Hey HDTV Geeks!

“So I just bought a Plasma HDTV for Christmas for my family. I know that I need to buy HDMI cables for it, but I need to know the low-down on anything else I need to set it up - including tips and cautions from more experienced video people. Things like:

-my old DVD player, do I need to toss it and get an HD-DVD or BlueRay player?
-they tried to sell me a surge-protector when I bought the TV. Do I need one of these, and if so, what kind?
-any opinions on Home Theatre/Surround Sound systems?”

“yes

yes! - hi joule rating, battery backup a plus

don't buy bundles”

“cheap cables are just as good as the $$$$$$$$$$$$ monster ones.

If you have Comcast, tell them your tech never hooked up the HDMI on your cable box, only RCA, and they will send you a free set.”

“Yes, get the cheap HDMI cables, you can get them for under $5. I like OPIE's idea.

Keep your DVD player IF and only IF it does progressive scan and has HDMI or the red-green-blue cables. In many cases DVDs will look great even though they aren't high-def.

Get a battery backup large enough to keep your TV, DVR and DVD player going for a few minutes (but not the stereo receiver).

I love my Onkyo receiver, excellent sound quality.”

“get a ps3 for your dvd player

it'll rock your world and come back for more

(that was a strange exaggeration)”

“ps3 will leave you wishing you had a real blue Ray player with full feature sets, a console with graphics that didn't look like $h!t, and has some of the barnburner games.”

““ps3 will leave you wishing you had a real blue Ray player with full feature sets”
OPIE


WHAT?? Do you have a PS3?”

“Plasma?

Not energy wise.
The Al Gore crowd will NOT be pleased.”

“True, I bought LCD for that reason, but since his is already bought I'm not going to knock him for it.”

“"Plasma?

Not energy wise.
The Al Gore crowd will NOT be pleased.

Stovie
9:08:48 AM
12/21/09"

The package boasts an Energy Star 3.0 rating - whatever that means.”

“No, I am a 360 fanboy. Plus any stand alone blue ray is gonna have tons more features than the included one on the PS3”

““Plus any stand alone blue ray is gonna have tons more features than the included one on the PS3”


Like what?”

“I think it's time to replace my old 20" nonHD tube tv and was hoping for some suggestion.

Basically, I'm looking for something that I can watch DVDs or video from the internet by connecting to my computer. I do watch some network tv through and RF antenna. I do not have cable or satellite, nor do I plan to get it as most if not all the shows I used to watch on cable, I can get through the internet.

A few parameters are:
It must be no bigger than 32"
I want to be able to hook it up to my stereo, which has analog inputs only.

What brands should I be looking at? Should I get a screen resolution of 720p or 1080p? Is there anything else that I am missing.”

“If you're limiting yourself to 32", there's no overriding reason to go 1080p, unless you want to use it as a computer monitor as well.

I recently bought a Panasonic 32" 720p flat screen, and I'm pretty happy with it. There are a lot of good deals on that class of HDTV right now, often for less than $300. Usually they have analog audio outs, but you have to check and make sure before you buy.

Keep your eye on Ben''s Bargains and eventually you'll see a good deal on a 32" 720p TV.”

“I got a Panasonic HDTV a couple of years ago and have been very happy with it.”

“Good info. Thanks.”

“I have a 40 or 42 in 720p, I think it's fine for that size..much bigger and 1080p might be of some advantage.”

“BTW, I checked my Panasonic last night, and it does have analog audio out, with standard RCA jacks.”

“Here ya go!

Toshiba 32C110”

“Oh, you have to add it to the cart to see the price, but it's supposed to be $250.”

“I would recommend an HDTV with a minimum scan rate of 120 if you want to watch something with fast action. If you want to watch movies from your computer get a internet ready TV with a WiFi receiver.

What about 3D?”