Houston...we have a problem

[stuckinthemud]

I broke down and bought my first HDTV plasma yesterday without telling the wife about it. She knew I was looking for the last year and a half. But she did not think I'd do it, I guess.

A couple weeks ago I jokingly mentioned that when we get our new HDTV I wanted to rent the Incredibles movie to make our maiden voyage. Lastnight when I got home I placed the Incredibles DVD on the arm rest of her recliner. She was a weee bit upset when she saw that DVD.

So I unloaded the unit, unpacked it, set it up and turned it on. The cable broadcast of regular programing looked awful. So she says to me I spent an awful lot of money to watch terrible TV.

So I immmediately popped in the Incredibles DVD and her eyes started to melt. She kept walking up to the plasma screen and putting her eyeballs about 2 inches away from the screen to see the clearity. She was rather impressed. We have no kids so we have not yet seen this movie. I thought the story line was rather cheap...but the graphics were outstandsing.

So where is the problem? Yesterday I was in deep doo doo for buying a HDTV plasma screen. This morning I find the wife has moved all the old analog TV's out to the garage and piled them up in the middle. I have no room left in the garage to do any woodwork.

I guess I'll have to relegate to watching This Old House and The New Yankee Workshop when they come out on HDTV format.

I have to say too...this set (Phillips 42PF9956/37) looked awsome right out of the box. I did not adjust anything. I will however be calibrating it this weekend when I have some time to play around.

Now I have to go find cost effective means of replacment for the bedroom, office and kitchen TVs that were thrown out lastnight.

Nate

[TheAntMan]

SOMEBODYS IN TROUBLE....

Just Kidding Man (no not really :) )

Well she was impressed with DVD though, so that's a good thing. About poor PQ on SD channels, that can be improved to where it's not "terrible". Remember though, this HDTV's enhance the image on the screen, and if the image is broadcast in HDTV, that's great, but it also enhances the flaws on SD channels as well. Your TV does not have an HD Tuner, so what are you going to use for HD channels?? A cable box, HD Satellite (Voom, DTV, Dish)? Get her to watch an HD program....quickly...Just Kidding again (no not really).

Now from a husband to another.....place your regular TV's back where they were and tell her it was a great joke she did by taking them out and throwing them in the middle of the garage and tell her your sorry you bought the TV w/o her knowing and that she's the most understanding and beautiful woman in the world and :bow: beg her to forgive you, and you won't make a purchase that big again without her knowing..... :rofl2:

[JBHOPKINS]

I'd say if you get away with just losing the analogs, you're getting off cheap.

Hey, maybe you should just run out and buy a few extra HD TVs to replace the others. No need to tell the wife....

[mjones73]

Wait til you feed some true HD into it, you'll be in even more trouble :D

[loadams]

Put the plasma in the garage and buy her a diamond. :)

[stress_guy]

Hey, maybe you should just run out and buy a few extra HD TVs to replace the others. No need to tell the wife....


That's how I would interpret her signals... :) Then again, maybe there is a reason I'm not married yet.

[stuckinthemud]

Wait til you feed some true HD into it, you'll be in even more trouble :D

Tomorrow...between 11am - 1pm! Can't wait.

Nate

[Matt27]

Now all you need is a surround sound system to complete your settup:)

HDTV is great as it is, but surround sound makes movies that much better.

There's just something about theater quality sound that is so addicting!!!

[TheAntMan]

Tomorrow...between 11am - 1pm! Can't wait.

Nate

Who did you chose as a provider?

[Seared Steak]

You must be a newlywed. :hah33: All us married guys go out and buy things and hide them from our wives, but a 42"? :rofl2:

Wife: What's that!
Husband: What?...That? Oh...nothing...

Tha damage is done. The pain will ease away. Buy her a case of wine for this and future A/V purchases and get some lube for yourself. :sherlok:

[stuckinthemud]

Now all you need is a surround sound system to complete your settup:)

HDTV is great as it is, but surround sound makes movies that much better.

There's just something about theater quality sound that is so addicting!!!

Matt,

This thing has actually been escalating for two weeks now. Two weeks ago we finally bit the bullet and picked up a Sony Surround Sound System. While I was hooking that up, she was reading the manual. She made an off the cuff comment about the section that talked about hooking it up to an HDTV system. That kind of ticked her off, but back then it was all still a joke. LOL

Nate

[stuckinthemud]

Who did you chose as a provider?

Charter.

I already have them and it's erasier to just get the STB upgraded than to have satelite installation scheduled and so forth. I still think DTV has more available. But Charter assured me they were working to please the customer base (HAHAHAHA)

I'm probablky going to pick up an over the air HD receiver or tuner today so I can connect directly to an antenna.

Nate

[mjones73]

So what did she give you as a budget to replace the rest of the TV's? :D

[stuckinthemud]

So what did she give you as a budget to replace the rest of the TV's? :D

I tried like hell to get a budget when I bought this one. She would not respond to my queries...so I made up a number I was comfortable with. LOL

Nate

[strangersonmyflight]

So be honest...did you get kicked out onto the couch? :p

[Matt27]

Matt,

This thing has actually been escalating for two weeks now. Two weeks ago we finally bit the bullet and picked up a Sony Surround Sound System. While I was hooking that up, she was reading the manual. She made an off the cuff comment about the section that talked about hooking it up to an HDTV system. That kind of ticked her off, but back then it was all still a joke. LOL

Nate

No worries :cool:

did you and your wife try any Dolby digital and DTS movies yet? How did they sound?

I myself just got into DTS about 6 months ago, and i've been hooked on the quality difference.

Dolby Digital is good, but DTS is just that much better it's almost like a night and day comparison.

Enjoy the home theater experiance :lurk:

Matt~

[TheAntMan]

Stuckinthemud...do you know the difference b/w DTS and DD5.1 as Matt suggested? Do you have your dvd player connected to your AV receiver via optical cable, or is your dvd player connected to your TV audio in?

[mfabien]

I tried like hell to get a budget when I bought this one. She would not respond to my queries...so I made up a number I was comfortable with. LOL

Nate

For the kitchen, we have a Sharp Aquos 13" EDTV and just with basic analog cable, the PQ is outstanding.

See it at:

http://www.sharpusa.com/products/ModelLanding/0,1058,1355,00.html

[vurbano]

Trade in That HD Plasma for 2 HD DLP units. This is going to get expensive.

[loadams]

I tried like hell to get a budget when I bought this one. She would not respond to my queries...so I made up a number I was comfortable with. LOL

Nate


We got rid of the kids for a weekend, got my wife drunk, and dragged her into Tweeters a week before our anniversary. After 20 years of marriage, we decided on a mutual gift. :whistle:

[JBHOPKINS]

We got rid of the kids for a weekend, got my wife drunk, and dragged her into Tweeters a week before our anniversary. After 20 years of marriage, we decided on a mutual gift. :whistle:

Who says romance is dead!

[stuckinthemud]

So be honest...did you get kicked out onto the couch? :p

The couch is 7 feet away from the new Plasma. I doubt very seriously she would kick me to the couch. Maybe the dog kennel.

On the first evening with the new TV she actually slept on the couch and I fell asleep (about 2am) on the recliner. LOL

Nate

[stuckinthemud]

No worries :cool:

did you and your wife try any Dolby digital and DTS movies yet? How did they sound?

I myself just got into DTS about 6 months ago, and i've been hooked on the quality difference.

Dolby Digital is good, but DTS is just that much better it's almost like a night and day comparison.

Enjoy the home theater experiance :lurk:

Matt~

Matt...the only movie I have watched on the plasma happens to be the only movie I have played through the new SS system also (The Incredibles). I'll look out for something with DTS for this weekend.

Nate

[stuckinthemud]

Stuckinthemud...do you know the difference b/w DTS and DD5.1 as Matt suggested? Do you have your dvd player connected to your AV receiver via optical cable, or is your dvd player connected to your TV audio in?

My DVD player is hooked into my AV receiver by Component Video as well as the DVD-Coax (looks like an RCA crimp adapter but in orange). The AV reciever puts out, via Component again, to the TV. I am thinking about picking up an optical cable for the video, but for now, this is how it is hooked up.

Nate

[Matt27]

If you can you should probably hook the component input directly to the plasma and not through the receiver.

We await your answers by the way with the DD and DTS sound differences:)

[Ratman]

I am thinking about picking up an optical cable for the video.....

Optical is digital audio only.

[mjones73]

If your DVD player has a DVI or HDMI out and your TV has a DVI or HDMI in, it wouldn't hurt to pick up a cable online and try that hook up method instead, that will allow you to keep the picture digital from one end to the other.

The optical as mentioned is for audio only, it's just an alternative to using the coax connection you are now, there's no sound difference between the two.

[sto22]

While I didn't sneak my TV into the house, my wife couldn't fathom the difference between a 60" and a 27". She figured it was a "guy" thing that I needed a bigger TV than my brothers. (Partially True !).

When we first watched one of her shows (ER) in HD, she began to understand.

sto22

[stuckinthemud]

Optical is digital audio only.

Whoops...that's what I meant. AUDIO!

Nate

[strangersonmyflight]

I found difficulty making a convincing case on just the widescreen effect alone when I introduced my dear mum to CSI in HD vs. standard. That is her favorite show, as well.

[Matt27]

DD and DTS are much easier to tell apart, generally with bass and channel seperation.

9/10 times DTS is cleaner, sharper, more open and generally better bass and clarity.

Some of my favorite movies with DTS are:

The Fifth Element:SuperBit
T2: The Ultimate Edition
Pirates of the Caribbean
Collateral
X2
Die Hard
The Fast and the Furious
Jurassic Park
Spiderman2:Superbit
Predator: Collectors edition
just to name a few...

[TheAntMan]

My DVD player is hooked into my AV receiver by Component Video as well as the DVD-Coax (looks like an RCA crimp adapter but in orange). The AV reciever puts out, via Component again, to the TV. I am thinking about picking up an optical cable for the video, but for now, this is how it is hooked up.

Nate

Stuck, If you can, plug the DVD player straight into your TV (it will save a set of components for you as well). Your coax (or optical if you decide)straight from the dvd to receiver is good for true dds/dts 5.1 sound.

[strangersonmyflight]

Here's the straight scoop on that- if you will be judging sound quality issues between DD and DTS, any difference you hear is going to be more a result of data compression quality (degree of compression), than whether it is DD or DTS. If it is a difference in the degree of surround sound effect, then you may have a valid association to DD vs. DTS. Anything outside of that, it all comes down to how much you like "mp3 sound" or which "mp3 sound" you like better.

[Matt27]

Like i said 9/10 times DTS always sounds better, and if you are given a choice between DD and DTS on a dvd, you would pick the DTS of coarse.

But like you said comparing compression quality sometimes it's hard to tell.

Generally though if given the option on a dvd you would pick DTS over DD because of the better clarity and definition.

[kevinw]

Like i said 9/10 times DTS always sounds better, and if you are given a choice between DD and DTS on a dvd, you would pick the DTS of coarse.

But like you said comparing compression quality sometimes it's hard to tell.

Generally though if given the option on a dvd you would pick DTS over DD because of the better clarity and definition.
9 times out of 10 too you. I often pick DTS over DD but there is no scientific reason to pick one over the other. In a blind test You could not guess which is which.
As strangersOMF said they are both MP3 and neither is superior or less superior. They are both just codecs.
http://www.timefordvd.com/ref/dts.shtml
http://www.dolby.com/consumer/technology/tech_overview.html

[Matt27]

You don't need your eye's for those tests kev;)

[kevinw]

You don't need your eye's for those tests kev;)
http://skepdic.com/control.html
correct