I finally decided to up grade to HD for TV and DVD

[Max Payne]

But I have no damn idea what Im doing, I thought it was as simple as buying a HD DVD player (blu ray) HD TV, and get the HD box from Time Warner and be done with it.

But I want to use a home theatre system, and I dont know what to look for.

I do know I want 1080 which is I guess the most popular going? But I dont know the differance between 1080i and p

I guess the HD channels automatically convert?

Here is an idea of what I want to do, let me know if this works out.

TV

http://electronics.hsn.com/sansui-32-high-definition-lcd-tv-with-built-in-dvd_p-4164896_xp.aspx?webm_id=0&web_id=4164896&sf=ec&dept=ec0073&attr=2835&ocm=EC|ec0073|2835&prev=hp!sf!2835&ccm=EC|ec0073|2835

DVD player

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Sony-BDP-S300-Blu-Ray-Disc-DVD-Player_W0QQitemZ180240325225QQihZ008QQcategoryZ150 77QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Home Theatre system

http://electronics.hsn.com/lg-5-disc-dvd-home-theater-system-with-1080i-up-conversion_p-4144176_xp.aspx


do all of these have what I need to get HD in all three of these departments?

Also, are all DVDs ready to roll (blue ray that is) in all the HD formats? like 1080 and 720 or what ever it is?

After really looking at that home theatre system, is plays HD but it wont play blu ray, is there no way to make all these compatible with each other?

I mean, in short, whats the damn point of HD dvd players or home theatre systems, if they wont play blu ray dvds? Who would buy something like that?

I dont want to buy a TV, DVD player or DVD home theatre system that dont work together, but I certainly dont want to spend 2000 bucks to get all the most expensive equipment either.


Let me know what you have or what you would suggest. Thanks

[dr_foreverclear]

while i admire your drive you can get a 50' plasma from costco with a life time warranty for 300 bucks more than your paying for your currently listed tv.

it's only 1080i, but if your going to hd for the first time you will never be able to tell a difference.

[Max Payne]

Its not about what I can tell or not tell.

I just want to know what I need, I mean, I want a HD TV, I want a home theatre system in a box prolly, I live in an apartment I cant go full blown, I also want to be able to play HD dvds on it, but if Blu Ray wont play on a HD home theatre system there isnt any point on playing it.

Basically, if I had a 1080i tv, but a 1080p DVD player, am I not going to get HD out of it?

Are DVDs in both I and P? or do I have to look at that on the DVD?

[FrighT MasteR]

Are these the actual items you want to purchase? Because if so, you're kind of buying additional items you don't need.

For instance, the TV has a built in DVD player, which you won't need if you're going with a Blu-ray player, as it can play and upconvert regular DVDs anyway. Secondly, I would recommend sticking with a somewhat more known brand as opposed to a strange brand like Sansui.

Third, why a home theater system? You're just getting suckered into getting a group of half-assed speakers that will be dependent on a single player. I'd recommend getting a receiver and 5.1 or 6.1 speaker set. Circuit City has good deals sometimes.

If you have a 1080i HD-TV and a player that's 1080p, you'll still be able to play flicks, it just won't look as clear as it would in P, but to be honest, unless you're a real hardware techie, you probably won't even notice a difference. If you're unable to get a 1080p TV, I'd recommend just going for a 720p, because technically that's above 1080i.

[Max Payne]

That is pretty helpful.

But questions remain, the ONLY reason Im going with Blu Ray, is because its the only HD dvd on the market, or will be when HD finally dies, so I want to make sure that if I have a HD dvd player it will play blu ray, so either I buy a blu ray DVD player, or I buy something that can convert, and I dont even know if thats possible.

If I get a receiver, is that an actual dvd player or something that is compatible with dvd players, such as a blu ray player?

Its kind of sad, at 21 years old I know nothing about HD. Sucks

[FrighT MasteR]

Receivers can't play anything, they are just pieces of hardware that can output sound and video (depending on what you're hooking to it), but they are great because you can hook up pretty much anything to'em, as long as you have the right cables.

Basically if you want true HD, you'll want to get a receiver that has HD-input and output options. Since you're new to this whole thing, you can either buy a set like this for example:

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Onkyo-HT-S5100-7-1-Channel-Home-Theater-with-iPod-Dock-HTS5100/sem/rpsm/oid/208494/catOid/-13325/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

or, just get someone at the store to help you pick something out. They are usually quite helpful (depending on where you go) and know what they're talking about.

So, you'd hook up your Blu-ray player to your receiver via an HDMI cable to one of the inputs. Then, you'd have another HDMI cable connected to the output, that goes directly to your TV. This makes it so your Blu-ray player is sending the video and sound signals to your receiver, which pretty much splits in the receiver, sending sound through the speakers and video to your TV (easiest way to explain it).

It's all pretty simple once you get a better understanding of it all, and if you still don't think you could hook this stuff up yourself, some stores can send a tech over to you and set everything up (for a fee of course).

[Max Payne]

thats awesome.

i just want to ask one more thing, that is a home theatre system, which is what you said I should prolly not buy.

I guess you used that as an example?

But yes, you explained it perfectly to me, that will help a great deal in the long run.

[FrighT MasteR]

Well, what I meant to say was home theater systems that come with a cheesy DVD/CD player and not an actual receiver. You're correct though, I just used that as an example, because I'd recommend getting the speakers and receiver separate, but since you're new to all this, getting a set similar to the one I mentioned isn't an entirely bad decision. Just gotta make sure you're getting an actual receiver.

The best thing I can say is, take what you've learned and hit up a store (once again I recommend Circuit City) and talk to one of the guys in that department. They know what they're talking about and will help get what you need.

[Max Payne]

http://electronics.hsn.com/digital-lifestyles-42-1080p-lcd-hdtv-with-swivel-stand_p-4185376_xp.aspx?sz=0&cat=&dept=ec0073&sf=ec&gs=&subcat=&attr=2836&o=-RI&prev=hp!sf!2836&ocm=EC%7Cec0073%7C2836&ccm=EC|ec0073|2836

also got a PS3 for GTA4 and for the blu ray dvd player.

cant wait to see if this works out.

[FrighT MasteR]

So I guess you'll just be using your TV's speakers for the time being? Never heard of that brand. Lemme know how it is.

[Good.Bad.I'mTheGuyWithTheGun]

God I'm glad this topic came up, I'm planning to upgrade to HD soon as well, and I wasn't sure if a 1080p was the right one to get lol. But now I'm sure that wi;; be my best bet, as for the rest though I'm pretty dam sure I'll figure out on my own as I already have a stereo reciever, and I wouldnt buy a home theater system unless is was Bose.

[Max Payne]

So I guess you'll just be using your TV's speakers for the time being? Never heard of that brand. Lemme know how it is.


just for the time being, it wont be long before i have enough money for it but more importanly i need to wait until im out of an apartment thats above a crazy dude.

[hackerslacker]

mya samsung 42" is 720P and it is flawless. I was going for a Hitachi 42" 1080i but it was crap compared to this one.


You will not (should not) notice a difference of 720/1080 unless you go over 50"s.

[slimeisacharacter]

PS3 makes a better blu-ray player to be honest. Same price or cheaper than straight blu-ray players, blu-ray capable right out of the box, software updated via network, wireless remote standard, and of course the ability to play playstation games. *shrug* Straight blu-ray players are too price bloated for a single function device, in my opinion at least.