So i finally got a HDTV this weekend

[AppleQueso]

I'm hoping sometime in the future they come out with HDTV's that can display SD stuff in a decent fashion.

They did. Those HD CRTs can display stuff at its native resolution. The nature of LCD and Plasma technology does not allow this. However, if you're going to buy an HDTV new you should seriously consider Plasma. SD stuff will look much better on it than LCD. Not to mention that Plasma is superior to LCD in almost every way.

I was writing a complete home theater guide but the it was getting really large, too advanced, and people seemed to have little interest. Once I'm done with papers for the semester I might write mini guides that cover HD technology, Surround Sound systems, and video components, if anybody would be interested.

This just might be my own observation, but I've noticed that most cheap plasmas tend to be pretty terrible. We get a ton of returns at work for our oversized 720p plasmas, at least. Emphasis on cheap, though. I've noticed myself that the high end plasmas blow similarly priced LCDs out of the water.

I might be in the market for a surround sound system soon, so I might be interested in those mini guides.

[Niode]

This just might be my own observation, but I've noticed that most cheap plasmas tend to be pretty terrible. We get a ton of returns at work for our oversized 720p plasmas, at least. Emphasis on cheap, though. I've noticed myself that the high end plasmas blow similarly priced LCDs out of the water.

I might be in the market for a surround sound system soon, so I might be interested in those mini guides.

You get what you pay for, get a Panasonic or Pioneer plasma and you're golden. Best upscalers in the market. I love the upscaler on my Panasonic Viera, it's flawless over RGB even with 240i resolutions. My SNES looks perfect on it.

[Jamisonia]

This just might be my own observation, but I've noticed that most cheap plasmas tend to be pretty terrible. We get a ton of returns at work for our oversized 720p plasmas, at least. Emphasis on cheap, though. I've noticed myself that the high end plasmas blow similarly priced LCDs out of the water.

I might be in the market for a surround sound system soon, so I might be interested in those mini guides.

The problem with Plasmas, despite what the manufacturer's say, is they still require break in, and the picture settings have to be greatly tweaked from how the come. Plasmas are especially notorious for coming out of the box with extraordinarily high contrast settings, whats referred to as torch settings, because they will shorten the life of your set. They do this because they know they have to compete with very bright florescent light in a sales atmosphere and those settings make it look better in that environment. High contrast will also emphasis problems in the video source, in in the case of upconverted SD signals, which have a lot of issues to begin with, its going to look bad.

Remember when you buy your TV, regardless of what type it is you want to do a picture calibration to get the settings right. Very rarely are factory setting correct, and you can't eyeball it. I used this because the reviews said it was easier to follow than Digital Video Essentials.

http://www.amazon.com/Disney-WOW-World- ... 225&sr=8-1

There's also a DVD version.



I might write one about surround sound first then. I know all of those decoders can make you head spin. The best advice I can give you is, if you want quality surround sound, do not buy a Home Theater in Box type. I know its tempting, I know it sounds easy, I know its cheap. You're better off spending money on a cheaper AV receiver like the Pioneer VSK-521-K, and grabbing your speakers of Craigslist (this is what I did), and upgrading as you get more money.