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

[Scotty_12]

You guys have been a huge help.

Here is the cable he sold me:

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail...amp;catid=23216

Why would it be $177 and the other $20?

[gusmahler]

Monster is infamous for overcharging on its cables. Basically, they've built a name as a high-end cable manufacturer and have been gradually increasing prices over the years mainly because they can. The theory being that a person spending $3000 on a TV might not quibble over a $200 cable he is told is necessary. But now that last year's $3000 TV is being sold at $1200 or less, that play may backfire.

[KLJ]

[ QUOTE ]
You guys have been a huge help.

Here is the cable he sold me:

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail...amp;catid=23216

Why would it be $177 and the other $20?

[/ QUOTE ]

because

[ QUOTE ]
I bought an HDMI cable which was $200,

[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

whatever you do, don't buy that Monster Surge Protector that everybody tries to sell

[Jack of Arcades]

OK, looking for a 32-42 incher. For the bedroom, but could end up in the main room in the conceivable future. Budget isn't a big deal but I'd like to keep it under $1500.

I'm looking at the 37" Sharp. My girlfriend likes the 32" (she works at an AV store), but I'm wondering if maybe there are better deals/something critically wrong with the Sharp.

[unfrgvn]

[ QUOTE ]
You guys have been a huge help.

Here is the cable he sold me:

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail...amp;catid=23216

Why would it be $177 and the other $20?

[/ QUOTE ]

Here is a link to a good article that talks about the cable quality issue.

I used the Monoprice cables and they have been fine. The thing about HDMI or DVI is that they are digital signals. As long as they work, you don't lose signal quality. If they don't work you will see "sparklies" or huge chunks of information missing. If you have a 25 foot run you might want a higher quality cable. For a 6 or 10 foot run, I don't think it matters.

[jws43yale]

[ QUOTE ]
OK, looking for a 32-42 incher. For the bedroom, but could end up in the main room in the conceivable future. Budget isn't a big deal but I'd like to keep it under $1500.

I'm looking at the 37" Sharp. My girlfriend likes the 32" (she works at an AV store), but I'm wondering if maybe there are better deals/something critically wrong with the Sharp.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would get a 42" plasma. Both Samsung and Panasonic can be had for less than $1500.

[jeffnc]

[ QUOTE ]
TELEVISION
own now: sony kdf-60xs955
would buy: sony kds-60a2000

[/ QUOTE ]

Interestingly, I just saw one of these today. I didn't care for it because it has a serious sweet spot issue. If you get off of dead center (both horizontally and vertically) the picture becomes bad in a hurry (dark, recessed, hard to see.)

[jeffnc]

Is there a good, UP TO DATE resource on the web for getting the modern basics down on all this stuff? I went to the avsforum and all the FAQ links seem to be broken. I'm trying to sort through this insane information overload, most of which is yesterday's news. Sometimes I find what looks like a good website, and after 15 minutes I realize it was written in 1961. I'm having a hard time sorting all this stuff out. Is there a really well organized site that explains everything and is pretty much kept up to date? Something like a Tom's Hardware is for computers, or something like that.

[gusmahler]

[ QUOTE ]
Is there a good, UP TO DATE resource on the web for getting the modern basics down on all this stuff? I went to the avsforum and all the FAQ links seem to be broken. I'm trying to sort through this insane information overload, most of which is yesterday's news. Sometimes I find what looks like a good website, and after 15 minutes I realize it was written in 1961. I'm having a hard time sorting all this stuff out. Is there a really well organized site that explains everything and is pretty much kept up to date? Something like a Tom's Hardware is for computers, or something like that.

[/ QUOTE ]
You're right that it is hopelessly impossible to find information on avsforum. But I haven't found a single resource that replaces it.

Probably your best bet is to ask questions. And you'd probably be better off asking here, because if you ask on avsforum, it'll be pushed off the front page in a couple of hours.

So what do you want to learn about first? Probably displays?

[z28dreams]

Quick and dirty rundown:

Displays:
LCD - 720p or 1080p possible.

Pros:
- 1080p much cheaper than plasma
- good for PC monitors
- available in smaller sizes (32-37")
- screen work well in rooms with a lot of light/reflection
Cons:
- color saturation not as good as plasma
* black levels/contrast not as good as plasma
(* I believe this is the worst part about LCD's)

Myths answered
- Power consumption is almost identical to plasma's if you look at the actual operating numbers. Don't be fooled into thinking lcd's save a ton more power
- Weight for both is fairly light - once it's in place who cares
- Burn is is pretty much a non-issue for plasmas these days
- On a 1080p display, 1080i and 1080p sources will actually be EXACTLY identical in almost all cases
- Satellite TV outputs 720p/1080i, not 1080p
- Do not spend a ton on HDMI cables. Use sites like monoprice.com.
- You can receive some free channels over-the-air with a standard roof antenna (and in some cases indoor antennas)
- Standard television looks awful on LCD/plasma. Stick with a CRT unless you plan on adding HD programming.
- As of 2007, blu-ray and HD DVD's are still battling the format war. The cheapest players are in the $250-$400 range.