sony blu-ray 149.99

LSU Rubi

My bad, what i wanted to ask is not what I typed...had an okie moment

Since my TV is a 1080i, is there any benefit in even getting a Blu-Ray player? Would I be better off getting a DVD player that will upconvert or whatever the image to 1080?

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friedriches

Upconverting an image from 480 to 1080 is like taking a picture on a crappy camera phone and then blowing it up and printing it to put above the mantle. The problem you're going to run into is that there is no way to fill in "the gaps" as it were. It'll look better than watching it in 480i, yes, but you're still missing a whopping 600 lines of image, which adds QUALITY. You definitely still would see a difference, even if you're not watching in 1080p. It wouldn't be perfect, but like you said, you're not going to be upgrading anytime soon. Down the road, I would want Blu-Ray (for a second forgetting the very plausible suggestion martin brought up, that physical media is dead. don't see that happening here in the US for a while with our terrible internet) and at that point I would say go for it, for sure. Samsung's new Blu-Ray players stream Netflix and Pandora, as well, in 1080i. So there's that to consider too.

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LesMilesFan

DRC

The one important thing people miss when talking about online 1080p movies is the audio quality. The bandwidth on cable/DSL connections can not handle the lossless audio streams you can get from a bluray disc. The audio track alone is going to generate between 13-19 Mbps. Nobody has that kind of connection. If you are listening to the movies through your TV then it wont matter but for those of us with good quality home theater receivers/speakers streaming will never be acceptable.

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red55

Bandwidth will be an issue until some provider gets fiberoptic all the way to our houses. That is not happening as fast as I thought that it would.

There will always be a niche for hard media. People aren't giving up books anytime soon. Other people are collectors and go serious for hard media, which can be legally sold, unlike virtual media. Having a permanent backup is still an issue for many folks.

I go both ways on media. I still buy a CD if I want every track on it or if it's a recording that is going to be a part of my permanent listening selection. If I just want a track or two, or if I'm just checking out an artist, I download it.

I buy certain Blue-Ray or DVD disks for great films that I never get tired of. I stream or download one-view average movies.

I keep fewer reference books now because online references are superior and available. But books that I read for pleasure, fiction or non-fiction will always be hard bound. I work at a a computer screen all day long. I do not want to spend my leisure hours staring at a screen 18 inches away. I'll read books, make notes in them, loan them to friends and watch films across the room on the big screen in the highest quality, thank you.

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LSUDeek

In Baton Rouge, Cox and AT&T have fought to keep municipal and other providers from doing this. They tried to kill it in Lafayette but lost.

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fanatic

I haven't read this entire thread, so this has probably been answered already, but are the blu-ray players backwards compatible with regular DVDs? (Will they play them?)

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LSUMASTERMIND

The problem that pisses me off is that I have an Xbox 360 bought it when it came out in 2005. THe Pro version. Its not compatible with my 52in samsung. The Xbox has no HDMI port. Do I have to buy a new console or is there a work around?

I'll hang up and listen.

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red55

Mine does, but it doesn't display them quite as good as my DVD player does.

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DRC

There is no work around for getting HDMI content to your sammy with any kind of converters, etc. The culprit is HDCP protection. You can still play HD-DVD's through component though.

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friedriches

But no, there is no way to get HDMI out without having one of the newer "Jasper" consoles which come with a built-in HDMI out.

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StadiumSalute

MadCatz Xbox 360 HDMI Conversion kit now officially available

No guarantees on how well it works, but it can be done.

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PURPLE TIGER

Friedriches et al,

What can you tell me about surround sound systems? Are you familiar with the soundbar units? Are they worth the price for a smaller room? Do you really need a 7.1 channel receiver with HDMI capabilities?

I want to add a new surround sound unit to two rooms but will never use it in both at the same time unless it's the same program...like a football game. Should I go with a quality receiver with a splitter or....?

Any suggestions would be appreciated!!!

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DRC

POS. There is no benefit of converting analog component to digital HDMI. It wont improve the analog signal one bit and you wont get 1080p. You would be better off saving the $100 on that thing and putting it towards an new xbox.

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DRC

First question to ask in any situation like this, whats your budget?

The soundbars are OK but pale in comparison to a nice 5.1 or 7.1 system. I have always had a good surround system. My current setup is Denon receiver, Mirage speakers and Velodyne sub. Its really nice and shows off movies in all their glory.

Even in a small room the benefits of 5.1 or 7.1 are very noticeable. You dont have to go 7.1, 5.1 is completely fine. My room is setup great for 7.1 because of its shape so thats why I went that route.

Outputting simultaneously to multiple speaker sources is a different issue. If you want/need an audio/video receiver that has that capability you are going to pay big bucks. Some receivers will output in 5.1 and then have a second set of phantom outputs you can put in another room or use in 7.1. You can use a speaker distribution amp too but they are not that economical. Its almost a better idea to have two receivers (thats what I have). You can buy a really cheap AVR for secondary output in another room, outside or whatever. I have my sat receiver outputting HDMI to my Denon for my main room and then analog audio to my second receiver that feeds my 4 outside speakers. I just leave the second receiver in 7 channel stereo to get the proper sound balance and I can listen to whats being broadcast on my big screen in the Den which is just a couple steps through French doors to my patio. Its great for football games when you can wonder in and out watching and listening.

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pharpe

Got a 56"

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Crip*TEAM KATT

We just bought a blu ray when the Hammond Best Buy opened got the 2nd best Samsung they sell (I am a Samsung believer)

Anyway we got it hooked up to a 56 Mistubuisi (sp) and to see if there was a true difference I bought a blu ray that I already had the dvd of left the dvd player hooked up and played both movies.

They were both on HDMI and the tv is only 720 and there is a HUGE difference.

So much so that we are planning on moving the 56 into the bedroom..get rid of the 50 projection style tv that is in there now and getting a 56 Samsung for the living room now the problem is which one.

Those LEDs are AWSOME and dont compare to anything around but that price is just outragous!! SO its either settle for an LCD now OR wait til around Christmas or even next year to get the LED when the price comes down!

Oh and if you want to see the Blu Ray in action if you have the right tv and connected with a HDMI....WATCH THE NEW HULK MOVIE!!!

The scene when he is fighting the tanks in the open field makes all the money worth it....it looks like you are hiding behind one of the tvs watching everything unfold right before your eyes!!!!

Now we just need some porn for blu ray!!!!


I dont know if all Blu Rays do it but ours can connect to Netflix and Pandora

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crawfish

your computer monitor isn't clear enough?

Bengal B

The genital warts don't show up nearly as well on your monitor as the do with Blu-Ray

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Crip*TEAM KATT

No it works just not very comfortable when the wife wants to watch too

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StadiumSalute

You can get 1080p from component. Most TVs don't support it, but it does exist.

I don't think the Xbox will do 1080p over component though.

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DRC

Hmmm...I dont think this is exactly right.

Maybe you can technically transport a 1080p signal over a component cable but your player wont output it AND your display wont accept it. In other words, you can not play a bluray disc in 1080p resolution over a component connection to any display through any player. Can the component cable support 1080p? I think that may be true but it wont do you any good if the player wont pass it along and the display wont show it.

I would have to look into this a little more for the technicalities but I think I'm basically right.

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StadiumSalute

It is technically possible to do 1080p over component. DRM (AACS) and other crap prevents it from happening on the Bluray end, and many TVs don't support it. The PS3 will allow 1080p over component for games, but will revert to 1080i for protected Bluray movies.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=675595
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Component_video

The problem with component video (according to Hollywood) is that it's too easy to copy because it's an analog format.

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DRC

Which sounds exactly right. HDCP strikes again. They dont want you copying movies in 1080p, games they dont care about. So in the end, you cant get 1080p over component for movies, which is what I said to begin with.

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StadiumSalute

Also, the last Xbox update enabled 1080p over component, so the original device I posted that started all of this nonsense actually could produce 1080p over HDMI from component input. It may or may not still be a POS, but it would work (except for that pesky sound thing I assume).

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