Look at my "Slow Day"

As I'm entering this post, I'm in a 2-day long conference call for a early-stage design review of a validation platform for a "next generation" chipset. They just finished the overview, and are starting on the chassis overview. The interesting part is trying to see how well this should all work in the end. The boring part is waiting for all the non-essential questions to be used up. We are still stuck using Netmeeting, so there are always requests for IP addresses following the beeps on the conference call to signify when someone has joined. Hopefully this will give me more time to read user reviews for my favorite RPTVs.

Shifting the Scope, assuming I had one to begin with...

My wife, being the only person I know who reads this, suggested that I add a little more to my blog so that I can keep a more continuous stream of (BS) information pouring forth. Sounds good enough. Maybe I can use it to help her and other "resistant to change" types step into the ever-widening world of Gadgets & Technology Entertainment. I think I'll coin my own acronym here and call that GATE for short. Yeah! That's the ticket.


The first thing today will be RSS feeds. Many folks know all about them and can tell you their favorite feed-reader and why. RSS stand for Really Simple Syndication, and is a method of making information available to internet users who would like to read just the articles or headlines they want from a given website supporting RSS. You can get more information here.

I try not to use much more than a core of programs for most tasks on my computers, so I'm not very interested in feed-readers (or news aggregators as some call them) unless they plug into another program I already use. Being a heavy Firefox user, I tried a few readers that were set up as Firefox extensions a while back, then Firefox started supporting RSS somewhat natively. At that point, I quit using add-ins and only used Firefox. They way I do it is to make a folder in the Bookmarks Toolbar Folder called (pretend I'm being imaginitive here, okay?) "News Feeds". When you come across a website where Firefox is showing this symbol:

you can click on the symbol and Firefox will ask you whate folder you want to save you Live Bookmark in. I always select my (imaginitively named) "News Feeds" folder. Right now, I've got Live Bookmarks for my GMail account, Techbargains, Local TV headlines, The Inquirer, and my Lovely Wife's Blog.

In 1080p RPTV research news, I have found some good threads pertaining to the televisions in question at AVS Forum . I'm starting to get a better handle on some of the Audio pass-through capabilities of some of these sets. I'm still trying to gleen some of the useful information, but it is taking a long time because of the sheer number of posts involved. The good ones have over 600 posts! I still have a long way to go before there are more than a handful of people reporting their own experiences with the TVs. The big question is: Does any TV pass along anything more than stereo audio from an HDMI connected source? The HDMI spec says that it can carry as much as 7.1 channels, but I keep reading that the TVs only output 5.1 channel audio sourced from their own tuners, and not from HDMI. This is not what I wanted to hear. I guess I shouldn't be getting my hopes too high for this generation of sets, but I feel like I've waited long enough.

The Field Becomes Foggy.

Just when I thought this was getting easier, I found some disturbing information about my favorite HDTVs. The HP's maximum VGA input resolution is only 1280x1024, rather than the native 1920x1080. On the other hand, I was able to confirm that it can not only receive a full 1080p signal from the HDMI inputs, but the Component inputs as well. This takes the HP down a notch, as I had hoped that I could use the VGA input with an HTPC. All is not lost as there are also folks who have gotten various video cards to display 1920x1080 on the HP via DVI. I'm trying to stay away from reliance on DVI as I have been led to understand that DVI's resolving of color definition leaves something to be desired compared to HDMI, Component, or even VGA.

To make matters worse, I found that the Toshiba 56MX195's VGA input will not accept an input signal beyond 1024x768! Admitedly, this is not much worse than what the HP set can display from it's own VGA input, but what a disapointment on both sides!! I had been considering "stretching" to buy the 56MX195 for it's VGA input, and network connectivity compared to the "basic" features of the 56HM195. Now I hardly think it is worth considering at all. The Samsung sets are slowly creeping up on me again. I'm sure there has to be a way to disable the "Image Enhancement" features on those TVs. I have resolved to find the person who has found it (rather than being that particular guinea pig myself).

While the HP MD5880n has almost everything I want in my next television purchase, I'm putting it on the "Too Large for My Living Room" list. If the dang thing didn't hang out so far on either side of the screen, there would hardly be any question. As it is, it's too wide. I need to fit the stand for this TV (which needs to be more useful and taller, not to mention cheaper, than the one designed for it) and the subwoofer beside it to fit in within the confines of a 73-inch wallspace. When the TV is already over 60 inches wide, that doesn't leave much room to spare. HP, I'm sorry. I really wanted this to work out. $3200 is a really nice price, but I don't think that's gonna be enough.

So I've got most of the pertinent information about displaying native-resolution images down. Next I'll try my hand at the TV Audio version of "Where's Waldo" so we can figure out which audio sources can get to into each set and how it leaves (if at all) from the digital audio output so my Pioneer VSX-815s can make my ears happy. Dig?

I just need to say one thing more: If you think you found the big ticket item you need to make your dreams come true at BestBuy, Circuit City, or any other big-name retailer with twin-initials, you need to thank them for helping you find it, then go somewhere else to purchase it. I've got friends and relatives who have made big purchases from them, and I feel sick knowing that they could have gotten either better quality for the same money, or paid MUCH less for the same quality. If you need advice, let me point you in the right direction. I'm not saying I have the advice, I'm saying I am good at finding advice, and I want to help. I'm a cheap bastard, but I admire quality and demand functionality. I also know that everyone trying to make these same decisions will feel better about their purchase if they can take a more interactive approach to it and learn what features are available so they can still feel proud of their purchase 3 years later rather than wondering why they couldn't have found out about the snazzy gadget their friend got 3 months later.
My surprise today? LED backlights for LCD panels. This appeared much more quickly than I had anticipated. Sony is already showing off laptops featuring this technology. Granted, it still has a few drawbacks in this early implementation, but wait another half year or so, and you will be amazed by the wonderful change that the LCD display industry will be taking. Displays will get Thinner, use less power, and I predict that they will continue to drop in price (how else will you get the new ones to sell?). To put it simply, current LCDs are color-handicapped because the backlighting is not pure white. This is bad because the panel must compensate for it's lopsided backlight before caring about what color it is supposed to be displaying, losing color accuracy in the process. They are also less than efficient when it comes to power consumption because of the power wasted in producing a high-voltage source to power the backlight. LED backlighting fixes these shortcomings, and makes the world a better place for it. Why is it it that I'm not going to wait for it? Two many little things to go wrong can screw up that picture on a big TV for my taste as I see it. I can handle a computer monitor, and hopefully we can find something like that for my wife fairly soon, but not the family TV yet.

And the Finalists are...

• HP Pavilion MD5880n
• Samsung HL-R5078W
• JVC HD-56FH96
• Samsung HL-R5668W
• Mitsubishi WD-52627
• Samsung HL-R5678W
• Mitsubishi WD-52628
• Samsung HL-R5688W
• Toshiba 56HM195
• Sony KDSR50XBR1
• Toshiba 56MX195
  

These are the televisions my family has to choose from. The price leader is the Toshiba 56HM195, which can be had for less than $2500 after shipping. My favorites were the HP, JVC, and Sony, until I had the opportunity to compare a Toshiba (not sure which one) to the JVC and Sony side by side. The Sony has fallen out of favor after realizing that the picture was getting washed out by a slight reflection from the overcast day outside. Neither the Toshiba or JVC had a problem overcoming the diminished outdoor reflection.

The best part about all of this is that while I'm waiting for the proper time to make the purchase, and balancing the pros and cons of various stands for the winner, I get to hear all about why each particular TV carried by each local store is so much more superior than the rest by the local misguided salesfolk. I had a guy at BestBuy try to tell me that his Sony was the only true 1080p set available on the market right now. What a laugh! There are about 4 different ways to interpret that, and in no case is it true. True, the DLP sets (all but the JVC and Sony) use "wobulation" to double the number of pixels, but after that, they all natively display 1080p from any material you can send to them. Every one that has a VGA input can display 1920x1080 from a computer's video card. The standout for the moment is the HP. It can accept a 1080p signal via the HDMI inputs. I honestly don't care if any of them can display a 1080p signal. I want the best looking 1080i picture I can find, and native 1080p is the best option for that right now. I realize that these sets are not the only choices, but they are the best fits for my size/weight/brightness/contrast/cost requirements.

Ads & Minuses

I noticed that I have the option of adding an Adsense advertisement to this blog, so I did. I'm sure I'll make lots of money from it, as I get so much traffic I can't keep up with even half of the responses I get.

I'll make this a little more interesting (to some people) soon when I start discussing the televisions and stands currently competing for a prime location in our living room. More to come soon!

It's all here... for now.

Well now it is getting to be rather fun. I've got all the new audio toys hooked up for the time being. It sounds great! The speaker set is more than I could have hoped for, and the wireless speakers do everything I need them to quite well. The receiver has such a depth of flexibility that I don't know where to begin describing it. The best part is that it is still easy to use with a minimum of fuss.

There are 4 functions it needs after setup for maximum enjoyability: Power, Source Selection, Volume Control, and Midnight Mode (for late night movie viewing when the kids are asleep). Our URC-6131 universal remote can handle everything but the Midnight Mode part. It would have to be reprogrammed via JP1 interface for it to work right, but we are gonna try to replace our former "best remote" instead: the URC-8811. Better button spacing, backlighting, more devices, JP1 headers installed, learning... The best hope for the 6131 will be backup. Bye-bye!!


Anyway, the sound system is great. The receiver has been calibrated (through automated means no less!), and sounds great no matter what I feed it. The DVD player and Comcast STB are both connected via S-Video and SP-DIF coax. The reciever sets itself for whatever surround mode is appropriate and all I need to do is set the volume. Me likey!!! When the HDTV come into the picture, I hope to use both HDMI inputs for the same type of components to directly connect to the TV and pass the audio from the TV to the receiver. We'll see where it goes once the DVR picture becomes clearer in the next year.

Home Theater Shopping...

Ever since my wonderful, movie-fanatic, lovely, electronics-friendly, awesome wife told me she thought we should get a nice HDTV and new home theater components, I've been running around like crazy trying to find out how to get the most bang for my buck. What the heck is happening here?

We are pretty much replacing everything. About the only thing that might be reused is my old 8" powered sub which resides in the back of our current A/V nook under the stairs. I don't remember the brand. I got it for $40 from Onsale.com about 7 years ago, to complement my soon to be replaced equipment. It has all aged well, with the possible exception of our DVD player that we had to get when my wife-to-be tried to give me some line about how she thought it would be easier to watch DVDs by using a DVD player rather than my highly customized, but not easy to use computer. We got a JVC DVD player, and it has had little hiccups every once in a while, but not bad until we got our latest DVD, Madagascar. That moved up the replacement date for the DVD player as well.

So as of now, we are watching the new DVD player (Samsung DVD-HD850), and we have ordered the receiver (Pioneer VSX-815S), a set of speakers home theater speakers (KLH MP06HT), and a wireless rear speaker contraption (Pioneer XW-HT1) so we don't have to run wires too far, because I am rather lazy like that.

All we have to worry about in a few months will be the TV and stand. I'm looking at any 1080p RPTV and an appropriately nice stand to hold four components. Within a year, I hope to be rid of the "Evil Comcast STB" and back in the welcoming arms of a cable card ready TIVO, or some other PC-based HD PVR.

Hahahaha!!

Obviously, not much is happening here.

7 Month Later...

Still Nothing. Go figure...