What can anyone tell me about watching fast motion video (such as sports) and the technology and specs that would be best for that? I've noticed differing refresh rates, such as 60 Hz, 75 Hz, and 120 Hz, and response time, such as 4 ms, 8 ms, or higher. Are these important vis a vis fast motion, and if so what numbers am I looking for?

Refresh rates: You generally want a higher number here. US TVs will be in multiples of 60hz, and European/Australian TVs will be in multiples of 50hz.

Different brands use different technologies to generate higher numbers, 'cause they're still only getting x many frames per second in the broadcast.


Response time: You generally want a lower number here. This is the time it takes for a pixel (most commonly on an LCD) to switch colours.



Old CRT monitors work by flashing light across the screen; LCD monitors work by turning pixels on and off.

Thus, the impact on the eye is slightly different in fast moving stuff. The best thing to do is to look at the TVs (take some recorded material of stuff you like watching) in action and decide which is best for you, especially since some of the technologies used to increase refresh rates can be perceived differently by different people.

I recently upgraded to a 1080p LCD and am wondering what my options are for skipping upgrading to HD or Blu Ray and going right to streaming video from my network. Is there something as easy to use as an Apple TV? I'm assuming it's possible to stream movies from a network drive to the Apple TV as long as they are kept in iTunes, is that true? Does it make sense to wait for an Apple TV that will output 1080p? My cable box says it is 780p and looks pretty amazing. And finally, does this even make sense? I'm not going to get as good a picture from any kind of rip of a standard DVD compared to rip from an HD or Blu Ray disk am I?

Thanks for the info, this is a great thread.

I'm setting up a new home theater system and would like to hook several components into my wireless network.

I have a Linksys router across the room hooked up to a cable modem and my desktop.

There are three components I'd like to get on the wireless network: a Series 3 TiVo, a Slingbox, and my A/V receiver (which the manual tells me can play audio files off of my computer).

I'd ideally like to get a single wireless bridge to sit on top of the cabinet where the components are (minimizing clutter/wiring is a big priority). Are there bridges that I can hook up to three different devices, or will I need a switcher as well? Do I need adapters for any of the devices on top of the bridge? (I've heard that I may need one for the TiVo.) Any recommendations for brands/models I should look for?

I'm willing to spend more $$ for a better product, if it makes a difference. Ease of setup is a big concern too -- I really don't know what I'm doing, and would like to keep this as simple as possible.

All suggestions appreciated. By this way, this thread was invaluable in helping me pick out all my stuff. Assuming the hookup goes well, I'll post a TR next week on the whole system.

Rick,

I also can't wire my back speakers so I just went with big expensive fronts from AV123 and absolutely love my setup. Sounds amazing - don't care much about surround.

Astro,

I bought that same WH 32" for my second bedroom. Should be arriving soon. Apparently 'great minds'.

Thanks everyone for your help - I PROMISE to post pics next week. Just been lazy, but my setup is unbelievable, IMHO.

Hey guys,

I'm trying to buy a universal remote control and am really looking at the different Harmony ones, but I can't really tell the difference between all of the different models. Any help here?

I really want to get some sort of wall mounted speakers for our tv, and have heard great things about the yamaha line.

only issue is it's a little more than I want to spend for speakers that won't get used that often (~3 times/month or so). mainly I want to get rid of the damn receiver and wires surrounding my tv, especially since we got a new puppy that likes to chew on them .

any recommendations for similar products that are a bit less? I would google but there doesn't seem to be a standard name for these types of things.

Ok, I've figured out that the only differences are:

1) RF vs IR
2) type of screen
3) batteries or no batteries

anyways, I'm deciding between the Logitech Harmony 550 and the Logitech Harmony 880. anyone have opinions about either? i hear about some possible charging issues with the 880.

I know polk makes one as well, but none of these all in one "surround sound" systems is going to be cheap.

I can't really imagine what you mean by no batteries. With regard to RF vs IR, you want RF if possible because IR needs to have clear line of sight to the device. With RF you can point the remote sideways and the device can be inside a wood cabinet and it will still work. (I don't actually have RF, but this is my understanding.)

Guys,

I have a very nice 50" TV, but it's in a small room without surround sound. I am happy with the performance of my standard DVDs, although I have never watched a Blu-Ray DVD. Is it worth it to buy a Blu-Ray player without surround sound? Would the surround sound even play a big enough role in determining this?

I have the Polk SurroundBar, which sounds great and looks great mounted under my TV. Wire clutter is pretty minimal -- just one cable running from the speaker to the AV receiver (no separate power cable).

The grey version is currently on sale at Amazon for $485, about half of list price. (The black version is a couple hundred more.)

One word of caution, which I imagine applies to the Yamaha setups as well as the Polk: if you get one of these, you'll also need to spring for an AV receiver and a stand-alone subwoofer, so factor a few hundred bucks more into your bottom line.

i dont have any components hidden in anything so i dont need RF. some remotes have internal batteries (like cell phones) and recharge using a dock, some use normal batteries

will it sound decent without a subwoofer? I really want a minimum amount of wires and stuff running around the room. I don't need super amazing sound, as we only use the speakers for movies ~3 times a month or so.

yeah, I'm not even sure we need "surround" so much as a wall mount speaker system that will sound decent for movies. fwiw, the most I'd want to spend is around 1k.