View Full Version : Took the HD plunge
So we decided it was time to take the HDTV plunge. Our 15 year old Sony has been starting to show it's age and the very sweet HD Tivo that DirecTV offers won't be offered much longer.
It came down to a toss-up between a Sony and Samsung rear projection units and the Sony won the toss-up based pretty much on experience.
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?CategoryName=&ProductSKU=KDFE50A10
The DirecTV HDTivo has ATSC tuners for locals so we get our local HD stations through the Tivo as well as the DirecTV HD stuff. Even when they're not in HD, the broadcast locals are better than DTV's compressed version so that's a win-win.
Unfortunately the Bengals game wasn't HD this week but when the late game came on in HD - WOW!
devilmaster
12-12-05, 06:49 PM
So we decided it was time to take the HDTV plunge. Our 15 year old Sony has been starting to show it's age and the very sweet HD Tivo that DirecTV offers won't be offered much longer.
It came down to a toss-up between a Sony and Samsung rear projection units and the Sony won the toss-up based pretty much on experience.
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?CategoryName=&ProductSKU=KDFE50A10
The DirecTV HDTivo has ATSC tuners for locals so we get our local HD stations through the Tivo as well as the DirecTV HD stuff. Even when they're not in HD, the broadcast locals are better than DTV's compressed version so that's a win-win.
Unfortunately the Bengals game wasn't HD this week but when the late game came on in HD - WOW!
So allow me to use a decade of military brevity on this post:
We are inviting all OC members to come watch races on our new HDTV
;) Congrats on the new tube. :thumbup:
Hmm. Maybe a modest fee to defray costs... You might be on to something. :p
Now would be a good time to bring back the HDnet deal.
Hmm. Maybe a modest fee to defray costs... You might be on to something. :p
Now would be a good time to bring back the HDnet deal.
Be prepared to hate regular TV.
Be prepared to hate regular TV.
Also be prepared to wish for more HD stations and programming.
Congrats on the new set.
Went shopping today for the new screen. Didn't buy.
Plasmas are cheaper, but with my family's viewing habits, burn-in scares me. TV is always on. :shakehead
Saw a 40 inch LCD (direct) a couple of months back and went WOW!
Almost bought one today, but for that kind of coin, I really need to research some more.
What's the audio/video website that many here have used?
What's the audio/video website that many here have used?
avsforum (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/)
Went shopping today for the new screen. Didn't buy.
Plasmas are cheaper, but with my family's viewing habits, burn-in scares me. TV is always on. :shakehead
Saw a 40 inch LCD (direct) a couple of months back and went WOW!
Almost bought one today, but for that kind of coin, I really need to research some more.
What's the audio/video website that many here have used?
Three letters: DLP. Better contrast and black levels than LCD and no burn in issues like plasma. And yes, avsforum.com is the w00t! for all things AV.
Bossman, congrats on your foray into TV crack. ;) I dunno how you do DirecTV is these parts. I had it for a year or two, but the rain fade drove me nutz. However, the TWC-Sinclair Broadcasting Group feud means I have no ABC or Fox via TWC HD. :(
-Kevin
I work on the things all day.
Go with a rear projector either the DLP or LCD.
Plasma's still have burn-in issues and the panels start to go soft just like picture tubes of days gone by.
LCD's are still overpriced and I'm still not impressed. Pathetic black levels and still a degree of lag in even the best of the units.
Here's a tip for anyone buying a rear projection DLP or LCD
Make sure the unit is plugged into an AC outlet THAT ISN'T SWITCHED!!!
Most of the failures of the lamps in these units is caused from units that are plugged into switched AC outlets. These sets need AC going to them even after the set is turned off to allow the lamp cooling fan to slowly cool the lamp off. Failure to do so will result in premature replacement of a lamp that costs around $200-300. Some manufacturers are even suggesting adding a UPS just in case you have a power outage.
Lizzerd
12-12-05, 10:16 PM
Hmm. Maybe a modest fee to defray costs... You might be on to something. :p
Now would be a good time to bring back the HDnet deal.
Well, thank you. I'll gladly come to CBus to watch a game if your're going to buy my gas with a modest fee. You're the greatest, Boss. :thumbup:
BTW, If you're wanting to jump into the HDTV scene on the cheap, I'm seeing some of these CRT based Samsung HDTV's with built-in HDTV tuner.
These sets have a very shallow neck CRT resulting in lighter weight and far less front to back depth. The first one of these sets I initially thought it was a mini-DLP or an LCD but low in behold it used a very short neck CRT.
Outstanding picture, available in 27 or 30" widescreen and the price isn't bad. ;)
Another FYI. Go up to any DLP, not LCD but a DLP. Concentrate closely on a small area of the screen and wait till that area goes to pure white. You'll see the picture is made up of small little squares. Those little squares are actually the individual mirrors (900k for a gen 1 and over 2 million on gen 2 DLP's) that are cut into a piece of glass the size of your thumbnail that rests on a chip device the size of an older Pentium processor. That's the actual DLP engine as it's called.
Amazing technology.
BTW, If you're wanting to jump into the HDTV scene on the cheap, I'm seeing some of these CRT based Samsung HDTV's with built-in HDTV tuner.
These sets have a very shallow neck CRT resulting in lighter weight and far less front to back depth. The first one of these sets I initially thought it was a mini-DLP or an LCD but low in behold it used a very short neck CRT.
Outstanding picture, available in 27 or 30" widescreen and the price isn't bad. ;)
We have a 30" Philips CRT for the bedroom that has a form factor like that. < 150 lbs., and ~20" deep. Not a bad picture either, and for $399 shipped free, a big time steal. :thumbup:
-Kevin
Another little tidbit of info. If you are looking into any rear projo HDTV, LCD or DLP, I'd definitely suggest looking at a
MITSUBISHI BEFORE YOU MAKE YOUR MIND UP ON ANY BRAND.
I see these things all day and their picture still makes me go WHOA! ;Paul Page voice;
hint.. hint... :D
Sean O'Gorman
12-12-05, 11:01 PM
Be prepared to hate regular TV.
Will you get cable already?
I was set. I was going to buy a DLP. Then I saw the LCD direct. Woah. The DLP has a great pic, but the viewing angle is for crap. LCD direct has 165 degrees or more of viewing angle. The g's lay on the floor to watch the idiot box pretty often. The LCD is bright and clear no matter what the viewing angle. Gotta love that!
Congrats, Boss! I'll be joining soon!
Direct view LCDs have too much screendoor affect for my taste. The projection sets really help soften that.
Of the DLPs we looked at only the Samsung looked as sharp as the Sony. The others had kind of a "color bleed" affect that I didn't like.
Direct view LCDs have too much screendoor affect for my taste. The projection sets really help soften that.
Some did (today), some didn't. I found that the higher the contrast ratio, the sharper the image. With the lower contrast ratios, it seemed that some of the images were a bit blurry. Maybe screendoor? I dunno.
What I found that was weird was that, whether you're talking DLP, LCD, plasma, projection, whatever, there was a big difference in price, with some of the "better" TV's costing less than the "worse" tv's. Some with very high contrast ratios (I really like high contrast, perhaps I'm an idiot [no "perhaps" about it]), were 4-500 dollars cheaper than the cruddy ones. And we are talking about Brand names, here. Not cruddy Joe's TV's, brand, but real, known names.
Weird.
I want: max. resolution, too many connections (I usually run 3 devices at baseband into my tv's), max viewing angle, approx 45 inches across (not diag.), killer contrast, bright as the sun, and with that, "extra" port, for those special moments. :gomer:
Any recommendations?
cart7?? Anyone?
C'mon, spend my money.
nrc, the Sony DLP's that I saw, I dunno, I just didn't like them. They seemed blurry. Sony/Mitsubishi/JVC tubes, kick all form of butt, on the otherhand.
It's such a personal taste thing, plus, some peple get the "rainbow" effect with the DLP's, which I heard they (TI) have fixed...
I guess that I wanna see zits, damnit.
If I were in the market today, I would be looking at the Sony KDS-R50XBR1 Grand WEGA™ SXRD™ Rear Projection HDTV. 1080P resolution!
link (http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?CategoryName=tv_ProjectionTVs_RearProjection _42to51TVs&ProductSKU=KDSR50XBR1&INT=sstyle-tv_ProjectionTVs-catpfeature-KDSR50XBR1)
JVC has models using a similar technology but I haven't seen one of theirs yet. The Sony looked awesome. I don't recall how the off axis viewing was though.
Well, thank you. I'll gladly come to CBus to watch a game if your're going to buy my gas with a modest fee. You're the greatest, Boss. :thumbup:
I don't know, I didn't like the outcome the last time I watch a game with Colts fans around. :P
When I was in Tokyo in Oct. I went to Sony's flagship store in Ginza. On display was a 70 inch flat panel showing scenes from a Bluray DVD. Outstanding picture. Almost like you could walk into the screen. Based on the exchange rate we figured it was about 9 grand. Which all things considered seemed worth it! Having seen that TV, I think I'll wait for a 100 incher. :gomer:
BTW - Sony had a bunch of home entertainment PC systems there that were really nicely put together. Made for MP3, video and web surfing. Nice presentation. Lots of nice toys there. :thumbup:
And one amazing HD wide screen camcorder. Pro quality picture. Didn't see the price, had to be expensive.
Dirty Sanchez
12-13-05, 10:37 AM
If I were in the market today, I would be looking at the Sony KDS-R50XBR1 Grand WEGA™ SXRD™ Rear Projection HDTV. 1080P resolution!
link (http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?CategoryName=tv_ProjectionTVs_RearProjection _42to51TVs&ProductSKU=KDSR50XBR1&INT=sstyle-tv_ProjectionTVs-catpfeature-KDSR50XBR1)
JVC has models using a similar technology but I haven't seen one of theirs yet. The Sony looked awesome. I don't recall how the off axis viewing was though.absolutely. Sony SXRD or 1080p DLP Samsung for me... also curious about the JVCs as well. I'll be purchasing this after the holidays however.
racer2c
12-13-05, 10:48 AM
I've hated Sony for many years after I bought three Sony car stereo's that each didn't last one year. Then with being an Xbox fanboy, my anti Sony stance widened. A few weeks ago I went out to get a new laptop and as soon as my wife saw the Sony screen she said "that's the one you should get". The kid at Best Buy magnanimously declared that Sony used the same technology in their laptop screens as they did in their TV's. I almost said "well, duh", but I just shook my head and said "I'll take it". I like it so far. I do think their HDTV's look great too.
I have a Mitsu DLP projector I break out for movie night and good football games. I love life size football. :)
RaceGrrl
12-13-05, 11:23 AM
I actually liked the picture on the JVC, but that was one of the ones Richard said looked blurry. All I can say is that my contact lens prescription is more up to date than his glasses prescription. ;)
I was really ok with either set, so he chose the Sony. I got to choose the stand though. You see how much input the wife has on these things?
I want: max. resolution, too many connections (I usually run 3 devices at baseband into my tv's), max viewing angle, approx 45 inches across (not diag.), killer contrast, bright as the sun, and with that, "extra" port, for those special moments. :gomer:
Any recommendations?
If you are concerned with plasma burn-in, and rear projection doesn't have the viewing angle you want then LCD is probably going to be the technology for you. Unfortunatly the bigger LCD's are the most expensive per square inch.
Do take a peek at the Sony SXRD if you get a chance.
We need to get started building our new house (with theater room) so I can start buying this stuff again. :cry:
If you are concerned with plasma burn-in, and rear projection doesn't have the viewing angle you want then LCD is probably going to be the technology for you. Unfortunatly the bigger LCD's are the most expensive per square inch.
Do take a peek at the Sony SXRD if you get a chance.
We need to get started building our new house (with theater room) so I can start buying this stuff again. :cry:
Problem dat thing is the $$$$. It's like the Ruby 1080p projo Sony just released, which has an MSRP of $10K. :eek: I think I'll $pend $2K for 720p for now.
-Kevin
racer2c
12-13-05, 08:58 PM
Problem dat thing is the $$$$. It's like the Ruby 1080p projo Sony just released, which has an MSRP of $10K. :eek: I think I'll $pend $2K for 720p for now.
-Kevin
But according to Sony themselves (SCE boss Phil Harrison), only 1080p is true HD.
"As you well know," he continued, "the Xbox 360 doesn't play high definition movies and doesn't have true HD functionality - PlayStation 3 is the only format that has 1080-progressive, which is the true definition of HD, so it's really premature to be talking about the HD era."
720p looks good on my TV. Heck, so does 1080i. :(
720p looks good on my TV. Heck, so does 1080i. :(
Same here. I'd almost be afraid of the side effects of 1080p....my @ss might grow roots on the sofa. :D
-Kevin
Here's a tip for anyone buying a rear projection DLP or LCD
Make sure the unit is plugged into an AC outlet THAT ISN'T SWITCHED!!!
Most of the failures of the lamps in these units is caused from units that are plugged into switched AC outlets. These sets need AC going to them even after the set is turned off to allow the lamp cooling fan to slowly cool the lamp off. Failure to do so will result in premature replacement of a lamp that costs around $200-300. Some manufacturers are even suggesting adding a UPS just in case you have a power outage.
Switched plugs on cable boxes is just a bad idea period. TVs and other electronics should not be turned on and off by a switched outlet, period.
-Kevin
[QUOTE=nrc] Even when they're not in HD, the broadcast locals are better than DTV's compressed version so that's a win-win.
QUOTE]
I noticed the same thing on my Dad's new Samsung 1080P set hooked up to the dish. Something is screwed up when the local channels look better when they are broadcasting only standard definition. Std definition over the air broadcast is something like 340 lines of resolution while the satelites are over 400 (dvd quality). The new sets suck with std definition broadcasts and the new recievers suck reading standard definition satelite.
oddlycalm
12-15-05, 01:53 AM
Congratulations nrc and RaceGrrl, should be real nice. :thumbup:
The HD displays are really coming into their own at this point and I'm quote impressed with the price vs performance of the DLP and LCD displays. There seems to be something for everybody, and I could be happy with any one of a three or four of the new 1080P units. I like the Mitsubishi, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba in the nominal 56" size, which is what we've had since we went to widescreen in 1997. Not a single hiccup on the Toshiba 56" in 8yrs of service.
My holdup continues to be with the DVR end of the equation, and the future there is looking bleak. The cable and sat companies have all seen the future and it consists of them offering generic barebones DVR's bundled with their set top boxes. These proprietary units don't hold a candle to the Tivo and ReplayTV designs they seek to replace, but the average person doesn't know any better, so they are making it less than interesting for third parties to offer HD DVR's that have the features those of us that own them have become accustomed to.
Then there is the storage. Most of the generic HD DVR's have very limited capacity, some as low as 15hrs. I'm after 75hrs minimum and 100 would be better. That's going to require 750GB - 1TB of storage, so it's not going to be cheap. At this point it looks like a media PC may be the only option, but what I've seen doesn't impress me and I'm not looking for yet another DIY project. Any ideas or comments are welcome.
oc
Congratulations nrc and RaceGrrl, should be real nice. :thumbup:
The HD displays are really coming into their own at this point and I'm quote impressed with the price vs performance of the DLP and LCD displays. There seems to be something for everybody, and I could be happy with any one of a three or four of the new 1080P units. I like the Mitsubishi, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba in the nominal 56" size, which is what we've had since we went to widescreen in 1997. Not a single hiccup on the Toshiba 56" in 8yrs of service.
My holdup continues to be with the DVR end of the equation, and the future there is looking bleak. The cable and sat companies have all seen the future and it consists of them offering generic barebones DVR's bundled with their set top boxes. These proprietary units don't hold a candle to the Tivo and ReplayTV designs they seek to replace, but the average person doesn't know any better, so they are making it less than interesting for third parties to offer HD DVR's that have the features those of us that own them have become accustomed to.
Then there is the storage. Most of the generic HD DVR's have very limited capacity, some as low as 15hrs. I'm after 75hrs minimum and 100 would be better. That's going to require 750GB - 1TB of storage, so it's not going to be cheap. At this point it looks like a media PC may be the only option, but what I've seen doesn't impress me and I'm not looking for yet another DIY project. Any ideas or comments are welcome.
oc
oc, keep holding your breath for that HP Media Hub to be released. Any day now I'm quite certain.... :saywhat: :(
1TB will be the minimum storage necessary for an HD DVR of any use. My 120GB Replay box is @ 90% capacity @ medium quality. Too bad noone produces a 1TB drive yet. Original system req for Vista (aka: Shorthorn) were 1GB of RAM and 1TB for storage, but w/o the new search engine, those were reduced.
-Kevin
oc, keep holding your breath for that HP Media Hub to be released. Any day now I'm quite certain.... :saywhat: :(
1TB will be the minimum storage necessary for an HD DVR of any use. My 120GB Replay box is @ 90% capacity @ medium quality. Too bad noone produces a 1TB drive yet. Original system req for Vista (aka: Shorthorn) were 1GB of RAM and 1TB for storage, but w/o the new search engine, those were reduced.
-Kevin
You could always build an HTPC. Add as much storage as you want. More work but less expensive and a lot more technical if you want it.
You could always build an HTPC. Add as much storage as you want. More work but less expensive and a lot more technical if you want it.
Yup. It's an option I've considered, but don't have the time to focus right now. Maybe once the home theater is up and running I'll be able to tinker about more. Things like running 500' of speaker wire, etc. take up my extra time right now.
It's a labor of love, tho. :)
-Kevin
My holdup continues to be with the DVR end of the equation, and the future there is looking bleak. The cable and sat companies have all seen the future and it consists of them offering generic barebones DVR's bundled with their set top boxes.
The rumor is that at CES Tivo will have an HD DVR with two cable card tuners.
The DirecTV HD Tivo we got has 250G. That's supposed to be 30 hours of HD or 250 hours of SD programming. Given the mix of HD/SD programming right now, I think that's adequate for the time being.
Yup. It's an option I've considered, but don't have the time to focus right now. Maybe once the home theater is up and running I'll be able to tinker about more. Things like running 500' of speaker wire, etc. take up my extra time right now.
It's a labor of love, tho. :)
-Kevin
I built mine about a month ago, although I have it in my room instead of my home theater. It would just require me to move it downstairs though to make it a true HTPC.
Took me about 6 hours to build and install everything. Probably spent another 5-6 hours on later dates troubleshooting.
In total I spent a little less than $1000.00 on it, and someday it will allow me to sell off my HDTV receiver and my DVD player. It will also be a lot easier to buy a Blu-Ray HD DVD drive for the computer instead of a whole new player.
I've got 320 gigs of space right now on two HDD and haven't come close to filling them. Although I don't save a lot of stuff, I have been in the process of converting old sports tapes to DVD.
racer2c
12-15-05, 12:06 PM
I built mine about a month ago, although I have it in my room instead of my home theater. It would just require me to move it downstairs though to make it a true HTPC.
Took me about 6 hours to build and install everything. Probably spent another 5-6 hours on later dates troubleshooting.
In total I spent a little less than $1000.00 on it, and someday it will allow me to sell off my HDTV receiver and my DVD player. It will also be a lot easier to buy a Blu-Ray HD DVD drive for the computer instead of a whole new player.
I've got 320 gigs of space right now on two HDD and haven't come close to filling them. Although I don't save a lot of stuff, I have been in the process of converting old sports tapes to DVD.
Blu-Ray < HD-DVD
Blu-Ray < HD-DVD
Kinda OT..... I can not believe these companies are getting ready to do the whole VHS vs. Beta thing again. :shakehead
I'm normally an early buyer on these sort of things, still own Sony's first DVD player the s7000, but I will not buy into this until one format is settled on.
Blu-Ray < HD-DVD
according to?
racer2c
12-15-05, 12:23 PM
according to?
Well, let's see, um, well since I wrote it, I guess, why Yes! that would be me. :gomer:
Well, let's see, um, well since I wrote it, I guess, why Yes! that would be me. :gomer:
Blu-ray has more storage capability and is a much better disc. Only negative is it will cost more to produce as it requires new manufacturing equipment, HD-DVD does not.
But hey, if you want smaller storage capability and less features, by all means go with HD-DVD.
Sean O'Gorman
12-15-05, 01:14 PM
I built mine about a month ago, although I have it in my room instead of my home theater. It would just require me to move it downstairs though to make it a true HTPC.
Took me about 6 hours to build and install everything. Probably spent another 5-6 hours on later dates troubleshooting.
In total I spent a little less than $1000.00 on it, and someday it will allow me to sell off my HDTV receiver and my DVD player. It will also be a lot easier to buy a Blu-Ray HD DVD drive for the computer instead of a whole new player.
I've got 320 gigs of space right now on two HDD and haven't come close to filling them. Although I don't save a lot of stuff, I have been in the process of converting old sports tapes to DVD.
And yet, you don't even have cable or satellite.
Dirty Sanchez
12-15-05, 01:19 PM
and Holographic DVD (http://www.betanews.com/article/Holographic_DVD_to_Hold_16_Terabytes/1133197797) > Blu-ray and HD-DVD
the format war is inevitable. early adopters will be screwed.
racer2c
12-15-05, 01:24 PM
Blu-ray has more storage capability and is a much better disc. Only negative is it will cost more to produce as it requires new manufacturing equipment, HD-DVD does not.
But hey, if you want smaller storage capability and less features, by all means go with HD-DVD.
Sony + toolkit scandal = :gomer:
And yet, you don't even have cable or satellite.
Well its not worth it to me right now.
Kinda OT..... I can not believe these companies are getting ready to do the whole VHS vs. Beta thing again.
Thats what we get for having a free market. Let the consumers choose what we want. This isn't Russia.
and Holographic DVD (http://www.betanews.com/article/Holographic_DVD_to_Hold_16_Terabytes/1133197797) > Blu-ray and HD-DVD
the format war is inevitable. early adopters will be screwed.
thats usually how it is. except most early adopters are smart enough to know this. they buy because they want the new technology, they dont care too much if the format is out of production 2 years down the road. they have enough money not to care.
reference d-vhs for an example.
so they really arent being screwed, early adopters are taking a risk on new technology because they weigh enjoyment now higher than financial issues later.
Dirty Sanchez
12-15-05, 01:39 PM
agreed to a point... but I don't know how many people who purchased $800 betamax units where thrilled when they became obsolete a short while later. but I agree that lots do like to have the latest and greatest and many have the money not to care. these people are likely to purchase both blu-ray and HD-DVD units.
but the non-early adopters are kinda screwed too as they wait for the battle to work itself out :D
the format struggle is kinda inevitable really when you consider how much money is at stake tho'... we're talking a lot of zeroes.
what do you guys think of Sharp's HD DLP's?
agreed to a point... but I don't know how many people who purchased $800 betamax units where thrilled when they became obsolete a short while later. but I agree that lots do like to have the latest and greatest and many have the money not to care. these people are likely to purchase both blu-ray and HD-DVD units.
but the non-early adopters are kinda screwed too as they wait for the battle to work itself out :D
the format struggle is kinda inevitable really when you consider how much money is at stake tho'... we're talking a lot of zeroes.
i have a dvd player that cost me 400 bucks cuz it had dvd-audio capability. i didnt really worry about sacd vs. dvd-audio vs. mp3 vs. cd format wars. there were some solid albums out that i wanted to get and the sound is amazing.
back then when it was 800 dollar betamax units, yea, thats a bummer to lose out on. but we have history now shows that if you dont have the balls and $ to pony up, you need to wait and pick a format.
Thats what we get for having a free market. Let the consumers choose what we want. This isn't Russia.
I think in THIS case there will be a lot of us sitting on the sidelines waiting.
I also wonder how many people will replace current DVD's with the HD versions. I can only think of a few that I would bother to update.
I think in THIS case there will be a lot of us sitting on the sidelines waiting.
I also wonder how many people will replace current DVD's with the HD versions. I can only think of a few that I would bother to update.
Thats true, there will need to be significant advantages in picture and audio quality, extras content, and a nice price for a lot of people to rebuild their collection with the new format.
Dirty Sanchez
12-15-05, 01:55 PM
sacd vs. dvd-audio is kind of a joke though (still) as neither has taken off, in part, because there are only a handful of titles available (and only from the major labels) and because I think the market for quality audio is significantly smaller than HD is... and high definition DVD will be... as evidenced by the proliferation of mp3 :gomer: players (different topic, I won't go there :D )
and if I'm not mistaken (I probably am)... pretty much the same titles are available in both sacd and dvd-audio, correct? that doesn't appear to be the case with blu-ray and HD DVD as the various studios each pick their horse in this race. I think only Paramount has publicly declared that they will provide discs in both formats.
sacd vs. dvd-audio is kind of a joke though (still) as neither has taken off, in part, because there are only a handful of titles available (and only from the major labels) and because I think the market for quality audio is significantly smaller than HD is... and high definition DVD will be... as evidenced by the proliferation of mp3 :gomer: players (different topic, I won't go there :D )
neither will take off as long as people still think songs in mp3 format sound good.
the difference to joe consumer between sdtv and hdtv is a lot greater than mp3 and sacd or dvd-audio. plus, most people dont want one format for music for their home theaters, and one for the computer, car, and portable use.
Kinda OT..... I can not believe these companies are getting ready to do the whole VHS vs. Beta thing again. :shakehead
I'm normally an early buyer on these sort of things, still own Sony's first DVD player the s7000, but I will not buy into this until one format is settled on.
Can you say DiVX? :saywhat: :gomer: :mad:
-Kevin
and if I'm not mistaken (I probably am)... pretty much the same titles are available in both sacd and dvd-audio, correct? that doesn't appear to be the case with blu-ray and HD DVD as the various studios each pick their horse in this race. I think only Paramount has publicly declared that they will provide discs in both formats.
yea and no. from what I remember:
some titles are on SACD
some titles are on DVD-Audio
some are on both
i havent bougbht a dvd-audio disc in a while though.
I built mine about a month ago, although I have it in my room instead of my home theater. It would just require me to move it downstairs though to make it a true HTPC.
Took me about 6 hours to build and install everything. Probably spent another 5-6 hours on later dates troubleshooting.
In total I spent a little less than $1000.00 on it, and someday it will allow me to sell off my HDTV receiver and my DVD player. It will also be a lot easier to buy a Blu-Ray HD DVD drive for the computer instead of a whole new player.
I've got 320 gigs of space right now on two HDD and haven't come close to filling them. Although I don't save a lot of stuff, I have been in the process of converting old sports tapes to DVD.
With a lil' one running around six hours is a weeks worth of free time. :) I've studied up plenty on HTPC, but frankly the PVRs I have now have been great for 5 years (outside of replacing both drives), and there just isn't enough HD programming yet to motivate me to build or buy one. A media hub/server will likley be my next DIY undertaking sometime next year, once the theater is christened in ealry '06. Now if I could just figger out which damn projo to go with, life will be good. :( I think the Mits HC3000 will be the final choice over the Panny AE900U LCD. Just need to make sure I don't see any rainbows.
-Kevin
what do you guys think of Sharp's HD DLP's?
Are you asking about rear or fornt project DLPs? In general, Sharp is a decent mid-level brand, but they rarely make a big splash. Their Auquos line of LCD toobs is prolly the exception to the rule.
-Kevin
Insomniac
12-15-05, 02:09 PM
Kinda OT..... I can not believe these companies are getting ready to do the whole VHS vs. Beta thing again. :shakehead
I'm normally an early buyer on these sort of things, still own Sony's first DVD player the s7000, but I will not buy into this until one format is settled on.
I think people are making a much bigger deal out of this than they need to. They're just going to make players that read them both. It's not like the discs are that different. Same size, same laser.
Insomniac
12-15-05, 02:11 PM
agreed to a point... but I don't know how many people who purchased $800 betamax units where thrilled when they became obsolete a short while later. but I agree that lots do like to have the latest and greatest and many have the money not to care. these people are likely to purchase both blu-ray and HD-DVD units.
but the non-early adopters are kinda screwed too as they wait for the battle to work itself out :D
the format struggle is kinda inevitable really when you consider how much money is at stake tho'... we're talking a lot of zeroes.
By then, the prices will be low enough to make sense or 30 million people will have Blu-Ray players with their PS3s. :)
Can you say DiVX? :saywhat: :gomer: :mad:
-Kevin
I still refuse to shop at Circuit City after that one.
Are you asking about rear or fornt project DLPs? In general, Sharp is a decent mid-level brand, but they rarely make a big splash. Their Auquos line of LCD toobs is prolly the exception to the rule.
-Kevin
rear, buddy just bought a 56" from Frys, he was choosing between that and a Samsung DLP and asking me for advice... I know as much about the latest & greatest A/V as I do about women's shoes... :D
apparently most Samsung's RP DLP's have some issue w/ video games and the video lagging behind the audio a couple of seconds so he went w/ the Sharp, guess I get to see how fancy and great it is tomorrow...
I still refuse to shop at Circuit City after that one.
but they're selling The Office first season for $13 :D
It's not like the discs are that different. Same size, same laser.
doesn't HDDVD use the same red spectrum laser so as to be able to read current DVDs and blu-ray use a shorter wavelength blue spectrum laser?
but they're selling The Office first season for $13 :D
which pissed me off to no end cuz i paid 17 for it on deepdiscountdvd.com during their annual 20% sale. :mad:
doesn't HDDVD use the same red spectrum laser so as to be able to read current DVDs and blu-ray use a shorter wavelength blue spectrum laser?
yes. different lasers = different disc capacity.
oddlycalm
12-15-05, 03:08 PM
I think the market for quality audio is significantly smaller than HD is... Absolutely. The reason is that while lots of people have HD ready or HD equipped displays and can easily see a difference only a very few people audio systems with sufficient resolution to allow them to hear the difference between CD and higher bitstream formats. Even among those that have high resolution audio systems there are many that can't hear any difference outside of the obvious multi-channel delivery of DVD audio. If a lot of DVD players didn't come standard with the capability, sales of SACD and DVD audio players would sell in similar numbers to analogue turntables. SACD on a really great system absolutely kills, but not one person in a thousand will ever hear it or care that they didn't.
Even with a high rez audio system, many people can't hear any difference. Ten years ago when I added a power conditioner to our system my wife couldn't get over the difference in the picture quality on video Laserdisks (pre-DVD era) with all the noise removed, but she couldn't hear any difference on the audio even though it was just a big an improvement, and that reaction isn't unusual. I briefly considered an upgrade to Wife v3.0, but figured it was less expensive to simply confine all future audio upgrades to my office system...
oc
I briefly considered an upgrade to Wife v3.0, but figured it was less expensive to simply confine all future audio upgrades to my office system... :rofl:
oddlycalm
12-15-05, 03:32 PM
The rumor is that at CES Tivo will have an HD DVR with two cable card tuners.
The DirecTV HD Tivo we got has 250G. That's supposed to be 30 hours of HD or 250 hours of SD programming. Given the mix of HD/SD programming right now, I think that's adequate for the time being. Good call for now. Not an option for me due to the surround giant fir trees, so I'm on the sidelines until a worthwhile HD DVR appears. I'll be watching after CES. Having 320hrs has definitely spoiled me and allowed me to warehouse.
D&M Holdings (ReplayTV, Denon, Marantz, McIntosh, Snell, Boston Acoustics, Escient, etc.) hasn't announced an HD Replay, most probably due to saturation by the aforementioned pre-empting by the cable and sat companies. Most industry folks don't see much of a market for standalone HD-DVR's except at the very high end due to cost of 1TB of storage and market saturation at the entry level.
oc
rear, buddy just bought a 56" from Frys, he was choosing between that and a Samsung DLP and asking me for advice... I know as much about the latest & greatest A/V as I do about women's shoes... :D
apparently most Samsung's RP DLP's have some issue w/ video games and the video lagging behind the audio a couple of seconds so he went w/ the Sharp, guess I get to see how fancy and great it is tomorrow...
I have a 1st gen Samsung DLP, and I've never noticed any lag on any of the inputs, but I also send the sound through my Harman Kardon AVR8K receiver rather than the set. I think they're on gen 3 now, so it could be an issue with the newer builds. I'm sure the Sharp is competent, but it won't likely have the latest and greatest features. Samsung has become more cutting edge over the past 5 or so years. AVSForum.com would be the best place to look for info/advice. He could prolly spend weeks in there getting the 411.
I thought your middle name is Imelda? :gomer:
-Kevin
vancouver
12-15-05, 03:45 PM
As of next year, here in the UK the BBC will broadcast in HD!
:thumbup:
Absolutely. The reason is that while lots of people have HD ready or HD equipped displays and can easily see a difference only a very few people audio systems with sufficient resolution to allow them to hear the difference between CD and higher bitstream formats. Even among those that have high resolution audio systems there are many that can't hear any difference outside of the obvious multi-channel delivery of DVD audio. If a lot of DVD players didn't come standard with the capability, sales of SACD and DVD audio players would sell in similar numbers to analogue turntables. SACD on a really great system absolutely kills, but not one person in a thousand will ever hear it or care that they didn't.
Even with a high rez audio system, many people can't hear any difference. Ten years ago when I added a power conditioner to our system my wife couldn't get over the difference in the picture quality on video Laserdisks (pre-DVD era) with all the noise removed, but she couldn't hear any difference on the audio even though it was just a big an improvement, and that reaction isn't unusual. I briefly considered an upgrade to Wife v3.0, but figured it was less expensive to simply confine all future audio upgrades to my office system...
oc
:rofl:
Simply put, most people aren't good listeners. As long as folks are satisifed more with convenience (aka: MP3s), there is no hope for high end audio. Sad, but true.
-Kevin
As of next year, here in the UK the BBC will broadcast in HD!
:thumbup:
So Benny Hill in HD? ;)
-Kevin
what do you guys think of Sharp's HD DLP's?
Our Sharp tech rep was in the shop about 2 weeks ago going over their new line. He mentioned the DLP but it basically sounded like it was being thrown in the line because they felt they needed one since all the other manufacturers were putting one out.
It sounds like its a Chinese built POS. Not sure about longevity nor quality since the Sharp guy only wanted to talk about his erection he gets when he looks at an Aquos LCD. :rolleyes:
Sharp has never been much on Television quality. About the only thing they build good are their microwaves ovens.
Sean O'Gorman
12-15-05, 04:53 PM
Absolutely. The reason is that while lots of people have HD ready or HD equipped displays and can easily see a difference only a very few people audio systems with sufficient resolution to allow them to hear the difference between CD and higher bitstream formats. Even among those that have high resolution audio systems there are many that can't hear any difference outside of the obvious multi-channel delivery of DVD audio. If a lot of DVD players didn't come standard with the capability, sales of SACD and DVD audio players would sell in similar numbers to analogue turntables. SACD on a really great system absolutely kills, but not one person in a thousand will ever hear it or care that they didn't.
Even with a high rez audio system, many people can't hear any difference. Ten years ago when I added a power conditioner to our system my wife couldn't get over the difference in the picture quality on video Laserdisks (pre-DVD era) with all the noise removed, but she couldn't hear any difference on the audio even though it was just a big an improvement, and that reaction isn't unusual. I briefly considered an upgrade to Wife v3.0, but figured it was less expensive to simply confine all future audio upgrades to my office system...
oc
Since it is semi on-topic, want to do me a favor and rewrite that anti-Bose rant you had on 7G a few years ago? I got into an argument with my dad and his brother over Thanksgiving, they swear by Bose, and yet, have nothing to use as comparison.
Since it is semi on-topic, want to do me a favor and rewrite that anti-Bose rant you had on 7G a few years ago? I got into an argument with my dad and his brother over Thanksgiving, they swear by Bose, and yet, have nothing to use as comparison.
hey there. Bose makes the best sounding 500 dollar night stand alarm clock out there.
I have a 1st gen Samsung DLP, and I've never noticed any lag on any of the inputs, but I also send the sound through my Harman Kardon AVR8K receiver rather than the set. I think they're on gen 3 now, so it could be an issue with the newer builds. I'm sure the Sharp is competent, but it won't likely have the latest and greatest features. Samsung has become more cutting edge over the past 5 or so years. AVSForum.com would be the best place to look for info/advice. He could prolly spend weeks in there getting the 411.
I thought your middle name is Imelda? :gomer:
-Kevin
supposedly the lag kicks in when you don't have progressive-scan enabled on ps2/xbox games... I think he found that info out after I pointed him over to avsforums.
Insomniac
12-16-05, 08:39 AM
doesn't HDDVD use the same red spectrum laser so as to be able to read current DVDs and blu-ray use a shorter wavelength blue spectrum laser?
I'm almost certain they both use blue lasers.
racer2c
12-16-05, 10:27 AM
I'm almost certain they both use blue lasers.
Correct.
Blu-Ray and HD-DVD both use blue lasers, which operate at lower wavelengths (405 nanometers) than current red lasers (650 nanometers). That microscopic difference goes a long way. Longer wavelengths suffer more diffraction, which limits their ability to focus tightly on a surface. But a blue laser's shorter wavelength allows it to read and write data over a much tighter surface area, which in turn allows storage of far more data on a disc that's roughly the same diameter of current DVDs. The benefits for backward compatibility are clear: New players will be able to handle both old and new DVD formats in the same machine (outfitted with both red- and blue-laser diodes)—a major consumer benefit that manufacturers hope will drive unit sales.
Link (http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/129058.html)
Blu-Ray supposedly will cost much more to manufacturer then HDDVD and multiple layers on HDDVD will make the storage capacity issues moot.
Slate is on the side of Blu-Ray
http://www.slate.com/id/2110495/
higher quality is more important than lower price. at least, thats why I have a big screen HD tv instead of 13" black and white.
and yea that was my bad, its the same blue laser, but different disc design and writing process allowing for greater capacity on the blu ray disc.
I guess we shouldn't replace any more of our Laser Discs until they come up with something.
racer2c
12-16-05, 03:51 PM
Slate is on the side of Blu-Ray
http://www.slate.com/id/2110495/
higher quality is more important than lower price. at least, thats why I have a big screen HD tv instead of 13" black and white.
and yea that was my bad, its the same blue laser, but different disc design and writing process allowing for greater capacity on the blu ray disc.
Hmm, every comparison I've read says that you can not tell the difference and that multilayering makes the storage issue and non issue. But I guess you know cuz you got a big screen TeeVeee. :gomer:
oddlycalm
12-16-05, 04:50 PM
Since it is semi on-topic, want to do me a favor and rewrite that anti-Bose rant you had on 7G a few years ago? I got into an argument with my dad and his brother over Thanksgiving, they swear by Bose, and yet, have nothing to use as comparison. Any Bose discussion seems to become nearly as divisive as politics, since inevitably someone owns a set and is happy with them, so I won't post a negative rant.
What I will say is that there are demostrably better values to be had at the same price points. They are sold in mass market consumer chains where critical listening is impossible and where the only brands offered for comparison are other mass market brands, so one has to dig a bit deeper.
The Canadian government funded some spectacular research in speaker design during the early 1990's that has helped transform the quality of mid and low priced speakers, so it's no big surprise that many great speaker companies are Canadian. On the low-mid end of the spectrum companies like Energy, PSB and Paradigm offer incredible values as prices that begin at just a couple hundred bucks. Try any of these against Bose speakers of similar price and you will hear a difference.
For folks that have a bit more to spend companies such as Totem, JMI Labs/Focal, Merlin, Linn, Sonus Faber, Magnepan, Snell, Proac and Martin Logan offer a vast range of products that offer great value and incredible reproduction for virtually any taste. Of them, Totem, Merlin and JMI Labs offer full range speakers that extend down to the lowest octives so subwoofers are not required. Totem even makes bookshelf sized speakers that are full range, but it takes serious power to drive them.
Harman covers the entire price spectrum from bottom to top with it's JBL, Infinity and Revel brands. The JBL and Infinity lines are tilted a bit toward the high frequencies for my taste, but they are perfect for others. Their Revel line however can compete on an equal footing with the best anywhere regardless of price. Harman's chief designer was lifted from Snell a few years back and he has done a great job of reviving their lineup.
oc
racer2c
12-16-05, 04:57 PM
Hmm, side pickin'...how 'bout DTS vs Dolby Digital. I prefer DTS via optical (duh). :)
I worked for a stereo chain in the late 70's. They sold just about everything except the very highest end stuff, like MAC. They carried Bose speakers, specifically the 901's. I've heard those hooked up in quite a few situations and I've never heard a really good sounding bose system. Of course, no one who had them had what Bose would call an optimum enviroment for their speakers to reproduce the best quality sound they're capable of. That said though, how many people have rooms that exactly meet the requirements of Bose for a set of their direct reflecting speakers? Not many I'm sure. At that time, I always like a pair of ESS floor speakers that were running the Heil airmotion transformer driver speakers in them. The mid and high ranges had spectacular clarity and depth.
Hmm, side pickin'...how 'bout DTS vs Dolby Digital. I prefer DTS via optical (duh). :)
Generally speaking DTS. But there are DVD's with great DD tracks and DVD's with horrible DTS tracks.
The Rock Criterion Collection is a great example of a better DD mix compared to its DTS counterpart on the same disc.
oddlycalm
12-17-05, 06:49 PM
I guess we shouldn't replace any more of our Laser Discs until they come up with something. Yeah, I was thinking the same thing... and how many DVD's will I really want to replace with a HD format. One thing about LD's is that some continue to sound better than their DVD counterparts due to their lack of audio compression.
My take is that we will soon have players that do both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray just as we have recorders that handle all DVD media formats in one box. Currently even the very best 16x DVD recorder for a computer that can do it all, and do it all fast, are running just over a $100, with most a lot less, so it's obvious that optical drive transports are a commodity item.
The consumer electronics world has shown little patience recently for Sony's proprietary format/royalty games these days and their power and influence isn't what it once was. DAT was all but shut out of the US market and minidisc was nearly stillborn as well. Sony has been forced to include CF media capability in their high end cameras along side their stick format and companies are routinely including Sony media capability in readers/players so there is little advantage or disadvantage involved. I don't see a VHS vs Beta format war being allowed to ruin a market again.
oc
This afternoon I was sifting through the papers from the new setup and I was pleased to find a copy of the GNU Public License in with the papers from the TV. Turns out that my new TV runs Linux. Add that to the Tivo which is also powered by Linux and I shouldn't have to worry about the blue screen of death popping up at a critical moment in the game. :)
Aside from that, it's good to see Sony not re-inventing the wheel for a change. Maybe it's a good sign.
chop456
12-18-05, 08:32 AM
I always like a pair of ESS floor speakers
I got some in about 1982 and had them until 5 years ago. They needed refoaming and were beat up pretty badly. To the curb they went. Those were the heaviest speakers for their size I've ever seen. Cool deal with the circuit breakers, too.
I know nothing about HD, but I've been seeing ads for DVD upconverters. While I'm sure they work to some extent, what percentage of the "real" HD experience would you be getting?
Re: Oddlycalm's speaker post above.
A friend that's a complete audio geek recently replaced a bunch of his equipment with all high-end stuff. He does his homework, and obviously agrees with what you say as he bought Energy/Paradigm/Sunfire and Rotel. He does use the same system for home theater, and when he played the first five minutes of Pearl Harbor, I thought the house was going to come down. Amazing clarity and not the slightest hint of distortion. Of course, his surge supressor cost 7x what my receiver did. :D
I got some in about 1982 and had them until 5 years ago. They needed refoaming and were beat up pretty badly. To the curb they went. Those were the heaviest speakers for their size I've ever seen. Cool deal with the circuit breakers, too.
I know nothing about HD, but I've been seeing ads for DVD upconverters. While I'm sure they work to some extent, what percentage of the "real" HD experience would you be getting?
DVD Upconverters are DVD Players that output 1080i or 720p. Usually this will result in a slightly better picture than having a DVD player output 480p and convert that to 1080i, 720p, 540p or whatever format your TV converts to. As far as % of "real HD" experience that you get, its 0%. Looks better but not HD.
Without an HDTV, obviously its worthless, cuz you cant display the higher resolution you converted to.
Insomniac
12-19-05, 10:54 AM
Hmm, every comparison I've read says that you can not tell the difference and that multilayering makes the storage issue and non issue. But I guess you know cuz you got a big screen TeeVeee. :gomer:
There can't be a video quality difference. They are both going to use H.264 encoding.
oddlycalm
12-19-05, 06:00 PM
A friend that's a complete audio geek recently replaced a bunch of his equipment with all high-end stuff. He does his homework, and obviously agrees with what you say as he bought Energy/Paradigm/Sunfire and Rotel. Those product lines offer huge bang for the buck and are entry level for the high end market. What you get for your money is competency. You won't hear obvious distortions, speaker breakups and other nastiness. Average listeners should be able to easily distiguish the difference between a system like that and a mass market audio system, and while it cost your friend the price of a real nice vacation to Hawaii it will be a pleasure for many years.
For home theater there is little reason to spend more IMO. You start getting into the "audio jewelry" market, and for home theater simply isn't worth it. Film audio is bombasitic and has huge dynamic range but it rarely has much subtlety or nuance. The ice cold sound of compressed digital audio doesn't often sound good on these ultra revealing systems, so spending more can be counterproductive.
For those that listen to unamplified instruments and vocals, and want a 2 channel system that approaches the the dimensionality of actually being in the room with the musicians, the costs are in the range of a nice new car (or more). I have access to such systems through friends in the industry, and I always like seeing interesting new designs, but I lost interest in ultra high resolution systems when I discovered they make most of my recording collection sound absolutely awful.... :gomer:
audio jewelryexamples (http://www.acousticimage.com/)
oc
eiregosod
12-20-05, 07:27 PM
The ice cold sound of compressed digital audio doesn't often sound good on these ultra revealing systems, so spending more can be counterproductive.
Society has settled for compessed audio. Any decent home stereo (or computer based sound system) will get the maximum out of the MP3s. I dunno if there'll be demand for serious audio/visual equipment.
Within the past 5 years, out with VHS , in with DVD. Out with CD in with MP3 (if ya aint sellin MP3s online, then you aint sellin!).
OK, the DVD is a massive improvement in visual quality over VHS. but mp3's have less quality over CDs.
Society has settled for compessed audio. Any decent home stereo (or computer based sound system) will get the maximum out of the MP3s. I dunno if there'll be demand for serious audio/visual equipment.
Within the past 5 years, out with VHS , in with DVD. Out with CD in with MP3 (if ya aint sellin MP3s online, then you aint sellin!).
OK, the DVD is a massive improvement in visual quality over VHS. but mp3's have less quality over CDs.
you could argue tape and vinyl are better than mp3. although there will always be purists who say vinyl is better than anything.
don't forget the toob amps. toob amps pwn too.
I got myself a brand new, toob amplifier,
It’s large and lovely to behold.
La la la la la
I got myself a new tube amplifier.
Now I’m gonna blow a big one.
I got myself a little tube amplifier,
It’s large and lovely and it smells just like a dream.
I got myself a tube amplifier.
Now I’m gonna blow a big one.
racer2c
12-21-05, 12:29 AM
don't forget the toob amps. toob amps pwn too.
I got myself a brand new, toob amplifier,
It’s large and lovely to behold.
La la la la la
I got myself a new tube amplifier.
Now I’m gonna blow a big one.
I got myself a little tube amplifier,
It’s large and lovely and it smells just like a dream.
I got myself a tube amplifier.
Now I’m gonna blow a big one.
I'll take my AC3 Fender tweed over any Pod effect (as nice as they are) anyday.
you could argue tape and vinyl are better than mp3. although there will always be purists who say vinyl is better than anything.
Under the right circumstances it is. I had some Mobile Fidelity Original Master Recordings of select albums that absolutely blew away anything before and since as far as reproduction of sound. It would take just a couple minutes of explaining how an analog signal is converted to digital for even the most novice minded to understand that, even with massive sampling rates, there is no way a digital sound signal can reproduce the finest nuances of a analog recording done correctly.
Obviously it's much easier to hear the difference with acoustical recordings vs. crash, boom, bang rock and roll but it's definitely there.
indyfan31
12-21-05, 12:49 PM
It would take just a couple minutes of explaining how an analog signal is converted to digital for even the most novice minded to understand that, even with massive sampling rates, there is no way a digital sound signal can reproduce the finest nuances of a analog recording done correctly.
As our guitar player (ex-Hippie and vinyl fanatic) is fond of saying: digital recordings are just an "approximation" of the music. :cool:
As our guitar player (ex-Hippie and vinyl fanatic) is fond of saying: digital recordings are just an "approximation" of the music. :cool:
well said.
which is why it is sad that formats like dvd-audio and sacd are not taking off. cuz they are a much better "approximation" of the music.
Dirty Sanchez
12-21-05, 01:16 PM
I picked up some 180g vinyl this weekend :gomer:
B3RACER1a
12-21-05, 01:46 PM
Awesome stuff. Good to see lots of high-end audio guys/gals at a champ car forum! :thumbup:
I'd be one of the purists (2 channel, tubes, Klipsch K-Horns heavily modded, etc).
No truer words have been said about the compression age. Smaller is better with audio these days, but you can slap a 72 inch plasma HD right in with it.....I dont get it.
Its amazing how bad a bad recording can sound on a revealing system...lol...and that includes movies. The typical trend I hear is dialing out lots of low end frequencies for the ultra-warbly-floppy cheap sub-woofers which cant handle those frequencies, they "imitate" those frequencies by going out of control...lol.
BTW, I've had guests over that are all into the modern compression car audio stuff. I'll drop in a CD and an LP of the same well recorded album. I wouldnt tell them which is playing, start both at the same time and switch back and forth with the preamp. I'd say about 75% would pick the LP as being the better of the two, to thier surprise of course...lol.
eiregosod
12-21-05, 03:18 PM
you could argue tape and vinyl are better than mp3. although there will always be purists who say vinyl is better than anything.
They're ears ave been formed to respond to low dynamic range and the weird filtering that is needed on the audio signal so the needle can track an "ssss" sound.
I wonder if the ears are like a couch. The vinyl etches its characteristic groove into the ear response the same way an oversized posterior ethes its groove into a couch.
chop456
12-21-05, 04:11 PM
I picked up some 180g vinyl this weekend :gomer:
Sweet!
http://www.hotsports.nl/Html/Images/561880.jpg
What color? :D
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