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1080P not all i thought it was....
So, after a few month's of deliberating/procrastinating, i decided to give my old 32in Sanyo t.v. the well deserved rest it needed, being ten years old roughly. It was without a doubt last era of tech.
So, i went shopping. Using some tips Quizzy sent to me awhile back, i waltzed right on up to the salesman and told him what i wanted.
Something around 40 inches, 120ghz refresh rate, LED, contrast ratio of or better than 100k :1..." etc etc. What do those numbers mean? hell if i know.
We came to this one, which was somewhat mid-range price for the selection they had:
http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/UN40D5550RFXZA-specs
I looked it over and decided the asthetics of it would work for my home(that being the only thing i REALLY knew about) and he made sure to make me feel safe in saying "Hey, even if you decide it isnt the one, you still got 30 days to bring it back"
To shorten my story abit. bought it got it home, set it up, hooked my P.C. to it(big screen gaming ftw!) and was immediately taken aback by the beauty of skyrim in all its glory again. Once my mouth was dry from drooling, I hooked up my second HDMI cord. The one for my directtv DVR box. I almost cried.
Picture was NOT what i expected.
After tinkering with the resolutions and the other settings for the t.v. abit, i got very frustrated. my DVR box wouldn't set stuff to 1080p. Knowing it wasn't my T.v. (as my computer DID show up on the t.v. as 1080p) I called directtv tech support.
To which they told me they have maybe 5 channels on regular t.v. that put out in 1080p.
Now i'm debating bringing it back. The idea that got me into it finally was that i needed to upgrade my t.v., and hey, big screen monitor is what i've been wanting for some time, so why not? But the quality of network t.v. is only about as good as my old sanyo anways on this t.v., meaning i shelled out about 900 bucks for a really nice monitor.
What do you guys think? I was under the impression 1080p was all around and upgrading to it would be worthwhile. Could have been all these damn commercials i see for 'OH, but we have so much HD up in hurr!" that got me to thinking i was missing out on something. comments and thoughts appreciated, friends! Tips very welcome as well./
The Deep Web is sca-ry.
Comments
Something else to think about is the lifespan of an LCD screen for any purpose. With about 8 - 10 hours a day use any LCD screen will last no more than 5 - 7 years without degradation. CRTs are just getting warmed up in that time.
I bought a 46" sharp last year and I was very disappointed in it when I fired it up. I then called DISH network and they told me to buy an HDMI cable and upgrade to HD channels. I did that and WOW what a difference. My TV is now crystal clear and I can't watch a low rez TV now.
The HD broadcasting is really depending on what part of the world you're living in. If you're on cable TV network, most of the channel (if not all) already in HD. I, personally, think it is worth to keep just for console gaming, but if you think you can go with the old TV for another 5-10 years, there might be higher resolution available (2k or 4k) by then.
I have a 20 inch monitor that does TV/games/computer and it does 1080. I have FIOS and most of the standard cable channels have a variant in HD (for example, Fox is channel 6 and FoxHD is 706) that I can switch to, I'm rather surprised dish doesn't.
Is signing up with a higher quality satellite/cable provider not possible? HD converters are often thrown in free with promotional packages.
I have to ask, but your current direct tv box isn't HD I am assuming? My dad won't shell out the money for his 46 inch for the extra box so its all standard and looks like garbage. When he hooks up the PC or plays a movie(dvd or blu-ray) the TV shines once again.
DirectTV has a ton of HD channels, all your basics as well as just about all the others most people watch save(at least last I checked) BBCA so no Doctor Who in HD.
Yep...I think it is pretty much standard now.
I suppose i'll look into the HD channel package for directv if they have one....i might be wrong but with DIRECTV i dont think locale matters much yeah? i AM from Louisiana, but its satellite....and to clarify, the movie channels for directv are HD quality, but I dont have those, as well....why pay an extra 80 bucks a month to watch movies that arent new releases when i can watch them for free online or download them from the net.....yanno?
The Deep Web is sca-ry.
I got a 42" Panasonic Viera plasma screen. It's 3d capable, and internet ready 9with it's own little app store).
Even comes with a wireless modem, so I can just connect it to my wifi and stream Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, etc right to it. I ditched my cable company long ago, since I only use the TV for movies and the WII anyway. So almost everything I watch is true 1080p HD (except for Youtube and some of the older movies / shows)....nice and smooth and clear.
i have dish hd and it works great, only about 5 channels dish doesnt offer in hd atm, and only 1 of them would i watch if it was.
i have a 3d 50 inch plasma, big upgrade from non 3d lcd. cost me 800 bucks on pre black friday clearance (its a 1500 dollar 3d plasma normally).
I'm unsure if my box is HD or not....maybe i should look into that. I know its the DVR box if that helps. According to the tech guy i talked with, There weren't many network channels that were HD yet, but all the PPV and movie channels were....i'll look into that. upgrading to an HD package wouldn't be an issue atall, but he didnt mention anything about that ^_^ thanks for your tip, mind be light at the end of this tunnel after all.
I dont really want to bring the t.v. back as i done bought wireless keyboard and mouse, and two 70 fucking dollar hdmi cables(evidently i needed the ones that were 15GB/s or something), a nice roller cart thing that puts it all in my lap. in my recliner. which i can't lie, is pretty friggin sweet. so, i AM invested in this, and wouldn't mind giving a bit more to get it to work lol
The Deep Web is sca-ry.
DirecTV broadcasts most of their stuff in 1080i. Now some Pay Per View and downloadable movies are 1080p but not that many. You have to remember that regular channels are 1080i which is a step down in quality, but the biggest problem is the massive compression they use. If you get very close to the screen you will see splotchy areas and poor graduations/shading. Now if you trying to watch regular non-HD channels then of course your TV won't be any better than your old one and possibly a little worse.
You DO NOT need a high dollar HDMI cable. That is the biggest scam going. You can get them for under $10 and they will work just fine. Menards has them pretty cheap and of course you can get them online.
Just hopped on my directtv account, and under equipment it says i do indeed have the HD DVR box....so i'm going to dig abit more, maybe i can upgrade for more HD channels. here's hoping....
The Deep Web is sca-ry.
Well, the thing with that is it clearly says on the back of the boxes that the cheap cables only carry 60hz refresh rate. the box i'm looking at now (expensive one) says it puts out 120hz refresh. my t.v. is 120hz. makes sense to not limit it. amidoinitwrong?
The Deep Web is sca-ry.
There are reasons to buy good cables especially if they aren't short. Now buying cables that have gold plated connector hoods because they have gold plated connector hoods is a ripoff. The connector hoods carry no electric signals and you can't even see them when they are connected. Gold plated pins and jacks that carry electric signals do have some value.
Check with DirecTV. I know with Comcast you have to choose (and pay extra) for the HD service & box and DTV is probably the same.
oh, joy, you guys are the best! it does indeed say on my directv account that i will need to pay an extra 10 bucks a month to get most of my channels in hd! calling them up now! You Rock peeps! BIG THANKS, you get my internets.
The Deep Web is sca-ry.
DVI connections are the same specifications minus the audio feed and the copyright protection..
TSW - AoC - Aion - WOW - EVE - Fallen Earth - Co - Rift - || XNA C# Java Development
my cables are 9ft long, if that helps. i dont see no gold on em, either. its the Monster brand ones, if that helps lol.
The Deep Web is sca-ry.
HDMI cables are indeed the biggest scam ever - get the cheapest HDMI cable you can get and you should be fine. Amazon has them for like $3 for 6ft cables that work great. Don't ever let those money sucking punks at the store talk you into expensive HDMI cables
Story I wrote a few years back :P god that seems so long ago now O_o
Sadly the video won't play in the US anymore due to changes in copyright - boo.
http://infotech.srg.com/2009/01/hdmi-cable-myth-debunked-save-some-cash.html
Well the 1080p is decieving. DirectTv and most cable providers broadcast in 1080i or 720P. So it will not take advantage of 1080p, however 1080i and 720p is still tons better then your standard digital channels.
1080p comes into play if you own a Bluray player. Bluray will give you a 1080p picture and looks great. If you buy any TV over 32" makes sure it displays 1080p.
Very true - not even most PS3 games are 1080p, despite it being able to output that high. Most games are in 720p or 1080i as well. I believe the same goes for Xbox 360 games.