HDTV users - give me some advice

[NeoV]

I just picked up one of those new JVC HD-ILA sets, the 52" model...I currently have Comcast, and I've got one of their HD cable boxes going...they offer 2 INHD channels, ESPN, Discovery, and the local ABC, NBC, and Fox channels - no local CBS, no TNT.

I did some browsing of the Voom lineup and Direct TV, but I'm a bit confused as to how their 'local channel' broadcasts work.

Can someone clear this up for me?

Any feedback on Direct TV or Voom's HD lineup?

Thanks!


I'm not sure I can ever watch a non-HD football game again!

 

[Cattlegod]

how do you like that TV? i was thinking about getting the 61" version of it. Right now I can't decide if a glossy screen will bother me or not. What price did you get it for?

 

[NeoV]

3 grand........it is beautiful

 

[arod]

I have voom and love it... that said it does have a few problems still (mainly related to multi room setups where it gets pricey 15 for each extra receiver since they only have HD receivers). Their DVR and whole house solution should rock but its not out yet (and elmiinate the multi room problem).

Voom provides you an antenna to tune "local" broadcasts... but you have to be withing 50 miles of your broadcast tower to get good signals.

http://antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx
Go here to see what channels you should be able to get....



BTW if you want to see what the Voom whole house solution will be able to do there is a video preview (but from what Ive read everybody is saying even the HD tivo's wont be able to touch it features wise)... http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=28645

 

[RossMAN]

nm

 

[nsafreak]

Insofar as the local channel broadcasts go the way it works is like this. DirecTV only broadcasts CBS-HD to folks that qualify. By qualify it means that your local CBS affiliated is owned and operated by CBS Inc. You don't actually receive the local CBS in HD but if you qualify you get it from a distant location. They're working on getting Fox & the same rules would apply to them as well. So to receive local HD programming with either of these providers you would have to receive it via antenna. Both of their lineups are fairly decent although I have heard that Voom's hardware is rather flakey.

 

[blahblah99]

DLP has beautiful colors... my only quarrel with dlp is that I wish the shades of black and grey were more deeper.

 

[RossMAN]

Beautiful TV

How in the hell did you get a $4,495 TV for only $3,000?

 

[NeoV]

It's not a DLP TV...

specs are HERE



Those are MSRP prices... Best Buy's retail is 3499, and since I bought some other stuff they came down on the TV price

 

[GRIFFIN1]

The TNT and FOX HD that I get through my cable box seems to be nothing but the standard definition 4:3 image that is stretched out to 16:9. I started getting fox late last week, so they might have some real HD content, but I have seen any yet. The NFL football games that were on Sunday were just stretched out 4:3 images.

 

[Lyfer]

How come you didn't get a 1080i/p cabable set? 720i is "ok".

 

[EvilYoda]

edit: I tried to stay away from that kind of message...the stupidity here is just too hard to ignore sometimes.

 

[NeoV]

It does 1080i/p

the 720 stuff is only talking about non HD signals

 

[Linux23]

Originally posted by: NeoV
It does 1080i/p

the 720 stuff is only talking about non HD signals

?

720P not HD?

 

[NeoV]

It does some sort of 'upsampling' crap to supposedly display non HD signals at 720....or something

 

[TechnoKid]

Originally posted by: Lyfer
How come you didn't get a 1080i/p cabable set? 720i is "ok".

1080p [native resolution] chips are not out [in consumer retail] yet. Texas Instruments has a prototype chip that was on a Samsung display a while back. The 1080p native chip is called the xHD3, Text

the specs on your tv in the link you provided even show the native resolution to be 1280x720, which is 720p native. everything else is converted. So how can your tv do 1080p???

edit: Oh and your tv is LCoS, similar to DLP but not the same. Only one company right now has a 1080p native LCoS chip, but its not out yet eHD70

 

[imported_amx]

Voom does have a little more channel but its nothing great since its inhouse programming and rarely any contenent is true HD in the inhouse channels.
I have DISH network 811 receiver that also has Over the air braodcast tuner. Just bought a decent VHF antenna monted in attic and i recive basically all the local channels in HD. It doesnt always show true 1080p HD content, but when it does like Star wars on WB recently its looked awesome. Specially the world series in HD. Dish has 5 HD channels, if you are new subscriber you get free 6 months and most likey the setup is free. IF anyone needs one i have a couple 50 dollar new subscriber gift cards. The in house HD channels are TNT, Discovery HD, HDNET, HDMOVIES and ESPN HD. My favorite is discovery and HDNET. Discovery is 95 percent true hd content. HD net has nice shows and recorded concerts which are nice. If you subscriber to HBO or showtime, you will get HBO HD or SHOHD. i got HBO and watched matrix reloaded in HD., it was true 1080 and it was beautiful. I havea 50" Philips plasma 50pf9956. It is one of the best plasmas out there, compare them with panasonic and pioneer.
IF you need help with Over the air broadcast pm me. Some peopl e mentioned a few sites here and forums which are good.

i got few pictures of the braodcast on my plasma. http://amx.halomx.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=50

Good Luck!

 

[TechnoKid]

Nice TV amx, however the native resolution of your tv is only 1366 x 768p. Signals other than its native are converted. 1080i is actually 1920x1080 resolution, and 720p is actually 1280x720 resolution. (1080p [progressive] source is not even out yet, except on computer in 24P WMV format. Expect to see it on BluRay and slowly on some networks once they upgrade their hardware).

That TV has the ambient light thing, and is on backorder from Philips as far as I know because it is so popular.

 

[imported_amx]

You are quite right baout the resolution. Currently the maximum HD can be broadcasted is at 1080i i believe.
I guess working at intel has its own benifits. Philips gives a huge discount to Intel employees.
I have to agree Ambientlight is simple and very smart idea. Having backlight to your plasma is really soothing for the eyes. Specially since plasmas and lcds are soo bright. When watching a movie in dark if you dont have philips plasma with ambientlight i would suggest putting a lamp behind our plasma. Or a nice white or yellow tap light should work too.

 

[arod]

Also you are wrong on vooms inhouse programming all the inhouse HD channels are 24x7x365 HDTV... and there is no such things as 1080p programming yet. Theres 1080i and 720p and I very seriously doubt we will ever see 1080p over a sattelite/cable system. HD-DVD's yet and possibly broadcast but it takes way too much bw to try and do over a sattelite.