Playaa January 8, 2007 Share Playaa Member January 8, 2007 so my dad bought himself a Zenith "HD-Ready" tv about 2 years before he died. My mother gave it to me. The model number is R40W46 and it's a 40"...I literally have no idea where to begin with making this thing show me some beautiful HD views...but I want to know... anyone out there got any advice? apparently I need something that transmits the signal to the tv in HD...so if I go to DirectTV (my satellite provider) can they just give me a box that will do this (assuming I pay all the overcosted fees of course) or do I need to buy something completely different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubblegum Bandit January 8, 2007 Share Bubblegum Bandit Member January 8, 2007 HD Ready usually means you need an external box to do the decoding. I believe you'd see "built-in" if it had the tuner in it. Not 100% on that, I'll look up that model in a minute. Assuming it doesn't haev the tuner in it, yes you would need to contact your cable company and ask that they send you an HD box. I have 2 of the Time Warner HD DVRs in my house and I think they rent for like $10 a month. HD content, at least on TW is minimal at the moment. There are like 10 or 12 channels that come with TW's basic package for like $5 and then you can get most of the pay channels in HD if you pay extra. If my first assumption is incorrect and you do have a tuner inside, then you may just need a cable card if the TV is capable. Looking up that model, brb. ***yeah, my first comment holds. Doesn't look like it has a tuner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magruter January 8, 2007 Share Magruter Member January 8, 2007 How about a HD antenna? I've heard of them but no nothing about them; costs, how it works, etc. Maybe someone can fill us in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playaa January 8, 2007 Author Share Playaa Member January 8, 2007 so if I contact Directtv and say that I want an HD Box (probably get the DVR) will that be the tuner I need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Slaughterâ„¢-TopBrass January 8, 2007 Share Sgt. Slaughterâ„¢-TopBrass Member January 8, 2007 Yuppers, you'll have to contact direct tv and have them send you a HD set top box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubblegum Bandit January 8, 2007 Share Bubblegum Bandit Member January 8, 2007 Yes, you'll need to use the erm...I always get these backwards...component or composite...crap, the one that has 3 wires, mine are red, blue, and green. LOL. Mags, Antaennas will pick up over the air broadcast HDTV, your local stations basically, but most of them transmit differently. Too much to explain at the moment, but to get an antaenna that will pick up all of them I've heard is like a $400 to $500 item. Again, hear say, but that's what I've heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Slaughterâ„¢-TopBrass January 8, 2007 Share Sgt. Slaughterâ„¢-TopBrass Member January 8, 2007 Yes, you'll need to use the erm...I always get these backwards...component or composite... Component Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playaa January 10, 2007 Author Share Playaa Member January 10, 2007 hooked up the $25 DVD player I got for Christmas with Component cables last night (I find it odd that a $25 DVD player has Component output but it does) and boy oh BOY does the screen look good. I also hooked up the Satellite through S-Video rather than RCA and it looks a teensy bit better (barely noticeable change...in fact it could just be my imagination) but I'm looking forward to getting HD hooked up to this puppy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gOOters January 10, 2007 Share gOOters Member January 10, 2007 (edited) hooked up the $25 DVD player I got for Christmas with Component cables last night (I find it odd that a $25 DVD player has Component output but it does) and boy oh BOY does the screen look good. I also hooked up the Satellite through S-Video rather than RCA and it looks a teensy bit better (barely noticeable change...in fact it could just be my imagination) but I'm looking forward to getting HD hooked up to this puppy. r u sure you didnt hook up the sound from your DVD player into the "component in" on your TV? FYI, upscaling DVD players can be had for about $100 now. The technology takes an SD input and "adds" lines to it in order to create an HD type image. Think of it as HD lite. Dont get me started on tru HD DVD stuff... Mag, I agree with BGB, except I have heard of them going for $300. Ack, its like you have to be a PhD just to buy electronics anymore...but, two giant TVs and 1 surround sound system later...I think I am done for awhile! I shall slip into blissful ignorance until the next great thing comes along... p.s. Have fun with your TV Playaa, and btw, sorry about your pops... Edit: p.p.s Here is a scary thought...Magruetel in HD!! =:-O Edited January 10, 2007 by gOOters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playaa January 10, 2007 Author Share Playaa Member January 10, 2007 r u sure you didnt hook up the sound from your DVD player into the "component in" on your TV? positive. On the back of this dinky little DVD player my mom bought from Walmart for $25 it has RCA outputs, S-Video outputs and Component (Red, Blue, Green) outputs...I have no idea why...but I'm not complaining. I'm not saying my image is HD-like...just that it looks better than when I had it hooked up through RCA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubblegum Bandit January 10, 2007 Share Bubblegum Bandit Member January 10, 2007 I'm not saying my image is HD-like...just that it looks better than when I had it hooked up through RCA. If there is actually a better picture, its most likely the tv upscaling the image as goot eluded to. Price point on that antaenna was a guess from research about two years ago when I got my first HD TV. So I have no problem believing that its around $300 now. My point would still be you get more for your money to just rent the box....more channels than just the antenna. I think in Denver I could have picked up 4 with it? Dunno. I'm with Goot on the HD-DVD crap. Blue Ray, HD, whatever. Figure it out and everyone get on the same page. Then cut the price of the players in half (currently around $1k for either I think I've seen) and I'll be in the market. I like to keep my eye ahead. I have convinced my wife that it is OK for me to one day have a dedicated Home Theater in my basement and she even uses it as a reason we will need to eventually move into a new house(basement is very humid). Here's to the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossad January 10, 2007 Share Mossad Member January 10, 2007 or if you have an xbox 360...you can get the 200 buck external hd-dvd player.....or if you have a ps3 you get blue ray. And since the patch, now you can run at 1080p w/ the 360. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOFX January 10, 2007 Share NOFX Member January 10, 2007 My TV has a built in HD tuner, so I got a 12 dollar pair of Rabbit ears and I gotsa 7 HD channels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playaa January 11, 2007 Author Share Playaa Member January 11, 2007 My TV has a built in HD tuner, so I got a 12 dollar pair of Rabbit ears and I gotsa 7 HD channels. I'm betting you live in a city somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duma January 11, 2007 Share duma Member January 11, 2007 My TV has a built in HD tuner, so I got a 12 dollar pair of Rabbit ears and I gotsa 7 HD channels. Hmmmmm..... so I just bought an HD TV and found out the cost of going HD with my provider was just too much (I'm in college [again] after all). Now, what you are talking about sounds like something I can afford. /runs off to to find some Rabbit ears... finds Ebil... tosses her back... runs around the city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duma January 14, 2007 Share duma Member January 14, 2007 Okay, I found a "HD Rabbit Ears" for $18. I have plugged it in and watched the two playoff games last night. All I can say is... amazing. I spent all that money on a TV that couldn't perform that well without a piece of old technology. Anyway, it is great! Thanks Playaa, w/o you I might have missed out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrX January 15, 2007 Share mrX GC Alumni January 15, 2007 I have a set of rabbit ears that I got back in about 1992 or 1993 connected to my TV now and get all the local stations in HD just fine with them. I find myself watching HD over the air more, as the cable company is severely lacking in affordable HD atm (ABC and Fox aren't even available, the cable company gave me a set of rabbit ears to pick these up :/ ) Sports look great in HD. 24 was also nice to watch in HD. Now to smack the tv makers for not being able to stretch 4:3 digital images. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly January 15, 2007 Share dragonfly Member January 15, 2007 I always get these backwards...component or composite... Just think: Prime and Composite are the two types of numbers. There's only one left, and that's component. Or, think of it like the component on a computer is a part, so the component is a cable - another part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duma January 15, 2007 Share duma Member January 15, 2007 I have a set of rabbit ears that I got back in about 1992 or 1993 connected to my TV now and get all the local stations in HD just fine with them. Sports look great in HD. Well, with just two weeks of NFL left, and the cost of HD, I will stick to the rabbit ears. The game looks great, and I am still amazed it is free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playaa January 15, 2007 Author Share Playaa Member January 15, 2007 another question. The tv actually has a DVI Input (which I understand is even better than Component?). My video card supposedly outputs in HD and has a DVI Output. However, when I hook my pc up to my tv through DVI I can't see anything. If I hook up the tv to the pc using S-Video it works just fine. Is there something special I'm supposed to do for DVI? The tv actually has an input mode specifically for DVI (and it's always on...what I mean by that is when I cycle through the tv inputs, only the ones that have something plugged into them show up...except DVI which always shows up but is just a black screen). I'm guessing I need to find the manual for this tv somewhere...but it probably got thrown out a long time ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playaa January 15, 2007 Author Share Playaa Member January 15, 2007 little update I just remembered. When I hook it up through DVI and I tell the computer to extend my windows onto this monitor and hit apply, the screen refreshes and comes back with the "extend my windows..." unchecked. It never keeps it checked after I apply it...if I hook it up through S-Video it works as it should though. I probably shouldn't be posting these questions in this topic but maybe someone will know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playaa January 15, 2007 Author Share Playaa Member January 15, 2007 also...BGB, just found this info about my tv: It also upconverts standard interlaced (480i composite- and S-video) signals, bringing VCRs, nonprogressive DVD players, cable boxes, and other entertainment devices up to 1080i or 480p resolution. so I wasn't crazy when I thought the image looked alot better when I hooked it up with composite...it actually does do that upconvert thing you talked about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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