High Definition Media & Technology Thread

[JsARCLIGHT]

In SD...

[VT 1010]

Question for you all. I believe that I know the answer...but I'm not entirely positive. My HDTV will not accept a 1080p signal over component; the best it will do over component is 1080i. My question is in regards to my Xbox 360. Since I have a first generation Xbox 360...HDMI is out of the picture. So, my question is: will I get better results setting my 360's display to 720p rather than 1080i? Or would I get better results setting it to 1080i? I should add that my HDTV is a 1080p LCD. I'm thinking that it would better for my TV to upscale a progressive signal rather than deal with an interlaced signal. Am I right in my assumption? Thanks!

It depends on the display and the game, but yes, 720p would probably be a better choice. The refresh rate shouldn't change, so there probably isn't going to be any difference between a 720p and 1080p picture other than resolution. Most games are rendered at 720p or lower anyway. If your HDTV didn't do the scaling, then the 360 (or occasionally the PS3) would.

I'd choose the progressive signal. When I got a new HDTV, the difference between 1080i and 1080p was surprisingly noticeable for me. There were fewer jaggies and a higher framerate, resulting in a clean, smooth picture. Halo 3 went from being a dull, blurry, jaggy mess to eye candy. I think the constant complaining of severe aliasing might have been from people playing in 1080i (I know I stopped when I went progressive).

[twich]

Got a question. I have a Westinghouse 32" LCD HDTV. A couple of weeks ago I started to see purple splotches in the picture. I have a HDTV Satellite box and a PS3 hooked to this TV, both with the HDMI for picture running straight to the TV and sound running to my Sony 5.1 receiver through optical cables. I unhooked and rehooked everything, changed cables, and the purple splotches still show up. I hooked to another satellite box through component/composite...whatever the red blue green connection is and it still shows up. What is causing this? Did my TV crap out on me?

Twich

Edited July 22, 2008 by twich

[VT 1010]

Got a question. I have a Westinghouse 32" LCD HDTV. A couple of weeks ago I started to see purple splotches in the picture. I have a HDTV Satellite box and a PS3 hooked to this TV, both with the HDMI for picture running straight to the TV and sound running to my Sony 5.1 receiver through optical cables. I unhooked and rehooked everything, changed cables, and the purple splotches still show up. I hooked to another satellite box through component/composite...whatever the red blue green connection is and it still shows up. What is causing this? Did my TV crap out on me?

Twich

I'm assuming you have tried all of the inputs using different sources. If so, it's probably the display itself. Do you have a picture of the "purple splotches".

If you purchased a warranty with it, I'd suggest calling for a service technician or exchanging it for a new one.

[twich]

Yes, I have tried using another satellite box in another room and the purple still showed up. I cannot try another device using HDMI, as the devices that are hooked to it are the ones that utilize HDMI

Twich

[VT 1010]

If that's the case, then I would check your warranty. It's probably an issue with the HDTV itself.

I wish I could be more helpful, but that's all I can suggest.

[twich]

Now, just a quick question....would heat make a LCD HDTV display weird purple splotches all over it? I noticed yesterday that when I was playing a Blu-Ray movie at night through the PS3, it didnt have that weird purple stuff going on. Does heat effect the picture on LCD's?

Thanks!

Twich

[VT 1010]

Now, just a quick question....would heat make a LCD HDTV display weird purple splotches all over it? I noticed yesterday that when I was playing a Blu-Ray movie at night through the PS3, it didnt have that weird purple stuff going on. Does heat effect the picture on LCD's?

Thanks!

Twich

It's certainly a possibility, but I can't say for sure.

[VT 1010]

Blu-ray gets slimed this October. Ghostbusters is coming out in HD!

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Son..._Comic-Con/1931

[VT 1010]

I just received Macross Frontier vol. 1 on Blu-ray from amazon.co.jp. Here's a quick little review:

The Main Feature

It's been a while since I have seen either Deculture or broadcast versions, so I can't currently compare them all to each other. I will say that it certainly seems a bit more "cinematic" than the other versions. As far as I can tell, it's primarily just the two previous editions combined into one longer episode. I'll have to watch them all again and pick out the differences later.

Video

This BD is certainly an improvement over the previous HD raws found on the internet. "Close Encounter" has been encoded in high-bitrate AVC. Everything looks sharp and clear. I didn't notice any banding or compression artifacts, which are so common with the raws. The color is so beautifully rendered in High Definition. Watching Macross Frontier on Blu-ray is just pure eye candy.

That said, I did find some issues with the picture. I noticed some aliasing at different times throughout the episode. Certain shots showed minor jaggies here and there. It was most noticeable with thin, black, diagonal lines. There was some shimmering as well (probably due to the aliasing). The shimmering was most noticeable with certain CG shots.

I don't believe it is a display issue as I'm pretty sure my HDTV can display the purely progressive 1920x1080p image. I don't have a BD drive for my PC, so I can't take screen captures (I hope to have one in a couple of months). It could be my TV or it could be a mastering error. If I had screen caps, I could rule out display or player issues, but until then, I can't say for certain.

I did see some ringing as well, but that is probably due to my display (I certainly hope so anyway). My HDTV ( 2007 model 73" Mitsubishi 1080p DLP. I can't remember the exact model) unfortunately adds artificial sharpening to everything, causing some ringing (I have yet to figure out how to turn it off). One way or the other, it's quite minor and doesn't really detract from the picture.

All in all the picture does look very good and it definitely looks better than the raws.

Audio

The sound is presented in two-channel uncompressed LPCM at 48khz (I would assume it's 16-bit). I know what many of you are thinking: "Stereo?! NNNOOOOOOOOO!!!". However, it still sounds great, despite it being 2.0 stereo. This is a well mixed soundtrack. It is very dynamic and immersive. The stereo effects are nice and not too distracting. You can focus on conversations in the background and yet still clearly hear the main character speaking in the center. The bass is nice, deep, and articulate without sounding boomy or murky. Everything is well balanced. I was quite impressed throughout. The sound is an excellent compliment to the otherwise nice video.

Supplemental Material

There really not much of anything here.

Inside the case in addition to some adds and Nyan Nyan stickers, there is a small booklet with some text and line art. There is also a small card with a code on it and a URL (http://sp.p4you.net/macross/). I don't know enough Japanese to translate any of it though.

The disc has a some still Macross adds and a Code Geass trailer. There is also commentary with (I think) Megumi Nakajima, Yuichi Nakamura, and Shoji Kawamori. If only I could understand what there saying. I'm sorry to say there no subtitles at all (English or otherwise) for the episodes and commentary.

The Bottom Line

I admit I'm a little biased here. Sure, there may be some issues with the video. Sure, there isn't much in the way of special features. But it's Macross in High Definition for the first time ever. Of course I'm going to recommend it. It's Deculture!

[Dangard Ace]

Just got the Onkyo 606 (hooked up to an Aquos and PS3), so a few questions. Prefer to do question 1 since I wouldn't have to spend more money.....

1) Is it possible to hook up the Logitech Z-5450(wireless rear) to it or am I SOL and have to buy new speakers?

2) If I have to buy new speakers what's a good set up? My max is about $500(before Subwoofer). I'm looking at some Polk Audio stuff but what else is good?

I probably won't be buying speakers until Boxing Day(Canada) or Black Friday when I can get stuff on sale.

[Wes]

I don't know about wireless speakers, but if you can use typical speaker wires to connect to it then it'll send the sound like a receiver should. But I don't think Logitech makes speakers with the + and - cables separate, so you'd have to split them and be lucky you get them right.

If I'd probably take some time and add to your speaker budget if you want new ones (or are you talking 500 just for the rears? that's plenty) I spent about a hundred more on my 5 Polk Audio ones on clearance, you might not be so lucky as Black Friday has been kinda lame the last 3 years. But if you have a decent sized room don't go with the bookshelf speakers get a couple of towers for the L and R, a pretty good center, and 2 ok surround speakers. It's supposed to be better to keep them all the same brand, though the sub can vary. I'd recommend buying locally so if you don't like the sound you can return them easily - how they sound to you is the most important thing.

[Dangard Ace]

I will be buying local (as much as possible) or driving across the border to Buffalo to buy stuff. Only a few hours drive.

Buying local means BB or www.futureshop.ca(which is owned by BB) for low end brands or http://www.kromerradio.com/ or http://www.baybloorradio.com/ for higher/reference brands. All my buddies are pushing me to spend for Boston Acoustics or Paradigm reference speakers. I can't blame them but my setup is a small-midsized room and doesn't need quite that much power and not much room for floor speakers hence the preference for bookshelves. I would like to upgrade to test out TrueHD and DTS-HD though (but for as cheap as possible). I am hoping that the RM10 with the centre channel and 4 satellites can do that(~$300) but I'm willing to listen to others experience with other brands. Not sure I want Bose since avsforum guys say that it's overpriced for what you get.

I think the Logitech speakers come with + and - but not quite sure. Pics on the following link and the speakers connectors are on the sub with red and black clamps.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/logitech-z,review-592.html

[marimba]

I'll second the recommendation for Paradigm products. Check into their lower cost options if the Reference series are above your budget.

[eugimon]

the definitive technology pro monitor 1000 series works well for a small speaker setup.

Bose, around 20 years ago was one thing, but their current stuff sucks ass. All high andoverly bright, no midrange worth talking about and underperforming subs.

[MilSpex]

Theres some nice all black Sony HiDef Bravia 32inch LCDs on sale at my local electronics store for 100,000yen and as a Sony otaku I was seriously tempted but I have one concern:

Will my Neo Geo AES/Saturn/PS2/Snes/PCengine/LD player/VHD player/SVHS deck all of which I still play/use regularly look like crap on it? eg will King of Fighters on Neo Geo look really blurred and pixelated in fast motion?

I want BD hi def but I also want to live in the past!! Help please!!

Edited August 12, 2008 by MilSpex

[David Hingtgen]

Sorry, but yes they'll look pretty bad. For some reason, SD video games look much worse than other SD stuff on HD screens, IMHO.

Even the few non-HD games that offer 16:9 progressive scan still look bad. (some Xbox and PS2 games offer that).

As to whether they're still at least "playable"---game by game, and you can rarely predict what they'll look like.

I'm keeping my 20in CRT forever for this reason--to always have a "good TV for old games".

[MilSpex]

Sorry, but yes they'll look pretty bad. For some reason, SD video games look much worse than other SD stuff on HD screens, IMHO.

Even the few non-HD games that offer 16:9 progressive scan still look bad. (some Xbox and PS2 games offer that).

As to whether they're still at least "playable"---game by game, and you can rarely predict what they'll look like.

I'm keeping my 20in CRT forever for this reason--to always have a "good TV for old games".

Thanks yeah, I had a feeling. I was holding out hope that the new generation of LCDs were better tho. Guess not.

[MilSpex]

hmmm I just had a look at the Toshiba TV catalog and their current TVs have something called "Game Mode" which is supposed to improve the response time between controller and screen.

Do LCD TVs really have a noticeable lag between what you do on the controller and what happens on screen??

[David Hingtgen]

Depends. Both on the game, your TV, how the TV's set up, and how much you notice it.

Also---every "game mode" out there does far more than simply "reduce lag"--it will usually turn brightness and contrast to max, go "super-ultra-cool-blue" for color temp, and otherwise make it eye-searingly bright.

IMHO, simply turning every image procession option "off" will accomplish much of the same thing, but leave the colors alone. All those nifty "black compensation" and "dynamic contrast" "noise reduction" etc add to the TV's processing of each frame--if you turn them off, it has less work to do, thus faster display of the signal.

[MilSpex]

^^Thanks again for the knowledge.

I`ve decided to stick to SD widescreen CRT for now because its simple and it works for what I want.

Another query for the gurus on here. I want to setup a HDD media centre and I was planning on getting:

3 of these:

http://www.adorama.com/VDLAPHDTI1TB.html?s...183432781153022

and one of these:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12668

to archive and to view all my downloaded movies/TV/music with a remote control.

I have a PC and a TV. Is that all I`ll need?

[Uxi]

The Sony "Game Modes" are all about turning off processing, etc which induces lag. The color maps, etc are all on a separate setting "Pro, Torch mode, etc."

[MilSpex]

The Sony "Game Modes" are all about turning off processing, etc which induces lag. The color maps, etc are all on a separate setting "Pro, Torch mode, etc."

I had the staff at a store turn off all the processing while watching the olympics and it still looked like crappy. Anything in fast motion would look "shimery" on the edges when it moved.

Its even clearer to me now that CRT is so superior especially for most of my media which isn`t in HD and never will be.

I`d still take a nicely done laserdisc played off a good player on my relatively small CRT widescreen over anything on DVD. It plays so smooth with none of those glitches that really bug me sometimes about digital media/platforms.

best thing about my current widescreen CRT is it cost me $30. lol.

[David Hingtgen]

Uxi--do you have a Sony with game mode etc? I know of no TV where game mode ONLY turns off processing---every one I've seen also alters the the color/brightness etc. (sometimes they even advertise that fact as a "feature" of game mode) If they ONLY turned off processing they'd be wonderful, but since they all (AFAIK) also mess with colors, they're worthless. Which is why I don't ever use game mode on my TV.

[mikeszekely]

Sold my Harmony for Xbox 360 today and picked up a Harmony One. I've said before and I'll say again, if you've got more than three devices (maybe not counting the PS3), you owe it to yourself to pick up a Harmony. And while there's nothing wrong with the cheaper Harmony remotes, The One is pure joy. Recharging cradle, gorgeous touch screen, storage for three more devices (vs. my old one), and a Favorite Channels option add to the already fantastic functionality and customizability of my old Harmony.

[bandit29]

Oh great...the return of bad Austin Powers imitations..lol

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1664

[CoryHolmes]

I probably won't be buying speakers until Boxing Day(Canada)...

You brave, brave soul. I dunno what it's like in that T-Place you call home, but here in Vancouver we have Boxing Day sales. There are reasons why I try to avoid them, regardless of the deals being offered

[Dangard Ace]

You brave, brave soul. I dunno what it's like in that T-Place you call home, but here in Vancouver we have Boxing Day sales. There are reasons why I try to avoid them, regardless of the deals being offered

It's called fast internet connection and online sites (got my HD DVD player that way....and promptly sold the minute WB said they were going blu ). I sure as hell ain't lining up in the freezing cold for hours to save on $7 shipping....unless I'm saving possibly $300 on a single item.

OR I go to St. Catherines BB/FS stores. Full sized stores for a small town. You can still walk in at about 10am and still manage to pick up the door crasher stuff that would be sold out in T.O. the minute the doors open....or at least that's what one of my army buddies told me.

[bandit29]

What a waste of time & money this is:

New Toshiba upconverting DVD player

[VT 1010]

What a waste of time & money this is:

New Toshiba upconverting DVD player

I read about this months ago. It's just some fancy upscaling player. It may be an improvement over some of the cheaper upscaling players, but it's still upscaling. I don't think Toshiba wants Blu-ray to succeed. This player would only cause even more confusion to the uninformed masses, who might think, "This will make my DVDs High Definition". This was exactly one of the reasons why HD DVD lost. Too many people couldn't tell the difference between an HD DVD player and an "HD Upconverting DVD player". It seems to me that Toshiba is a sore loser. I hope this thing dies quicker than DIVX.

[mikeszekely]

I read about this months ago. It's just some fancy upscaling player. It may be an improvement over some of the cheaper upscaling players, but it's still upscaling. I don't think Toshiba wants Blu-ray to succeed. This player would only cause even more confusion to the uninformed masses, who might think, "This will make my DVDs High Definition". This was exactly one of the reasons why HD DVD lost. Too many people couldn't tell the difference between an HD DVD player and an "HD Upconverting DVD player". It seems to me that Toshiba is a sore loser. I hope this thing dies quicker than DIVX.

I can't say that I disagree with any of your points, but Blu-ray hasn't exactly become a runaway success, either, even with the PS3 to help it along. Enthusiasts want the quality that Blu-ray offers, but it seems like Joe Wal-Mart isn't as interested.

In any case, the early reviews I've read on the XDE have been pretty favorable, but I'm not sure that it has a market. Videophiles are building Blu-ray libraries and likely own an upconverting DVD player already. I for one don't feel the need to shell out another $150 just to get better upconverting than my PS3 will already do. Meanwhile, the Joe Wal-Marts that are avoiding Blu-ray are more likely to spring for little $30 Emerson unit than a $150 unit with bells and whistles that they might not even want.

[eugimon]

I think blu-ray would pick up a lot faster if studios would concentrate on transfering AAA titles instead of current shlock like "step up 2"

[Roy Focker]

I think blu-ray would pick up a lot faster if studios would concentrate on transfering AAA titles instead of current shlock like "step up 2"

Every Sunday all the ads come out for the new movie releases at the big box electronic stores. The majority of the ad space used are for DVDs.

[VT 1010]

I can't say that I disagree with any of your points, but Blu-ray hasn't exactly become a runaway success, either, even with the PS3 to help it along. Enthusiasts want the quality that Blu-ray offers, but it seems like Joe Wal-Mart isn't as interested.

That's what pretty much what I'm saying. It's hard enough to convince J6P to buy Blu-ray. Toshiba pulling something like this doesn't help things.

[Dangard Ace]

Toshiba will continue pulling this because they've got everything to lose if BD wins completely.

Who's in charge of the DVD association? Toshiba

Most DVD patents? Toshiba

What does Toshiba not have any stake in? Bluray

Besides when is the US HD broadcast deadline? Next spring right? I still expect the big BD push for this Holiday season when people start freaking out about not having a HD capable tv. Also expect an upsurge when the big box stores push BD players with the HDTVs and with no more BD vs HDDVD war to confuse people there should be a higher adoption rate.