hi everyone (1 Viewer)

[thevideoman]

hi guys, i am new to this forum and to the dvd home theatre system. i just boght a new tv that has HDMI and i renovated my apartment i left all the cables in the wall for a surround system installation. Since i finished my renovation now i want to buy the surrounf system. i need some help because there are a lot out thair and i dont know which one to choose. i really dont know if i need the blue-ray disk because i dont know what it is really, but i deffenitlly want the HDMI since it provides better quality since i would not want to spend a lot i would recomend to spend 300 dollars most( i really dont know the prices ). can anyone help me finding my DVD home theatre

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Hi Drin. Welcome to HTF!

Let me get this straight: you want a DVD player?

This has gotten a little complex so let me try to break down the options:

• DVD Player - This is your generic DVD player. It plays standard-video (480i) DVD disks. Many of them now offer Progressive-Scan output which tends to look better.
• Up-converting DVD Player - This player often has a HDMI or DVI output and CLAIMS it is HD because the output is 720 or 1080. But it's a bit of a lie because the DVD player takes the ordinary 480i DVD's and up-converts every frame. This means it fills-in for data that does not exist. It's not really HD.
• Blu-Ray & HD-DVD - These are new and there is a 'war' going on to see which format wins. There are only a few hundred titles out right now, but they are true HD disks. These players must use a HDMI cable for the copy-protection feature. The players range from $500-$800 right now and if you buy a HD-DVD player, you cannot play Blu-Ray disks. If you buy a Blu-Ray player, you cannot play HD-DVD disks.

My advice: get a decent $100 progressive scan DVD player and hook it up with component cables. Save your precious HDMI input for a CATV or SAT box that offers true 720/1080 material. (You will be shocked at how good it looks compared to DVD).

Keep an eye on the HD-DVD & Blu-Ray issue for the prices to drop, then pick one as an upgrade next year.

Just remember: a DVI or HDMI cable will not really improve your picture quality unless the SOURCE you are connecting is a HD source that pushes out 720 or 1080 signals.

Hope this helps.