Greybeards Gripes

Today’s little adventure was watching yesterday’s two hour episode of “24″ on the new HDTV,  via the PC input from the web. (wireless)

The TV put’s out a beautiful 50 inch PC screen!  Transversing the web to the “24” reruns sight, was pretty normal, and bringing up the video worked exactly the same as it would have on the laptop screen.  Once I had selected the proper episode and clicked full screen,  we watch the two back to back episodes without any problems.  Small downer: I couldn’t find a way to remove the “Windows Explorer” framing on the big screen,  so the actual picture was not 50 inches.  The title bar and such were always visable.  The video quality was fair to good and the sound was stereo.  Fox say’s the web broadcast is HD,  but it wasn’t up to over the air HD quality.  Still it was pretty nice to be able to watch the missed episodes on the big screen rather than a 19 inch PC screen.  Overall,  I would give the PC input on the Samsung HD-5086,  about a B plus.

For a quick side adventure, I popped in a VCR taped movie.  The VCR quickly grabbed the input from the Satelitte feed,  and worked as it would on any other TV set.  The picture was actually much better than we get over the Satelitte feed,  but not as good as the DVD pictures.  Considering the limitations of VCR tape,  I’d give this method an “A”.

~~Cadet Video

Did I watch the Grammy’s,  NO!   I did read the local (liberal) newspaper write up on it though.  So the Dixie Chicks got a bunch of Grammy’s for their -so so- album?  I listened to it once when it was first released and again about a month later, then tossed it aside.  Besides being full of contempt and anger,  it just isn’t that good.  If (according to the Bay City Times)  the five Grammy’s show a shift in culture in the United States,  we’re in big trouble.  With not one single viable presidential canidate being put forth by any party,  and the Dicksy Chiks being made heros,   it’s going to take a miracle to get us through the next decade.

~~GB

Tonight the video fare was “Brother’s Grimm” on standard wide screen DVD.  The DVD player is now also connected via S-Video cable.  The quality was acceptable,  but,  not mind blowing, and I’m still a bit disallusioned by the fact that there seems to be absolutely no standard in wide screen technology.  If I can’t get much in the HDTV 16×9 format,  why didn’t I buy a TV with 16X7 format, (or what ever it is that most DVD’s are produced in??  It seems that regardless of what I watch on it,  about 90 percent of the time,  I’m wasting about 15 to 20 percent of that expensive screen real estate.

I’m now hoping that when I get the satellite cable relocated so I can put the Sat box next to the HDTV,  and I use the S-Video cable to connect the two,  that I’ll get something at least close to the picture I get when I connect the DVD via S-video cable.  Otherwise,  it’s pretty much like watching TV through a COKE BOTTLE!

~~Cadet Video

Jennie Grandhold has proposed a new budget.  TAX, TAX, and TAX some more!  She’s told the legislature that “There is NO ALTERNATIVE PLAN”.    Yup,  that’s a Democrat for ya,  put new taxes on the people who can afford it least,  and offer the uppercust a nice tax break in the process.  (Whuppee,  if I buy a new car every couple of years,  I’ll get a tax break).  If you voted for Jennie,  I hope you’re happy now!  This, following massive increases for hunting and fishing licenses, reductions in pensions,  and cut’s in heatlth care benefits!

~~GB 

Yesterday we picked up a cheap HDTV over the air antennae.  It allows us to pick up two over the air true HDTV channels and about 3 or 4 public channels in DTV.  The picture quality is better than anything I’ve seen yet on this unit,  but still not anything I’d rave to my friends about.  (Which is exactly what quite a few friends did for me)

Using the right cables,  the picture from the (standard) DVD player is pretty good, and would probably improve if I purchase a newer DVD player. 

The Satelitte picture is still pretty bad,  and yesterday I found out from the Sat. company,  that they don’t yet offer HDTV service in our area.  I guessing that if I connect the Sat. box directly to the TV using an S-video cable,  the picture would be as good at the DVD s-video connected picture, (since all Sat. programming is DTV) but that will take some major (outdoor) rewiring, and will have to wait for warmer weather .

Current future HDTV plans:  I’m going to purchase a good “fringe area” over the air antennae,  and at some point buy a newer better connected DVD player.  There’s currently no Satelitte HDTV,  so thats out,  and even if it is available,  I’m being told that the local cable companie’s HDTV is actually just DTV.   When the fog settles (and the price comes down),  I may look at a Blue-ray or HD-DVD unit.

Bottom Line:  It pretty much ticks me off when Best Buy, and company,  push these units to the limit,  telling us, we just can’t live without one.    When, in acutality,  they are apparently “NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME!” (at least not outside of the big cities). 

Future experiment:  The TV does have a PC input,  so one of these nights, I intend to hook up the laptop and see what kind of video I can pull down over the internet,  and how that looks.  (It might be a good argument for a faster internet connection!)  I can’t imaging my parents trying to get this thing to work!  (or actually even caring if it did)

Stay tuned for the further adventures of  “Video Cadet“.

~~GB

Well,  the new TV came in today.  We unhooked the 27 in flatscreen and hooked up the 50 inch DLP job in it’s place.

The initial reaction was definately not WOW! 

Given, we don’t have an HDTV feed,  but the regular satelitte feed is digital and is crystal clear on the 27 inch non-HDTV set.  On the new HD job,  it’s fuzzy,  no definition.   Looking at a brick building, behind an actor,  you can’t really tell it’s a brick building.  Car antenae look like faint fuzzy sticks. 

Ok, so maybe it’s something weird with the satellite signal,  so I hooked up the DVD player.  Again,  it’s not one of the new progressive scan jobs,  but it is crystal clear on the 27 inch analog set.  The HD picture sucks,  it’s not clear,  and has ghosts on fast moving objects.

I’m not sure what my next move will be?  I suppose I should try to find some way to get an HD signal to it,  (won’t be easy),  but it’s hard to believe anything that shows my current signals this badly,  would be that great  with a different signal.  And,  if it’s the DVD signal that’s not good enough for the durned thing, does that mean I need to ditch all my DVD’s and start over?

BTW,  the built in set up screens on the thing are awesome.

 ~~GB