Talk me out of Satellite & HDTV? (part 2)

[Bob_Skurka]

<font color="blue"> I can get a bigger television to make her television and movie viewing more pleasurable, but this is a difficult balance...
She will have a new home theater system and larger television, which will justify me to go out and buy a pole barn in the spring.
If I don't spend enough money on the television, she will be mad that I spent too much on the pole barn and not enough on her.
However, if I spend too much on the television, she will be happy but I won't have enough money for the pole barn!
Oh, what to do, what to do? </font>


SIMPLE. Move the whole entertainment center to the new barn, get a projection set up and broadcast MrsAndyM's TV onto the barn wall!

 

[AndyM]

<font color="blue"> Andy whats a record? Didn't they phase those out with Beta VCRs and 8 track tape players? </font>

Actually, I have over 2000 records. I'm going to start listing many of them on Ebay in the coming months.

I don't think I can get any money for the eight tracks though. You're not interested in Ronnie Milsap's Greatest Hits on 8 track, are you? How 'bout Eddie Rabbitt or Crystal Gayle? Kenny Rogers?

How about a stereo eight track RECORDER and some blank eight tracks? We're talking high tech here! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[PineRidge]

2,000 records, 8 track tapes....

Andy, I just gotta ask you: Does your garage look like Junkmans?

 

[roho]

AndyM, U got 2000 records, WoW, I got about 300/400 and would like to get rid of them! If YOU find a market anywhere(Ebay, etc) let me know! Had a friend that sold 300 for 50 cents apeice! Can't find a market around here but know theres bound to be! Well sorry about stumbling off subject!! I'm sure someone will remind me, OK, MGB Have a happy new years!

 

[imported_OWDouglas]

I can talk you out of HD but not satelitte, sets are way too expensive and not many are broadcasting full HD I'd wait on that one. Since cable over priced themselves I got Dish network. I love it, and for the price(1/2 of cable) it's worth it

 

[PineRidge]

Andy we sold a collection of about 650 45 RPM records as a trading assistant at eBay about a year and a half back. The sale amounted to pennies on the dollar, wasn't worth the time to write the auction or take the pictures.

Guess the oldies really do die after all. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

AndyM, my HD set up is not even completed yet, but I would tend to agree with OWDouglass about the cost effectiveness and the benefit of HDTV. As you are looking at controlling costs, I would go with a regular digital set, not a HD set.

Right now, HDTV is expensive just to buy the HDTV set. To get HD free signals you have to be able to receive a digital signal via terrestrial broadcast and your set must be HD built in, or HD compatible; if it is compatible then you need a HDTV set top box (some of the HD set top boxes I found were in the $200 - $300 range). HD is only broadcast for some of the most popular network TV shows, sports, etc.

HD signals can also be gotten via satellite or cable. Usually it is an added cost upgrade to get the HD packages. Even with the HD upgrade, the choices are very limited. But then you are paying for the basic service + the HD upgrade. From what I found, only VOOM has HD as standard as part of their service, their reciever boxes are all HD, but their service costs a bit more. DirecTV charges several hundred dollars for their HD receiver, they only sell it so it is an upfront cost. I don't remember what the DishNetwork charged regarding the HD upgrade. I know a guy with cable (not available where I live) his HD upgrade costs him $15/month over his regular service. He loves it and thinks it is worth it, but he is a big sports fanatic and many sports broadcast in HD.

 

[dbelisle]

HD is hard to beat.

My TV is a Mitsubishi 55 HD unit. The HD signal is from Direct TV. They have doubled the number of HD channels in the last year. I have a Yamaha 700 watt Dolby Digital 6.1. with a powered sub woofer.

The thing to remember is that the standard analog TV you have now is only providing you with 10 to 15 percent of the information you see on the screen that you get with HD TV.

Equate that to your eyes and if you only saw 10 to 15 percent you would be considered legally blind.
In a true HD show or Movie the color is so vivid and the detail so fine you feel like your there.

Add in the Dolby digital 5.1 and the sounds and quality are out of this world. It isn't just left and right , but five channels of sound plus the base.

A football game, NASCAR race, concert , or a movie becomes an experience and not just TV.

HD is expensive right now but the prices are coming down .
You are starting to see HD at Walmart for under $1,000.00.

As more and more HD sets get sold , there will be more and more HD programing. There is also a point when there is a certain number of HD sets out there, They will start to phase out the analog signals and you will have to buy a converter to convert digital to analog so you can watch you old TV.

I like movies so I have a Samsung HD DVD player.

A DVD played in HD on a HD player, with Dolby 5.1 is as good a the theater and makes the movie a experiance and not just a movie.

Dave in NH

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Dave, is your Samsung the 841 or 941 player, I see it in your picture, but don't know the models well enough to differentiate them from a photo.

My TV is the Samsung 5685. I considered the Samsung upconverting units but chose to go with Denon's upconverting (they call it scaling) DVD755 player for the same reason you chose Samsung. I also have a Denon AVR receiver and Paradigm Cinema 90 surround sound. But I'm waiting for the VOOM satellite system to be installed (should be next week).

 

[dbelisle]

Bob , the DVD player is a Samsung HD841. It does a great job.

I just got the Yamaha 6.1 surround sound system this week and set it up yesterday. The test of the system for 6.1 says all is OK , But for right now everything is in 5.1 , so the rear middle speaker isn't doing anything . The system defaults to 5.1 if 6.1 isn't there. It is something to have differant sounds coming from all around the room. I can't waite for the NASCAR season to start. I had Dolby Pro lodgic before and thought that was good.

I am a big Star Trek fan. With this system when James Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, or Kathryn Janeway gives the order to fire a Photon torpedo , you sit up and take notice.


Dave in NH