Considering SIR-T165 Purchase - Suggestions? (1 Viewer)

[Lin Park]

I have been holding off on getting a STB because I felt there was not enough programming in the NYC area but might be willing to consider it now. I have a Panasonic 56" 16:9 TV that only has one set of HD inputs and does NOT do 720p. I have an RP-91 DVD player as well. What kind of picture quality can I expect from the Samsung unit and what broadcasting can I expect to grab OTA from Northern NJ? I don't have cable or a satellite dish.

Thanx,
Lin

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Lin,
Check this site for details about your location PLUS what antenna type to use:
www.antennaweb.org
The Samsung's seem to be quite reputable, and I've been considering one myself although I've decided to get a Directv HD receiver for more HD programming, instead of just OTA. For a good review of the OTA-only units, check this site:
www.projectorexpert.com
Right now, I just got Time Warner Cable's HD service installed on a temp basis until I'm ready for Directv maybe later this spring when more of the OTA HD broadcasts will return to the NYC area.
_Man_

 

[Patrick Sun]

I started this thread on the Samsung SIR-T165 when I got mine.
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=115269
The OTA works as advertised. Don't worry too much about your Panasonic HDTV set not capable of displaying 720p because the T165 will upconvert it to 1080i (provided you set the output switch on its backside to 1080i).
I will note that if you use either of the 2 AV inputs, you'll notice that when the video gets upconverted to 1080i, it'll look too bright (and you'll have to back down on the brightness on the TV settings).
The component video input (used mainly for DVD input) looks "right", though.
There is a slight itty bitty of jitter/waviness at the bottom of 480p input on my unit. But in 480i, the video picture is rock solid. To me, this issue isn't a deal-breaker. In 480p, You'll only see it on 1.85:1 OAR films, not on 2.35:1 OAR films. But I can barely tell a difference between 480i and 480p upconverted to 1080i on my setup. And the only reason I'd "need" to watch DVDs in 480p on my setup is if I was watching a non-16x9-enhanced DVD (like Titanic) and wanted to utilize my Panasonic's RP91's scaling capabilities in the U4 menu settings (only available when the player is outputting 480p).
BTW, once you see HDTV programming on a nightly basis, you'll be hooked!

 

[Lin Park]

The only reason I am considering the T165 rather than the T151 is for the upconversion of other sources. How does the upconverted from 480i DVD (or 480p DVD) to 1080i compare to the standard 480p DVD? How does the upconverted S-Video VCR signal look as well?

Thanx,
Lin

 

[Patrick Sun]

Unfortunately, my HDTV monitor only does the 16x9 squeeze on 1080i input, so I can't really tell you if 1080i upconversion from 480i/p is a benefit/detriment. This is why I needed the T165 to do the upconversion to 1080i for DVD content to gain the 16x9 squeeze capability. And so far, it works very well in that capacity.
Also, I don't have a S-VHS deck, so I can't tell you what S-video upconversion looks like either. :frowning:
But upconverted composite VCR video (after turning down the brightness) looks better than via the tuner (channel 4) or via the composite video input on the TV.

 

[Iver]

Right now, I just got Time Warner Cable's HD service installed

How much does TWC charge for HD?

What kind of box do they give you and what are the technical details?

What channels do you get in HD?

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

TWC in NYC costs nothing extra for the added HD service compared to their normal digital cable service. They basically just give you an HD cable STB instead of a regular digital cable STB and set it up a little differently.

The STB they provided me is the Scientific Atlanta 3100HD. I still haven't figured out how or whether I can adjust the aspect ratio control and/or upconversion mode of this STB. The preconfigured settings w/ 1080i upconversion doesn't seem to do it correctly most of the time. Most non-HD programming looks a bit stretched to me while true HD stuff looks correct. For non-HD programming, I currently have to switch to a non-component output like simple RF coax to get the correct OAR.

The HD channels are CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX (actually EDTV-only), UPN (but it doesn't work for me), PBS (mostly demo loop of gorgeous scenic tours, etc), and the main HBO and Showtime channels. It's not much, but it's something until more programming kicks in probably later in the year. As I said though, I will likely switch to Directv for better non-local offerings in the spring.

Anyway, since HD service costs nothing extra, anyone that's already using TWC digital cable really should get the HD upgrade. Even if you're using their standard analog service, but also get a premium channel, you should do the switch since they charge less for premium services for digital/HD cable and offer multi-channel premiums instead of single-channel service.

_Man_