Recording HDTV?? (1 Viewer)

[ChrisWiggles]

There are HT MAC forums somewhere, you'll have to find em, though there are certainly limitations in the mac world, which is ironic since they are so prevalent with graphics and such. There arent the programs that allow the flexibility and such as in the PC world unfortunately. Search for mac forums, and there is one linked through this thread, but i beleive it is down. Anyway, it might get you started.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...um#post3393187

Yes those resolutions definitely exceed high def requirements. most computer monitors can get high def or beyond.

 

[Biff]

Adam-

I looked at the Philips 30pw850h, but went with the Samsung TSN3084WHD from Best Buy which - much to my surprise - arrived with a fully functional DVI port and a number of other ports that were not listed on either the Best Buy or Samsung websites.

The manual, however, available at Amazon in pdf format, does include info about the ports.

I don't know if you're able to return the Philips, or how much you paid for it, but you should check out the TSN3084WHD as an alternative, if possible. It has a built in HD decoder, which works as well as I've ever experienced, and which was the main reason that I purchased it rather than the Philips. (It does lack PIP - but, with the added surprise of the DVI port, that's a feature that I can live without).

 

[Biff]

In re the crippled features of new DVR devices - I WAS mistaken about the source, but the article can be found at the Wired website. And I was wrong about the 350 gig capacity - the article states 250.

 

[Ken Chan]

It's disappointing when articles like that get things wrong:
First, 1080i is interlaced, so while it's refreshed at 60 Hz, only half of it gets refreshed each time. And while NTSC uses 525 lines, only about 480 are visible; and the 500 across number is dubious.

As you may have already discovered, a D-VHS VCR, including a Mac masquerading as one, does not actually play the HD content. It just stores it, and sends it back to the TV/STB to play it. This of course is "not how VCRs work" in most people's minds, but say hello to progress. However, if you are using a Mac, those transport stream files are on the drive. I have not had a chance to investigate this myself, but if you could get an MPEG decoder that read the transport streams, you should be able to play them back on your computer.

While both of the Cinema displays can easily display 1280x720, only the 23" can do 1920x1080 -- and just barely, with a little extra strip at the top/bottom. Instead of 16:9, that monitor is 16:10. Most widescreen computer monitors are 16:10 or thereabouts, which lets you display full-res HD with a little menu or control strip.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

Actually, there is a difference between DVHS and D-Theater. D-Theater sends copy protected digital stream. D-VHS plays like a normal VCR, and can output via component, etc.

 

[Biff]

Hmm - I'm a little confused but...

...I've tried the D-VHS out on both TV's (a little more complicated configuration using the Sony, as I pass the component signal back through the SIR-T165 and optical through my receiver. The simplest wiring is using the bedroom TV, though, as the HDTV tuner/decoder is built-in to the set.

I swear I'm seeing a real HDTV signal - I mean, I can tell the difference, now, between DVD and HDTV. But maybe I'm just confusing myself, as the D-VHS IS processed "back to the TV/STB to play it." To the SIR-T165 on my Sony, and through the built-in tuner/decoder on my Samsung.

Although, I have to admit, that I have a visual preference for the Sony display but that may be because I've been able to fine-tune the Sony display much more to my preferences than the new Samsung in my bedroom as it lacks the tools to fine-tune the image as, well, finely as the Sony. I'm really happy with the Samsung, as I've said before, and it just wasn't worth it - to me - to invest the $900 more to get the newest Sony 30" CRT.

I'm really thinking that I'll keep the JVC D-VHS, though. It may be obsolete in a year or two, but right I'm keeping it busy.

 

[Ken Chan]

Well, the Mitsubishi models don't have component out. (Heck, the 1100 doesn't have S-Video.)

The JVC does have an MPEG decoder, component out, and (optical) digital audio out. That seems intended for D-Theater, an analog HD picture that you can't easily make an exact copy of. Of course, why not work for plain old unencrypted D-VHS too.

If it sent an encrypted digital stream, who would decode it? Wouldn't that require a TV that could view D-Theater? Seems like a non-starter. I dunno, I've never used the JVC.

 

[Tony Kwong]

I think the best option currently is the LG LST-3410 settop box. It has pretty much the same features as the samsung 165. plus a hard drive and compatibility with HD on cable and D-VHS, I'm thinking about getting one soon.