pzs22

OK thanks, I'll repost it in the comp section.

Hello. I have some money to burn (my birthday is on tesday and I already have some cash) and I have been wanting to upgrade my sound card for some time now. Right now I have a SB Live! 5.1. I have been having problem of late with it in WinXP, and would like to upgrade. I am using Klipsch Pro Media 5.1's as my speakers. The machine is mainly used as a music, gaming, and dvd machine. I guess you could say its an all around multi media machine. I have narrowed my choices down to: Sound Blaster® Audigy® 2 ZS Platinum -OR- Sound Blaster® Audigy® 2 ZS Platinum Pro Seems (to me) that the only difference between the two is the ASIO 2.0 Low Latency Multi-Track Recording Support (24-bit/96kHz). Is that really the only difference between the 2 cards? And, which do you reccomend I get?? I do not do much recording, but my brother just got a new guitar (acoustic electric) so he may want to record some stuff. Is the pro worth the extra money? Let me know what you think... any insight would be wonderful. Thanks.

I do have a HD Box from comcast. They came and replaced my old one last week. 1. Are you using either Component or DVI out? Component 2. Did you make sure to select 16:9 mode on the box menu? If not, here's how: Yup, I followed the exact steps you went into. The guy who installed the box showed me how. 3. If you did all the above, and are still getting some HD programming with vertical bars, well, you cant do anything about it. Whenever you watch HD, you lose control of aspect ratios and stretching. If is broadcast in 4:3, then you're stuck with it. Most everything that is true HD, will be in 16:9, but sometimes on HD channels, they will "upconvert" 4:3 stuff to HD, and broadcast it, but they wont mess with the aspect ratio. I guess I'll just have to live with this until everyone converts. Thanks for all the great info.

I checked the hook up about a million times. Every thing is correct cable wise, and the tv settings seem perfect. DVD's work, so I know the tv setting cant be (too) off. The tv is set for 16x9 on 1080i resolution.

I have a new wide screen high def tv. Here is the exact tv: http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.jsp?c=1&b=g&catoid=-8041&qp=0&bookmark=bookmark_0&oid=57778 Heres the problem... I have comcast cable. Their high def channels are from 172-190. When I go to these channels half of them come in with bars on the sides (not on the top and bottom as I sometimes see with some dvds. I have NO idea why this is happening, does anyone know what is going on? When I watch the same channel not in high definition (say channel 172 is high def and 47 is the same channel but not high def) it looks fine all fills up the screen. I believe the normal channels are 4x3 instead of 16x9 (which is what my tv is). Does anyone know why the high def channels come in with the bars? I would think they would fill the whole screen. Its very confusing. Also, can you only watch dvds in 480p and not higher res's like 1080i? I know this is a confusing question, feel free to ask questions. Thanks.

Good info there, thanks!

Hey kjohnsonhp, what TV did you buy and what exactly is ISF? Also, what is a Avia DVD calibration disk?

Ok cool, I'll look into an online purchase, thanks for the info.

Thanks for all the tips when I'm at the store. I think I would rather buy at a place like BB or circuit city since I get get a service plan (god forbid something goes wrong lol). I was thinking of a Hitatchi. I have heard nothing but good things.

I do not have room for a projector in my living room (where this will be placed). The room is hard to get dark also because it has windows surrounding 2 sides of it. I would think this would be bad for projection. I just want a good TV for around 2000. I figured I could get the most bang for my buck with a High Def. rear proj tv. I could very well be wrong (hence me posting here ). I was over a the avforum and they are leading me towards a Hitatchi brand RP TV. Wow, I never thought this would be so hard. One more question. When I go to a store and they show me the TV no doubt they will be using a HD signal. If I make them play a DVD on the tv, will it show me what the TV will look like when not using a HD signal from my cable company?

Hey thanks for the info! I always do a ton of research before I buy anything Thanks again for the help everyone, lance.

I thought about projecting on to a screen, but we simply do not have the room. Thanks for the warning about burn in! I will remember that if we get a projection TV. My cable provider gives out HD boxes for a 30 dollar charge, so I think I will be going with a 50+ inch wide screen HDTV. Any reccomendations on the set to get?

Thanks for that great info. I seem to be very underinformed on this HDTV business. I need a box to get it? My standard cable box will not send an HDTV signal? Also, what is a "burn-in"? Thanks.

This TV will be used basically to watch tv (captain obvious :-) and for DVD's. Thats about it, not gaming system will be hooked up to it. I will have to think about a widescreen tv. High Definition is a must.

My family has decided to get a new TV. We are looking to spend up to (but no more than) 2,000 dollars. I wanted to know if anyone has any ideas on the best TV in this price range. I also would like to know if rear projection TV's are any good. We like this one so far, let me know what you think... http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=11100114&m=1&cat=24&scat=1470 Thanks.