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interpathway

Home Theaters

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Smallish 32" LCD HD set with a Denon AVR, Denon DVD player, Klipsch Reference series speakers and Sub-12. Other system is a 27" CRT HD set with Denon AVR, Samsung DVD player, Klipsch Reference series speakers, and BIC H100 sub. You can say I like the Klipsch sound, lol. Pick up locals OTA and other stuff via Direct 5-LNB system. :)

ps, almost forgot the first system also includes a nice Pioneer turntable with Shure cartridge... to play the vintage old 70's and 80's vinyl. :D

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A friend sent me a tutorial on how to make a "Free to Air" HD antennae. Apparently this will work (if done properly).

There are 3 or 4 of us at work that are going to try it...assuming we can find some metal clothes hangers.

Enjoy!

[EDIT]: This only works if you have a TV with a built in Tuner...so I can't do it :(

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The DVI port on my projector broke last month. When I learned the mother board would cost $320, and a replacement lamp would cost $200-$300 when needed, I took a casual glance to see how much a true HD projector would cost, since last year the low ends were just under $3000. I was shocked to learn that the low ends this year were under $2000 -- actually the second best rated for value (athough not quality) could be found around $1500 -- so I asked the Big D if she'd be able to rationalize the $900 difference between repair versus upgrade.

To my surprise, she said yes, so I sent a question to ProjectorPeople about the model I was considering. Their response was I should consider the Optoma HD20, since it was literally being released that week and would be under $1000! When I asked how it compared to the model I was considering, he said he'd make more money if I bought the other unit, but there was no way he could justify the $500 more.

So I rolled the dice and bought this brand new model, and I gotta say that all things considered, the unit is absolutely fabulous when the price is considered. Don't get me wrong, there are $10k HD units available which I'm sure would blow this away, but if you're not too much of a videophile, the picture is outstanding. Our family room is long and thin, so the screen is 110", and the Blu-Ray was strikingly clean for that size. Or to put it differently, the BR picture is sharp enough to notice that not all "Hi-Def" sources are alike. I watched the Sox-Yanks game last night on ESPN, and it was only marginally better than our previous projector, because I believe that ESPN broadcasts at 720p. However, I scrolled through a couple of shows I had on the DVR and would say they ranged from around 70% of BR quality to maybe 90%. I suspect a smaller screen would be better for the lesser quality feeds, although I'm actually going to increase slightly to 120", since the new projector has a shorter throw distance and I'd like to keep the unit against the wall

The bottom line is it's exciting to know the $1000 price point has been broken (two other models are also being released). I'm not saying it's easy to spend that kind of money, but it wouldn't shock me to find these units around $850 to $900 during a Christmas sale.

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Have an older system but still works well for now. Wouldn't mind going to a 54 plasma later this year and adding a blu-ray or PS3.

42" Hitachi 720p plasma, Denon AVR2800, Toshiba HD-DVD (won't go Blu-ray til get new tv), Cox HD cable box, Paradigm 5 speaker set up, sub is Klipsch 12", Wii and always on NHL Network.

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Just moved into my first home and decided to invest what little money I have left into a decent man room setup. I was able to get an insane deal on a LG 55" LED TV (55LH90) at Best Buy along with a network Blu-Ray player (BD90). Also hooked up my Rotel 1052 receiver with my Paradigm Monitor 11 speakers for some surround sound which literally shakes the house!

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Just moved into my first home and decided to invest what little money I have left into a decent man room setup. I was able to get an insane deal on a LG 55" LED TV (55LH90) at Best Buy along with a network Blu-Ray player (BD90). Also hooked up my Rotel 1052 receiver with my Paradigm Monitor 11 speakers for some surround sound which literally shakes the house!

As a first timer myself...I'm struggling with doing the fun thing (ie: New TV) or the right thing (ie: Savings & trip to see family) with my refund money from Eco Rebates and HRTC etc...My modest savings is down to next to nothing...I really shoudl replenish that...but a 42-46" TV would look great in the living room. If it goes the way I think it will...I may actually be able to do all three :)

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Just moved into my first home and decided to invest what little money I have left into a decent man room setup. I was able to get an insane deal on a LG 55" LED TV (55LH90) at Best Buy along with a network Blu-Ray player (BD90). Also hooked up my Rotel 1052 receiver with my Paradigm Monitor 11 speakers for some surround sound which literally shakes the house!

As a first timer myself...I'm struggling with doing the fun thing (ie: New TV) or the right thing (ie: Savings & trip to see family) with my refund money from Eco Rebates and HRTC etc...My modest savings is down to next to nothing...I really shoudl replenish that...but a 42-46" TV would look great in the living room. If it goes the way I think it will...I may actually be able to do all three :)

Good luck. I hope it works out for you. I too am finding it very tough to do the fun stuff now with a mortgage and everything else that goes with it. I tried to combine the fun thing with the right thing. I'm getting ready to file myself and my refund will likely go towards the wedding balance and hopefully some credit card debt (including the new big ass TV :D ). Nothing like buying a house and paying for a wedding within months of each other!

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Does anyone have an experience with the Mitsubishi unisen line? I opted not to install surround speakers in my new home during the remodel. I have had a demo of the TV, and I must say it was impressive.

Does anyone have any first hand experience?

Zach

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So, here's where I'm at...some options I've seen.

Various brands 40-42" anywhere between $699-799. All 1080p, but 60hz

Saw an LG 46" for 749 today...again, 60hz

There was a 46, 120hz for $998 but I can't recall the brand. Might have been a Sony or Panasonic (maybe a Samsung...definitely one of the big names)

Now, here's the one that really got me thinking. A Sanyo 52" 120Hz LCD $1098. Picture was awesome; even in the store with the shared/split single going through it, not likely that it was HDMI either, so i knwo it will look awesome on my Sat at home.

So...the question is: What are your thoughts on Sanyo as a TV brand? I don't know them to be a major name in TV's.

So, do I buy a smaller TV...Sony, Samsung etc...and get the best "name" I can afford at any given size? Or, do i buy the biggest TV in my price range. If I spend a little less on the TV....I may be able to add a Surround or fancy new TV stand (which I will need eventually anyways). I'm not a gamer...but I do watch ALOT of sports and movies with my GF, so i am leaning 120hz. Don't have Blu Ray as of yet....but may go that way (if the right deal presents itself).

So...

thoughts?

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I watch mostly sports on mine with a little bit of PS3 and some movies. I prefer my plasma over my lcd's for all viewing, but especially sports. All 3 sets are 60 HZ / 720p. I don't have any motion issues on my plasma. My next set will be a 54" or 58" 1080p plasma from Panasonic or Samsung. I prefer to get a tier 1 brand for my electronics and I have had no problems with Panny, Samsung, Hitachi, Denon, Sony ever. If you watch a lot of sports and/or like deeper blacks & better contrast check out plasmas. Also the further you sit from an HD set the less impact 1080p will have for you. i.e. If you sit 15 feet from a 42" set you could consider picking up a 720p for less money or grabbing a 50" 720p for $700. If you sit close I'd grab the 1080p models. Here's a 50" 1080p Samsung for $1000:

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/samsun...2a8bd345f5fen02

Oops - Had listed a Panny model first from US site. Forgot you're in Canada. Still a good deal on the Sammy.

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I watch mostly sports on mine with a little bit of PS3 and some movies. I prefer my plasma over my lcd's for all viewing, but especially sports. All 3 sets are 60 HZ / 720p. I don't have any motion issues on my plasma. My next set will be a 54" or 58" 1080p plasma from Panasonic or Samsung. I prefer to get a tier 1 brand for my electronics and I have had no problems with Panny, Samsung, Hitachi, Denon, Sony ever. If you watch a lot of sports and/or like deeper blacks & better contrast check out plasmas. Also the further you sit from an HD set the less impact 1080p will have for you. i.e. If you sit 15 feet from a 42" set you could consider picking up a 720p for less money or grabbing a 50" 720p for $700. If you sit close I'd grab the 1080p models. Here's a 50" 1080p Samsung for $1000:

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/samsun...2a8bd345f5fen02

Oops - Had listed a Panny model first from US site. Forgot you're in Canada. Still a good deal on the Sammy.

In my living room, I'm sitting about 10-12' from the set. I've seen some killer deals on Plasma's....but I've been told light washes out the picture really easily, and my tv is on the wall opposite a large window, that I have open most of the time.

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Generally lcds have been a bit brighter than plasma so therefore better for rooms with more sunlight but plasma has improved since I got mine 3 years ago. If you can control that window with a blind/curtain that will improve any type of tv picture immensely. If your watching on a older CRT tube tv now, the plasma will look similar in daylight. Maybe a little better with their new anti-reflective coatings. LCD might be best bet if you will never block light from that window. Since most stores won't let you take a set home for a test run (though Costco does have flexible returns) maybe bring a bright wide beam flashlight to the store and shine it on both type of sets and see what looks better to your eyes.

And if this is going to be your TV for next several years I'd try to save up the extra couple hundred to jump to a 50" if possible. For 10-12 feet might as well get 1080p in the 50". 4K resolution is a ways off affordability & programming wise.

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If your watching on a older CRT tube tv now...

My current TV is a flat screen LCD...it's just small (26"). I bought it when I was still in my tiny apartment, when owning a home wasn't even a thought yet.

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I still have 2 13" tube tv's in my house. Gotta watch tv in the kitchen..lol. Good luck on your purchase and if you can swing some surround sound it will make sports and movie nights so much more immersive. Hell, I'm still adding pieces to mine going on 20 years. Shit gets expensive fast.

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Anyone check out the 3D televisions yet? I was at BB and couldn't believe how great they are! Anyone have these at home yet?

I've seen a few on display that without the glasses the picture just looked fuzzy/doubled....with the glasses, not much improvement...mayeb the galsses weren't calibrated porperly....why would you display it not working?

Anyways....saw one at BB the other day....absolutely amazing. The video was a girl playing with 2 puppies. It was spectacular. TEh dogs were bouncgin around right at you. At one point she hands 'you' a gift box and a jack in the box pops out.

Not sure I would spend $200 per on glasses for the whole family...or that I'd be able to wear them for 2-3 hours at a time to watch a movie or game...but it was cool for the 2-3 minutes I watched it in the store.

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Matt, I tend to have a different philosophy than most when it comes to buying AV equipment. My thought is technology has improved constantly for 20-25 years, so today's purchase becomes overpriced 6-12 months from now. Because of that, I'll usually buy toward the low end of a price range. For instance, I bought a Sony 7.1 HD receiver with 4 HDMI inputs last year at $289. Nothing else was close in price, but Denon had a receiver around $1200 to $1500 (can't remember) that I assume was infinitely better. However, even if I have to replace my unit three years from now, the newer unit would offer better specs, yet I'd still have only spent half the money.

I think an important thing to remember when you are comparing units in a store is you WON'T be comparing units in your house. I bought a 42" 1080p Dynex 18 months ago at BB for $699, which we put in the bedroom. I know that if I could bring some of the more expensive models to compare, I'd become very disappointed with the Dynex, but we love it as it is.

There's ALWAYS going to be something better and more expensive, but the odds say that the better and more expensive unit will cost less money nine months from now, replaced by something better and more expensive.

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Philips is a mid-range company for tvs. The sell under that name & Magnavox and maybe a couple others. That specific set doesn't have true 240hz. It uses backlight scanning to create 240hz. Only Sony and Samsumg(for mainstream brands) actually use 2 chips for 240hz. Also the whole 120hz/240hz/ and soon to be 480hz for LCD is more about reducing judder than motion blur. Some 60hz LCDs outperform 120 or 240hz sets when watching fast action. That being said if there was a like 1080p 120hz for a good amount less I'd save my money. You'll pay a premium for "true" 240hz on a Sony or Samsung.

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I've been out of town for most of the last week...so the TV search was on hold. I've got it narrowed down to 2:

Toshiba - 40" 120hz ($849)

Sony Bravia - 46" 120hz w/ a BluRay player ($1199)

Both will look huge compared to the 26" I currently have. And, the 40" leaves me some money to add audio as well.

Free Agency kicks off tomorrow (Happy Canada Day)....either way, TSN will look good. Probably gonna pull the trigger on one or the other later today.

:)

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I've been out of town for most of the last week...so the TV search was on hold. I've got it narrowed down to 2:

Toshiba - 40" 120hz ($849)

Sony Bravia - 46" 120hz w/ a BluRay player ($1199)

Both will look huge compared to the 26" I currently have. And, the 40" leaves me some money to add audio as well.

Free Agency kicks off tomorrow (Happy Canada Day)....either way, TSN will look good. Probably gonna pull the trigger on one or the other later today.

:)

120hz and 240hz are not that much of an improvement, if any. I posted an article in another post here on that which is worth reading. Sometimes you get more image degradation than benefits with a 120/240 hz TV. I turned the auto motion plus off on my Samsung as it was more of a PIA than anything else.

http://hdguru.com/120240-hz-lcd-problems-exposed/569/

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Ended up going with the Bravia package. Looks pretty freakin' sweet. I decided (kinda on the spot) to buy the 4 yr protection plan (which I didn't plan to do). That pushed me a little over budget. But I'm happy with it. The Blu Ray was out of stock. Got a raincheck to pick that up when they get more. Hopefully soon.

Before:

9734_288974415181_815270181_9299175_1896378_n.jpg

After:

36363_10150204597340182_815270181_13370819_3856802_n.jpg

Not sure if I want to see Pierre McGuire's mug on a TV this clear *L*

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