Just bought this -- what else do I need?

[SmoochyTX]

I bought a Toshiba 32HL67 32" LCD HDTV online last night (at a fantastic price!) and I bought the Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player a few weeks ago at Wal-Mart in their Friday sale. I probably won't get the TV for a week or so but, in the meantime, I want to make sure I have all the correct cables that I'll need to completely set it up when I get it.

I am through Comcast and will be getting their HD DVR box for the HD content. I do not have a stereo setup that I will be connecting to the TV or DVR box at this time. I am also not looking to connect a PC to the television either. So there will only be the TV, DVR box, and the DVD player to connect at first.

This will be my first experience with HD equipment and even though I've been trying to educate myself about it for the last couple of months, the cabling issue still confuses me! Is there anything I need to buy to set everything up before the TV gets here?

ETA - #1. Is it worth it to even bother hooking up an antenna to get OTA even though I'll have an HD box through Comcast?

ETA - #2. Almost forgot -- another question. I have no idea what kind of surge protector or UPS I need to buy. Some places say a UPS isn't necessary and just a good surge protector. Other places talk about a power conditioner. I really am clueless on this part. I was looking at this. Is that overkill? Is it even decent? BTW, I do plan on buying probably a HTIB in the next couple of months so that will be hooked up also.

Update on 12/07/07 - I have the TV all hooked up and it's gorgeous! Right now, I only have it hooked up to a standard DVR box (not HD) and I'm having one particular problem. I'm not getting audio on any channels above 100. I've double-checked all of the settings and I don't understand what's going on. I will be picking up the HD DVR box tomorrow so if that will fix the audio problem then I won't concern myself with it. In the meantime, what could the problem be?

Update on 12/08/07 - I have the HD DVR hooked up and having no problem with sound or picture quality. I love this TV! Now I just have to wait until my home theater system is delivered.

 

[MustISO]

For the HD-DVD player you'd need HDMI. That can carry audio and video to the TV. For the Comcast box you can use Component or HDMI (or DVI in some cases). If you use component video you need L/R audio going to the TV.

If you new TV has a QAM tuner, you may not need the cable box to get some HD channels but for others you would need it. If it has an ATSC tuner, you can get over the air local channels for free with an antenna.

 

[SmoochyTX]

I'm under the impression that the HD DVR box will have HDMI so I just need to buy two HDMI cables? Does it matter which HDMI cables I buy at Monoprice?

ETA - And is this right? The TV will connect to the DVR box and the DVD player will connect to the TV?

 

[Tegeril]

I own the 32HL67U. The TV has 3 HDMI in, so two HDMI cables will be perfect for this configuration. The TV also has a QAM tuner so what MustISO said above is true, however some HD channels will not be sent unencrypted. It also has an ATSC tuner, so you can go that route too. This TV does not support resolutions above 1024x768 over its VGA connection, thus if you did want to hook up a PC in the future, you would want a DVI -> HDMI cable, and happily, there is a third HDMI port for that.

All these cables can be found for cheap at Monoprice. You are just gonna have two HDMI cables, one from the HDDVD player to the TV and one from the HDDVR to the TV. The TV has an input selector where you can swap between the HDMI options.

 

[SmoochyTX]

Tegeril,

What do you have the settings at on your TV as far as color, CR, etc?

 

[Tegeril]

I'll get them to you when I'm back where my TV is. I'm away for Thanksgiving. I'll make a note to check back here and send you a PM. I know they're not perfect, but they look pretty good to me. I'm waiting for Netflix to send me the HDDVD DVE Essentials disc so I can really get it all calibrated.

 

[Chunkee]

I have the same TV, could you please send me you settings. I ordered the DVE from Walmart but it wont be there for a week. I just got a SAMMY 1080p 40 lcd also...having trouble getting everything just right...what a pain in the arse it is.

and yes i have read all those articles and posts on AVSforums

Thanks

Enjoy the TV...it is a nice one.

 

[Shadowknight]

Just try to get the HDMI 1.3 cables, since they're newer "revisions", and available in a variety of pretty colors. Oh, and the best HD signal is actually from over-the-air, not cable or satellite. So hook up a set of rabbit ears (or ANY antenna, you don't need a special "hdtv" antenna. I've made one out of coathangers) to get local channels. If you have a QAM tuner built into the TV, you can get the digital versions of the local channels for free, but it doesn't look as good as OTA.

 

[Tegeril]

My current setup is a DB-2 connected to two HVR-1600s and two NTSC connections into the HVR-1600s in a system running Vista Home Premium, OTA is amazing. But you don't get other wonderful HD channels besides broadcast ones

Oh well, it's pretttty.

 

[Tegeril]

Ok, it's not perfect, but it's working till I get a calibration disc. I did these calibrations with the built in Windows Media Center display calibration tool.

Video mode: Preference

Picture Settings --->
Contrast: 75
Back Light: 100
DynaLight: On
Brightness: 53
Color: 55
Tint: 0
Sharpness: 50
--Advanced Picture Settings --->
--Dynamic Contrast: High (sometimes noticeable, but with it not on, things look a bit washed out)
--Static Gamma: 0
--Color Temperature: Medium

Noise Reduction --->
DNR: Auto
MPEG Noise Reduction: Low

Game Mode: Off

Theater Settings (HDMI input, Picture Scroll/Cinema Mode not present)--->
Picture Size: Native
Auto Aspect Ratio: On

 

[SmoochyTX]

Thanks Tegeril! I can't wait to get my TV in and get everything hooked up.

ETA - Is it worth it to even bother hooking up an antenna to get OTA even though I'll have an HD box through Comcast?

 

[SmoochyTX]

Almost forgot -- another question. I have no idea what kind of surge protector or UPS I need to buy. Some places say a UPS isn't necessary and just a good surge protector. Other places talk about a power conditioner. I really am clueless on this part.

I was looking at this. Is that overkill? Is it even decent? BTW, I do plan on buying probably a HTIB in the next couple of months so that will be hooked up also.

Since y'all have been so kind as to help me with things so far, any pointers on this part?

 

[Eug]

If you have a fairly recent home, then just get a surge suppressor. A power conditioner and UPS usually isn't needed for a TV.

If Comcast has good HD channels, then don't even bother with the antenna.

 

[Tegeril]

Originally posted by: Eug
If you have a fairly recent home, then just get a surge suppressor. A power conditioner and UPS usually isn't needed for a TV.

If Comcast has good HD channels, then don't even bother with the antenna.

My thoughts exactly. Mine is just in a surge suppressor. Unless your provider is SERIOUSLY overcompressing some of the broadcast channels, stick with the HD box.

 

[SmoochyTX]

Is the surge protector I linked to earlier OK or is it overkill? I am electrically-challenged and have no idea what kind of rating I would need.

Thanks for the help everybody!

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Originally posted by: SmoochyTX
Is the surge protector I linked to earlier OK or is it overkill? I am electrically-challenged and have no idea what kind of rating I would need.

Thanks for the help everybody!

It really depends on how clean the power coming into your house is. One way to tell is if you have a UPS for your computer. UPSes will kick in during low-voltage conditions and during power surges. If that doesn't happen on your UPS, or happens very rarely, then there's really no need to worry about a power conditioner. Any decent electronic components have their own power regulation circuitry already built-in anyway.

One thing you may want to consider is whether or not your TV maintains its settings in the event of a power loss. MY JVC doesn't and it's a PITA to go through and reconfigure everything again, which is why I have a UPS dedicated to my HT equipment. If you look around you can pick up a decent one for that same or less than that surge protector you linked to earlier. Then you'll have power conditioning, surge protection, and power loss taken care of in one fell swoop.

 

[SmoochyTX]

I have the TV all hooked up and it's gorgeous! Right now, I only have it hooked up to a standard DVR box (not HD) and I'm having one particular problem. I'm not getting audio on any channels above 100. I've double-checked all of the settings and I don't understand what's going on. I will be picking up the HD DVR box tomorrow so if that will fix the audio problem then I won't concern myself with it. In the meantime, what could the problem be?