33klfan Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 I went shopping to look at hdtv's today, and was debating between samsung 4042 and mitsubishi lt-46131. I just couldn't quite justify the price though, so i was going to settle for the toshiba regza the 42" like my uncle has. They are selling fast and reviewers on CC rate them pretty well. I read about the hddvd player sale and i thought it was getting the toshiba hd-a2 for $200 with the purchase of a toshiba hdtv, but there was this package deal with toshiba 42hl167, toshiba hda20 and firedog installation all for $2000. With tax it was around $2200 but then we have AAA and you get a 10% discount and we didn't think it would work with that special package, but it did so i got everything for like $1939. I would say that's one heck of a deal. The tv at original price alone would have cost that much with tax. It was $1710 down from $1800. In an odd way i got the hddvd player and installation for free. I like to install all of my stuff myself but you have to get that to get the group price or everything is regular price. I guess they calibrate the tv and all too, so i want to see how this all goes down. It all went well until i couldn't get the tv in my car. I didn't realize the box was going to be so thick. Also, the dvd player will take 8-10 days but i'm not complaining for the price. You also get 5 free hddvd's with mail in. Anyhow i'm excited. Everything is 1080p now, well the tv and hddvd player at least, haha. I can't wait to see everything hooked up. My cable is probably going to look like crap though. Now i have to decide between directv and dish network. I know dish has more hd channels but i don't know difference in quality. I always hear directv is better, but i don't know. Also, what hdmi cable should i get that is good. I didn't think i was going to have to spend as much as the monster cable ones, but what's good for a good price? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 Don't spend a lot of money on an HDMI cable. Go to monoprice.com and buy your cable there. You probably will end up spending about $10 including shipping depending on the length you buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor.Ham.Slap Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 I agree, definitely don't go with the Monster BS. Congrats on the purchase though, HD DVD looks incredible on 1080 displays. As far as the satellite provider, I like DirecTV myself. I generally do think there are less compression artifacts than I see on Dish (but of course depending on the channel, there is some to moderate macroblocking). DirecTV is also launching quite a few new satellites and HD channels by years end so they should be able to compete rather well. Just my $.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 Don't spend a lot of money on an HDMI cable. Go to monoprice.com and buy your cable there. You probably will end up spending about $10 including shipping depending on the length you buy. Absolutely. I have the Dish Network vip 622 box & it is impressive. You can record 2 channels & watch a 3rd at the same time from the same box. Try this link to compare. oops - www.dbstalk.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
33klfan Posted May 6, 2007 Author Share Posted May 6, 2007 Should i get the 24awg or 28awg? There's about $10 difference. The 24awg looks like it's made better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 I bought 24. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 Don't overlook using over-the-air reception as your HD programming source (or one of them, at least). If you live in an HDTV reception area, and your set has an ATSC tuner, you'll get better picture quality on the broadcast networks than you will via cable or satellite, due to the compression they use to preserve bandwidth. Plus, it's FREE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
33klfan Posted May 7, 2007 Author Share Posted May 7, 2007 How do i know if i am in an hdtv area. I must be because my my local internet provider has digital channels. I didn't know this until my tv found them. The signal went from really good to no signal at all on a couple channels. I'm guessing you have to buy an hdtv antenna at lowes or somewhere but how do you know where to mount it for best signal? Will that pick up a variation of hd channels or don't you know until you try it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 There is an antenna site that will tell you but man I can't remember. See what you find on google. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
33klfan Posted May 7, 2007 Author Share Posted May 7, 2007 Is it hdtvantennalabs.com? I then found antennaweb.com which lets you know what channels are accessible. It only shows a few local channels and there are a few different tower locations so you have to have different antennas to point them to each tower. It doesn't look like it would be good for my area. I think only 2 of the 6 were showing digital. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 I'm guessing you have to buy an hdtv antenna at lowes or somewhere but how do you know where to mount it for best signal? Will that pick up a variation of hd channels or don't you know until you try it? That is a load of bull! There is no such thing as a "hdtv antenna". Any good quality TV antenna will pick up HDTV digital signals. I have this huge aerial on my house that was leftover from the previous owners (they had one of those big 8-foot C-band satellite dishes), and I pick up all kinds of HD programming. The thing was probably up there for nearly 20 years! I"ll have to say the Super Bowl in full High-Def and surround sound was friggan unbelievable! I might as well be at the game itself! The only gripe is that there is no rotator on the antenna, so I can only get the channels coming from the D.C. area (I actually can pick up Baltimore channels with that thing as well!). Would've been nice to have been able to turn it around to the south to also get Richmond stations as well. As to where to mount it to get the best signal - well, the same way you'd mount any TV antenna to get the best signal (preferably as high up as possible with as few obstructions to the signal). I thought it was funny when I got my roof replaced, the guy doing it suggested that I should remove the antenna. I told him, "Hell no! That is how I get my HD programming!" But anyway, nice score on the TV and HD player. I think it is getting to the point that I may finally go and make the plunge and get an HD player myself. I also want to upgrade my satellite service to recieve HD programming as well (I am currently using DirecTV). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 Steven: I used to have a couple of those big dishes. Have you looked at buying a motor to turn the damn thing? I suppose there would need to be electronics used in conjunction to dial in the signal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sethhobrin Posted May 8, 2007 Share Posted May 8, 2007 I was really excited for the OP however I was very sad to hear you purchased HD DVD player.... Careful how much you spend on this format. It won't be around for long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erickoegle Posted May 8, 2007 Share Posted May 8, 2007 antennaweb.org will be able to tell you how close stations are to you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted May 8, 2007 Share Posted May 8, 2007 antennaweb.org will be able to tell you how close stations are to you Yeah, that's it erik. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
33klfan Posted May 9, 2007 Author Share Posted May 9, 2007 Well, i figured by the time i get an upscaling dvd player, i practically just got the dvd player for free. Since it can upscale and play hddvd's. I figured i didn't have much to lose. It's still up in the air, the format war, but i heard bluray will win because of the porn industry. Sad if true. I wasn't intending to buy hddvd player but the package deal was almost a steal. I paid $1939 for both purchases and the tv is regular $1800. I have to wait to get the calibration disc because the picture isn't quite right yet. Part of the deal was firedog coming out and hopefully i can get the picture really good with that. I don't know if this is the tv or the way it's set, but as you move to the right or left, the picture gets a little lighter. The viewing angle is suppose to be good so i don't understand that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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