would be to get a nice reciever/amp and a nice speaker package system. I'd recommend anything from Onkyo to Sony and a nice speaker package like bose, polk, boston acoutics, or Klipsh. Don't have many recommendations on DVR, but I know many cable companies can supply those too. I've got the panasonic DVD/Hard drive burner that is basically a DVR on steroids since I can burn stuff off the hard drive onto a DVD (total VCR replacement).

Lance

hey yea the comcast guy is here now lookiin at the tv and stuff i think ill wait to do a little more research before i tell him to go get the hd set...how much is it to rent a month you gguys know? i mid as well buy one cause in the long run renting will cost more? well i think ill just get my feet wet with the tv first to get to know it a little better before i start doing everything else....well see
thanks for your help guys
hey red2003 cobra and technical i might be pm'ing you with some further quiestions :)

Connections with HD make a huge difference. Don't use the RCA or S-video connections since they are the worst quality. Use optical for sound and either the component video (green, blue, orange) connections or the previously mentioned DVI cable.

Right on! :D

1080i is the 1920x1080 format 16:9 aspect ratio. The "i" means interlaced vs. 720p "p" for progressive. Either format looks great and is the same "size" although I believe the numbers are misleading for which might actually look better. I think 720p might have more lines of resolution depending on how you measure the format. It's like comparing a CISC and a RISC processor...not exactly apples to apples.. Your TV probably handles both as well as 480p and 480i which I believe is the old aspect ratio -->4:3.

If your TV's are fuzzy there might be an issue with the cable that requires Comcast to install some type of device (I think it's a booster) on your line outside. I have heard a few people complain about the same problem and that was the solution.

Check out the prices of HD and DVR on Comcast's site. The service tech will have the equipment on his truck if you decide to get it. I fortunately live around the corner from a Comcast service center which is extremely convenient.

1080P has a resolution of 1920x1080. 1080I should work on any HD set with a rating of 1028 x 720 or higher. To my knowledge nobody broadcast in 1080p yet. A few Mitsu DLP's and Sony's XBR's are capable of 1080P. As of now 720P is the best format

I was wrong. According to CNet, 720p is 1280x720 and 1080i is 1920x1080. Except for 1080p mentioned above, HD TV's will play them all. What chafes my hide is when Comcast doesn't send an HD signal on an HD channel. Like say all the Flyers road games....

http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5107912-1.html

1080P has a resolution of 1920x1080. 1080I should work on any HD set with a rating of 1028 x 720 or higher. To my knowledge nobody broadcast in 1080p yet. A few Mitsu DLP's and Sony's XBR's are capable of 1080P. As of now 720P is the best format

This is what we got on saturday :eek2: 62in DLP Mitsubishi :eek2: also got dish HD, what a difference :D

This is what we got on saturday :eek2: 62in DLP Mitsubishi :eek2: also got dish HD, what a difference :D

Was is the 1080P mitsu? :eek2: :hail:

Was is the 1080P mitsu? :eek2: :hail:

Yeah it is the 1080, can't wait till the signal is 1080 too :judge: :eek2:

Get a Samsung HD DVD player. I got one last week at best buy for 129.99. It has an HDMI conection also. It looks very good.

its like 5 bucks a month extra for rthe hd box. def. worth it. i have an hd tv (2 years now?) and i cant stand watching regular tv. hd football rocks hard.