Santa Was Here...

[007]

Two days ago Santa stopped at my place and left me my Christmas present. A Toshiba 46HM95 DLP HDTV. I was exstatic, until Santa told me "I" had to "pay" for it. : Oh well... now I have to watch all my movies over again, only this time, in HIGH DEFINITION. And, I don't want to forget the new Denon 1920 Universal Disc Player either. You won't watch high definition without a "progressive scan" disc player, and one with an HDMI output helps also. (High Definition Multimedia Interface.) You'll need a TV that also has that input for the best picture. HDMI is streaming digital info that is NOT compressed, as most other types of video transfer are.

Didn't like the stands in the store... errr... SANTA must not have liked the stands in the store. Have one picked out, but wasn't in stock. Waiting for that.

 

[The ClayTaurus]

Two days ago Santa stopped at my place and left me my Christmas present. A Toshiba 46HM95 DLP HDTV. I was exstatic, until Santa told me "I" had to "pay" for it. : Oh well... now I have to watch all my movies over again, only this time, in HIGH DEFINITION. And, I don't want to forget the new Denon 1920 Universal Disc Player either. You won't watch high definition without a "progressive scan" disc player, and one with an HDMI output helps also. (High Definition Multimedia Interface.) You'll need a TV that also has that input for the best picture. HDMI is streaming digital info that is NOT compressed, as most other types of video transfer are.

mmmm Electronics. *drool*

 

[007]

mmmm Electronics. *drool*

No doubt. I've been an audio/video geek, freak, nutcase ever since I got my first 'transistor radio' that would receive 'FM'.

That center channel speaker under the TV is an Infinity Interlude IL-36c. A three way, 38 pound, $499 bruiser. The boxes on either side of it holding up the TV are the boxes to my surround speakers. Also Infinity, Beta 20's. $400 for the pair. The right, left front speakers are little Advents that I bought here in town, to 'down-grade' from the JBL S412PII's I used to have. They pissed off too many neighbors, and that's also why I don't run a sub-woofer. I can already vibrate the concrete floor. Why shake it more?

 

[The ClayTaurus]

No doubt. I've been an audio/video geek, freak, nutcase ever since I got my first 'transistor radio' that would receive 'FM'.

I still remember when I spent too much money buying a really nice set of Klipsch computer speakers for my dorm room my freshman year. I still think it's the best 400 bucks I ever spent. Not to mention the company is great. My subwoofer frizzed out on me, and it took one call for them to say "oh yeah, no prob, we're sending you a new box (not just a new subwoofer) just put the old speakers in the box we send you and mail it back.

5 years later and they still work, still piss the neighbor off underneath me.

When my parents splurged on a HE system, I steared them again towards Klipsch, and they haven't been disappointed either.

I don't have the money to buy that kind of a TV right now, but one day... oh yes. Oh yes. Just gotta get this car paid off first...

 

[007]

I still remember when I spent too much money buying a really nice set of Klipsch computer speakers for my dorm room my freshman year. I still think it's the best 400 bucks I ever spent. Not to mention the company is great. My subwoofer frizzed out on me, and it took one call for them to say "oh yeah, no prob, we're sending you a new box (not just a new subwoofer) just put the old speakers in the box we send you and mail it back.

5 years later and they still work, still piss the neighbor off underneath me.

When my parents splurged on a HE system, I steared them again towards Klipsch, and they haven't been disappointed either.

I don't have the money to buy that kind of a TV right now, but one day... oh yes. Oh yes. Just gotta get this car paid off first...

Klipsch is good stuff, no doubt. I prefer the Infinity's because they're famous for having such a 'realistic' sound. No color. What's recorded is what you hear. Lots of speakers have their own distinct color to the sound. I choose none if possible.

But I could see myself buying Klipsch. I've listened to them and like them, and they're quality is outstanding.

 

[The ClayTaurus]

Klipsch is good stuff, no doubt. I prefer the Infinity's because they're famous for having such a 'realistic' sound. No color. What's recorded is what you hear. Lots of speakers have their own distinct color to the sound. I choose none if possible.

But I could see myself buying Klipsch. I've listened to them and like them, and they're quality is outstanding.

I'm not as up-to-date on HE systems, but as far as PC speaker sets these ProMedia speakers were put out almost 6 years ago now, and I still haven't found anything that is comparable, except for the newer version Klipsch put out, which is basically a repackage. I love 'em. The double subwoofer enclosure makes a great footrest whilst I videogame and dvd watch as well.

 

[007]

I'm not as up-to-date on HE systems, but as far as PC speaker sets these ProMedia speakers were put out almost 6 years ago now, and I still haven't found anything that is comparable, except for the newer version Klipsch put out, which is basically a repackage. I love 'em. The double subwoofer enclosure makes a great footrest whilst I videogame and dvd watch as well.

I haven't used 'computer speakers' for quite awhile now. I run my computer through my A/V receiver. I have Launchcast Radio through Messenger on yahoo. Great listening, and only $3.99 a month. Every bit as good as Sirius or XM if you ask me. Only thing is, I can only get it here in my apartment.

I have to ask though... what is an "HE" system?

Wait a minute... I think I figured it out... is it "HIGH END"?

 

[The ClayTaurus]

I haven't used 'computer speakers' for quite awhile now. I run my computer through my A/V receiver. I have Launchcast Radio through Messenger on yahoo. Great listening, and only $3.99 a month. Every bit as good as Sirius or XM if you ask me. Only thing is, I can only get it here in my apartment.

I have to ask though... what is an "HE" system?

Wait a minute... I think I figured it out... is it "HIGH END"?

Home Entertainment was what I was thinking, but High End makes us sound snobbier, which I like. High End it is.

Perhaps Hellaciously Extreme...
Heroically Extravagant

Mmmm subwoofer.

You're right, I love LaunchCast. If I wasn't able to listen to mp3's at work, I would use that all day long. It does a great job of predicting what I want to hear after about a week's worth of use and rating.

But I'm an mp3 man through and through, so streaming radio is unnecessary when I'm at my PC...

 

[007]

Home Entertainment was what I was thinking, but High End makes us sound snobbier, which I like. High End it is.

Perhaps Hellaciously Extreme...
Heroically Extravagant

Mmmm subwoofer.


You're right, I love LaunchCast. If I wasn't able to listen to mp3's at work, I would use that all day long. It does a great job of predicting what I want to hear after about a week's worth of use and rating.

But I'm an mp3 man through and through, so streaming radio is unnecessary when I'm at my PC...

SWEEEET sub. That "THX" certification doesn't come easy. Anything to sport that label has freakin' EARNED it with performance!

I'm not a big MP3 fan. MP3 files are compressed, which means there's a lot of data from each file that has been dropped off to make it smaller. But since most people listen to MP3's on iPods or whatever, with tiny little bud earplug speakers, they can't hear the difference. You'd hear the difference between a manufacturer recorded, store bought CD, and a downloaded MP3 file on a "high end" system though.

 

[The ClayTaurus]

SWEEEET sub. That "THX" certification doesn't come easy. Anything to sport that label has freakin' EARNED it with performance!

I'm not a big MP3 fan. MP3 files are compressed, which means there's a lot of data from each file that has been dropped off to make it smaller. But since most people listen to MP3's on iPods or whatever, with tiny little bud earplug speakers, they can't hear the difference. You'd hear the difference between a manufacturer recorded, store bought CD, and a downloaded MP3 file on a "high end" system though.

It's true, but if you know what you're doing you can get pretty high-quality mp3's using Variable Bit Encoding and other tricks. There is a lossless-codec that some people use, but I think the filesize is too large. Generally, if you use a bit rate over 192 and the right software, you'd have to turn the system up pretty loud to discern off of a cd.

There is nothing worse than a poorly encoded mp3, when a cymbal crashes, and it wobbles all funky and sounds like shit. Like fingernails on chalkboards to me. I'm a snob with my speakers, and a snob with my mp3's.

 

[007]

It's true, but if you know what you're doing you can get pretty high-quality mp3's using Variable Bit Encoding and other tricks. There is a lossless-codec that some people use, but I think the filesize is too large. Generally, if you use a bit rate over 192 and the right software, you'd have to turn the system up pretty loud to discern off of a cd.

There is nothing worse than a poorly encoded mp3, when a cymbal crashes, and it wobbles all funky and sounds like shit. Like fingernails on chalkboards to me. I'm a snob with my speakers, and a snob with my mp3's.

Luckily I can listen to a small boom box at work, so I listen to regular recorded material.

I've downloaded music off a few different sites, of which the best, least hassle down loading was off my W.M.P. But I wasn't really happy with that either. It seemed to miss something compared to the store bought music. The highest bit rate I could find was MSN Music off my WMP at 159 Kbps. Still not as good as store bought. It doesn't sound bad played off the computer, but when I burn it, and I have a "high end" Sony Dual layer, Double layer DVD/CD burner, the volume of the recordings was always a little shy of the original, and the fidelity seemed a little lacking, so I've gone back to just buying music from the store, or order it off line if I'm not in a hurry and want to save a couple bucks. I'll have to admit, I'm really, really picky when it comes to music quality.

 

[Mr. P]

We just acquired a Panasonic TH-37PX50U.

Plasma, WOW. The picture is fantastic, without cable I can receive local HD broadcasts, and DVDs are GREAT! I’ve rigged my 1975 Harman-Kardon receiver/amp to it just to see what surround sound would really be like. MAN, it’s fantastic I just can’t imagine how great a “real” surround sound system will sound!

 

[The ClayTaurus]

Luckily I can listen to a small boom box at work, so I listen to regular recorded material.

I've downloaded music off a few different sites, of which the best, least hassle down loading was off my W.M.P. But I wasn't really happy with that either. It seemed to miss something compared to the store bought music. The highest bit rate I could find was MSN Music off my WMP at 159 Kbps. Still not as good as store bought. It doesn't sound bad played off the computer, but when I burn it, and I have a "high end" Sony Dual layer, Double layer DVD/CD burner, the volume of the recordings was always a little shy of the original, and the fidelity seemed a little lacking, so I've gone back to just buying music from the store, or order it off line if I'm not in a hurry and want to save a couple bucks. I'll have to admit, I'm really, really picky when it comes to music quality.

I don't use mp3's to burn to cd - I buy the cd first, or later if I like the mp3's I downloaded. I just use my computer as a massive jukebox. It's much quicker than having a multiple-disc cd changer clicking around when I want to listen to my collection of shuffle, which is pretty much all the time.

If you've only made it to 159 bit, you haven't hit into the quality mp3 range, and I don't really trust the itunes mp3's that are ripped by some corporate hack somewhere. I really only trust rips that I know are done using the EAC codec, and even then, I'm careful.

I dunno how much music you buy, but have you been to www.yourmusic.com?

5.99 a cd, and all you have to do is order 1 cd a month. Free shipping. It's good shit.

 

[Annie]

Two days ago Santa stopped at my place and left me my Christmas present. A Toshiba 46HM95 DLP HDTV. I was exstatic, until Santa told me "I" had to "pay" for it. : Oh well... now I have to watch all my movies over again, only this time, in HIGH DEFINITION. And, I don't want to forget the new Denon 1920 Universal Disc Player either. You won't watch high definition without a "progressive scan" disc player, and one with an HDMI output helps also. (High Definition Multimedia Interface.) You'll need a TV that also has that input for the best picture. HDMI is streaming digital info that is NOT compressed, as most other types of video transfer are.

Didn't like the stands in the store... errr... SANTA must not have liked the stands in the store. Have one picked out, but wasn't in stock. Waiting for that.

Superbowl party at Pale's! That looks so cool!

 

[007]

We just acquired a Panasonic TH-37PX50U.

Plasma, WOW. The picture is fantastic, without cable I can receive local HD broadcasts, and DVDs are GREAT! I’ve rigged my 1975 Harman-Kardon receiver/amp to it just to see what surround sound would really be like. MAN, it’s fantastic I just can’t imagine how great a “real” surround sound system will sound!

37" plasma, sweet. But did anyone tell you Mr. P that plasma TV's "burn out"? Yep. They burn out in like five or so years, and there's no fixing them. It's pretty much a throw away deal.

 

[007]

I dunno how much music you buy, but have you been to www.yourmusic.com?

5.99 a cd, and all you have to do is order 1 cd a month. Free shipping. It's good shit.

It goes in spurts. I'll go a couple months without buying any music, and then I'll buy five or six CD's inside a month. Depends on what I hear that I like. But thanks for the tip on the website Clay. I'll check it out.

 

[007]

Superbowl party at Pale's! That looks so cool!

C'mon over! We can get hammered, only watch half the game, and then go down town gambling afterwards...

 

[Annie]

C'mon over! We can get hammered, only watch half the game, and then go down town gambling afterwards...

Too bad you're so far away! I gotta be to school on Tuesday. Really looks to be a very sweet set-up Pale, enjoy!

 

[Mr. P]

37" plasma, sweet. But did anyone tell you Mr. P that plasma TV's "burn out"? Yep. They burn out in like five or so years, and there's no fixing them. It's pretty much a throw away deal.

Well, what isn’t throw away these days?

Here’s what Consumer Reports had to say about it.
Time will tell I guess.

You may have seen reports, in print or online, suggesting that plasma TVs may not last as long as other types of TVs. Overall longevity and reliability is an open question because the technology is so new. Major manufacturers now tout 60,000 hours of use or more before a recent-model plasma screen loses half its brightness. Even in heavy use (40 hours a week), that’s about 29 years.

 

[007]

Well, what isn’t throw away these days?

Here’s what Consumer Reports had to say about it.
Time will tell I guess.

The newer ones must last longer. Excelent. Plasma's are soooo expensive. Although I looked up your plasma, and I paid around the same amount for my DLP as you did your plasma. My DLP was $2,200. Then add the $400 warranty, $150 for the Monster Cable HDMI cable, and tax, and it was just shy of $3,000.

The Toshiba I bought is a rear projection with DLP. Digital Light Proccessing. It uses millions of little mirrors and a color wheel. Just exactly HOW they manage that, I don't know. But the bulb in my TV doesn't last all that long either. In fact they say only three or four years and they either burn out, or have been known to EXPLODE! Anyway, I bought the four year 100% repair or replacement warranty just in case. In any case, my TV theoretically could last a quite a long time by simply replacing the bulb each time it burns out.

My DLP has a native resolution of 1280 X 768, which is higher than regular HDTV at 1024 X 720, and will display in either 480i, 480p, 720i, 720p, or 1080i. The newest high def TV's have '1080p', which has TWICE the resolution of 720p, (which IS high deffinition). I was looking at the 1080p's, but trying to hold down the cost, I decided not to buy one of those. Not only that, but there's not even a SOURCE that can PRODUCE a 1080p signal yet. I'll give it a couple years, and I'm sure not ony the price will come down, but more manufacturers will be making them, and sources that produce the 1080p signal will come around.