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I saw a photo earlier in the thread of windows media center running on a TV with a cloud background. Seems to have dissapeared now? Can anyone explain hows thats achieved? I'm running vista.
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Mar 24, 2007 07:47
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Well, I've got quite a cheapass setup myself. -V I am now format neutral. KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!  -V Genji II - REAL TIME WEAPON SWITCHING  -V Since I found Serenity (the best HD DVD there is, ever)...  The goods: TV = Philips 30PW8420 Xbox 180 w/ XBMC via component @ 480p Xbox 360 w/ HD DVD addon via component @ 1080i PlayStation 3 (20gb represent!!) via HDMI (audio out via composite audio) @ 720p/1080i Wide Open West cable box (digital basic with ABC/NBC/Fox/CBS in HD) Aiwa something or other. In the process of upgrading to a decent Onkyo 5.1 HTIB For what it's worth, the CRT cost less than my 360 itself (not including the HD add-on). It's a wonderful TV, and it supports 480i/480p/1080i natively (and accepts 720p signals, and converts them to 1080i). Wonderful TV for the price, but it is a CRT which people seem to think are so last year. I watched half of Superman Returns on HD at my friend's place (56" Sammy DLP), and the other half on my setup. The colors on the DLP were terrible (although his TV is not calibrated in any way), very muddy blacks, not very vibrant at all. There's no substitute for a nice CRT, in an age of flat panel units. If anyone's interested in the TV, it's available at Philips' outlet page for $300 + tax (free shipping last I saw). Only downside is no ATSC tuner, which is available in a model which is essentially the same, but $100 more. Side note - Casino Royale on BD completely justified the PS3 purchase.
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Mar 24, 2007 14:46
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luigionlsd posted:For what it's worth, the CRT cost less than my 360 itself (not including the HD add-on). It's a wonderful TV, and it supports 480i/480p/1080i natively (and accepts 720p signals, and converts them to 1080i). Wonderful TV for the price, but it is a CRT which people seem to think are so last year. I watched half of Superman Returns on HD at my friend's place (56" Sammy DLP), and the other half on my setup. The colors on the DLP were terrible (although his TV is not calibrated in any way), very muddy blacks, not very vibrant at all. There's no substitute for a nice CRT, in an age of flat panel units. If anyone's interested in the TV, it's available at Philips' outlet page for $300 + tax (free shipping last I saw). Only downside is no ATSC tuner, which is available in a model which is essentially the same, but $100 more. You realize that both HD DVD and Blu-ray are 1080p, right? Which is a higher resolution (1920x1080) than your TV supports? Granted, your TV's resolution is higher than that of a normal DVD so the HD DVDs ought to look better, assuming a good transfer and all that.
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Mar 24, 2007 15:52
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King Nothing posted:You realize that both HD DVD and Blu-ray are 1080p, right? Which is a higher resolution (1920x1080) than your TV supports? Granted, your TV's resolution is higher than that of a normal DVD so the HD DVDs ought to look better, assuming a good transfer and all that. edit: widescreen CRT crew representin
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Mar 24, 2007 16:04
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Amaritudo posted:1080i and 1080p are the same resolution just different display methods. Slow-moving and still objects appear identical between the two. It's fast-motion where 1080i can possibly suffer. The truth is you need a big screen to be able to tell the difference between the two and on his 30" screen, 1080p would just be a waste of money. http://www.hometheatermag.com/gearworks/1106gear/ That's only true for movies, according to this link, because movies are encoded at 24 fps. They're most definitely not the same if you're giving them a 60hz 1920x1080 signal (such as from a computer). You're right he wouldn't notice a difference though...didn't know about the 24fps thing until now.
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Mar 24, 2007 16:09
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http://xylon.haloapplications.com/ Check out King Kong (HD), Casino Royale (BD), and Serenity (HD). Reasons enough to make the plunge to HD/BD, especially if you have an HDTV. As for your quips about "wrong resolution", I'm pretty drat happy with the picture quality, for as much as I paid. As I said, the image quality on my cheapo set was worlds ahead of my friend's (1080p) DLP. I'm happy with my purchase. I've gotten some wonderful mileage out of CRTs - my Dell P1130 was about $130, and it's the best monitor I've ever used. That baby supports 1080p, but it's not wide. I'll probably be using it with my HD DVD drive to take some screenshots.
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Mar 24, 2007 17:14
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Amaritudo posted:1080i and 1080p are the same resolution just different display methods. Slow-moving and still objects appear identical between the two. It's fast-motion where 1080i can possibly suffer. The truth is you need a big screen to be able to tell the difference between the two and on his 30" screen, 1080p would just be a waste of money. in before "1080i is 1920x540" post.
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Mar 25, 2007 05:00
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 Speakers: Energy C5 Amp: NAD C320BEE DVD Player: NAD T514 Monitor: Samsung 22" Headphones: Sennheiser HD595 You can also see the wireless mouse in the foreground, the thing it's sitting on is attached to the couch which is too close to see. The C5s are completely  and I got them B-stock for $450 which was a pretty great deal. I don't remember what exactly they go down to on the low-end but I've made them shake a room before, they are truly fullrange and a sub would be pretty overkill except for maybe a HT setup in a huge room.When I got them however I was in a house with roommates and we had a big den they were great for, but now in my tiny rear end apartment they don't have nearly enough room to really shine. They need to be about 10-12' apart and listened to from (very roughly) 20' away to get the best soundstage and whatnot. They were really amazing at my old place where I had them setup like that. Also here they face the door and I can't have them very loud which sucks, but that's why I've got the 595s which are also awesome. I had a pair HD600 for a while and I actually prefer the 595s, they really are that good, and the output from C320BEE is great. I can listen at work too so I use them all the time. I've got a Xitel HiFi Link thingy for audio out from the PC. It's a really nice gadget that sounds great and is a pretty good value for $50 since it also comes with 30' of RCA cable.
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Mar 25, 2007 05:11
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joe87653 fucked around with this message at 07:52 on Mar 28, 2014 |
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Mar 25, 2007 07:33
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Mr_PK posted:Personally, I think my speaker looks better than those and it sounds great, at least good enough for me. It took me a second to figure out that "energy take FPS" is actually a product name? I've never heard of it before or seen one in person. The website is really shady looking, I don't think I would order anything without seeing it in person. The website just has pictures of installations, they are just a specialty store that carries the energy line (and i already posted my setup  )The brand is Energy... ya know these guys: http://www.energy-speakers.com/v2/ Who are owned and share a lot of tech with these guys: http://www.miragespeakers.com/v2/ http://www.athenaspeakers.com/v2/ Also their parent company also owns this little known company: http://www.klipsch.com/default.aspx Theres of course other alternatives like the gorgeous orb audios:  Or the KEF KHT 6000 and 9000 
coolskillrex remix fucked around with this message at 08:01 on Mar 25, 2007 |
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Mar 25, 2007 07:59
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^^^ is that an in-wall mounted dlp? that poo poo is crazy. I wonder how that would vent, my dlp throws off a fair amount of heat 
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Mar 25, 2007 17:46
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poopzilla posted:^^^ is that an in-wall mounted dlp? that poo poo is crazy. I wonder how that would vent, my dlp throws off a fair amount of heat I thought it was a panasonic plasma but now that you mention it it looks like one of the older gen samsung DLPs... i dont really know since i just grabbed it off the orb audio website. If it is a recessed DLP then im surprised their house hasnt burned down.
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Mar 25, 2007 19:46
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Chemmy posted:Display: I love the TV. Did you have any issues connecting the 360 via VGA? I've seen the 360 on some other plasmas (current gen Samsung), and the colors looked washed out. No amount of tweaking could get it looking like it does through component.
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Mar 25, 2007 20:47
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Omegaslast posted:I thought it was a panasonic plasma but now that you mention it it looks like one of the older gen samsung DLPs... i dont really know since i just grabbed it off the orb audio website. If it is a recessed DLP then im surprised their house hasnt burned down. That is a DLP for sure,I have owned that very tv. Most likely, if it is like many inmount setups I have seen, the back opens into an audio closet probable accessed from an adjoining hall.
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Mar 25, 2007 22:01
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Heres my DIY setup. LG 50 inch plasma Marantz reciever in 5.1 setup NAD stereo Amplifer AARPA/Zapco 3 channel modified amp for surrounds and center. And the speakers I designed and built my self Dayton rs180 7 inch aluminim woofer and a Seas aluminum/magnesium TAF29 dome. The crossover is 4 order with crossover point at 1.9k. In a ported .60 cubic foot box. All speakers in my living room are covered in a textured "hitech" flat black formica. Probably the favorite set I made. Id put it up against speakers costing 10x what it cost for me to make them. The center channel uses two dayton rs125 4 inch and the same seas alum/mag tweeter to match in a 2.5 way MTM. My surrounds are a fullrange tang band 4 inch I just had to add a little filter to get a nice response. And my Sub which Is a 1.75 ported box with a 250 watt PE amp and an Elemental 11k as a temporary sub untill I grab a peerless. TyroneShoes fucked around with this message at 22:24 on Mar 26, 2007 |
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Mar 25, 2007 23:11
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Lt. Jebus posted:The HD standard includes widescreen. 4:3 CRTs that were refitted into "HDTVs" are capable of 1080i (540p) but aren't widescreen are sort of a bastardized HD spec. I'm surprised this went on so long before you were corrected. There have been several brands of flat panel displays that have only accepted 1080i signals. Most consumer Panasonic panels in the early generation (*PX20) were 1080i/480p only, and the most recent generation of Hitachi panels were ALIS, which also natively did 1080i. Several others had this same effect. The only types of TVs that can natively show a 1080i and 720p image are CRT tubes and CRT projectors. They can adjust the scanning frequency to speed up to 1080i or slow down to 720p. All other types of TVs (fixed pixel displays) down/upconvert to their native rez.
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Mar 26, 2007 02:23
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Traxx posted:I'm surprised this went on so long before you were corrected. I'm as surprised as you are, since I'm unsure how you natively display an interlaced signal on a what is certainly by definition a progressive display. Care to elaborate on the technology behind this magic? A Google search shows a Panasonic *PX20 as either a 1024x768 in the 42" or 1366 x 768 in the 50". Certainly not 1080 native. Just because it accepts those inputs doesn't mean there isn't some scaling going on. I know the TV's manual says to input a 1080i signal, which seems to me to be a backwards rear end approach of only accepting a 1080i signal and than down-converting to the panels native res, but it certainly doesn't change the fact that no flat panels are natively interlaced. You got the CRT part mostly correct, except you have it backwards. Your "scanning frequency" needs to slow down for 1080i (since it only needs to draw 540 lines per field) or speed up for 720p.
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Mar 26, 2007 02:46
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The Hitachi ALIS plasmas were 960x1080, they may have accepted only 1080i signals but they're progressive panels. A fixed pixel display doesn't display non progressive resolutions.
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Mar 26, 2007 02:48
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Lt. Jebus posted:I'm as surprised as you are, since I'm unsure how you natively display an interlaced signal on a what is certainly by definition a progressive display. Care to elaborate on the technology behind this magic? A Google search shows a Panasonic *PX20 as either a 1024x768 in the 42" or 1366 x 768 in the 50". Certainly not 1080 native. Just because it accepts those inputs doesn't mean there isn't some scaling going on. I know the TV's manual says to input a 1080i signal, which seems to me to be a backwards rear end approach of only accepting a 1080i signal and than down-converting to the panels native res, but it certainly doesn't change the fact that no flat panels are natively interlaced. Obviously the panel itself, by the nature of construction, cannot be interlaced... the individual pixels are always "on," even when black, regardless of the source signal. The Panasonics/Hitachis I mentioned only accept 1080i as their native resolution, and scale anything else to the resolution of the panel, which can be any wacky number the panel is designed for. No matter how illogical it may seem, the TV would preform better by feeding it a 1080i rather than a 720p (which 90% of other plasmas use). The older Panasonics had a rectangular pixel design, and the ALIS panels have some interesting method as well (don't remember exactly, but it is different than any other manufacturer), so that's why you're getting bizarre resolutions.
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Mar 26, 2007 04:09
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Fairly simple setup PC Dynaudio Acoustics BM5A sitting on MoPads Dell 2007WFP Bonus pockets content! Click for big  I suck at taking pictures Not seen: Goon throne AKG 240M headphones Sony MDR-7506 headphones Sennheiser PC160 headset for gaming Coming soon: Speaker stands Acoustic Treatment A better chair (preferably an Aeron) Dynaudio BM9S Subwoofer I use the computer mostly for gaming. I'm not a big movie watcher, but I will watch some on it (I have a surround-in-a-box setup in my living room). I'm also known to shut the lights and screen off, kick back and just listen to music for hours, hence the desire for a better chair. The room is about 12'x12', and needs some treatment, but is pretty decent now. The desk is in the middle of the room, with my tower and other gear (wifi, modem, etc...) on a small rack behind. e: less blurry pic SeamusMcPhisticuffs fucked around with this message at 07:49 on Mar 26, 2007 |
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Mar 26, 2007 07:38
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I think I might win a prize or something for having the most wasted potential. Here's my setup: Quite cramped as you can see. From the top left: Printer Xbox 360 Denon DVD-2200 Densen B-110 amp Dell 2407FPW monitor (used for computer and 360) Samsung DVB-T box Samsung 940MW monitor/tv (used for tv/dvd watching) Monitor Audio RS6 speakers Mhdt Labs Constantine+ USB DAC (hooked up to optical out of my E-Mu 0404 which is what I use for music listening) Computer So yeah, I have entirely too much and too nice stuff. But when I finally get my own place I figure I'll get a nice upgrade just from being able to place the items correctly. Still, it sounds pretty nice to me even as it stands.
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Mar 26, 2007 11:52
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TyroneShoes posted:Heres my DIY setup. Nice to see some DIY in this thread. I do have a question, though. Arent the TB's sonic coloration far different than the Dayton's, and if so, doesnt this drive you nuts? Either way, nice job making your own stuff. Currently I'm thinking about building a massive sub to go with the CF4's when I get them.
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Mar 26, 2007 15:36
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ogm posted:
How do you find this TV? i was thinking of getting one but couldnt find any reviews
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Mar 26, 2007 16:57
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CactusWeasle posted:How do you find this TV? i was thinking of getting one but couldnt find any reviews I'm very happy with it. It supports hd resolutions (native resolution is 1440x900) and has DVI with HDCP along with rgb-scart/component/vga/svideo. I'm not really a video buff, but it looks good to me picture quality wise, and seeing as it was a lot cheaper than anything comparable I think it's hard to go wrong. I would buy it again, definitely.
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Mar 26, 2007 17:16
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ogm posted:I'm very happy with it. It supports hd resolutions (native resolution is 1440x900) and has DVI with HDCP along with rgb-scart/component/vga/svideo. I'm not really a video buff, but it looks good to me picture quality wise, and seeing as it was a lot cheaper than anything comparable I think it's hard to go wrong. I would buy it again, definitely. Thanks for that. Certainly sounds like what im looking for 
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Mar 26, 2007 17:28
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Omegaslast posted:(finished cleaning up my poo poo) Nice, I'm running those RS60s and a Marantz amp for my "Stereo." They are fan-loving-tastic speakers, very impressive for the price.
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Mar 26, 2007 18:27
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Mr_Softy posted:Nice to see some DIY in this thread. I do have a question, though. Arent the TB's sonic coloration far different than the Dayton's, and if so, doesnt this drive you nuts? Either way, nice job making your own stuff. Currently I'm thinking about building a massive sub to go with the CF4's when I get them. They blend quite well with the rest of the speakers. All aluminum cones. If they were doing anything but surround duties, I would make a nice micro 2way. I actually have one in my bedroom that uses a dayton 5 and tang tweeter. They would work as surrounds but I'll wait till I move to do it. I like having an excuse to build new bedroom speakers. TyroneShoes fucked around with this message at 21:25 on Mar 26, 2007 |
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Mar 26, 2007 21:17
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 Amp: Yamaha RD-550 reciever (piece of crap... hope to upgrade and replace with headphone amp/PA/preamp CD Player: Pioneer PD-M60 (one of the first CD players to come out... this was one model number above the one that coudln't change tracks) Speakers: JBL Model L19s - replaced the woofer rings and they sound great. ^ I got all that poo poo completely free. When new, it probably went for about 1500 in all. Turntable: Technics SL-d1. One of the first direct-drive tables, huuuge piece of crap. The cartridge is pretty good. Headphones: Senn 580s and a pair of MDR-V6s, both with custom-made cables.
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Mar 26, 2007 22:40
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Video: Sony Wega 36" trinitron (Living room) Sony Wega 20" trinitron (bedroom) DVR PS2 for guitar hero Audio: DJ stuff: 2 Denon CD decks Numark mixer 2 Alesis M1 active monitors Sony 700's DJ headphones Computer Sound: Logitech 2.1 THX speakers Audio Technica M30 studio headphones House sound: Sony 5.1 setup 2 Klipsch wooden floor cabinets with 12" woofers, 4" mid-range, and a 1" tweet Sony 120 watt 10" sub No pics since waffleimages seems to be on the fritz
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Mar 26, 2007 23:18
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fuocoso posted:Video: I had to use paintedover
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Mar 27, 2007 00:45
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BryanGT posted:Nice, I'm running those RS60s and a Marantz amp for my "Stereo." They are fan-loving-tastic speakers, very impressive for the price. I just realized i called them RS60s when theyre RS6s.  I guess i was thinking of the gold line, which goes GS10, GS20, GS60s. (i wish i had those) Dunno about you fellow monitor audio owners but i listened to paradigms, NHTs, vienna acoustics, definitive tech, and kefs, and only kefs had a $1000 speaker that came close to the monitor audio sound quality imo. I just dont honestly see any better speeaker at a B&M dealer for $1000.  (online is a different situation)McCheese posted:Fairly simple setup drat those dynaudios are some freakin sweet pc monitors, definitely some of the best looking as well. Im assuming you have some badass DAC going from your computer? If you dont, put that second on your list after a better chair
coolskillrex remix fucked around with this message at 10:13 on Mar 27, 2007 |
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Mar 27, 2007 10:09
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Metanaut posted:- LG 32LC2R Can you please write a few lines about this set? I'm looking for something in that pricerange and was thinking about that model. How's its black?
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Mar 27, 2007 23:47
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Downstairs Living Room: 61" JVC HD-ILA JBL 15" Cabinet Speakers Paradigm Powered Subwoofer 4 - 5" Paradigm Surround Speakers Denon AVR2600 Xbox 360 Phillips DVP642 Upstairs Living Room:  60" Phillips Rear Projection -HUGE- My Dinasaur, has been with me for many years. Infinity SM155's Crappy rear end old Pioneer Amp
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Mar 28, 2007 02:48
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Man, I wish I'd got in on the Grado HF-1 buy... 
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Mar 28, 2007 05:57
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Omegaslast posted:drat those dynaudios are some freakin sweet pc monitors, definitely some of the best looking as well. Im assuming you have some badass DAC going from your computer? If you dont, put that second on your list after a better chair The DAC should be here in a week or two, nothing too crazy, just an M-Audio Audiophile 192. Later on down the road I'll get something outboard.
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Mar 28, 2007 07:32
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 The Stuponfucious Budget Home Theater 32" Winbook 32T1 LCD HDTV ($600 -$100 rebate) Xbox Spherex 51000 6-Piece 5.1 Surround Sound System ($185) Xbox 360 ($400 + $20 for faceplate kit + $15 for VGA cables) Dog (Priceless) ~ $1200 All in all, I think it's a nice budget home theater. By all logic, the cheapo TV should suck, but I constantly hear good reviews. It's not as good as a more expensive TV, yes, but it's good for what I paid. The sound system apparantly retails for $500 and on the internet the cheapest I can find (besides what I paid) is about $350, so that's a steal. The Xbox 360 serves as the DVD player and, of course, my gaming console. Upscaled DVDs look drat good. And here's a close up of my sweet Penny Arcade faceplate. Thanks Gameface 360! 
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Mar 28, 2007 22:14
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here's mine: -samsung hlr series 46'' dlp -harman kardon avr 445 -speakers are 4x polk r50, csi25 center and 2 klh bookshelf for rear 7.1. 10'' dayton sub. -roku m500 soundbridge for streaming music -oppo 971h dvd player -tivo series 3 with lifetime -xbox which i never play -dual 704 turntable -logitech harmony 880 remote control all housed in crate and barrel entertainment center with sweet crate and barrel coffee table in front.
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Mar 29, 2007 00:12
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Sanyo Z4 720P projector DIY 100" Screen Sony 36" HD Wega (mostly hidden, bottom left of picture) Denon AVR2805 Audio Authority component switcher Sapphire towers, center, and rears w/JBL powered 10" sub PS3 360 w/HD DVD Wii 60GB PS2 120GB Xbox
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Mar 29, 2007 01:52
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I currently do not have any pictures to post, plus the desk it sits on is messy. Anyway here is the list of my setup: Monitor/TV: Gateway 24" FPD2485W It is nice for the price and it does Hd, which looks pretty drat good. Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR604. Good receiver, keeps randomly shutting off on me. Gotta call Onkyo. Speakers: Klipsch RB-81. Got them as Open box. Looks great and sounds good. DVD-Player: Toshiba Model SD-4990 it does HD upconvert, have not tried it yet sice I have not bought any DVI to HDMI cables. other random stuff: Self built computer, about 5 years old, a DirecTV HD box, and a PS2. All in all, a pretty nice Setup.
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Mar 29, 2007 05:20
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 Stuck in the retro cabinet are a pair of B&W 601's and a Sony subwoofer (which I hope to upgrade soon). Behind the wall is an htpc (Dell precision workstation with a pvr150 and 2tb of storage), a Panasonic SAXR57 Receiver, and a modded xbox. Controller is the logitech dinovo edge. TV is a 42" plasma. No cords + no visible components + no media racks + one remote = happy wife Withnail fucked around with this message at 14:38 on Mar 31, 2007 |
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Mar 29, 2007 16:01
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