High Definition Media & Technology Thread

[eugimon]

That article's two weeks old and it links to articles 1 month old or older. AV websites have already noted that and similar articles and tore it up.

November/December prices compared to a few months after? Holiday season sales versus non-holiday season prices? It's no longer the holiday and prices are back where they were without the sales discount. Not surprising at all. I expect to see current Bluray SA players to drop in price once the 2.0 players are more widely available (I'm guessing summer/fall) and to have further reductions once it's Winter 2008 and especially in 2009 when you guys(USA) are forced to go digital. You may see your $200 Bluray player then.

Quick search on google on "HD DVD" and "Ben Patterson" show that he was a HD DVD supporter. Not surprised that he's playing the negative slant against Bluray. He got burnt and is taking his shots where he can. It's over. HD DVD lost. If you want a good player get a PS3. Its price isn't going up, it's BD-Live and consistently one of the better Bluray players out there plus all the other bells and whistles that comes with it. If you're anti-Sony then you'll have to wait a few more months for the prices to drop on the other CE players.

I'm purple, I don't care. I'm merely responding to people who think/thought that the end of the format war would result in lower prices.

BTW, there's a bunch of other articles on various sites all saying the same thing. So maybe you want to dismiss the yahoo article because of the author, but there are ones on gizmodo, about, tg daily, etc that all show, in tables and graphs no less, that blu-ray player prices are up... even from the beginning of this year.

Edited April 3, 2008 by eugimon

[Dangard Ace]

You don't seem to act like you don't care. No one has been mentioning anything about lower prices lately. We've been talking day and dates and av equipment.

From Gizmodo again dated two weeks ago:

http://gizmodo.com/367216/blu+ray-prices-h...to-piss-you-off

I suppose that it is not all that surprising to find out that without competition from the HD DVDs camp, prices for Blu-ray players have gone up. According to data collected by Pricegrabber.com, Blu-ray players have hit a high average of $400 per unit for the year—about the same price they were at this time last year. This comes after the aggressive price cuts Blu-ray manufacturers employed at the height of the HD DVD battle. While these players probably would have been $1000 without a format war (thank Toshiba for that one) these prices are not moving in the right direction. Update: While this trend is notable, we'd like to keep in mind that a) prices are generally set by retailers, and MSRPs themselves haven't changed and b) since this is the "off season" for electronics sales, other products such as flat panel TVs may also be seeing a real-price increase based on a dearth of sweet rebates and other buying incentives. [Pricegrabber and Tom's Hardware]

Looked up the contributer(Mark Raby) for TG Daily as well. It appears he also was an HD DVD supporter and was called out in the comments section for cooking those numbers. http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/36428/113/

Tom's Hardware is Mark Raby's again. EngadgetHD is linking back to Mark Raby's Tom's Hardware article.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/03/12/blu...ition_dwindles/

About.com article links Gizmodo who in turn linked Tom's Hardware article(Mark Raby).

http://hometheater.about.com/b/2008/03/15/...es-going-up.htm

[Uxi]

I'm purple, I don't care. I'm merely responding to people who think/thought that the end of the format war would result in lower prices.

They will. Keep it fair and compare it on a quarter to quarter basis. Keep it in context and realize that sales around the Christmas season are always greater than they are in the "5th quarter." Do you care to lay any odds on whether Q4 '08 wil be more expensive or cheaper than they were in Q4 '07?

By aping his red defeatism, you're definitely not helping. Instead it kinda looks like you tacitly agree... but just don't want to be out in the open with it.

BTW, there's a bunch of other articles on various sites all saying the same thing. So maybe you want to dismiss the yahoo article because of the author, but there are ones on gizmodo, about, tg daily, etc that all show, in tables and graphs no less, that blu-ray player prices are up... even from the beginning of this year.

Consider the sources... Both Gizmodo and TG were as red leaning as any site on the intarweb. Easily as comparably partisan to blu-ray.com...

[JsARCLIGHT]

It's inevitable that prices will fall. As technology matures and it's makers find new ways to reduce cost and speed manufacturing the overall costs will fall... it's simply a matter of time and how quickly the market warms to Blu Ray. IMHO three things have to happen before we will see substantial noticeable drops in BD hardware and movie prices: 1) BD needs to shore up it's technology so all the manufacturers and studios are on the same page. By all accounts that I've seen BD Live 2.0 is the final stage and once all the retail players inhabit this "tier" and the movies are all marked for it as well there should be a definite "standardization" across the manufacturing and authoring scope which should alleviate some of the "issues" people (both studios and consumers) have with the "complexity" of the format. 2) The great digital migration of 2009 is upon us and many consumers are not exactly thrilled with the idea of purchasing a new format, let alone new TV's. I'd think that once the great migration is underway and close to finished we'll see many new HDTV owners making the leap to BD technology. And 3) The local, and to an extent the global, economy is not exactly in the best of shape right now. The dollar is falling like a rock and most "typical" consumers are not looking to buy a $500 "toy" at the moment. Add to that on the manufacturing side raw materials prices are skyrocketing as are transportation costs and neither shows any real signs of ebbing off soon. With their existing profit margins subtlety shrinking from a ballooning overhead I highly doubt the hardware manufacturers are rushing to drop prices just yet. I fully believe they are rushing to reduce their own overhead, but if that translates into lower market prices is yet to be seen.

While I have no doubt BD prices will fall... eventually... I'm still in the camp of "wait and see". It's illogical to think that the prices will never fall, but at the same time it's kind of presumptuous to believe that just because "the war is over" that instantly means the prices will fall. Blu Ray is just like the infant DVD of the late '90s... it's a long range game plan. Prices will slowly drop and eventually years from now we will all look around at Best Buy or Frys and wonder when they stopped selling DVDs. It's just that the transition from DVD to BD, from expensive to cheap, will happen so gradually and over a longer time period that we will never notice it happening. It will be like the old analogy of the tiger and the elephant used by Ho Chi Minh, BD will peck away at DVD slowly over the years until DVD is no more.

[JsARCLIGHT]

Snap.

Got my Best Buy "HD DVD Player Bonus Cash" gift card in the mail last night.

Ironically... the gift card is solid "blu ray" blue and silver...

[bandit29]

Sony to Integrate Blu-ray into LCD HDTVs

Posted April 7, 2008 10:21 AM by Josh

Sony Ryoji Chubachi, Sony president and Electronics CEO, mentioned in a press conference, held in Taipei on April 3rd, that Sony would add Blu-ray recorders to their popular line of LCD HDTVs. This was seen as necessary to increase global share of Blu-ray products from 20% of the market (the other 80% belonging to DVD) to 50% by the end of this year.

Since the launch of the high definition format, Sony has relied on their PlayStation 3 to increase market share. Now that Blu-ray is taking off, Sony wants to rapidly increase the share, and their popular LCD HDTV line is seen as a ripe area to help achieve that goal.

No word on when or how much these HDTV/Blu-ray combo devices will be sold, but with the overall goal to increase Blu-ray market share by the end of this year, one would expect them to be on store shelves sooner than later.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1189

and

Batman Begins giftset

Specs and Extras for Batman Begins Revealed

Posted April 8, 2008 04:21 PM by Josh

Warner Bros. Warner Home Video has revealed the specs and special features for the upcoming Blu-ray release of 'Batman Begins', which is scheduled to be released on July 8th. The release will come in two flavors: either as a standard Blu-ray or a limited edition Blu-ray gift set. Video will be presented as 1080p VC-1, and audio will come via a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track.

Extras include 12 featurettes (including: "Genesis of the Bat", "Batman: The Journey Begins", "Path to Discovery", "Saving Gotham City", "Shaping Mind and Body", "Gotham City Rises", "Cape and Cowl", "Batman: The Tumbler"), the "Tankman Begins" MTV spoof, "Confidential Files" (text and images), and theatrical trailers.

Additionally, this release will feature an "In Movie Experience" (IME) PIP commentary track. This BonusView feature will only work on BonusView Blu-ray players, which includes the Sony PlayStation 3 and Panasonic DMP-BD30.

Exclusive to the Blu-ray release will be the complete six-minute prologue from upcoming theatrical release of 'The Dark Knight', which is set to hit theaters on July 18th.

As previously reported, the limited edition gift set will include a Batman Begins motion art lenticular, script pages, exclusive photos, storyboards, five collectible Batman Begins postcards, and $7.50 in movie cash toward a Dark Knight ticket.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1201

Edited April 9, 2008 by dejr8bud

[Gaijin]

Firefly coming on Blu-ray:

BD Firefly

And:

the Batman set:

Batman Giftset BD

Edited April 8, 2008 by Gaijin

[Gaijin]

Amazon has a buy 2 get one free BD sale:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/?doc...anandscathed-20

And to anyone who bought HD DVD players from Amazon, they're giving you a lil free cash:

$50 for HD DVD Buyers

[mikeszekely]

Firefly coming on Blu-ray:

BD Firefly

And:

the Batman set:

Batman Giftset BD

Firefly is good news. Be really nice if they include Serenity with it.

[Gaijin]

Firefly is good news. Be really nice if they include Serenity with it.

They can't. Fox still owns the TV show...Universal the movie.

[Roy Focker]

I'd rather have the movie since I can watch the series for free at hulu.

[eugimon]

Good timing, there's talk of finally giving PS3 owners software DTS-HD MA decoding. And since Fox seems hell bent on supporting this format, I'm relieved to know I'll be able to hear Firefly in lossless goodness.

DTS-MA HD confirmed for PS3!

Edited April 10, 2008 by eugimon

[marimba]

2.30 update due April 17...come on April 17th!

[mikeszekely]

They can't. Fox still owns the TV show...Universal the movie.

Nuts! Well failing that, how about Universal releases a Blu-ray Serenity with a better transfer and the extras from the newer DVD edition?

[eugimon]

Nuts! Well failing that, how about Universal releases a Blu-ray Serenity with a better transfer and the extras from the newer DVD edition?

I'm hoping for a new transfer as well. It's decent enough for the most part but the scenes on the mule against the blue sky look pretty horrible. Mal's face looks like a coloring book what with that heavy black outline.

[Uxi]

Are there any alternate cuts of Serenity? We can hope for that as well (best yet a seamlessly branched that would let you switch between alternate and theatrical cuts if desired).

[bandit29]

for Heroes fans:

Heroes: Seasons One and Two Soaring to Blu-ray

Posted April 17, 2008 12:52 PM by Josh

Universal Studios Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced they will release 'Heroes: Season One' and 'Heroes: Season Two' for Blu-ray on August 26th. The first season was released on DVD and HD DVD last August, and the second season will be released on Blu-ray day-and-date with the DVD release. No specs or extras have been announced at this time.

The 'Heroes: Season Two' release will be the first global release on Blu-ray for Universal, indicating that it will be available in all territories on August 26th. This also places the previous seasons in the hands of fans a few days before the proposed start of the third season of the popular television series.

No word on whether 'Heroes: Season One' will be a port of the previous HD DVD release, or if it will be optimized for Blu-ray. We'll post more details on all the upcoming Universal titles when they come available.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1220

[Dangard Ace]

for Heroes fans:

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1220

WOOHOO!!!

This means Universal is releasing ..... finally!

http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews...740482320080417

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Universal Studios, once Hollywood's top backer of the doomed HD DVD video format, will soon release all its new videos on the victorious Blu-ray rival at the same time as its standard DVDs.

The studio is set to announce Thursday that the program will kick off in the summer with the recent box office flop "Doomsday."

Universal's Blu-ray strategy includes plans to release about 40 titles in the second half of the year.

Among them are the studio's five big feature films of the summer, including "The Incredible Hulk," with Edward Norton, William Hurt and Liv Tyler; "Wanted," an action thriller starring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie; "Hellboy II: The Golden Army"; "Mamma Mia," the adaptation of the musical starring Meryl Streep; and the sequel "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," with Brendan Fraser and Jet Li.

Universal officially will enter the Blu-ray market July 22 with a trio of films from its "Mummy" action-adventure franchise: "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns," both starring Fraser, and the spinoff "The Scorpion King," with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Also planned for domestic Blu-ray before the year is up are the catalog titles "American Gangster," "Knocked Up," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Miami Vice," "End of Days," "U-571" and "Land of the Dead," among others.

Universal had been HD DVD's biggest studio backer ever since the next-generation optical disc format came to market in April 2006. But when Toshiba pulled the plug on the format in February, the studio wasted no time switching its allegiance to Sony's Blu-ray.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

[David Hingtgen]

I'm actually going to buy my HDTV soon (I've got it picked out and am literally waiting for my next paycheck) but have a quick question:

Best calibration disc out there? I probably won't be getting a PS3 for at least a few more months (but who knows, maybe BestBuy will have a good combo deal in the next few weeks), so I'll need a DVD-based one.

Or--are they even really worth it? Many negative reviews of DVE stating lack of explanation. Is it really that much better over simply running the THX optimizer? I find that my "by eye" calibrations are usually dead-on to the THX ones, for brightness/contrast/sharpness at least. But color is something so difficult to do--mainly because every source and channel is so different. IMHO--why even calibrate the TV's color to a standard, when no source will be outputting/matching it? Example: Match NBC. Make things look normal/nice. Then ABC will be REALLY off. And vice-versa. (ABC is pale/desaturated, NBC is very saturated and red---CNN has the best color IMHO) Wouldn't it make more sense to calibrate the TV so that say, my fave channel and 360 look "right", rather than to some fairly arbitrary standard that maybe, just maybe, some channel will match up with and look right?

[Necron_99]

Which HDTV did you go with? I've been looking around, but I really haven't seen one that I like yet

[David Hingtgen]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...d=1202648740213

http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/detail/...&fullspec=F

A few months ago, the Samsung 3253 had the overall best picture IMHO. But, that particular model had several issues--notably, tearing via component inputs, audio sync/dropouts, and "corner pixel" issues. Plus it had a glossy black frame. My "alternate" was the Sony 32S3000. Almost as good a picture, no real issues. But cost more.

But now, Samsung has come out with their 2008 models (and changed the numbering system). The 3253's replacement is the 32A450. It's better in every way than the 3253 picture-wise (contrast, response time, handling of SD sources), and has no known issues. (Asides from an occasional audio glitch from HD cable TV--and Samsung's pretty good about releasing updated firmware to fix audio issues). It still has a glossy black frame, but it's "not as bad" as last year's model.

So, being 200 bucks cheaper than the Sony, and having a "2 steps better" overall picture, it's definitely the one to get. There is no such thing as a "perfect" HDTV with no flaws/issues at all. They're much like Yamato valks---99% of posts about them are complaining about their problems.

PS---shopping at BestBuy? Go to the post office. Pick up the "change of address" packet. Inside is a coupon from BestBuy for 10% off any TV over 400 bucks. 10% off coupons for HDTV's at BB are pretty common, but you never have one when you need it. Good until May 31st. (but the packet's only going to be available until the end of April it seems)

[Gaijin]

I'm actually going to buy my HDTV soon (I've got it picked out and am literally waiting for my next paycheck) but have a quick question:

Best calibration disc out there? I probably won't be getting a PS3 for at least a few more months (but who knows, maybe BestBuy will have a good combo deal in the next few weeks), so I'll need a DVD-based one.

Or--are they even really worth it? Many negative reviews of DVE stating lack of explanation. Is it really that much better over simply running the THX optimizer? I find that my "by eye" calibrations are usually dead-on to the THX ones, for brightness/contrast/sharpness at least. But color is something so difficult to do--mainly because every source and channel is so different. IMHO--why even calibrate the TV's color to a standard, when no source will be outputting/matching it? Example: Match NBC. Make things look normal/nice. Then ABC will be REALLY off. And vice-versa. (ABC is pale/desaturated, NBC is very saturated and red---CNN has the best color IMHO) Wouldn't it make more sense to calibrate the TV so that say, my fave channel and 360 look "right", rather than to some fairly arbitrary standard that maybe, just maybe, some channel will match up with and look right?

I do that as well...I use a THX calibration such as those found on Star Wars DVD's, or the Blu-ray Sony discs calibration test patterns, then I twaek it myself to whatever looks best to ME.

To use the Sony test patterns, on the title screen of a Sony Blu-ray hit 7669 (SONY) on your remote 04 Triangle then numbers on a PS3 Controller, then Enter.

Another thing is most TV's nowadays have individual settings for each input..so your 360 and PS3 might be slightly different (360's tend to over satuarate) from your DVD, HD Cable, etc. You can tweak each setting for each input to your heart's content. If you wind up with HD/digital cable, and it uses HDMI, the colors on most stations will be a little more "in tune" with each other, at least they are with Time Warner Cable in my town. With component and analog, they are really all over the place, and each station looked really different.

[Wes]

Ok I can't believe I read all 29 pages of this mess but anyways why is there about zero descussion about speakers here? Seems the same for the internet whereas I had no trouple finding a place like projectorcentral I can't find an easy-to-use speaker site. I spent alot of time looking up receivers so I got a Onkyo 705 when they started this clearance. And I'm getting some lower-than-internet rates on some Polk Audio speakers. I heard they were pretty good, anyone got an opinion on them. I'm planning on getting RTi8s for the fronts, Csi3 for the center, and Fxi3 for the surrounds. Oh and is there a real big difference from 14 gauge and 12 gauge wires? I can get some 14 Philips for alittle less than Monoprice is selling and I don't want to wait for them to restock their 12s really.

[Uxi]

Ok I can't believe I read all 29 pages of this mess but anyways why is there about zero descussion about speakers here? Seems the same for the internet whereas I had no trouple finding a place like projectorcentral I can't find an easy-to-use speaker site. I spent alot of time looking up receivers so I got a Onkyo 705 when they started this clearance. And I'm getting some lower-than-internet rates on some Polk Audio speakers. I heard they were pretty good, anyone got an opinion on them. I'm planning on getting RTi8s for the fronts, Csi3 for the center, and Fxi3 for the surrounds. Oh and is there a real big difference from 14 gauge and 12 gauge wires? I can get some 14 Philips for alittle less than Monoprice is selling and I don't want to wait for them to restock their 12s really.

RTi8 are discontinued in favor of of the 2008 model RTiA5. CSi3 is replaced by the CSiA4. If you can still get the older ones, I think they'll be realistically just as good.

I have the RTi10 for the front (great deal on Frys discontinued). Buddy of mine picked up the 8s. They're pretty good speakers. I don't think you'll really notice the difference between 123 and 14 gauge, myself, but there are guys on AVS forum who swear by that stuff.

[marimba]

David Hingten, please do yourself a favor. Save up for a little while longer and purchase a 1080p capable television. You will be happier in the long run because you will retain more flexibility for use with newer technology like Blu-ray players. (Not to mention better picture quality) Last year I purchased a 1080i/720p television that I ended up quickly replacing. I had convinced myself at that time that 1080p capable TVs were just a marketing ploy since most HD content available at that time was 720p/1080i...I didn't foresee that Blu-ray would rise up an make me NEED a 1080p tv.

Hmm, speakers...I myself have been a fan of Paradigm speakers for about 15 years. I think that for the money it is very difficult to get better performance. Some people I know enjoy the sound of Definitive Technology, (it's just not my cup of tea) but I know that they also build a good quality product. Polk products have never sounded "right" to me. I know, people are gonna want to roast me for that statement. But, before you do, just allow me to say that I have the opportunity to listen to real live music played every single day. I have a side business arranging marching band shows and clinic-ing middle and high school concert bands. I play percussion in 2 local community groups (band and orchestral) and used to be on staff with a drum and bugle corps. That usually means that I get to hear at least 7 music rehearsals per week. To me, for the money, Paradigm offers the most natural and true to the actual sound of real performances speakers available. Now, I don't think that they are the absolute end-all performance wise but if you can, please give them a listen. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised at some of their offerings. Cable wise...I now just use 12 gauge copper for the fronts and 16 gauge for the rears (the low cost kind from Ace hardware). For years I used different Audioquest products, and some of the high-end Monster cables (junk). My HDMI cables are the ones from monoprice.com. After years of 3 watt single-ended triode tube amps and Linn turntables I am far happier with my current audio/video set up than ever before.

My current set up:

Samsung LNT4071f

Onkyo 605

Playstation 3 (80 gig/2.30 firmware)

Paradigm Millenia 200 front

Paradigm millenia 20 center

Paradigm ADP surround

Paradigm PS1000 sub (ver. 4) soon to be replaced by Servo 15

3 HDMI cables from MonoPrice.com

12 and 16 gauge stranded copper speaker wire from Ace Hardware - the stuff on the big spools that they sell by the foot.

[David Hingtgen]

I have spent many hours staring at both 720p and 1080p TV's. At 32in sizes, I do not see a difference, except for angled segments of static letters in large fonts--they are slightly less jaggy. Admittedly, BestBuy and Sears are not feeding their demo TV's the best source material. However, I plan for this TV to spend 70%+ of its time getting 720p stuff from my 360.

Price is not really an issue---I've stated many times before I am buying the TV I think looks best, regardless of price. I still think that Samsung makes the best-looking 32in TV's period.

Though it will be a couple of weeks until I get my money----if the 32A550 actually comes out somewhere, I'll certainly consider it. (Though I'd have to wait for another paycheck after that to afford it). (The 32A550 is basically a 1080p version of the A450 from what I can tell----only it's not listed at Samsung's site at all, and no physical retailer has any--seems to be online only, with no reviews)

[Roy Focker]

AP story about people pissed at the low quality of there cable companies HD programming

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/COM...EMPLATE=DEFAULT

That's my cable company they are talking about. Quite frankly I'm not that impressed with it.

[Sundown]

David Hingten, please do yourself a favor. Save up for a little while longer and purchase a 1080p capable television. You will be happier in the long run because you will retain more flexibility for use with newer technology like Blu-ray players. (Not to mention better picture quality) Last year I purchased a 1080i/720p television that I ended up quickly replacing. I had convinced myself at that time that 1080p capable TVs were just a marketing ploy since most HD content available at that time was 720p/1080i...I didn't foresee that Blu-ray would rise up an make me NEED a 1080p tv.

Actually, this isn't entirely true. Even TVs that only take up to 1080i input still display in what is essentially 1080p. And a Blu-Ray player that is configured to encode its output in 1080i will be properly decoded and deinterlaced by the TV so that the final output is identical as far as film and most TV shows are concerned, because they are usually filmed in 24 frames per second, and you can encode all the unique frame data into a 60 Hz interlaced format (with 3:2 pulldown). Where 1080p actually makes a perceivable difference is for games, where consoles can actually generate 60 progressive images a second.

http://www.hometheatermag.com/gearworks/1106gear/

That said, I'd still get 1080p. That's pretty much the standard these days, and you futureproof yourself if we ever start moving to 1080p 60Hz content.

[Wes]

Thanks Uxi, yeah I'm getting all my stuff at discount/clearance prices because I refuse to pay retail. I just didn't know how much money good speakers can cost but if I can get good ones for cheap why not.

On that note marimba I've heard good things about both those brands, just harder to get those Paradigms, at a good rate, and your stuff is probably on the next tier from where I'm working. I'm only going from a really good HTib speaker set so I shouldn't go straight to the top-of-the-line really. And I'm going to give them a good workout prior to keeping them, as like you and everyone mentioned it's all about what it sounds like to you. But why do you use the lower gauge wires for the rears and the higher ones for the front? I thought the theory was to use the higher gauges if the speakers are farther away from the amp.

David I'm going to say go for the 720p if it has what you want. Projector Central has a great article on 1080p over 720p. Basically it depends on what you're using the TV for. If you can get the 720p for way less then you won't have a hard feeling about upgrading to a 1080p in a year or two when they're lower and you want one. And I like Samsung TV/monitors too. My stepdad got one this Christmas and he loves the look, and he's watching sports mainly so 720p is all you need. And I got a 245BW monitor and you'll hear people moan about 'ZOMG A TN PANNEL FAIL!' but it looks wonderful to me. They always make good screens.

Speaking of Samsung, is there any good place to get 120hz display information? It just seems to be all over the place and not a good single article on it. Basically it has a native '120fps' and it converts all other formats to that and as they can all multiply to 120 it works out better. I saw it for a bit at CC with Spiderman and I don't think I was all impressed but it looked special with Pirates of the Carribean, but you guys were saying that was already an awesome transfer so I don't know. I really saw the 'soap opera effect' but I don't know if I like it or not yet.

[eugimon]

I use deftech 1000s and I love them. If you have a best buy/magnolia around you they should have some in their demo room to try out.

[marimba]

Sundown,

I do understand your point, but rest assured that my new Samsung 1080p TV blows the Sony 720p/1080i TV I just sold away in every way. I promise that it is not just or only perceivable on video games. I just don't want a few hundred dollars saved now to cause a lot of regret a little while down the road if David Hingten decides to get a blu-ray player or some other future HD media player. I had convinced myself that 720p was good enough...and it really wasn't in the end. 1080p really is the way to go in this situation IMO.

Wes,

The 120 hz TVs simply redraw the screen at a higher rate. For instance, on my TV, when watching a movie with the Auto Motion Plus turned on, the tv actually interpolates an entirely new frame between the normal 60 hz frames. So, with AMP on, you get actual movie frame, interpolated frame, actual movie frame, etc, etc. With AMP off you get actual movie frame, a repeat of that same frame, new actual frame, repeat of the same frame, etc, etc. Either way you choose, pictures seem to have a more "solid" look to them. With the AMP on, some movies appear to have a video like smoothness to the motion on-screen. It's almost like a 3D effect. Take for instance the last Pirates of the Carribean, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Sunshine. All of those look incredible when watching with the AMP turned on to the low setting. When viewing Pan's Labyrinth I usually turn the AMP off, because the AMP seems to impart an "unreal" aspect to the picture. It's hard to describe, but at least you can turn it off or adjust it to your preference. On another note, I too am a notorious bargain shopper. When shopping for speakers I always first ask if there are any store demo models. You will be suprised at how many audio retailers are willing to discount those 20-50% off of the retail. I saved $300 on my Millenia 200 because one of them had a cosmetic crack in one of the glass bases...I contacted Paradigm directly about a replacement base, and later when the sales rep for my area contacted me he sent a new base out to me free of charge. I also spent 3 weeks dropping into Circuit City, Best Buy and Fry's every 2-3 days until I finally stumbled onto a returned Onkyo 605 at Fry's. I saved money there as well. When buying the TV, I found a salesman at Circuit City who was willing to sell me the TV for $1600, but then didn't have the TV in stock...I had him write the price and all the other info down on a card then proceeded directly across the hi-way and got Best Buy to price match. Why only 16 gauge speaker wire in the rear? Well, my living room is tiny, and the wife didn't want to have 12 gauge sticking out of the wall. Since she didn't complain and actually encouraged me to get what I wanted, some concessions I made happily. As far as speakers go...the only really important factor is that YOU like how they sound, no matter how much you pay for them.

[bandit29]

Bandai Entertainment Hits Blu-ray (05:02 PM EDT): In a real surprising turn of events, Bandai Entertainment has apparently acquired the distribution rights to Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence through which they will be creating a new dub that will match the previous featues and TV series dubs. In addition to this, it will be getting a Blu-ray release as well as a DVD release. The Blu-ray release will be the first for the studio but no date has been given though 2008 is implied.

http://animeondvd.com/

http://www.innocence.bandai-ent.com/

Sounds like they are doing a new dub. The old dub for the UK version made the movie tolerable but its still not that good. Its pretty with pointless, eye rolling dialog and not enough of the Major.

Edited April 22, 2008 by dejr8bud

[eugimon]

argh... so my samsung ln-t4665f started developing these pixel wide spikes on the right hand side of the screen. Samsung replaced the whole LCD panel, but a few minutes after the tech left, a brown line, 2 pixels wide, ran from the top of the screen down to the bottom... right down the center of the TV.

freaking hell, this is even more annoying than the original problem.

[Sundown]

Sundown,

I do understand your point, but rest assured that my new Samsung 1080p TV blows the Sony 720p/1080i TV I just sold away in every way. I promise that it is not just or only perceivable on video games. I just don't want a few hundred dollars saved now to cause a lot of regret a little while down the road if David Hingten decides to get a blu-ray player or some other future HD media player. I had convinced myself that 720p was good enough...and it really wasn't in the end. 1080p really is the way to go in this situation IMO.

It sounds like your TV is a 720p that also takes 1080i input and downscales it? If so, it would make sense that a 1080p (or a real 1080i for that matter) TV would look much better. Still, a 1080i native TV set should be visually indistinguishable from a 1080p set for all video content at this time. But in either case, I agree-- get a real 1080p.

[bandit29]

Just as I was gonna buy the Onkyo TX-SR605...

TX-SR606

* HDMI v1.3a Repeater (4 inputs, 1080P compatible)

* 1080i Upscaling powered by Faroudja DCDi Edge

I think those are the only differences between the two. MSRP is 599.00 but I've seen it for 449.00-499.00. Should be out soon.

Edited April 23, 2008 by dejr8bud