astroglide's home theater: what i own, what i would buy today

[TimM]

[ QUOTE ]
the harmony remotes are another thing i can't really praise enough.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed. I've had the Harmony H688 for well over a year and never once had to fish out the stock remote for any of my devices. And like you said, it's great to set one up for someone who is "technically challenged" because of how you just tell it what you want to do (buttons on top say "watch TV", "watch DVD", "watch Video" etc.), and it sets all the right inputs for you.

I also have the Bush stand, for my Samsung 40" LCD (LN-R408D). Speakers and AV components would be my next upgrade, but it's not a priority yet.

[private joker]

I'm a bit skeptical about DLP, though...

I found this Vizio 37" LCD for $899. Sounds like a good deal. Any experience with this one, anybody?

[johnnycakes]

FWIW, I have a 61" 1080p DLP and have never had anyone see rainbows until I told them how to. But I totally understand astro's position and if I was buying a TV today I would most likely get the model he recommended.

Also, astro, does your Oppo have any lip synch issues?
I have their first model (OPDV971H) and I often have lip synch issues. In fact, we primarily now watch DVDs on the Xbox 360 for this reason.

Orangeheat,
"DVD - PHL DVP5960 Philips Up convert DVD Player with HDMI - Bargain at $60 and I don't need to worry about the format war going on."

What does your DVD player have to do with the format war?

[blackize]

Why are you skeptical about DLP? Unless you are sensitive to the rainbow effect, it makes for a great picture experience.

You can also find a decent plasma for $1200 if you shop around.

I've been looking into buying an Optoma HD70. 720p projector for $999. I've read some reviews and it seems to be pretty solid. Anyone have any thoughts on this one?

[blackize]

[ QUOTE ]
Orangeheat,
"DVD - PHL DVP5960 Philips Up convert DVD Player with HDMI - Bargain at $60 and I don't need to worry about the format war going on."

What does your DVD player have to do with the format war?

[/ QUOTE ]

Upconvert means it is converting to HD. This means he doesn't need to worry about the format war between blu-ray and HD-DVD.

[astroglide]

nolan,
i used to screw with my gf while she watched tv all the time when i first got the slingbox.

asofel,
fwiw i never buy extended warranties. this has "saved" me a lot of money, more than i've ever needed for repairs.

joker,
37"-46" may sound huge compared to 27" but if you sit 8' or so back from it i think you're missing out on hd immersion and detail. i'd save up.

johnnycakes,
oppo dvd players are easily updated for features and/or fixes. see HERE, burn the cd and follow the instructions. sync is #3 on the release notes.

blackize,
i don't see rainbows but my fiancee does, you never know when guests might too. upconverted dvds are also no match for hd-dvd/blu-ray!

[Entity]

PJ,

I've generally liked Vizio products. They sell for good prices at Costco, and when I've been in stores that have had them properly setup, they've looked fairly nice.

Similar price range, 42" Plasma:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.asp...ec=&topnav=

Rob

[johnnycakes]

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johnnycakes,
oppo dvd players are easily updated for features and/or fixes. see HERE, burn the cd and follow the instructions. sync is #3 on the release notes.

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Yeah, I check often. Have the latest updates...still have lip synch issues.

Blackize,
You cannot "upconvert" at standard DVD to HD. It only "upconverts" the SD signal. It does make a difference, but it is no where near HD quality.
Standard "upconverted" DVD vs HD/blu-ray DVD = no contest.

A video signal is only as good as it's source and DVD = standard def.

[piradical]

I love my optoma movie time 10. See review of hd70 here. hd70

[piradical]

could lip sync issue be cable related -length or type (optical audio)?