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HDMI Cables?

agrabes said:
It is a good recommendation to take a look at them side by side, but BE VERY CAREFUL because stores like Best Buy are known to mess with the settings to make cheaper tvs look worse and name brand tvs look better. The best idea is to look at the specifications for the different tvs. Find one with all the features you want, and if it looks good enough for you then go for it. I ended up buying a 37" Olevia a few years ago on a Target black friday sale because it was a good tv despite its brand name. A great site to check for info on tvs is the avs forums AVS Forum there are people on those boards who know -way- too much about HD TVs.
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Good points. I really like using customer recommendations. Find out about issues (how I found out about a firmware upgrade that took care of some color issues on the Bravias), or how often different tvs break, quality, etc.

Of course these things range from "me like tv" to an engineers synopsis of the television phenomena.
 
What I meant to ask is whether you have a A/V receiver that you plan on using as well?
 
dmclone said:
Here you go. Are you going straight from a receiver to a TV?

For only $10.08 each when QTY 50+ purchased - High Speed HDMI 1.3a Category 2 Certified Silver-Plated Copper CL2 Rated (For In-Wall Installation) Cable (24AWG) - 6ft (Gold Plated Connectors) | Premium 24AWG HDMI 1.3a Category 2 Certified Male to Male
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Yep. Just going from my DN box to the tv.

Looks like it may take a bit to get to me....
Due to the relocation to our new warehouse and heavy order volume, we are experiencing severe delays on fulfilling most of the orders. We are temporarily unable to accept any new orders with expedited guaranteed shipping options at this time until further notice. We are doing our best to ship out all the orders ASAP. We truly apologize for the delay and any inconvenience this may cause you.
 
Generally some of the cheapest cables might not have very good shielding, which could result in some interference issues. Even so, buying the best cables on monoprice would prevent that, and still be much cheaper than the cheap ones at best buy.
 
I'll just be going from a DirecTV box straight to the TV. No A/V receiver and sound system yet, maybe next year.
 
I have tried 3 different HDMI cables, had a mediacom guy come out and no one can figure out how to get my HDMI cable to work wtih my brand new 1080p LCD tv
 
Stewo said:
Yep. Just going from my DN box to the tv.

Looks like it may take a bit to get to me....
Due to the relocation to our new warehouse and heavy order volume, we are experiencing severe delays on fulfilling most of the orders. We are temporarily unable to accept any new orders with expedited guaranteed shipping options at this time until further notice. We are doing our best to ship out all the orders ASAP. We truly apologize for the delay and any inconvenience this may cause you.
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Well then go to a backup plan.

I don't know anything about this retailer but this is a hell of a deal.

3 pack 6 Feet HDMI 1.3 Cable Category 2 Certified (Gold Plated) - ONE DAY SALE: Store-HD-6-pack of 3 Cmple.com

I can recommend one other place online for their customer service when it comes to A/V gear. This place has been top notch. I don;t know how their prices compare but I've been pleased with everything I've ordered from them.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com
 
dmclone said:
Well then go to a backup plan.

I don't know anything about this retailer but this is a hell of a deal.

3 pack 6 Feet HDMI 1.3 Cable Category 2 Certified (Gold Plated) - ONE DAY SALE: Store-HD-6-pack of 3 Cmple.com

I can recommend one other place online for their customer service when it comes to A/V gear. This place has been top notch. I don;t know how their prices compare but I've been pleased with everything I've ordered from them.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com
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Too late now, but I have no issues with paying $15 with shipping to get something that would cost 4 times that in the store. I still win! :yes:
 
A few more bits of advice -
Plasma vs. LCD - Plasma will have a better overall picture, but for gaming the movement is too fast. An LCD with a high contrast ratio (30,000:1 or better) will have a picture quality comparable to plasma. Also, the energy costs on Plasma is MUCH higher than LCD and if you watch a lot of TV you will notice it on your energy bill. The Plasma's also generate a lot of heat, which always makes me nervous on how long it will last.

Another thing I didn't see mentioned is if you are planning a wall mount, make sure to look behind the set to see how the cables plug in. If they plug in straight to the back you will have to mount the tv with an addition 2" or so of space from the wall. The better tv's these days allow the connections to go into the sides and bottom of the TV. You will want to think about where your cables will be going to and where the inputs are on the TV you buy.

Oh yeah, HDMI Cable are awesome and buy them wherever they are cheapest.
 
dmclone said:
I know this has been discussed a thousand times before but don't count out Plasma. I have both an LCD and a Plasma and I can tell you that the Plasma is a better TV overall if you have the right conditions. It also depends on what size you're thinking of buying.

BTW-I'll second monoprice.com. I've bought a ton of things from them speaker wire, multiple HDMI cables, TV mounts (they are sturdy), DVI to HDMI, etc and every time they've been top notch.
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Just don't compare a plasma to an LCD at Best Buy or any big store. The lighting is completely unlike actual conditions and LED's are set at a super bright setting which a plasmas don't have. You will never use that setting unless you watch your TV outside. :)
 
Cables are about the biggest scam purported on the unsuspecting public, possibly second to professional hair care products, but I digress.

Buy the cheapest you can find, it will work absolutely fine.

My brother is an audio engineer. He laughs at people who spend hundreds on Monster cables. They don't even use that stuff at the world's best recording studios.
 
I routinely work with some of the best AV consultants in New York City and for anything under 10' it really doesn't matter what cable you get. I'd recommend the new Amazon Basics from amazon.com as they have great customer service (my kindle screen went goofy after 11 months and it took me less than 5 minutes to get a new one on the phone, shipped overnight). They are slightly more expensive than what you'd have to pay for a super cheap cable, but you have peace of mind.
 
clonin said:
A few more bits of advice -
Plasma vs. LCD - Plasma will have a better overall picture, but for gaming the movement is too fast. An LCD with a high contrast ratio (30,000:1 or better) will have a picture quality comparable to plasma. Also, the energy costs on Plasma is MUCH higher than LCD and if you watch a lot of TV you will notice it on your energy bill. The Plasma's also generate a lot of heat, which always makes me nervous on how long it will last.

Another thing I didn't see mentioned is if you are planning a wall mount, make sure to look behind the set to see how the cables plug in. If they plug in straight to the back you will have to mount the tv with an addition 2" or so of space from the wall. The better tv's these days allow the connections to go into the sides and bottom of the TV. You will want to think about where your cables will be going to and where the inputs are on the TV you buy.

Oh yeah, HDMI Cable are awesome and buy them wherever they are cheapest.
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Great advice on the cable placement, but the first paragraph of this post is so full of fail I don't even know where to start. First off, this issue of motion blur. If you want to watch a lot of sports or do some gaming, plasma is the way to go. Motion blur is only an issue on an LCD. If you just go take a quick comparison of an LCD and a Plasma on the Best Buy website, you will see the newer high end LCDs have a refresh rate of 120Hz. A basic plasma for half the price will offer 600Hz refresh.

An LCD will also have inferrior color quality. Once again, I just took a quick look at a $1600 Sony LCD versus a $700 Samsung plasma. The LCD has a contrast ratio of 50,000:1 where the plasma checked in at 2,000,000:1. This means your black levels will be far superior on the plasma, even at the much lower price point.

I would probably agree that the plasma will put off more heat and be less energy efficient. As far as how long the set will last, the lifetime of plasmas used to be a real problem when the technology first appeared, but those issues have now been resolved.

For me, the proper format depends on your viewing conditions. A plasma usually has a glossy screen and will have more problems with glare than an LCD. If you are in a room with a lot of light, you may need LCD, if not, go plasma. The LED TVs are a good middle ground. The refresh and the black levels fall in between the LCD and the plasma, but they don't have the glare issues of the plasma. They are a little on the pricey side right now though.
 
Ok so here is my deal.

I had pretty much narrowed my criteria down to the following: 40-46'' LCD 120hz refresh rate with good reviews/IE no banding issues known (Sharp.) Was looking for a Samsung, as I have looked at in stores and liked the best/gotten pretty good reviews (IE LNXXB630/650)

Thoughts on this? I haven't really looked at all into plasmas. Been keeping an eye out for about 2-3 months and am looking to pull the trigger here with deals coming up this week.

TIA
 
danrog said:
Ok so here is my deal.

I had pretty much narrowed my criteria down to the following: 40-46'' LCD 120hz refresh rate with good reviews/IE no banding issues known (Sharp.) Was looking for a Samsung, as I have looked at in stores and liked the best/gotten pretty good reviews (IE LNXXB630/650)

Thoughts on this? I haven't really looked at all into plasmas. Been keeping an eye out for about 2-3 months and am looking to pull the trigger here with deals coming up this week.

TIA
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I got the Samsung LN46A850 and love it. Haven't heard too many people complain about Samsungs.

Couldn't tell you what the immediate differences are between the models. Probably resolutions or contrast ratios. Pretty big price diff, it looks like

If you've seen it and like it - I'd say go for it.
 
Another thing I didn't see mentioned is if you are planning a wall mount, make sure to look behind the set to see how the cables plug in. If they plug in straight to the back you will have to mount the tv with an addition 2" or so of space from the wall. The better tv's these days allow the connections to go into the sides and bottom of the TV. You will want to think about where your cables will be going to and where the inputs are on the TV you buy.
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This is one thing I didn't consider when I bought my TV last year. Any idea if anyone makes a right angle HDMI cable to help with wall mounting on rear inputs?
 
TruClone said:
How important is the refresh rate and what would be recommended?
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For LCDs, I've gone in and looked to compare 60hz vs 120hz and there is a clear difference. This helps with sports, fast paced movies, video games.

As far as 120hz to 240hz, I had trouble identifying the differences.

Can't really speak to plasmas
 
You won't notice a difference between 120hz and 240 hz unless you can see the seams on a 95 mph fastball.
 
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