Here is a question...

I recently bought a JVC HD 1080P TV. I have free cable from my apartments, so I do not run it throught a box. It looks like crap. DO I need a digital cable box to make it look right, or am I doing something wrong in setup?

 

since i dont even own an hd tv and i also work at best buy how am i a sap. if you sit down and actually watch a movie and actually pay attention then you will notice. btw i get there top of the line for like 50 bucks.

 

bought an optical audio cable and hdmi cable for my ps3 for less than $15 with shipping included from monoprice.com

 

i got my cables from monoprice and am very happy with them

 

yes, my 60" sony LCOS is too small or crappy to tell a difference. For sports there is a difference or an action film the difference between interlaced and progressive becomes more pronounced, but for the most part it's not that big of a deal.
And I'm sure I'm getting crappy signals from the BDP, and HDDVD player through the HDMI 1.3 receiver.
I have both cheap & expensive cables, I've never done a direct swap, but I doubt there would be a difference worth justifying the extra $50 per cable.

 

you really cant tell the difference between 720p from 1080p, you can start noticing a difference once you start getting into big sets like 50in and bigger but not a difference that makes you go crazy and make your head explode.

 

Right, it's noticeable, but it's not the end of the world.

 

non HD channels are going to look like crap on an HDTV =/ If you want to make good use of your HDTV then you need the HD box along with HD subscription... it sucks I know..

 

Did I say I couldn't tell a difference? No I said it wasn't a huge difference.
I don't think most people are constantly moving there HDMI cables around, so to break off the tip you'd have to be pretty careless, it probably does happen though.
I'm sure the build quality is not the same, but explain to me how a digital signal can change from one cable to another. It's 0's & 1's. Unless you're picking up interference I don't see where the difference is coming from. I'm up in the air as to whether or not cables make a difference in actual picture/sound quality.

I'm wasting space huh? I'm sure running speaker wires & programming a universal remote makes you an expert on the subject. I bet you know it all....

 

ok i picked up a philips hdmi cable until mine arrives from monoprice. it looks goo but there's still a slight 'haze' over the tv. i already have all the settings set at 1080p and its still happening during movies.

any advise?

 

poop on it

 

How are you a sap? You don't own a HDTV and work for Best Buy. You're supposed to sit down and actually watch a movie? Damn, that must be what I am doing wrong.

I have 2 Monster HDMI cables that were $100 each. I have 2 monoprice.com HDMI cables that were $16 each. I've used both on my Mitsubishi Diamond DLP and Samsung LCD TVs. There is no difference in picture quality. Go back to Best Buy and learn about selling Service Plans instead of learning about actual Home Theater applications.

You're probably not getting an HD signal through that free cable. I'd call the cable service provider and ask what you need to do to get HD.

I'd think you're a complete idiot if you didn't have an Astros picture in your signature... that saved you.

Since you're an Best Buy expert (ie brain washed) and can tackle highly technical problems like programing universal remotes, read www.avsforum.com and see what they think about digital signals.

I'll say it again: It does not matter on a digital signal how or in what order the 0's and 1's it transmits get to the source, as long as they get there. In an analog source, it matters how and in what order the signal gets to the source... hence it makes a difference in the cable you buy. Read up some.

 

Than you hawgs, I agree 100%

 

I've found Fry's has much better pricing than BB on cables. I needed a 25' component video cable for my projector this weekened, and bought one there for $25. I was going to just build the cables myself since I have a 1000' of good RG6, but a pack of good RCA connectors is $20. So, I saved myself the time and trouble and bought a preterminated cable.

My projector won't take HDMI, so I'm really only concerned with component cables. But, I checked the output, and it looks fine. I'm going to try to watch something tonight and see how it compares to the regular definition DVD's...

I've watched my buddies 1080P plasma running Blue Ray. So, I'm interested to see how this stacks up. I got a PS3 which has Blue-Ray, so I'm going to pop a movie in and seee how it looks on the projector in the next few days.

Here is Finding Nemo in standard definition on my screen. I need to measure it, but the picture is somewhere between 120 and 144" The picture is a bit grainy from my resizing it to fit here.

 

This is for Hawgs, I'm going to refrain from namecalling but I got a list for you buddy.

Sounds like you got burned by Bestbuy once or twice. Customers like you make my day. And seriously, you can talk down to me as much as you want. Your the kinda guy who thinks he can do it all himself, and only to find out you dont know what the **** your doing. I deal with those kinda people all day. Listen, I can care less what you guys think of my opinion. I buy the cables YOU buy for $100+ for less then 20 bucks. So in a sense I also own $20 cables. And the cables you buy for $20, I use to tie up my garbage bags. I dont care if you think I'm a complete idiot. Your the one who bought a Mitsubishi DLP, must've got a hell of a deal on that oversized paper weight. If you had purchased a decent TV, your little rant might've actually convinced me. Your picture sucks as is, no wonder you cant tell the difference between your $100 cable and the $20 one. To get back on topic,

Trudualed, I'm sure by now you've already purchased some cables. Just buy both and return the expensive one if you cant tell a difference. Aside of picture quality and cable quality, if you purchase a highend TV, got HD, might be going Blueray or HD-DVD, why would you settle for cheap cabling? I mean, your car will run on 87.....but dont you fuel up with 93?

 

J-rod,

Look into an LG upconvert DVD player. Its gonna be cheap, under $100. Almost all upconvert DVD players will only output 720p or 1080i through HDMI. LG is the only brand I know of that will send a 1080i signal through component cables. All other players are limited to progressive scan which is 480P. This should definitely clear up your picture a bit, but try not to compare blueray dvd's on a 1080P plasma to what you own. its just not fair on your behalf.

 

Thank you for your input, but I do not believe your information is accurate.

Component video can output to 1080p. Component video is capable of carrying signals such as 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p, although some TVs do not support 1080p through component video.

I also verified the various outputs from the PS3 including 1080i which will work via component output.

 

Does Best Buy send you to any sort of training to be an installer or do they just find any slackjaw moron on the street and give them 7 bucks and hour and a drill?

Tieing up your trash with HDMI cables is probably not the best idea. It's hard to get them very tight and more often than not they'll come loose. I prefer tieing the bag to itself. Grab one corner and the opposite corner and then tie those bad boys together. Gives you a much better seal and you don't have to spend $20 each time you take out the trash.

 

LS1LUNATIC, I own a cheap 32" magnavox its a 720p with a 1200:1 contrast ratio. I was thinking about getting a good dvd player but $400 for a blue ray is not something i want to do right now. I saw a HD player at best buy for 200, but everyone i ask tells me that blue ray is better. Is blue ray worth the extra 200? How do movie availability compare between the two? Prices? If i go with blue ray i would definitely go with a PS3.

Also my parents want to buy a 40"-42" flat screen and a sound system with a dvd player. Is the picture quality from the upconversion DVD player good? They dont want top of the line stuff but something nice.

Lastly, can you hook me up with a discount?

 

An upconvert DVD player does not compare to HD-DVD or Blu-Ray.
As far as what is better, they are pretty equal as far as picture and sound quality go if you have a good player. I have both b/c when I had only a HD player everything I wanted was on Blu ray. Blu ray has more exclusive contracts with production studios than HDDVD, I think both formats will be around for a while.