A question for all you HDTV experts

[CobraJohn01]

Okay, my girlfriend and I got an awesome deal on a 42" LCD HDTV the day after Thanksgiving and we're in the process of getting our digital cable upgraded to HD.

The tv has an HD tuner built into it. I went to our local Time Warner/Adelphia office to pick up the HD cable box (that I was told they had some available). The box that my girlfiend was told about over the phone was supposed to cost $8.95/mo. Our current box is $4.95/mo so that's not a big deal. Well, when we got there, we were told that they were out of the $8.95 box and that she could give us an HD/DVR combo box for $5/mo more, putting it at about $14/mo for just the box. We've had a DVR before and they're great, but we don't need one so I told the lady that we'll just wait until they have the other one in and we'll come back for it. Well, that's when she tells me that the $8.95 box doesn't have an HDMI hook up, it has the HD component hook up with the red, blue and green RCA connectors (instead of the red, white and yellow ones).

I know HDMI is the best connection to have as far as picture quality and everything, but is there enough of a difference between the two that we should pay the extra $5/mo for the HD/DVR combo box? I feel like if the difference is really noticeable enough, it would be dumb to not utilize the full abilities of the tv and that I should get the better box with the HDMI connection.

Or, since the tv has an HD tuner built in, do I even need a box of any kind? The thing that leads me to believe I do is that with the hook up right now, the image is far from HD quality, so I don't see how it could display an HD image without the box. But then what's the point of having an HD tuner buit in if it's whole purpose isn't to bypass the need for an HD cable box.

I just want to make sure I don't get something I don't actually need because of what the TV has built into it. But I also don't want to cut myself short and miss out on a decent amount of quality picture on the tv.

In case it helps, the tv we got is the Olevia 542i. We got it at MicroCenter for $999 and it came with a $200 mail in rebate so the final cost is $799. I've read the reviews and it's a pretty good tv, especially for the price. Most of the reviews have it listed at $1799-1999. Thank God we got up at 2am the day after Thanksgiving to get in line for it!

Oh, and here's the specs on the unit as well, in case it helps. Just look for the 542i in this chart:
http://www.visualapex.com/ProductSupport/542i.pdf

 

[tehnick]

Since I work for Comcast, most of the info I have will be applicable.

All of the cable companies offer HD, however the signal is encrypted in digital form which requires a set top box to receive all of the channels that your provider has. Then again, some providers limit HD to the package you subscribe to. A lot of people think that that buying the TV, ALL channels will be in HD. Not true, just a different type of signal that carries the higher resolution and requires more shelf space in the signal trunk. If your set has an HD tuner on it, you should be able to get an HD antenna and pick up the local channels in HD but you won't get what you can't pick up in the air. It's a way for companies to make money, bottom line.

People will argue HDMI is way better and that you need to buy Monster brand cables for best picture. LIE. For one, Monster Cables are rebranded cables with a major markup. Most DVDR media is the same. My expensive Sony DVDR media has the same manufacturer code as the Ritek DVDR media that I bought for much much less. $10-$20 for 15-20 or $30 for 100 DVDRs? The answer is obvious. The only real difference is HDMI is digital and component is analog. Component still breaks the color streams up into Red, Green, and Blue color channels which allows it to deliver a higher resolution picture. On some sets you might be able to see the difference between the two but the difference is negligible. Remember how mini-disc was supposed to be better than CD and it would take over the market? It's all hype as far as I am concerned, but the sales person will tell you different. It's all about $$$.

 

[Hepcat007]

You will have a hard time telling the difference between HDMI and using the component Video Cables. The major advantage of HDMI however is that it uses 1 cable to carry both video and audio. Using the Components is 3 video cables and then you have to have an audio cable.

 

[tehnick]

You will have a hard time telling the difference between HDMI and using the component Video Cables. The major advantage of HDMI however is that it uses 1 cable to carry both video and audio. Using the Components is 3 video cables and then you have to have an audio cable.

How will he have a hard time? Most component cables, at least decent ones, have colored bands on them showing what color port to plug them into. With our set top boxes in my market, the HDMI port only carries video and the customer still has to supply an composite RCA cable for audio. This will differ depending on circumstances but component cables are a cinch to hook up since most everything is color coded now. I find it lame that our HDMI ports on our boxes are somewhat crippled even though they carry both A/V signal.

Either way, HDMI or component will work just as fine. It's like people who argue that 128kbps MP3s sound worse than an audio CD which is not 100% true. There are many factors to telling a difference, one of them being the quality of the sound source, the quality of the encoder, and the quality of the outputting stereo. There are many variables which can throw things off.

 

[capnkirk52]

I thought that component could not do 1080i, only 720p?

 

[tehnick]

I thought that component could not do 1080i, only 720p?

Nah, HDTVs are categorized by the resolution they support. 1920x1080 and 1280x720 are the two standard for all sets with a widescreen aspect ratio. Component will display both resolutions just fine with no problems. The only difference is the amount of lines that the set is capable of displaying. Some sets support both, as the aspect ratio for both resolutions are still 16:9.

 

[freebass55]

How will he have a hard time? Most component cables, at least decent ones, have colored bands on them showing what color port to plug them into.

I think he was talking about picture quality and not what the cables look like.

I tried both types of cables on my 51' DLP and couldn't tell the difference in picture quality.

 

[SteveChris]

id go for HDMI if anything to free up a port on my tv. right now i dont have a choice i live in a coporate apt so i get regular ass cable. my dvd player is HDMI though. you said you had a dvr before? so you dont have it now..id go for it. you'll want it. and if you get the HDMI don't even think of buying the monster cable. i got one for ..25-30 i think. not much, its the same damn thing. optical cables too, for audio. monster will charge 100 i got mine for 15 at radioshack. every review of any product that offers HDMI will have two types of reviews. people who like the HDMI and people who hate it, the people who arent impressed ALWAYS follow up with "i bought the monster cable but i didnt see that much of a difference". thats because for $25 you'll see it, for $100 you wont
i went to radioshack the other day and asked for a plain rca cable. they said they were out and that they were getting a shipment of monster rca cables in. i looked at the girl funny and said "oh you mean a $100 rca cable" she laughed, they know

 

[capnkirk52]

Nah, HDTVs are categorized by the resolution they support. 1920x1080 and 1280x720 are the two standard for all sets with a widescreen aspect ratio. Component will display both resolutions just fine with no problems. The only difference is the amount of lines that the set is capable of displaying. Some sets support both, as the aspect ratio for both resolutions are still 16:9.

I understand that. I thought that upconverting could not be done by component cables. HDMI can upconvert to 1080i. Maybe it's just my DVD or TV that wont let me upconvert using component, it can only be viewed in the broacast's native resolution.

 

[DravenGSX]

capnkirk52, that is either your tv or your source. Component cables can handle 1920x1080 resolution just fine.

OP: I'd be surprised if you could tell the difference between HDMI and component. In fact, with the tv just out of the box, I can guarantee that without a professional tune, any difference you did notice would be in your head.

In order to receive all of the HD channels carried by your cable provider, you will need a set top box (STB). If you only wish to receive the local broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, etc.), then you can purchase an Over-The-Air (OTA) antenna for anywhere from 50 to about 200 bucks from your local big box electronics store. Hook it up to the tv and voilin, you have OTA HD for free. But you'll miss out on channels like Discovery HD, ESPN, HDNet and any others that your cable provider carries. Up to you.

If it were me, I'd get the DVR. But that has nothing to do with the available connections. It's simply because I couldn't live without my DVR.

 

[nothingelse]

Yeah the DVR rocks. So tehnick what do you do at comcast? I have been trying to get my damn DVR boxes fixed for the last month and nobody seems to have any idea what is wrong. Everything on the Boxes work DVR, HD Channels, On Demand but I don't have channels 3 - 76 they are all missing from my guide. No offense to you but the comcast in my location I swear they are idiots cause some people say they can't do anything with the boxes over the phone but i know for a fact that they can reset the boxes from the office and re-send the signal. Any ideas the boxes worked fine when i first got them I even had channels that I did not pay for but being a good citizen lol i called to get them registered on my account and after that they have been f'ed up. 1 box works fine the other 2 are the ones that are missing the channels.

 

[azgardia]

Make sure you got an 8300 DVR and not an 8000 DVR, 8000 are trash.

 

[Shaneo0oMac]

Any cable is better then your standard AV RED YELLOW AND WHITE GARBAGE


Monster cables are over priced and over hyped


My high def Belkin RGB is doign perfectly fine

 

[type911]

Any cable is better then your standard AV RED YELLOW AND WHITE GARBAGE


Monster cables are over priced and over hyped


My high def Belkin RGB is doign perfectly fine

From what I heard. With LCD HD tv's VGA will deliver the best Quality. Component and HDMI for Plasma but LCD use VGA.

 

[boostaholic]

HDMI/DVI all the way...now if comcast could only pull their heads out of their asses I could use my cable card and say bubbye to the box :cuss:

 

[BLK03SVT10TH]

I thought that component could not do 1080i, only 720p?

That is what happened when I hooked up my Cable Box/DVR, the TV would only show 720p using Componet Video, as soon as I switched it to HDMI I got 1080i.

 

[CobraJohn01]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. It's starting to look like I'll go with the non-DVR box for now and use the component jacks instead of the HDMI. I can always upgrade it later to the HD/DVR combo. I just don't need a DVR (even though they are nice to have) and if there really is a negligable difference between the picture quality in the two, it seems kind of pointless. Unless...

If the HD component jacks can really only display up to 720p, and the HDMI can display up to 1080i, would that be worth the extra cost? Is there enough broadcasting and stuff to make use of the 1080i? I do plan on getting an up-convert DVD player. I have no plans for a PS3, Wii, or Xbox 360 anytime soon, so I'm really only concerned with television and DVDs.

 

[tehnick]

Yeah the DVR rocks. So tehnick what do you do at comcast? I have been trying to get my damn DVR boxes fixed for the last month and nobody seems to have any idea what is wrong. Everything on the Boxes work DVR, HD Channels, On Demand but I don't have channels 3 - 76 they are all missing from my guide. No offense to you but the comcast in my location I swear they are idiots cause some people say they can't do anything with the boxes over the phone but i know for a fact that they can reset the boxes from the office and re-send the signal. Any ideas the boxes worked fine when i first got them I even had channels that I did not pay for but being a good citizen lol i called to get them registered on my account and after that they have been f'ed up. 1 box works fine the other 2 are the ones that are missing the channels.

Motorola or Scientific Atlanta? If it is Motorola, let me know the model of the box. 6412, 3412, etc... I do video repair work for Comcast so I deal with video related issues on a daily basis. If one box is fine, and the others are bunked out, I would check all the connections, make sure everything is tight, then call the office and have a warm reset sent to the boxes that aren't working. That will cause them to reload the framework, channel maps, etc. If that doesn't work, then perhaps an appointment with a tech is needed, or perhaps take the STB's to a service center for a swap. :rockon:

 

[azgardia]

Motorola or Scientific Atlanta? If it is Motorola, let me know the model of the box. 6412, 3412, etc... I do video repair work for Comcast so I deal with video related issues on a daily basis. If one box is fine, and the others are bunked out, I would check all the connections, make sure everything is tight, then call the office and have a warm reset sent to the boxes that aren't working. That will cause them to reload the framework, channel maps, etc. If that doesn't work, then perhaps an appointment with a tech is needed, or perhaps take the STB's to a service center for a swap. :rockon:

Pretty much only out west I see Motorola used, at least thats the only place I see them tagged from so far.

 

[tehnick]

Pretty much only out west I see Motorola used, at least thats the only place I see them tagged from so far.

From what I understand, the Seattle market uses Scientific Atlanta equipment. It all depends on what the headends are set up for. Anytime there is a buyout of another company or cable system the original equipment in place will be used because of how cost effective it is rather than gutting it and placing different equipment in place.

The SW Washington/Oregon system was bought out about 5 years ago by Comcast. Other than repairing damaged existing lines the equipment structure has remained the same.