Professor.Ham.Slap

Hey guys, Does anyone on the board have any experience with video processors? I'm helping a friend build a home theater, and as things stand right now he wants all McIntosh pre/pro and amps and I was thinking about tying in a video processor. We've pretty much decided on a Sony Pearl projector and we're going to have HD DVD and Blu-Ray running on the system. HDTV will be a must of course but is a processor really going to help in that situation? Basically I'm looking for opinions from everyone as I have about $2500 budgeted for a processor and just wanted opinions from everyone with experience with them.

I'm not sure about that... I'd welcome the extra hard drive space. I have about 6 games (plus those Xbox games that are backwards compatible) that I play and I've chewed through approximately 14 gigs already. Most of it is software updates, map packs, etc. but none the less I'd welcome a 120 gig 360.

I will also back up my RC-64. More than worth the money. Fantastically clear dialog and great overall sound quality.

As per request, some of you asked what I thought about mating RF-7's with a RC-64, but first a little bit of back story. I never did have a RC-7 to audition with in my home, however I did audition it earlier at the dealer's shop. Therefore as a quick disclaimer, my conclusions about the RC-7 may not be 100% because I never had it in my home. Anyway, now that we have that out of the way, on to the good stuff. The difference between the 64 compared to the 7 is very noticeable in my opinion. The new tweeter in my mind seems to be slightly milder in comparison, but not so much that it would interfere with speaker matching. Overall it seems to be a little more flowing and natural with a slightly smoother high end. Plus the overall look of the 64 is just daunting. People really tend to like the look of it, more so than the RF-7's or even the RSW-15 The first thing I noticed is the low end extension of this thing. For being a sealed box and a center (two things that usually mean not much more than midrange extension) this center performs well enough that I was able to comfortably set the crossover at 60hz. This worked great for me because it seems to have opened up my front end pretty considerably. I'm assuming it's because the sub has less to worry about less so maybe it sounds a little bit cleaner? So yes, overall performance is top notch and basically what I've come to expect from Klipsch. The timbre match to the RF-7's I would say is nearly perfect. In all the movies I watched with my current configuration, I'd have to say that not once have I noticed a transitional anomaly between my mains and the center. So even though the two have a different tweeter, I think the match is very near perfect, or at least beyond the range that I can detect. If anybody wants to know anything else go ahead and ask. I'll try to keep this thread updated as much as possible.

I personally believe right now that the new HD formats will coexist with regular ol' DVD. The adoption rate has been pretty decent thus far given the price of the players so I think it's pretty safe to say they will up and run. As far as I can remember neither SACD nor DVD-Audio really took off as far as consumer knowledge. There is a pretty large buzz surrounding these formats.

That's a definite. I have RF-7's and an RSW-15 paired up in the front with an RC-64. So far only one person has mentioned the floor standers before looking at the center while everyone else just zeros in on the center. I'm guessing it's the sheer size and the 4 copper drivers that do it, but kudos to the team who designed this speaker. Anyway, getting back on topic here, congrats on your new center.

Very nice setup indeed... Although a word of warning: I thought I was done about six months ago as well and I'm now in the process of looking for a new receiver. Damn this hobby.

I'm also going to throw my hat in for HD DVD at the moment. I have both the PS3 and the Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player. When they are available on both formats, I always go with the HD DVD versions basically due to DD+ being pretty much mandatory for the format. Plus, the HD-A2 has built in DD True HD decoders built into it. So yes, it is the audio nut in me driving my format choice, but all that aside, the Toshiba players can run with the best upconvert players out on the market more or less. Anyhow, as it stands for me right now, I have 4 Blu-Ray discs and 23 HD DVDs

The Dean G upgrade is a crossover modification for you RF-7's. Basically it uses much better caps and really makes for a smooth top end if I remember correctly. I myself have never had any experience with them, but probably somebody who has will chime in.

That is not quite correct. Todays RPTVs have very good viewing angles (right around 130-145 degrees on most models, which is more than most people will ever use). It is definitely worth 1080p as well due to the fact that TVs can convert 1080i to 1080p when proper deinterlacing technologies are used (which all current generations use in some form and the JVC's Genessa processing suite really does well). That and besides Blu-Ray, HD DVD also has 1080p content on the disc at generally half the cost of Blu-Ray, so 1080p is certainly more than worth it. Besides, do you really want to buy a new TV in two to three years when 1080p sources become widely available? And as far as the JVC TVs are concerned, quite a few people on the board own the HD-ILA sets and they all seem to be very happy (I being one of them). One final note, Sony already did cancel their plasma project about two years ago, but the SXRD rear projection is still moving and moving fast with no plans of removal. And while the tube production has been reduced, it is also still very much alive. Edit: Also gaming on the JVCs do not exhibit any gaming lag what-so-ever, so feel free to hook up even your NES without a hitch.

I bought a Belkin PF-60 to run my entire setup. In my opinion, it worked wonders, but that is for me. I live in the middle of a college housing community that has absolutely horrendous power fluctuations. I used to have a very audible hiss coming from my RF-7's and RC-64 (those three most noticeably, although I never checked my surrounds but I assume it was there too... Anyway, it cleaned that up very well. Now truthfully the only reason I got the "high end" model that I did was because I got a discount on it of about 70%. For the average person that needs filtration, I agree with Jay that the Dynex ones from Best Buy do the job rather well (I use one on my PC.) But whether you actually need one or not I believe totally depends on the wiring in your house, how good your supply company is, etc. I say take advantage of the return period. Try it in your house and see what (if anything) changes.

I'll back you up on that. I'm running Vista on my laptop and I absolutely love it. My laptop has actually been running since the install three days after release and so far not a hick-up. I'm going to try to make the three month point (possibly further if possible) and see what happens. If I remember correctly XP was generally considered stable for approximately 60 days, but yeah, definitely so far so good.

I'm assuming he doesn't want the audio to go over HDMI so he doesn't have audio coming from the TV and the theater system at the same time (assuming he uses his audio system for all applications). But anyway, in a lot of cases you can just disable HDMI audio within the TV itself. But your application of using digital coax and the HDMI should work just fine until you upgrade to an HDMI receiver.

If you're going for a 60" plasma go for the Pioneer. That display is really fantastic in terms of image reproduction. Truthfully, I prefer that display to either the JVC HD-ILA and the Sony SXRD (which I think look the best as far as RPTVs go). I'd say if you're looking for the best of the best, the 1080 Pioneer plasma is fantastic... Just make sure you get a 1080p source to go with it (HD-DVD or Blu-Ray). Now, the other option is to hang tight for about two more months because Pioneer is about to release what they have dubbed as plasma 2.0. Basically it has contrast ratios of over 1,000,000:1 (yes, that is not a typo) and has received fantastic industry buzz from the people who saw the current Pioneer plasma side by side with the new Pioneer plasma 2.0. Just some food for thought.

Here in State College we accumulated approximately 18" of snowfall. That's the bad news. The good news is I went skiing the past two days and man was it beautiful. Well, that and Penn State's main campus decided to call a snow day. []

I don't think he meant to say that they are abandoning the PS3. They truly did however announce that they were planning on dumping the cell design. Sony would never admit it, but the PS3 has been somewhat of a failure thus far. I mean the Wii is still selling off the shelf within minutes of being put on the shelf, it also took the Xbox 360 forever to overcome the demand, but the PS3 really is readily in stock virtually anywhere. The store I work at has had them in stock every day since about three days after Christmas. There just isn't the software to support it.

As a Blu-Ray player, it's pretty slick. But if you're looking at it for any game playing I'd look elsewhere right now. As it would be there really aren't any great titles on the market right now nor will there be for a little bit yet. In my opinion you might be better off with the Xbox 360 for HD gaming. Plus, for the same price you can add a HD-DVD player to that and get 1080p content that way for roughly the same price (HDMI cable taken into account).

As far as DVD players go, I'm going to suggest two routes. Number one (and my personal preferred method) would be to pick up a Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD player. That player packs in some pretty stellar upconvert capabilities as well as the ability to play HD-DVDs which will also get you some fantastic sound to go with you audio setup (DD True HD, DTS HD, etc). If you just want a straight up DVD player on the other hand, I personally like the Denon DVM-2845CI. From what I've seen this one has about equal if not a little bit better upconversion capabilities, but it also includes a 5 disc changer. Go audition those two and see what you think. -Eric P.S. I'm assuming you have an HDTV with this message.

Here are some photos of the remote for everyone.

*shudder* I tried working with Fedora Core 2 a while ago which is I guess supposed to be the "user friendly Linux" (an oxymoron as far as I can tell). Needless to say that didn't go so well. Now I'm not trying to start a flame war here but if you're going to fire up Linux, make sure you have a while to devote to learning how to control the nuances of your computer again. -Eric Post script: this message gets a big YMMV.

Indeed I do Trey.

That's pathetic. Why wouldn't your regional Comcast carry the CBS HD channel all the time? If CBS is spending the money to record and broadcast content in HD why wouldn't they force the issue with Comcast? Tell me about it. Up until about two months ago we had Adelphia and they were recenty bought out by Comcast. Long story short, last year Adelphia made a huge rush to get the channel up in time for the game and they made it (the channel came online four hours before kickoff). We all figured we were set this year too since Comcast is supposed to be big on HD support, but there were never any plans to get CBS up and running for the Superbowl, and I also found out there are no current plans to even carry it at this point in time. The good news is I called them up to complain about their lack of HD support and walked away with Showtime, HBO and Starz free for a year.

I wouldn't know because Comcast decided not to pick up that particular high definition channel in time for the game. /Still a little bitter. [:S]

Hey guys, I've decided I'm going to sell my Harmony 880 remote control and I thought maybe somebody on here would like a first whack at it. It's very easy to program and easy as heck for people to use (point in fact, it's the only way my roommates have really been able to use my system [] I've had the remote for approximately two months and it's seen relatively light use overall. It's still in mint condition and has all the accessories that came with it. Basically the only reason I'm selling it is because Taxmas is right around the corner and I'm looking to get the new Harmony 1000. If you want anymore information on it, just PM me. I can also take some photos of it if anyone would like to see it. The price is $120. If you want information on it, you can find it here: Harmony 880 on bestbuy.com (Pops in new window)

The SXRD is a fantastic TV. I've been a proponent of LCoS for quite a while, and Sony is doing it very well. One thing to consider before you take the plunge is the JVC HD-ILA sets. The light engines JVC uses is virtually identical to Sony's. The only real difference between the two is the video processing; Sony's is slightly better on standard def. content, but it also gives the TV a pretty heavy red push (if you go to Best Buy, wait for the Mitsubishi promo to come up, when they show the Mitsubishi logo the background is all red... it'll almost burn out your retinas in a way). Both are fantastic TVs, but just remember to tone down the SXRD a little bit as far as the profile set is concerned. Standard or movie is always good.