HDTV & Audio FAQ, Accessories and TV area setup Official Post Vol. That time again...

[rko2004]

Time to bring this baby back. We just got Sony KDL40W4100 set today. I though all hope was lost until hhgregg came through in the clutch with the 20%off sale.I post pictures when we set the stand and everything else up.

 

[ogmikey]

^^^^^ I think im bought to get the same tv for $800 tomorrow during a friends and family sale, we shall see though.

 

[rko2004]

Originally Posted by OGMIKEY

^^^^^ I think im bought to get the same tv for $800 tomorrow during a friends and family sale, we shall see though.

Where? Oh and I'm guessing you have to know someone who works there?

 

[sickickz23]

NT school me on HDMI cables. I have the one that came with the DirecTV HD DVR. Should I just stick with that one or should I invest on a better HDMI cable? Andare expensive HDMI cables a waste of money? Are all HDMI cables created equal? Myth or fact? Thanks.

 

[ogmikey]

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Originally Posted by OGMIKEY

^^^^^ I think im bought to get the same tv for $800 tomorrow during a friends and family sale, we shall see though.

Where? Oh and I'm guessing you have to know someone who works there?

Sears, its supposed to be 15% off sony tv's tomorrow, plus another 10 i think if u use your sears card and its over 999, then another 10 forthe associate discount, and there might be one more promotion but i won't know till i get there. This is all estimation thinking the tv is gonna be 1100but it might not be, again i wont know until tomorrow.

 

[rko2004]

Originally Posted by OGMIKEY

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Originally Posted by OGMIKEY

^^^^^ I think im bought to get the same tv for $800 tomorrow during a friends and family sale, we shall see though.

Where? Oh and I'm guessing you have to know someone who works there?

Sears, its supposed to be 15% off sony tv's tomorrow, plus another 10 i think if u use your sears card and its over 999, then another 10 for the associate discount, and there might be one more promotion but i won't know till i get there. This is all estimation thinking the tv is gonna be 1100 but it might not be, again i wont know until tomorrow.

$1100 would be great. We paid $1200. Don't forget the warranty.

 

[ogmikey]

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Originally Posted by OGMIKEY

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Originally Posted by OGMIKEY

^^^^^ I think im bought to get the same tv for $800 tomorrow during a friends and family sale, we shall see though.

Where? Oh and I'm guessing you have to know someone who works there?

Sears, its supposed to be 15% off sony tv's tomorrow, plus another 10 i think if u use your sears card and its over 999, then another 10 for the associate discount, and there might be one more promotion but i won't know till i get there. This is all estimation thinking the tv is gonna be 1100 but it might not be, again i wont know until tomorrow.

$1100 would be great. We paid $1200. Don't forget the warranty.

Where did you buy it from, extended service warranties are usually a rip, they usually dont cover anything an extended manufacturers warranty orsquaretrade warranty would, and those are a fraction of the cost of a retailers. Unless you buying from me, then you need a warranty.

 

[rko2004]

Originally Posted by OGMIKEY

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Originally Posted by OGMIKEY

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Originally Posted by OGMIKEY

^^^^^ I think im bought to get the same tv for $800 tomorrow during a friends and family sale, we shall see though.

Where? Oh and I'm guessing you have to know someone who works there?

Sears, its supposed to be 15% off sony tv's tomorrow, plus another 10 i think if u use your sears card and its over 999, then another 10 for the associate discount, and there might be one more promotion but i won't know till i get there. This is all estimation thinking the tv is gonna be 1100 but it might not be, again i wont know until tomorrow.

$1100 would be great. We paid $1200. Don't forget the warranty.

Where did you buy it from, extended service warranties are usually a rip, they usually dont cover anything an extended manufacturers warranty or squaretrade warranty would, and those are a fraction of the cost of a retailers. Unless you buying from me, then you need a warranty.

We got it from hhgregg. The warranty is a full coverage plan I think. My mom signed all of that.

 

[pr0phecy718]

Originally Posted by sickickz23

NT school me on HDMI cables. I have the one that came with the DirecTV HD DVR. Should I just stick with that one or should I invest on a better HDMI cable? And are expensive HDMI cables a waste of money? Are all HDMI cables created equal? Myth or fact? Thanks.

i need to know as well

 

[jmedora]

Get the cheap HDMI cables, you WILL NOT see any difference under any circumstance.




AND if you want the best TV on the market, the PIONEER KURO is it. No questions asked.

 

[rko2004]

Whats a good spot for TV stands?

 

[mht214]

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Whats a good spot for TV stands?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...0##h0~~ncabcat0106001##0##1y&pagetype=listing


**Been gone for a while; been really busy. Lets get this thread back again!!

 

[rko2004]

Originally Posted by MHT214

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Whats a good spot for TV stands?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...0##h0~~ncabcat0106001##0##1y&pagetype=listing


**Been gone for a while; been really busy. Lets get this thread back again!!

Thanks. I found this one at a local Walmart. It looks good in person and the reviews says its sturdy.

They could have picked a better tv.

 

[swendro]

Saw this on another forum. Thought I'd share it with you guys. I'm going to try this:

I went over to my friends house today and saw him watching his new HDTV in pitch black to get the "best picture". 15 minutes later we were at home depot, spend about 17 dollars and he is now completely blown away by his picture quality changes.

Bias Lighting.

If you don't know what it is, continue reading. It is the best 20 dollars you can spend and the improvement to your picture (and your eyes) will be huge.



Why you should do it:

1) Eye Strain. Watching TV in the dark will give your eyes a workout. Every time you get a change from bright to dark scene your iris has to expand and contract. Do this for 2 hours and your eye will start twitching. Especially if you have a bright TV (LCD, newer plasmas). The "bias light" works to give your eyes a basically level amount of light coming to them. This way your eyes don't have to adjust constantly to changes in light.

2) Black level. The light behind the TV is going to make black look blacker off your TV and will actually reduce black crush by helping your eyes resolve detail in shadows faster. Think of it like walking out of a dark room into the sun or visa versa. Your eyes don't adjust to changes in light immediately, they take time. So while your eyes are adjusting to the new dark scene you are losing detail in the shadows.

3) Color reproduction. When you calibrate a TV (either professionally or yourself) the idea is to get the color to 6500K. This is the standard that directors, cinematographers and a growing number of video game developers use when they create a game. If you want to see what they made you need to get your TV as close to 6500k as possible. If you turn on a light that is not 6500K (say a florescent bulb or a "soft white" bulb) you are destroying all the hard work that went into adjusting the TV properly, because you just screwed up your eyes ability to see the proper color. Luckily for us, most "daylight" bulbs are 6500K (or very close).

How to do it

I was going to write a long thing out, but I found this youtube video that shows you exactly the best way to do it. Make sure you buy a 6500k light bulb Check the packaging, most "daylight" bulbs are near 6500K but you should double check. I personally use one of those cheap under cabinet kitchen lights for mine, but the principle in this video is the same.



If your receiver doesn't have a power switch built into it then you can plug it in the wall and turn the light on manually. Obviously it's a hell of a lot easier if it just turns itself on.

 

[rko2004]

Ok a few questions...

How did He clamp the lamp onto the TV stand?

What is TV calibration and how do you do it and is it difficult and what is the purpose?

What is a receiver exactly and what are its functions?

Questions, questions and more questions

 

[mht214]

^ That is def a interesting concept. Of course if you can get it calibrated do it; but this is a very creative alternative.. BUT, it has already been tried.Philips tried this a few years back; it was hot for a while, even i liked it. The light would turn the color of the major color that was on the panel...too badthe TV sucked. Again, this is cool, but eh....

 

[mht214]

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Ok a few questions...

How did He clamp the lamp onto the TV stand?

What is TV calibration and how do you do it and is it difficult and what is the purpose?

What is a receiver exactly and what are its functions?

Questions, questions and more questions

- Since it was a desk lamp, it looks like it just held itself against the stand and the wall. Not sure, dudes voice was boring so i kinda skipped some it...

- http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...C4D3EFAGA?id=pcmcat108000050040&type=category

- Audio reciever or Video reciever [ aka sat/cable box]?

 

[untroubled youth]

The blacks looked super black in that video. Might give this a try.. $15 never hurt anyone, thanks!

 

[rko2004]

Originally Posted by MHT214

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Ok a few questions...

How did He clamp the lamp onto the TV stand?

What is TV calibration and how do you do it and is it difficult and what is the purpose?

What is a receiver exactly and what are its functions?

Questions, questions and more questions

- Since it was a desk lamp, it looks like it just held itself against the stand and the wall. Not sure, dudes voice was boring so i kinda skipped some it...

- http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...C4D3EFAGA?id=pcmcat108000050040&type=category

- Audio reciever or Video reciever [ aka sat/cable box]?

Both

 

[untroubled youth]

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Originally Posted by MHT214

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Ok a few questions...

How did He clamp the lamp onto the TV stand?

What is TV calibration and how do you do it and is it difficult and what is the purpose?

What is a receiver exactly and what are its functions?

Questions, questions and more questions

- Since it was a desk lamp, it looks like it just held itself against the stand and the wall. Not sure, dudes voice was boring so i kinda skipped some it...

- http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...C4D3EFAGA?id=pcmcat108000050040&type=category

- Audio reciever or Video reciever [ aka sat/cable box]?

Both

Receivers are like the "brains" of the setup. It is the thing that you plug everything into. For example an audio receiver... Let'ssay you have a sound system. Now, you got your DVD player, cable box, karaoke machine, and whatever else, you plug all those into the receiver, and thereceiver sends the signal through your sound system.

 

[rko2004]

Originally Posted by UNtroubled YOUTH

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Originally Posted by MHT214

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Ok a few questions...

How did He clamp the lamp onto the TV stand?

What is TV calibration and how do you do it and is it difficult and what is the purpose?

What is a receiver exactly and what are its functions?

Questions, questions and more questions

- Since it was a desk lamp, it looks like it just held itself against the stand and the wall. Not sure, dudes voice was boring so i kinda skipped some it...

- http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...C4D3EFAGA?id=pcmcat108000050040&type=category

- Audio reciever or Video reciever [ aka sat/cable box]?

Both

Receivers are like the "brains" of the setup. It is the thing that you plug everything into. For example an audio receiver... Let's say you have a sound system. Now, you got your DVD player, cable box, karaoke machine, and whatever else, you plug all those into the receiver, and the receiver sends the signal through your sound system.

So a video receiver does?

I'm a rookie

 

[sickickz23]

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Whats a good spot for TV stands?

I have this. Love it.


http://www.abt.com/product/34016/Z-Line-ZL2344MU.html

 

[mht214]

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Originally Posted by MHT214

Originally Posted by RKO2004

Ok a few questions...

How did He clamp the lamp onto the TV stand?

What is TV calibration and how do you do it and is it difficult and what is the purpose?

What is a receiver exactly and what are its functions?

Questions, questions and more questions

- Since it was a desk lamp, it looks like it just held itself against the stand and the wall. Not sure, dudes voice was boring so i kinda skipped some it...

- http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...C4D3EFAGA?id=pcmcat108000050040&type=category

- Audio reciever or Video reciever [ aka sat/cable box]?

Both

Im going to put it in very simple terms.

Audio reciever = amplifier to your speakers. It also works as a switch box/pass through with your video components. In other words, you can plug allyour components to an audio reciever [ PS3, cable box, Bluray Player, Computer, etc...] It will then output that source to the TV. AND of course because it isa Audio reciever, it will pump out audio sound to the speakers that you hook up to the reciever.

A rough diagram for you.

 

[illoquent aka dsk]

Just ran through the whole thread...

MHT214...thanks for all the info and help in this thread. I'm not in the market for an HDTV yet (waiting alllllllthe way until Black Friday), but I'm trying to get informed on everything so I'll know what to cop when the time comes. I just hope you're stillaround in November because I'll be asking a lot questions...

 

[mht214]

Originally Posted by iLLoQuent aka DSK

Just ran through the whole thread...

MHT214...thanks for all the info and help in this thread. I'm not in the market for an HDTV yet (waiting alllllll the way until Black Friday), but I'm trying to get informed on everything so I'll know what to cop when the time comes. I just hope you're still around in November because I'll be asking a lot questions...

Ha, no prob. I hope im here too. But, i recommend the same thing to everyone else [ go back and read the last 10 pgs, alotof questions were answered by me, and others--props to you all ].
.....And TV prices are coming down like crazy...i dont know how much better they can get....i guess only time will tell....