The Wal-mart on Kildaire Farms had the A2 in stock. It's the A3 that comes with Bourne and 300.

11/3/2007 1:54:47 PM

Are there any advantages to HDMI over component if your player outputs 1080i?

11/4/2007 2:45:56 PM

I hope blu ray comes down in price cause i wouldn't mind having one but don't want to spend a lot of money on it because it will be my secondary player not my primary.

11/4/2007 3:15:57 PM

^^ depends on the player. HDMI supports digital audio up to 8 channels (pretty sure it supports 7.1) and has plenty of bandwidth for high quality audio. Plus it's a digital signal, so your video shouldn't suffer if your cable is unusually long (component cables will have noticeable signal degradation on 15 ft runs with standard quality cables).

Since the HDMI signal is digital, the $10 cables you can buy on ebay will be just as good as the $175 monster cables they sell in stores (which is not true for component connections).

11/4/2007 7:45:01 PM

Quote :

"Since the HDMI signal is digital, the $10 cables you can buy on ebay will be just as good as the $175 monster cables they sell in stores"

this is one link among millions to disprove what you said...the longer the cable, the quality does make a difference. http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/hdmi-cable-battlemodo/the-truth-about-monster-cable-part-2-268788.php

Quote :

"What were our findings? 1) At short distances up to 6ft (2 meters), you can pretty much get away with any cable. Monoprice cables kicked ass at the 6 foot length that mostly everyone uses. Not all cables are the same, however, and in truth, it's the medium-priced cables that may be the real rip-off. 2) At longer distances, cheaper cable tends to choke up. A 720p signal will make it, but even today's standard 1080p signal can fry out inside of a long cable that isn't built as well. If you are trying to hook up a 1080p projector on your ceiling to a Blu-ray or HD DVD player, this is a concern. The tests, which fired digital signal through the cable to synthesize high-definition video, can be divided into REAL-WORLD requirements (720p and 8-bit 60Hz 1080p) and FUTURE-WORLD requirements (12-bit 60Hz 1080p and even 12-bit 120Hz 1080p). Mind you, the future formats don't exist now, so they should only be a concern when you are buying cables you intend to keep for five years, such as those you want to build into a wall."

[Edited on November 5, 2007 at 10:07 AM. Reason : bold]

11/5/2007 10:06:00 AM

That doesn't really disprove what he said. In fact the part you bolded from #1 validates his claim. Most people aren't running cables longer than 6 feet anyway.

Either way the was completely unnecessary.

11/5/2007 10:24:17 AM

Quote :

"You're going to have pulldown of some kind unless you have a 120Hz TV or a TV that somehow manages to operate at both 24Hz and 30Hz."

Stein, this made me think of you <3

Displays that support 1080p/24 signal at multiples of the original frame rate

Granted there aren't many; and mine isn't one of them, at least there are some out there

[Edited on November 5, 2007 at 10:46 AM. Reason : link]

11/5/2007 10:45:21 AM

^^ this is the point i was referring to

Quote :

"so your video shouldn't suffer if your cable is unusually long (component cables will have noticeable signal degradation on 15 ft runs with standard quality cables)."

11/5/2007 11:35:11 AM

unless you're running cable longer than 15 or 20 ft, a cheapass cable will carry 1080p just fine. The cheapass 35-ft. cable he tested nearly passed the 1080p test. had he tested 15-ft cables i guarantee the cheap ones would carry a good 1080p signal. save the other $150 and use it to purchase some more HD content.

[Edited on November 5, 2007 at 11:37 AM. Reason : 15-ft=unusually long, 35-ft is ridiculously long]

11/5/2007 11:35:53 AM

Quote :

"this is the point i was referring to"

Then maybe that was the point you should have put in the quote box.

11/5/2007 12:47:53 PM

i figured most people can read an entire paragraph themselves, but whatever

i really like pro flex cables (the ones with the blue nylon-ish covers)...they're awesome for fishing down walls as well if you're hanging a flatscreen...most of my cables were pro flex (pics in gallery)

11/5/2007 2:02:36 PM

Quote :

"i figured most people can read an entire paragraph themselves, but whateve"

as you can see, el dumbassnacho isn't 'most people' and usually, if not always, requires help.

11/5/2007 2:31:04 PM

That's a neat trick, talking out of your ass like that.

11/5/2007 3:19:53 PM

you can't trick a trickster.

11/5/2007 4:46:19 PM

:carlface:

11/5/2007 10:14:29 PM

so what's the cheapest blu-ray player out there right now?

don't want a hd dvd player : -\

11/6/2007 10:14:51 AM

as far as I know it's the $260-280 blu-ray player drive for computers.
then some samsung/sony refurb's in the $350 range
then some new samsung/sony's in the $400 range
then the PS3 for $500

11/6/2007 10:20:39 AM

^^$400

11/6/2007 10:28:49 AM

if you're going to get a ps3 for $400, might as well get a free game and cable with it in addition to the free movie

http://accessories.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=ca&l=en&s=dhs&cs=cadhs1&sku=A1320793

11/6/2007 10:42:47 AM

Dell Canada? Would that work?

11/6/2007 10:53:42 AM

Ratatouille on Blu-ray is up to #8! (on DVD it's #1)

http://www.blu-raystats.com/amazonstats.php
http://www.hddvdstats.com/amazonstats.php

This is interesting... I know they're just preorders, but both Blu-ray and HD DVD are outselling low-def DVD.
Harry Potter Years 1-5 Limited Edition Gift Set [Blu-ray] - #181
Harry Potter Years 1-5 Limited Edition Gift Set [HD DVD] - #324
Harry Potter Years 1-5 Limited Edition Gift Set [DVD] - #492

11/6/2007 10:53:54 AM

people who do internet preorders are generally more tech savvy so it's more likely they have newer technology?

no idea.

11/6/2007 10:57:00 AM

You can pickup any 2 Pixar titles for ~$33 shipped right now (I got Cars + Ratatouille) if you've got Amazon Prime or are willing to Super Saver ship it. Just add it to your cart, and you'll see what I mean.

11/6/2007 1:07:15 PM

Quote :

"This is interesting... I know they're just preorders, but both Blu-ray and HD DVD are outselling low-def DVD."

Not surprising. The people that wanted DVDs already have them - they've been out for forever. The HD numbers are also inflated because people that already own a DVD version are probably looking to upgrade the whole collection in one shot.

11/6/2007 1:25:05 PM

You know, so much focus is being put on sales of new releases like 300, Transformers, and Spider-man 3, but what's really going to make or break the HD formats is how well catalog titles sell. DVDs are dirt cheap to produce, and new releases on DVD still sell in the millions for around $20 a pop. The industry will never make a real push for HD formats until it's proven that people are willing to double dip on movies they already bought on DVD. That's where the really money is, not selling a few hundred thousand copies of a movie on an expensive-to-produce HD format that people would have bought anyway on DVD.

11/6/2007 1:36:59 PM

I am willing to double dip if the price is right, but more importantly if it's in my top 200 movies.

So far, they have released very few movies that are in my faves list. They are going for the big bang, action packed, no-brainer blockbusters first, which is understandable.

yet, somehow, my collection is already at 20+ titles...

11/6/2007 1:38:46 PM

I have bought a couple of movies that I already own simply to see how they look on bluray. I have pirates of the carribean, gone in 60 secs, and pearl harbor. I bought the last two bc they were cheap. I also bought planet earth just to see how good it looked in HD.

I will now probably just buy new dvds in HD, esp since I have both players now. I wont pay over 20 bucks for a movie though.

11/6/2007 1:44:17 PM

$20 is about right. I haven't payed more than that for any of my titles... There's always some kind of promo you can jump on to make it worthwhile.

11/6/2007 1:47:59 PM

In the VHS world, DVD initially had a pricetag of around $30 retail. Expect this to get to the $20 range once the general populace is unwilling to settle for low-def DVD...

11/6/2007 2:28:24 PM

Ha. Right now I'm in the populace that is unwilling to upgrade to HD because they're $30 a movie.

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 2:54 PM. Reason : -]

11/6/2007 2:52:36 PM

at least you're aware that there's an HD format. Most people probably don't even know/care.

11/6/2007 2:57:20 PM

^^ You can buy an HDDVD player and get 10 free movies with this week (5 from mail-in rebate, 5 instantly).

11/6/2007 3:08:00 PM

And how does that make HiDef media' s retail price less than $30?

11/6/2007 3:25:03 PM

don't really want a ps3 either

guess i'll just have to wait a few months, not much point in buying now

11/6/2007 4:56:57 PM

If I didn't own (and love) my PS3, I would feel the same way. As it stands now though, if a movie is out on Blu-ray as well as DVD, I'll spend the $5 more and buy it on Blu-ray.

11/6/2007 5:51:27 PM

My only concern with buying a blu-ray player (in the form of a PS3) is the remote. While bluetooth is nice and all, it won't work with my Logitech Harmony 380 remote. I hate having a bunch of remotes to keep track of which is why I got the logitech. And the "activities" buttons is awesome. Helps keep my gf and friends from fucking shit up if all they have to do is press one button. Which brings me to believe that I'm better off waiting on price drops on Blu Ray players if they ever happen.

11/7/2007 1:43:23 PM

I got the Nyko Blu-Wave PS3 remote. I'm using the IR receiver with my Harmony 880 and it works flawlessly. Only problem I can see is that it won't turn the PS3 on/off. But the way I see it, you gotta get your fat ass off the couch to put in a movie anyway, might as well flip the power while you're up.

As a bonus, it costs less than $20.

11/7/2007 1:48:11 PM

my biggest regret about the 880 is that i didn't save for the 890

11/7/2007 3:34:07 PM

The horrendous battery life on the 880 was the killer for me. Having to recharge it every day ftl. Harmony 360 ftw.

11/7/2007 3:41:04 PM

^is that a half-ass troll attempt or did you have a defective product? My 880 lasts over a month without a recharge. I almost NEVER put it in the cradle because I always forget. It has amazing battery life.

^^same here Although I got my 880 3 years ago when I worked at best buy for super cheap so I couldn't go wrong It was less than $100 with the discount when it first came out (when I got it)

[Edited on November 7, 2007 at 3:56 PM. Reason : ...]

11/7/2007 3:55:40 PM

yeah i've had mine for 2 and it was $115 from amazon.
I still want to make the move to RF though.

I also get 2 weeks to a month out of my battery depending on how much my dog kicks it around during the day (turning the lcd on)

[Edited on November 7, 2007 at 4:05 PM. Reason : .]

11/7/2007 4:03:45 PM

^^No, unlike you, I actually try to contribute some actual content to Tech Talk threads from time to time.

I bought an 880 2 years ago and it would only last a day and a half between recharges. I was convinced it was broken so I took it back and got another one that wasn't any better. There were people on message boards all over that were experiencing the same issue so I returned it and got the 360 version, which was exactly the same minus the color sceen and plus four extra buttons for less than half the price. I also prefer the button layout of the 360/520 way more than the 880 layout.

11/7/2007 4:08:08 PM

Quote :

"^^No, unlike you, I actually try to contribute some actual content to Tech Talk threads from time to time. "

LOL now thats funny because you are the BIGGEST troll in tech talk and else where...no ifs ands or buts about it. The end.

11/7/2007 4:45:35 PM

calling you out for saying stupid things doesn't equal trolling.

I wouldn't expect you to see the difference though.

11/7/2007 4:47:58 PM

All I'm seeing is people calling you out for being a troll. I don't see you calling anyone out. Just because you think it doesnt make it so. Lesson number 1, kid.

11/7/2007 5:32:10 PM

i have a troll in my pants but i don't let him post.

11/7/2007 5:38:15 PM

^^Feel free to continue to discuss your uselessness in this thread.

11/7/2007 6:07:02 PM

you guys are queer.

My 880 is the same, lasts a month or more on a single charge. So.... you're doing it wrong.

11/8/2007 10:50:25 AM

^Exactly what I'm saying. Unless you some how have your 880 on a water bed so that every time someone sits down it moves and turns the screen on, there is no reason it shouldn't last for a long long time. You only have to use it twice or 3 times tops in most cases. Press 1 button to watch a dvd...then select play or your scene in the menu. set remote down. Someone calls pick up remote pause or mute. done watching? all off. In between those times the remote should be set on a table or where ever. The screen shouldn't just randomly turn on and draing your battery.


Back on topic:

Whats the cheapest non-ps3 blu ray player? I swear I saw one at best buy for $399 but I was under the impression they were all priced above the PS3 or has this changed recently? If so then I'll definitely be picking one up very soon.

[Edited on November 8, 2007 at 12:28 PM. Reason : ...]

11/8/2007 12:27:17 PM

FWIW, they are all so close to the PS3 in price, you might as well get the most for your money and go ahead and get the PS3

IIRC, $400 is the cheapest for a standalone blu-ray player

[Edited on November 8, 2007 at 12:54 PM. Reason : ,]

11/8/2007 12:53:55 PM