Nov 28, 08 04:45 pm — I'm about in the market for a new LCD flat screen, and perhaps even home theater system.
Here's my question. Does the Blu-Ray or DVD players (found in home theater systems) output resolution have to match the TV's resolution, or do they just resolve any conflict and play at the lower resolution of the 2? I.E. 1080 interlaced, 1080 progressive etc.
HDMI is 1080....what? I or P?
I ran into a problem a long time ago with a DVD player that output 720i, and my tv was 720p. At least thats what I figured the problem was, so I had to use the stupid S-Video, and use the component for the PS2, which I wanted the opposite for reasons I don't remember. All I know is using the component, no TV picture, S-Vid or coax out put just fine.
If I'm going to drop 2k on something I don't want to get the shit put together to find out I have mismatched components. Or I don't want to buy a kick ass Blu-Ray player only to find out my TV is going to display it in 720. S-Video outputs that if I'm not mistaken...so it would seem moot to get the BR player if I'm going to screw it up by buying the wrong display.
K bye.
lol@u I never said I knew what I was talking about. I just don't want to drop several thousand dollars just to turn around and have to do it again. If I do it correct, then I can do it again in a month for the upstairs, and then set up something for the kitchen area.
I believe they are sophisticated enough to resolve the issue as you described, by playing the lower of the 2.
My setup is a 1080p with a PS3. If you looking for a high tech Blu-Ray player get a PS3. They're worth it just for the Blu-ray player, and you can get a Blu -tooth remote for it. The PS3 will also display on all levels of resolution automatically and resolve any issue between tv and whatever media your trying to play. The software is sophisticated enough that you can also play DIVX movies, MP4, MP3. Its basically a computer. You can even hook up a wireless keyboard and mouse to browse the web on your TV. It's probably the cheapest as far as a sophisticated Blu-ray player in what formats it can read and how it displays. The HDMI cable is a must it carries your audio and video all in one, and it is what will give you the best resolution.
You can also upgrade the hard drive without voiding the warranty, and if you like the idea of it being able to surf the web, you can also put its own special version of Linux and have it double as an extra desktop. Its honestly easy to use and you'll never worry about computability and you might be able to read computer formats of movies and audio a regular blu player wouldn't.
Well, seriously it's all based on how good pron looks on it...
At this point, it's tough to buy "the wrong" display. Any top-tier (Sony, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba) LCD set with a native resolution of 1080p (That's a resolution of 1920x1080) will serve you well.
ALL Blu-Ray players are capable of outputting at 1080p, provided your TV supports it. And as BBomb said, the PS3 is flat-out the best Blu-Ray player there is for the price right now - It's fully upgradeable to future Blu-Ray specs (since Sony sucks, and couldn't finalize the spec before releasing BR).
As far as HDMI goes, it's just a cable that carries both audio and video. You're going to want an A/V receiver that does HDMI switching to minimize the number of cables you'll need. All of your components should automatically adjust/set the proper output resolutions, though you may need to tweak a few things as they're often not set to display 1080p by default. (Oh, and generally speaking, 1080p is *only* transmittable via HDMI. There may be exceptions but this is usually the case.)
AVSForum is pretty good, but it can be overwhelming if you don't know quite what you're looking for. It can be annoying sifting through hundreds of pages of high-end A/V geeks demanding (and suggesting) the absolute best in quality.
And if you're looking for cheap, reliable cabling for your new system, www.monoprice.com is always always always the way to go :)
[Comment was edited by Master Shake on November 29, 2008 at 11:59:37 AM]
It can be annoying sifting through hundreds of pages of high-end A/V geeks demanding (and suggesting) the absolute best in quality.
Good thing that's not happening here! ::grin::
Yeah, but at least we're not getting into what sort of video processors provide the highest quality, and who makes the screens for Sharp, and who makes the best optical audio output chipset, which is what goes on there 
AVS forum is good if you want to research a TV or DVD player, there is a LOT of info there. I suggested it so that you could get more info on that $2K setup and find that you could have done better than a Westinghouse monitor .. Monoprice is great for cables. don
'Don't get burned at the outlet for HDMI calbes as they will charge you a whole lot more .. I mean a lot more for the price that Mono would charge you.
When shopping .. go to the store and stand/sit as far away from the screen as you'd be sitting at home because standing 3 feet away at the store will be different than when you're sitting down at home .. seems obvious but it's true. Also the usally make the colors a lot more vibrant with hot settings at the store to make the colors pop out at you - adjust the colors if you can at tthe store to you're liking. Good luck and get something you like, not what the salesman says is the best.
I have ancient technology .. as 50 inch Panasonic Plasma that is 720i ... I can't tell the difference at 10 - 13 feet away where I usually sit and my friends 50 inch Panasonic with 1080. Most TV's now are 1080 anyways ... but the point is try to look at the screen at the store the same distance and angle you'll be sitting at home. Whether it's Plasma, LCD or projection .. only you can judge what you like best, I went for plasma as I thought it was the best picture for me ... I have other friends that went with LCD and projection and they are happy with them. Each technology has their drawbacks and pluses.
no, monster cable is definitely the best way to go. i can really tell the difference that the gold plating made for my digital output. will buy again a++++
Seconding on the monster cable suggestion... for real.
yo dawg, i herd you liked to be ripped off so i put some monster cable in your monster cable so you can be ripped off while you're ripped off.
You don't like monster cable?
Thanks for clarifying on the HDMI cable. I didn't do a good job asking if it only carried a specific signal, much like a 75ohm or an S-Video cable does.
i don't like paying a premium for something if i don't have to. we are in the age of digital transmission, not analog. wire is wire. since we have error correction, it does not matter what cable you use for anything. paying a premium for A/V equipment would be like paying a premium for gold plated ethernet cable. only morons pay more for it. would you like to justify paying a premium for monster cable?
Ah, I used it many-many years ago.. never really was a audiophile, just knew that cable made my system sound 10x better.
Back in my day... ::grin::
ED: I think it was all ADC components I had.
[Comment was edited by petemoss on December 01, 2008 at 10:07:46 AM]
So to further complicate matters, I do know the difference between interlaced and progressive scan....but whats the purpose of each? Does it make a difference with the newer displays that are running at 120hz?
Instead of being a dick, I'll make it simple.
If you avoid total crap TVs, and even most likely if you don't and keep it to recent manufacture, you buy whatever blu-ray player you like and a TV with HDMI in, and you will be able to connect one to the other with an HDMI cable and get HD content off the blu-ray disk onto your screen.
Anything other than the HDMI output on the blu-ray player and you start getting into all sorts of stupid crap regarding copy protection.
Cheap buyt good HDMI cables can be found at monoprice.com
Some old HDTVs can't hack 1080p input, just 1080i or lower. But those TVs were old a couple years ago.
Pretty much everything from your cable provider is 720p. Nothing goes over 30fps.
Everything off blu-ray is pretty much (there are exceptions, but it is usually in the form of screwing you over with a 420p DVD transfer slapped on a blu-ray disk after being upscaled) 1080p at 24fps.
120hz displays are pretty much all LCDs, and it is an attempt to minimize ghosting of fast moving images. If you plan on playing video games, you MIGHT care. For most other things, it doesn't matter much unless you are really picky and sitting too close to too big a screen.
AS for other things to watch out for, DLP looks great except you cna get rianbows if you move your eyes around too much on the screen while it is displaying hihg-contrast images. The credits to most movies are pretty suceptible (with credits palying start moving your eyes form corner to corner on the screen as quickly as possible). The big downer is with something like Alien, where you have really high contrast stuff in the movie and you are usually changing focus rapidly form something on end edge of the screen to the other as things sneak up on people.
Plasma looks decent, but can burn in and uses more electricity.
As for LCD, there's PVA, IPS, and TN screens. I dunno if anyone is putting out TN screens for TVs, but they absolutely suck for color shift. Cheap 120hz sets would be the most likely. Check for severe color shift in blacks and blues when moving viewing angle both horizontally, and especially vertically.
You should be able to get a very enjoyable 46" LCD or 50"+DLP that runs 1080p and a PS3 for about 2k (including cabling).
And piss off the sales people and ask to see some real HD content on a tv. not some crap loop split 80 ways running some nice punchy picture of a field of sunflowers or some equally bullshit scene with lots of yellow and blue to make the screen seem ultra bright and pop.
Black levels and gradients will tell you the most in the least ammount of time. Maybe something showing a good sunset and then some action.
[Comment was edited by raz-00 on December 01, 2008 at 12:10:14 AM]
TheNationalist
You did not buy a DVD player that "output" 720i because there is no such thing. There is only a 720p.
Asking if HDMI 1080 is like asking if CAT V is TCP. That question makes no sense at all. 1080p/i and 720i are just ways of displaying information and HDMI is just a freaking cable interface used to transport that information.
You need to talk to your resident 12 year old asian boy to set this up for you because at this rate, you're going to hurt yourself.
[Comment was edited by TheNationalist on November 28, 2008 at 09:12:01 PM]