Microsoft HD-DVD 360 player and console for $900??

[Paul2]

I\'ll see if I can find a calibration DVD. Just got a 52" plasma, so I might as well get the best of it.

This is probably the first time i heard of a plasma that is in 52"...Usually, they  comes in size of 50" or 55"...

Oh yeah, some videogames also include some sort of video calibration test pattern...I remember metal gear solid 1, metal gear solid 2, and devil may cry have a test pattern on the videogame menu options to adjust black level.  So, hooking up the playstation 2 to the tv with those videogames might be a good start to adjust the black level...

The good things about plasma and even LCD when compares to CRT is that they require less calibration than CRT.  Out of the box, plasmas and LCDs have close to perfect geometry, next to perfect convergence, and next to perfect focus.  So pretty much, there is no such thing as geometry, focus, or convergence calibration for flat panel TV.  So, doing the basic calibration should make those flat panel look quite close to their best, maybe the only thing to bother going to service menu for those type of display is to adjust color temperature, and maybe overscanning....

Although CRTs have best picture quality, but they require the most calibration compare to other type of display to look their best.  Not to mention that they include some sort of sharpness enhancements, filtering, and clipping on resolution detail that I have to go into the service menu to disable and unclip them.  While my experiences with plasma and LCD are that the manufacture doesn\'t bother adding those annoying fake enhancmenets, filtering, or clipping to those type of display which are a good thing.

[Paul2]

Coror/tint/hue is generally not individually adjustable without going into the service menu if you use digital inputs, so you don\'t have to worry about that.  Just properly setting the brightness/contrast though with any of the simpler video-calibrators (on many disks), will make a huge difference, and be more than enough for almost any non-videophile to notice a gigantic improvement in their HDTV over an SD set.

my hdtv color and tint are pretty accurate since i adjusted the color decoder in the service menu such as fixing red push.  They are quite a pain to adjust.  Its a lot easier and better if a know-how person can show me how to properly adjust those stuffs in person than doing it myself.

If you are an enthusiast, you have to take the time to get educated and spend a few hours and some money calibrating your video and sound system (something you will reap the rewards for for much more time than you spend on it), but for everyone else, just properly setting up the bright/contrast is the best thing to do.

Here\'s a site with the basics on calibrating a TV, including those service numbers for anyone feeling adventurous.  Just page down to the index below the books.

I been learning a bit here and there about video calibration since more than 4 years ago and I have taken what i learned and calibrated my set to look their best.  3 major stuffs I haven\'t calibrate yet are convergence, geometry, and focus...again, they can be a pain to adjust and i need the service menu book for my specific tv model to explain to me what those abbreviation means, and a description of what to do with it...

About my audio system, i pretty much use an spl meter to adjust all the speakers including the sub to match the same spl level to the listening spot...the only thing i haven\'t done so far is time delay...

[clips]

ok...really dumb question comin\'....i didn\'t read all that nerdy tech talk,but hear it goes..a blu -ray player(ps3) will still be able to play standard dvd\'s right?..i mean blu-ray or hd-dvd are really just enhancements over standard dvd\'s correct?

ok...really dumb question comin\'....i didn\'t read all that nerdy tech talk,but hear it goes..a blu -ray player(ps3) will still be able to play standard dvd\'s right?..i mean blu-ray or hd-dvd are really just enhancements over standard dvd\'s correct?

That\'s a stupid question.  Try asking something less stupid.  

J/K...all blu-ray and hd-dvd players can play DVD\'s.

But not all rectangles are squares.

ok...really dumb question comin\'....i didn\'t read all that nerdy tech talk,but hear it goes..a blu -ray player(ps3) will still be able to play standard dvd\'s right?..i mean blu-ray or hd-dvd are really just enhancements over standard dvd\'s correct?

Will play both standard DVDs (movies and PS2 games) and CDs (PS games).  I would also assume standard support for various formats on those disks, music CD, PictureCD, perhaps even Mpeg4 and stuff later (if it doesnt support it out of the box, then maybe through apps perhaps)

[Paul2]

although not manditory, but pretty much all blu ray and hd-dvd players will have more than one laser lens, or more than one laser pickups to read CD, DVD, and blu ray or hd-dvd discs...

I think I\'m gonna wait this war out. Bad Beta memories still float around my noggin.

I think I\'m gonna wait this war out. Bad Beta memories still float around my noggin.

Yeah, me too. I\'m not jumping on this bandwagon any time soon. Besides, it\'s not like current DVDs suddenly look and sound worse just because there\'s something better on the market.

Also, there aren\'t really a whole lot of titles out there in HD that I\'m interested in.

although not manditory, but pretty much all blu ray and hd-dvd players will have more than one laser lens, or more than one laser pickups to read CD, DVD, and blu ray or hd-dvd discs...

In fact, with new technologies they\'re talking about single pickups that will read ALL the formats.  I also remember reading another article (although I can\'t find it right now) about new diods that would be able to emit the disk speicific colours, and another solution that involved a prism reflecting in the different colour beams.  

In short, within a couple years, if no HD format clearly wins, there will be BR, HD-DVD, DVD, CD players on the market, and I would imagine a truly \'universal\' player will come out at some point for enough money.

[Paul2]

interesting news about single laser pickup that can read all 4 formats (CD, DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu Ray).  Although a cheaper alternative than having multiple laser pickups, but I think multiple laser pickups have better reliability and readablity over single laser pickup.

[Living-In-Clip]

This thread proves my point, most of you know NOTHING about calibration and think that a TV outta the box is at it\'s best settings.

good grief, man.
:fryingpan:

This thread proves my point, most of you know NOTHING about calibration and think that a TV outta the box is at it\'s best settings.

Haven\'t fully followed the thread but I do agree a TV needs to be adjusted for optimum viewing. But . . . if the person likes the way it looks out of the box then I guess it\'s the best picture . . . for them.

[Living-In-Clip]

Haven\'t fully followed the thread but I do agree a TV needs to be adjusted for optimum viewing. But . . . if the person likes the way it looks out of the box then I guess it\'s the best picture . . . for them.

Not the point.
Point is, for HD formats to take off, people need to see the advantage that it can bring, most people will not see that with out a properly calibrated TV.