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  1. #26
    Forum Regular Woochifer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
    Congrats Wooch. Glad to see you've made it into the 21st century.

    Panasonic certainly is a name you can trust. My Panny CD/DVD changer soldiers on without a lick of trouble. (knock wood)
    Yeah, it was getting a bit squirrelly as to whether I'd arrive in this century during this decade or the next!

    A big part of the reason I went with Panasonic is the continuity with their plasma line. Panasonic develops and produces their own plasma panels, and they have full control over the manufacturing process because they own the fabrication facilities. No coincidence that the top three brands for plasma reliability (Pioneer, Panasonic, and Samsung) are vertically integrated with the plasma panel design and manufacturing, and final fabrication all done at company-owned facilities.

    As much buzz as the new Vizio XVT plasmas have been getting on the AVS Forum and in early reviews, they still haven't arrived in stores, and with Vizio the outsource manufacturer will vary from model to model, so the reliability of a particular model is unknown until it gets out there.
    Wooch's Home Theater 2.0 (Pics)
    Panasonic VIERA TH-C50FD18 50" 1080p
    Paradigm Reference Studio 40, CC, and 20 v.2
    Adire Audio Rava (EQ: Behringer Feedback Destroyer DSP1124)
    Yamaha RX-A1030
    Dual CS5000 (Ortofon OM30 Super)
    Sony UBP-X800
    Sony Playstation 3 (MediaLink OS X Server)
    Sony ES SCD-C2000ES
    JVC HR-S3912U
    Directv HR44 and WVB
    Logitech Harmony 700
    iPhone 5s/iPad 3
    Linksys WES610



    The Neverending DVD/BD Collection

    Subwoofer Setup and Parametric EQ Results *Dead Link*

  2. #27
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    Cool

    Quote Originally Posted by Woochifer
    Yeah, it was getting a bit squirrelly as to whether I'd arrive in this century during this decade or the next!

    A big part of the reason I went with Panasonic is the continuity with their plasma line. Panasonic develops and produces their own plasma panels, and they have full control over the manufacturing process because they own the fabrication facilities. No coincidence that the top three brands for plasma reliability (Pioneer, Panasonic, and Samsung) are vertically integrated with the plasma panel design and manufacturing, and final fabrication all done at company-owned facilities.

    As much buzz as the new Vizio XVT plasmas have been getting on the AVS Forum and in early reviews, they still haven't arrived in stores, and with Vizio the outsource manufacturer will vary from model to model, so the reliability of a particular model is unknown until it gets out there.

    Never mind the fact that most companies use outsourced panels,
    and the only reason Panasonic can use their own is because their parent company , matshuhita is about the biggest company
    on the planel and a major producer of plasma screens.
    TELL the truth now!
    Attached Images Attached Images  
    LG 42", integra 6.9, B&W 602s2, CC6 center, dm305rears, b&w
    sub asw2500
    Panny DVDA player
    sharp Aquos BLU player
    pronto remote, technics antique direct drive TT
    Samsung SACD/DVDA player
    emotiva upa-2 two channel amp

  3. #28
    Forum Regular Woochifer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pixelthis
    Never mind the fact that most companies use outsourced panels,
    and the only reason Panasonic can use their own is because their parent company , matshuhita is about the biggest company
    on the planel and a major producer of plasma screens.
    TELL the truth now!
    And most companies that use outsourced panels cannot claim the consistently high reliability record that Pioneer, Samsung, and Panasonic have.
    Wooch's Home Theater 2.0 (Pics)
    Panasonic VIERA TH-C50FD18 50" 1080p
    Paradigm Reference Studio 40, CC, and 20 v.2
    Adire Audio Rava (EQ: Behringer Feedback Destroyer DSP1124)
    Yamaha RX-A1030
    Dual CS5000 (Ortofon OM30 Super)
    Sony UBP-X800
    Sony Playstation 3 (MediaLink OS X Server)
    Sony ES SCD-C2000ES
    JVC HR-S3912U
    Directv HR44 and WVB
    Logitech Harmony 700
    iPhone 5s/iPad 3
    Linksys WES610



    The Neverending DVD/BD Collection

    Subwoofer Setup and Parametric EQ Results *Dead Link*

  4. #29
    Sgt. At Arms Worf101's Avatar
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    Welp...

    Okay, I remember seeing that pic before. You're moving the couch back, kewl. I can understand the wall swivel. You're one smart fellah so I know you'll "hook it up right". Ahm thanking though... You are smart so any consideration (even though you're a fruit/Mac lover) of going whole hog and building an HT/PC? I've been toying with the idea with AMD releasing soooo many cheap, video integrated mobo/chipsets and processors. Do you know of anyone that's gone that route? Do Mac's lend themselves to that kind of use? I love my Oppo and I can truly understand your reluctance to shell out for a new receiver at this time.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Da Worfster

    PS Can't wait to the the "After" pictures.

  5. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Woochifer
    And most companies that use outsourced panels cannot claim the consistently high reliability record that Pioneer, Samsung, and Panasonic have.
    One word:

    Bingo!

  6. #31
    Forum Regular Woochifer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Worf101
    Okay, I remember seeing that pic before. You're moving the couch back, kewl. I can understand the wall swivel. You're one smart fellah so I know you'll "hook it up right". Ahm thanking though... You are smart so any consideration (even though you're a fruit/Mac lover) of going whole hog and building an HT/PC? I've been toying with the idea with AMD releasing soooo many cheap, video integrated mobo/chipsets and processors. Do you know of anyone that's gone that route? Do Mac's lend themselves to that kind of use? I love my Oppo and I can truly understand your reluctance to shell out for a new receiver at this time.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Da Worfster

    PS Can't wait to the the "After" pictures.
    I've scavenged and rebuilt some of the Dells that my company uses in the office, but never built anything from the ground up myself.

    Macs are great for video-related functions, though the hardware is not nearly as customizable unless you go with the Mac Pro.

    The latest Macbooks use a new NVidia integrated graphics chipset that purportedly blows away anything currently available from Intel, and the Macbook Pro uses a motherboard that combines the integrated graphics chipset with a dedicated GPU. This combined approach supposedly creates a huge boost in graphics performance. I suspect that you'll start seeing this kind of combined integrated/dedicated GPU approach appear on DIY PC motherboards en masse very soon.

    Also, the next revision to Mac OS X (due out next spring) will further boost performance by moving a lot of the workload from the CPU over to the GPU, which is underutilized most of the time.

    For media center functions, I was thinking about going with a Mac Mini. A lot of home theater enthusiasts use the Mac Minis as music/video servers because it costs only $600, can actually run the full Mac OS X, and the unit itself is very small and easy to fit within an audio rack. But, while the Mac Mini can do HD video, it does not do Blu-ray.

    I already know that I'll order the Oppo HDMI switch when I get around to adding the Blu-ray player. It's just a question of whether I'll add the DVD player ... oh, y'know to save on shipping charges!
    Wooch's Home Theater 2.0 (Pics)
    Panasonic VIERA TH-C50FD18 50" 1080p
    Paradigm Reference Studio 40, CC, and 20 v.2
    Adire Audio Rava (EQ: Behringer Feedback Destroyer DSP1124)
    Yamaha RX-A1030
    Dual CS5000 (Ortofon OM30 Super)
    Sony UBP-X800
    Sony Playstation 3 (MediaLink OS X Server)
    Sony ES SCD-C2000ES
    JVC HR-S3912U
    Directv HR44 and WVB
    Logitech Harmony 700
    iPhone 5s/iPad 3
    Linksys WES610



    The Neverending DVD/BD Collection

    Subwoofer Setup and Parametric EQ Results *Dead Link*

  7. #32
    M.P.S.E /AES/SMPTE member Sir Terrence the Terrible's Avatar
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    Sir T enters the room, looks around and sees Wooch. He walks over and palms his head like a basketball, pulls him to the otherside of the room and says..."I can't believe it took you this dang long to make this move, wantsa matta wit ya ya putz!"

    Congrats. Wife, baby, and a panel. Seems like you are doing good on the upgrades to me.
    Sir Terrence

    Titan Reference 3D 1080p projector
    200" SI Black Diamond II screen
    Oppo BDP-103D
    Datastat RS20I audio/video processor 12.4 audio setup
    9 Onkyo M-5099 power amp
    9 Onkyo M-510 power amp
    9 Onkyo M-508 power amp
    6 custom CAL amps for subs
    3 custom 3 way horn DSP hybrid monitors
    18 custom 3 way horn DSP hybrid surround/ceiling speakers
    2 custom 15" sealed FFEC servo subs
    4 custom 15" H-PAS FFEC servo subs
    THX Style Baffle wall

  8. #33
    Forum Regular BadAssJazz's Avatar
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    Congratz on your new plasma.

    I own two 42" Panny plasmas (although I've gifted one to my folks) and am contemplating my 3rd purchase (50" or more) this December, if all goes well. I'm sure there are better plasmas out there, but I've yet to see anything that beats the price/performance of a Panasonic.

    Anyone know if Costco will have an after Thanksgiving day sale? With the economy bottoming out, I have a feeling that prices will drop like crazy.
    *Panasonic 60" Plasma HDTV
    *Marantz AV7005
    *Marantz MM7055
    *Oppo Digital BDP-95
    *Silverline Audio Sonatina MK II
    *Silverline Center Stage
    *Silverline Audio SR11
    *SVS SB12

    http://www.panasonic.com
    http://www.marantz.com
    http://www.oppodigital.com
    http://www.silverlineaudio.com
    http://www.svsound.com

  9. #34
    Audio/HT Nut version 1.3a
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    When I bought my Panny several weeks ago at Costco, the salesperson said that if the price dropped within the 90 day return period, just return with the sales receipt and they would credit the difference.

    This makes sense because you can return the unit within 90 days anyway and then could buy another one.

    RR6

  10. #35
    Forum Regular Woochifer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sir Terrence the Terrible
    Sir T enters the room, looks around and sees Wooch. He walks over and palms his head like a basketball, pulls him to the otherside of the room and says..."I can't believe it took you this dang long to make this move, wantsa matta wit ya ya putz!"

    Congrats. Wife, baby, and a panel. Seems like you are doing good on the upgrades to me.
    You're not the only that can't believe it took me this long!

    It was definitely a long time in the offing, but it looks like I came in at a good time. The Pioneer Elites were at the top of my wish list for quite a while, but the baby and my wife going back to work only half time have a way of redistributing a budget! Since I thought that the Pannys were getting close to the Pioneers' picture quality anyway for about half the price, I was fine with the performance tradeoff.

    Also, I was reluctant to pull the trigger when most of the channels I watched were still non-HD, the HD-DVD/Blu-ray format war was still raging, and 1080p plasmas were not yet available (I'd always preferred plasma, but also wanted to go 1080p).

    Seems like the HD market has now settled in, and any HDTV choice consumers make nowadays don't come with a long laundry list of trade offs like before.

    So far, I'm blown away by the image clarity on the HD channels I pull in with just a pair of rabbit ears. I'm getting spoiled, and hope that I don't see a huge dropoff with Directv's HD service.
    Last edited by Woochifer; 10-29-2008 at 10:37 AM.
    Wooch's Home Theater 2.0 (Pics)
    Panasonic VIERA TH-C50FD18 50" 1080p
    Paradigm Reference Studio 40, CC, and 20 v.2
    Adire Audio Rava (EQ: Behringer Feedback Destroyer DSP1124)
    Yamaha RX-A1030
    Dual CS5000 (Ortofon OM30 Super)
    Sony UBP-X800
    Sony Playstation 3 (MediaLink OS X Server)
    Sony ES SCD-C2000ES
    JVC HR-S3912U
    Directv HR44 and WVB
    Logitech Harmony 700
    iPhone 5s/iPad 3
    Linksys WES610



    The Neverending DVD/BD Collection

    Subwoofer Setup and Parametric EQ Results *Dead Link*

  11. #36
    Forum Regular Woochifer's Avatar
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    Update!

    The TV has been in place for just over a week now, and I'm still assessing the strengths (and weaknesses) of the Panny. Will have more details after I do a more detailed picture calibration. After fiddling around with the settings, I now primarily use the Cinema setting, with the color temperature set to Warm. The AVS Forum has several posters that also own the same Panny model, and I've tried their DVE calibrated settings, which improved the picture quality over the factory settings. With these rudimentary adjustments, the picture quality looks mighty impressive with HD -- a very natural looking and smooth image with decent sources.

    This rest of this post though is more about the Directv HD service.

    Taking the next step after the TV arrived, the upgraded Directv HD service and DVR are now activated. The box that got installed is Directv's new HR22 model. It's the same thing as the previous HR21, except with a larger capacity hard drive. While the HD definitely looks impressive, I was a bit surprised at how much SD programming still goes through the HD channels. This kinda points to why I waited so long to make the HD upgrade.

    The highest native resolution that the HR22 can deliver with the satellite channels is 1080i, although a lot of channels choose to broadcast in 720p (in particular, the channels owned by News Corp/Fox, ABC/Disney, and A&E Networks). The most curious split was CBS, which televises in 1080i but broadcasts its CBS College Sports (formerly CSTV) channel in 720p. The A/B comparison of these channels sort of confirms my initial impression. The 720p feed delivers a slightly softer and less detailed image (at least on my TV) than 1080i, but when looking at fast moving action scenes, the 720p feed seems to maintain its resolution better. This is not a controlled viewing using different sources, so I have no idea what other variables might exist between CBS' network feed and their College Sports network.

    Compared to the OTA broadcast, there is a slight loss of image clarity with Directv's HD feeds. This difference is more pronounced on the 1080i feeds. Comparing my local Fox affiliate's 720p OTA feed with the Directv feed, I did not notice much of a difference, while comparing the 1080i CBS and NBC feeds, the difference was more noticeable.

    I read that even though the MPEG-4 codec that Directv (and Dish) uses is very efficient and requires a lower bandwidth to deliver a high quality picture, Directv still has to convert the original MPEG-2 HDTV broadcast in real time, and there's just no way to maintain 100% of the original signal integrity.

    Directv's HD DVR receivers have had their fair share of problems and bad press. For one thing, Directv's original HD DVRs used the Tivo interface and their newer boxes' user interface is a big step down from Tivo. Generally, the Directv HD DVR interface seems dumbed down compared to other DVRs I've seen, and it doesn't have the "suggestion" feature that Tivo has.

    My parents' LG plasma has a built-in DVR, and the interface on that unit is more flexible and intuitive than what Directv built into its HD DVRs. Kind of ironic, given that LG is one of the companies that Directv contracts with to design and build their DVR receivers.

    But, as far as everyday operation of the HD DVR receiver, so far I've had no problems whatsoever. The firmware on the HR22 was updated during the installation, and so far it seems free from the random lockup, inconsistent DVR scheduling, and long lag time that was commonplace with the previous HR20 and HR21 models. Picture quality on the HD channels looks quite good, and I would add that the SD channels also look better than they did with my previous SD Directv receiver.

    I also like that all of the channels can either output in their native resolution, or upconvert to 1080i or 720p. The latest firmware also allows for 1080p output, but Directv only plans to implement this with their PPV movies.

    For now, the Directv HD DVR is my primary HD source (aside from the OTA antenna), and it has worked quite well so far. I do have some qualms with the user interface, but the performance so has been rock solid.
    Wooch's Home Theater 2.0 (Pics)
    Panasonic VIERA TH-C50FD18 50" 1080p
    Paradigm Reference Studio 40, CC, and 20 v.2
    Adire Audio Rava (EQ: Behringer Feedback Destroyer DSP1124)
    Yamaha RX-A1030
    Dual CS5000 (Ortofon OM30 Super)
    Sony UBP-X800
    Sony Playstation 3 (MediaLink OS X Server)
    Sony ES SCD-C2000ES
    JVC HR-S3912U
    Directv HR44 and WVB
    Logitech Harmony 700
    iPhone 5s/iPad 3
    Linksys WES610



    The Neverending DVD/BD Collection

    Subwoofer Setup and Parametric EQ Results *Dead Link*

  12. #37
    Forum Regular Woochifer's Avatar
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    Yet another update!

    The big project over the weekend was installing the TV onto that telescoping mount. Lots of drilling and heavy lifting, but the installation looks quite good and has surprising versatility. The TV can now telescope out from the wall, tilt, and swivel, and the mount can position the TV in just about any forward direction. I'll post pics when I get around to taking them! In the meantime, the picture below shows the dual-arm mount that I used.



    No in-depth calibrations yet because my DVD player does not have any HDMI outputs, and the analog video looks quite different from the digital picture.

    Judging from what I've read and what I've tried for myself, the factory settings for the Cinema mode are already as close to optimal for digital video as the Panny's picture settings will allow. That's really the only picture mode that I use. The Vivid, and Game modes generally look unnatural, no matter what settings I use. I can tinker with the Normal settings to look decent, but the Cinema mode just looks way better for most sources.

    Using the upconversion settings on the Directv box, make the SD programming look pretty good. Still not quite as good as CRT, but most of the channels I watch nowadays are HD. The only viewing that I have not yet optimized is DVDs -- still waiting on an upconverting player whether it's a PS3 or other player.
    Wooch's Home Theater 2.0 (Pics)
    Panasonic VIERA TH-C50FD18 50" 1080p
    Paradigm Reference Studio 40, CC, and 20 v.2
    Adire Audio Rava (EQ: Behringer Feedback Destroyer DSP1124)
    Yamaha RX-A1030
    Dual CS5000 (Ortofon OM30 Super)
    Sony UBP-X800
    Sony Playstation 3 (MediaLink OS X Server)
    Sony ES SCD-C2000ES
    JVC HR-S3912U
    Directv HR44 and WVB
    Logitech Harmony 700
    iPhone 5s/iPad 3
    Linksys WES610



    The Neverending DVD/BD Collection

    Subwoofer Setup and Parametric EQ Results *Dead Link*

  13. #38
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    Cool

    Most swingarm mounts are not rated for large tv sets.
    I would make sure about that.
    LG 42", integra 6.9, B&W 602s2, CC6 center, dm305rears, b&w
    sub asw2500
    Panny DVDA player
    sharp Aquos BLU player
    pronto remote, technics antique direct drive TT
    Samsung SACD/DVDA player
    emotiva upa-2 two channel amp

  14. #39
    Sgt. At Arms Worf101's Avatar
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    Thanks bro...

    I appreciate all the information you're providing on Direct TV, broadcast resolutions and alike. Helps immensely while I plan my next conqu..... er move for my bedroom jammie. I, unlike others, never knew you were such a luddite!!!! But I can't say a word I got my first flat panel only 3 months before you.. LOL. Keep us apprised and send pics when you can...

    Da Worfster

  15. #40
    Loving This kexodusc's Avatar
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    Wooch, with the downturn in the global economy, I'm glad to see you're doing your part to prop up the consumer electronics industry. So what's the master plan here?
    Lemme guesss - after you finish configurating your new TV set you'll:

    1) Upgrade to BluRay player /PS3 (PS3! PS3!)
    2) New processor/amp or receiver
    3) New speakers/subwoofer
    4) Room acoustics

    You going all out here or what?

    Guess I'm only a wee bit ahead of you...we built a new home and moved in the end of August - part of the deal was I got to have a new HT room, a real one, with projector and all that. Got the PS3, but I'm still listening to BluRays in Dolby Digital and DTS. 640 kbps Dolby is something else, I believe Dolby now after all those years they've claimed their codec did more with less bitrate than DTS. They should have had 640k on DVD...but I digress.

    BTW, my inlaws just bought a new 46" Panny Plasma that seems to be smaller version of yours. We're going to visit them in a few in a few weeks - I promised to bring DVE and fix it up for them - according to my mother-in-law, standard-def cable broadcasts were almost unwatchable because of the high colour and brightness settings. I told her to put it to Cinema - it was on Vivid...we saw the 46" at Futureshop with the settings on Vivid...yikes. I could see why she was having problems. They have a lot of daylight in their room and she finds Cinema a bit too dark during broad daylight hours, so I might have to make a custom setting. Any idea if you can save settings for each of the modes, or if there's more than 1 saveable custom setting available?

    One feature on that set that I didn't know TV's came with is the media card readers...hers accepts their SD cards and they've been having a ball watching picture slide shows. They're photo-nuts. That's a great feature, especially for seniors who take a lot of pics.
    I'm looking forward to playing with their new toy now...visiting won't be as bad now.

  16. #41
    Forum Regular Woochifer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Worf101
    I appreciate all the information you're providing on Direct TV, broadcast resolutions and alike. Helps immensely while I plan my next conqu..... er move for my bedroom jammie. I, unlike others, never knew you were such a luddite!!!! But I can't say a word I got my first flat panel only 3 months before you.. LOL. Keep us apprised and send pics when you can...

    Da Worfster
    Luddite?! :P

    For me, shopping for a HDTV over the years was a frustrating process because each choice had a major drawback, and my wife insisted on a flat panel. I waited until now because I wanted to wait until the 120 Hz/LED-backlit LCDs and 1080p plasmas came out before making a choice. And it wasn't until late last year that most of my favorite channels went HD. With Directv, their 1st and 2nd generation HD DVRs also had major problems. I guess I preferred to let the early adopters work out the kinks before I make my move!

    Quote Originally Posted by kexodusc
    Wooch, with the downturn in the global economy, I'm glad to see you're doing your part to prop up the consumer electronics industry. So what's the master plan here?
    Lemme guesss - after you finish configurating your new TV set you'll:

    1) Upgrade to BluRay player /PS3 (PS3! PS3!)
    2) New processor/amp or receiver
    3) New speakers/subwoofer
    4) Room acoustics

    You going all out here or what?
    You are correct on #1. I've asked for the PS3 as a combined b-day/Christmas present from my wife, so that will arrive soon.

    The processor/receiver will wait, and it might be a long wait because I decided to order an Oppo HDMI switch to handle the video switching rather than shell out for a new receiver right now. Since my Yammie can decode the 640k DD tracks that come with most BDs, I figure I'll get a sound quality upgrade regardless.

    Room treatments might also need to wait since my increasingly mobile little girl has recently discovered the joys of MAGIC MARKERS (though she only has access to the washable kind)! We're reassessing what can and cannot go on the walls.

    Quote Originally Posted by kexodusc
    Guess I'm only a wee bit ahead of you...we built a new home and moved in the end of August - part of the deal was I got to have a new HT room, a real one, with projector and all that. Got the PS3, but I'm still listening to BluRays in Dolby Digital and DTS. 640 kbps Dolby is something else, I believe Dolby now after all those years they've claimed their codec did more with less bitrate than DTS. They should have had 640k on DVD...but I digress.
    Congrats on the new room! I've always heard about how much better the DD audio sounded with Laserdiscs (which also used the 640k bitrate), so I'm looking forward to the Blu-ray upgrade, which will take my audio experience back to 1994!

    Quote Originally Posted by kexodusc
    BTW, my inlaws just bought a new 46" Panny Plasma that seems to be smaller version of yours. We're going to visit them in a few in a few weeks - I promised to bring DVE and fix it up for them - according to my mother-in-law, standard-def cable broadcasts were almost unwatchable because of the high colour and brightness settings. I told her to put it to Cinema - it was on Vivid...we saw the 46" at Futureshop with the settings on Vivid...yikes. I could see why she was having problems. They have a lot of daylight in their room and she finds Cinema a bit too dark during broad daylight hours, so I might have to make a custom setting. Any idea if you can save settings for each of the modes, or if there's more than 1 saveable custom setting available?
    Yep, standard def analog cable definitely looks the worst on my TV. Might want to check and make sure that their channel setup includes digital channels. We have barebones basic cable just for local channels (it's a lot cheaper than paying for extra satellite receivers in the other rooms throughout the house), and it actually pipes in all of the local DTV feeds. I don't know anything about Canada's situation with DTV transition, but you should rerun the channel setup/search on your parents' TV and see if it picks up the digital channels.

    BTW, I get CBC's Hockey Night in Canada HD feed as part of the NHL Network, and that is some of the most stunning HD sports production quality that I've seen.

    The settings for each picture mode are saved separately. I'd also read that some Pannys can also save different settings for each input, but that doesn't seem to be the case with my TV. I wanted to save separate sets of settings using the Cinema mode for the HDMI input and the analog video inputs (since I use those for DVD playback), but my TV doesn't allow for that.

    The Cinema mode's gamma and grayscale are closer to reference than any of the other modes, but it also gives you the least amount of flexibility with bumping up the brightness and picture levels. I've observed that once you get beyond the +60 settings for picture and brightness levels, the image doesn't really change that much. On your parents' TV, you could also try changing the color temperature to see if they perceive that as "brightening" the picture. The consensus on the newer Panny plasmas is that the "Warm" color temperature along with the Cinema mode gives the most natural picture quality on most sources, while some people prefer the "Neutral" color temperature with video sources.

    It could also be what your parents are used to seeing. My parents got so used to watching washed out pictures on their old TV that they crank up the picture and brightness levels on their plasma with SD programming.

    Quote Originally Posted by kexodusc
    One feature on that set that I didn't know TV's came with is the media card readers...hers accepts their SD cards and they've been having a ball watching picture slide shows. They're photo-nuts. That's a great feature, especially for seniors who take a lot of pics.
    Might also want to check if their TV can play video clips as well. The SD card reader is also how Panny updates their TVs' firmware. I thought that the media card readers were fairly commonplace, and if anything, manufacturers have cut back on the compatibility with other formats. My parents' three-year old LG can read 7 different media card formats (and yes, they love watching slide shows of their granddaughter on the TV). Then again, that LG cost close to $5,000 and has a much fancier set of picture adjustment, media viewing, and DVR features (along with a piano black finish) than my Panny which is downright spartan by comparison.

    Quote Originally Posted by pixelthis
    Most swingarm mounts are not rated for large tv sets.
    I would make sure about that.
    The mount I'm using is a dual-arm design, and rated for up to 55" and 125 lbs.
    Last edited by Woochifer; 11-14-2008 at 06:03 PM.
    Wooch's Home Theater 2.0 (Pics)
    Panasonic VIERA TH-C50FD18 50" 1080p
    Paradigm Reference Studio 40, CC, and 20 v.2
    Adire Audio Rava (EQ: Behringer Feedback Destroyer DSP1124)
    Yamaha RX-A1030
    Dual CS5000 (Ortofon OM30 Super)
    Sony UBP-X800
    Sony Playstation 3 (MediaLink OS X Server)
    Sony ES SCD-C2000ES
    JVC HR-S3912U
    Directv HR44 and WVB
    Logitech Harmony 700
    iPhone 5s/iPad 3
    Linksys WES610



    The Neverending DVD/BD Collection

    Subwoofer Setup and Parametric EQ Results *Dead Link*

  17. #42
    Da Dragonball Kid L.J.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Woochifer
    You are correct on #1. I've asked for the PS3 as a combined b-day/Christmas present from my wife, so that will arrive soon.
    Welcome to the club brotha! If you eventually feel like getting spanked at some online gaming, drop your PSN ID in the PS3 gaming thread

    I agree with Kex on the 640 DD & 1.5 DTS. I went 9 months before upgrading my AVR and the wait wasn't hard at all. I noticed an immediate improvement in sound. Both sound great and will easily hold you over til you go with a new AVR.

  18. #43
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    Cool

    Quote Originally Posted by L.J.
    Welcome to the club brotha! If you eventually feel like getting spanked at some online gaming, drop your PSN ID in the PS3 gaming thread

    I agree with Kex on the 640 DD & 1.5 DTS. I went 9 months before upgrading my AVR and the wait wasn't hard at all. I noticed an immediate improvement in sound. Both sound great and will easily hold you over til you go with a new AVR.

    They are good, but lossless has them beat.
    LG 42", integra 6.9, B&W 602s2, CC6 center, dm305rears, b&w
    sub asw2500
    Panny DVDA player
    sharp Aquos BLU player
    pronto remote, technics antique direct drive TT
    Samsung SACD/DVDA player
    emotiva upa-2 two channel amp

  19. #44
    Forum Regular Woochifer's Avatar
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    Happy B-day/early Christmas to me! The PS3 has arrived!

    BLU-RAY IMPRESSIONS
    The system came with a demo Blu-ray disc, and my first BD purchase was the five-disc edition of Blade Runner (fortunately, even though it was at the top of my wish list, I never bought it on DVD because the five-disc set in that format was only available with an expensive suitcase package). First impression - wow!

    I've seen Blade Runner numerous times in theaters including 70mm screenings, and seeing it in this 1080p transfer is a revelation. The image was crystal clear, yet the transfer kept the film grain intact, retaining the organic look that a good film print has. This kind of natural image quality is precisely why I opted for plasma over LCD. The five-disc set has all four versions of the movie, including the rare workprint version which I saw at the theater back in 1991 and up until now has never been released on home video. The new "final cut" version is the only one I haven't seen yet.

    Concurring with L.J. and kex, the 640k DD soundtracks on the Blade Runner BD and the trailers on the Blu-ray demo disc sound very good. The 640k tracks seem free from the bloat and less precise imaging that accompanies a lot of lower resolution DD tracks. Even though I don't have a HDMI receiver or support for the lossless and uncompressed PCM tracks, the 640k DD tracks are already an improvement over what I hear from most of my DVDs, and they work with my 7-year old receiver.

    DVD PERFORMANCE
    Earlier in the thread, I voiced concerns over the PS3's purportedly inferior performance with DVDs. Well, after installing the PS3 and trying out a few DVDs, it looks quite good to me. The latest firmware on the PS3 has a more picture adjustments and upscaling options than the PS3s that fared so poorly on the Secrets site's benchmark tests (their tests were performed on the 1st generation players and the firmware version 1.8 from February -- the current version is 2.52).

    Even without the noise reduction settings that Terrence recommended, I thought that the image quality on the DVD playback was a big improvement over my old DVD player (which lacks upscaling and digital video output). With the noise reduction filters on, some aspects of the image definitely improved, but it also really softened up the picture quite a bit, which makes the DVD's lower resolution more obvious. There are other options that I've been trying out. Overall, the PS3's a surprisingly flexible and full featured video player.

    The PS3 is now my primary DVD player. I can see how somebody upgrading to a large screen TV would think that upconverted DVD playback would be "good enough." But, there's still no comparison with true HD resolution, and the Blu-ray image quality is definitely superior to the HD images from broadcast and satellite channels.

    OTHER GOODIES
    I also setup my Playstation Network ID (my handle is Woochifer), for VOD purchases and online gaming. Oh yeah, gaming! Unfortunately, the newer PS3s are completely incompatible with PS2 games, so I still need to keep the PS2 installed on my system. So far, I have yet to purchase a PS3 game, and I'm not sure when I'll start. Right now, I'd rather stock up on Blu-rays than sink $60 into a PS3 game.

    The PS3 linked to my wireless network with no problem. I have not yet enabled the media center features on the PS3 because I need to install the Medialink application on my iMac. Medialink will enable the iMac to function as a media server for my audio, video, and photo files, and sync with my iTunes playlists and coverflow images.

    WHAT'S NEXT?
    Because I won't be buying a new receiver for a while, I will install an Oppo HDMI switch to select between different sources. Until then, I'm stuck with manually unplugging the HDMI cable whenever I want to switch between the HD DVR and the PS3. That will probably be the second-to-last hardware purchase for this round of upgrades. The rest of it is just optimizing the feature and getting everything to work together.

    The last hardware purchase for this round might be an ethernet bridge to enable the on-demand feature on my Directv HD DVR, which only uses a wired internet connection. I haven't decided if I want to go wireless or PowerLine. But, with all the unwatched programming that has already piled up on my DVR, I'm not sure if I want even more TV viewing options.

    Now that I can play DVDs over the HDMI connection, I will finally do a calibration on the TV.

    I also need to do a lot of work reorganizing the cables in the back of the audio rack. Right now, I have it pulled back from the wall with the back panel removed. Doubtful that my wife will tolerate this much longer!

    Wall-E comes out this week, so I'll look forward to that.

    Otherwise, I think this round of upgrades is just about over. Stay tuned!
    Last edited by Woochifer; 11-16-2008 at 10:02 PM.
    Wooch's Home Theater 2.0 (Pics)
    Panasonic VIERA TH-C50FD18 50" 1080p
    Paradigm Reference Studio 40, CC, and 20 v.2
    Adire Audio Rava (EQ: Behringer Feedback Destroyer DSP1124)
    Yamaha RX-A1030
    Dual CS5000 (Ortofon OM30 Super)
    Sony UBP-X800
    Sony Playstation 3 (MediaLink OS X Server)
    Sony ES SCD-C2000ES
    JVC HR-S3912U
    Directv HR44 and WVB
    Logitech Harmony 700
    iPhone 5s/iPad 3
    Linksys WES610



    The Neverending DVD/BD Collection

    Subwoofer Setup and Parametric EQ Results *Dead Link*

  20. #45
    Da Dragonball Kid L.J.'s Avatar
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    Great choice Wooch!! The PS3 has been one of the best purchases I've made for HT. I get so much use out of it beyond just playing movies.

    Check out the PSN store for games starting at $2.99. Here a list of the PSN games I own and my thoughts on them.

    Also check out the PS3 Greatest Hits going for $30(most of these were on sale @ Amazon for 19.99 a couple of days ago):
    * Warhawk
    * MotorStorm
    * Resistance: Fall of Man
    * Call of Duty 3
    * Need for Speed Carbon
    * The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
    * Ninja Gaiden Sigma
    * Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
    * Assassin's Creed

  21. #46
    Loving This kexodusc's Avatar
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    Woo hoo...another new toy for Wooch. Good choice, you won't regret it. I'm really happy with my PS3, I'm sure you will be too. It really is so much more than a gaming console. Sony out did itself here. And yeah, for whatever benchmark tests it fails with DVD, I'm guessing they don't occur to often in real world scenarios or have since been remedied by the firmware updates because DVD's look better than they did on my old player too.

    Also check out the PS3 Greatest Hits going for $30(most of these were on sale @ Amazon for 19.99 a couple of days ago):
    * Warhawk
    * MotorStorm
    * Resistance: Fall of Man
    * Call of Duty 3
    * Need for Speed Carbon
    * The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
    * Ninja Gaiden Sigma
    * Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
    * Assassin's Creed
    You can find most of these 2nd hand for even cheaper too...we're trying to get an ar.com online game thingy going - we've got our ID's and stuff posted - feel free offer your input:
    AR.com PS3 Online Gaming Thread

    A few of us have already ordered Resistance...I've put 7-8 hours on it and it is a lot of fun if you like shooters. Great story, not too easy or hard...good online multiplay features etc...I'd recommend it.

    I also just picked Socom:Confrontation which came with the Bluetooth headset. Because it was on sale it was actually cheaper to get the game than the standalone headset. Go figure.

  22. #47
    Forum Regular Woochifer's Avatar
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    HT 2.0 is just about done!

    The Oppo HM-31 HDMI switch arrived yesterday, and I also installed the Medialink app that enables my iMac to function as a media server for the PS3.

    OPPO HM-31 HDMI SWITCH
    I use the Oppo to switch between the HD DVR and the PS3. So far, it has worked flawlessly with no signal integrity issues on 720p, 1080i, and 1080p sources. The HM-31's auto switching feature allows you to prioritize the HDMI sources -- when one gets powered down, the switch automatically goes to the next source. This means that I will rarely if ever need to use the remote to manually switch between HDMI sources. It's certified for HDMI 1.3, and includes a serial port and a plug for an external IR sensor (handy for automation applications and installed options).

    PS3 AS A MEDIA CENTER
    The PS3 media center functionality has had a few more glitches. Because I didn't feel like entering a bunch of UNIX terminal commands to connect my iMac to the PS3 as a media server, I downloaded Nullriver's Medialink app. Once the app got installed and I activated the UPnP function on my router, the PS3 instantly recognized the iMac as a media server. I found the music and photo directories, as well as my iTunes playlists. I started selecting songs and playlists, and it all played just fine with my receiver reading the bitstream as a PCM format.

    Sound quality was pretty good, and it was fun scrolling through the hundreds of albums that I've already ripped using my main system rather than just while sitting at my computer. The PS3 user interface is logical and easy to navigate, but it doesn't have anything equal to the cover flow view that iTunes and the new iPods use. And I haven't found anything like an alphabetical search so that I don't have to constantly scroll through hundreds of artist names everytime I want to play somebody at the other end of the alphabet!

    Where things got a bit dicier was when I started scrolling through my music and photo libraries. Everything works fine until I scroll through the lists really fast, then the PS3 starts giving me DLNA error and network error warnings. Most of the time, I was still able to play music and view photos with no problem. But, a couple of times now, the network error has terminated the connection altogether, and I haven't been able to restore that connectivity without restarting the PS3.

    I'm not sure if this is an issue with my wireless router, the PS3, or the iMac, but I'm wondering if this problem will go away by using a PowerLine ethernet connection instead of wireless to connect to the iMac. Looking at the PS3 boards, it seems that this issue began cropping up when firmware v.2.2 first appeared, so it might be a firmware-related problem. But, I do wonder about the other potential sources, since my Netgear router has occasionally terminated the wireless connection when copying large files.

    Anyway, things are starting to settle down, and I will probably reinstall the back panel on my audio rack and take some pics of the setup either this weekend or next week.
    Wooch's Home Theater 2.0 (Pics)
    Panasonic VIERA TH-C50FD18 50" 1080p
    Paradigm Reference Studio 40, CC, and 20 v.2
    Adire Audio Rava (EQ: Behringer Feedback Destroyer DSP1124)
    Yamaha RX-A1030
    Dual CS5000 (Ortofon OM30 Super)
    Sony UBP-X800
    Sony Playstation 3 (MediaLink OS X Server)
    Sony ES SCD-C2000ES
    JVC HR-S3912U
    Directv HR44 and WVB
    Logitech Harmony 700
    iPhone 5s/iPad 3
    Linksys WES610



    The Neverending DVD/BD Collection

    Subwoofer Setup and Parametric EQ Results *Dead Link*

  23. #48
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
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    Isn't it time for you to pick up a game or two?

    A PS3 is for playing games you know.
    WARNING! - The Surgeon General has determined that, time spent listening to music is not deducted from one's lifespan.

  24. #49
    Forum Regular Woochifer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GMichael
    Isn't it time for you to pick up a game or two?

    A PS3 is for playing games you know.
    Games, y'mean the PS3 can do that too?

    GM, L.J., kex -

    Man, talk about a full court press!

    Yes, I fully intend to get into this online gaming thing ... soon! There's one Wooch to go around, and only 24 hours in a day! This PS3 is a veritable Pandora's box with the endless functions that are built into it (protein folding?! Linux?!). And so far I haven't even come close to exploring the gaming capabilities, given that I'm still picking my jaw off the floor from the incredible Blu-ray playback and trying to troubleshoot the networking errors I'm getting with the media center!

    I will definitely need to check out the recommended list of games posted by L.J. and kex, and I see that you all have already begun taking things out of the steel cage and onto the PS3 network. I guess I can always cut sleep out of my daily routine, being alert and coherent is overrated anyway ...
    Wooch's Home Theater 2.0 (Pics)
    Panasonic VIERA TH-C50FD18 50" 1080p
    Paradigm Reference Studio 40, CC, and 20 v.2
    Adire Audio Rava (EQ: Behringer Feedback Destroyer DSP1124)
    Yamaha RX-A1030
    Dual CS5000 (Ortofon OM30 Super)
    Sony UBP-X800
    Sony Playstation 3 (MediaLink OS X Server)
    Sony ES SCD-C2000ES
    JVC HR-S3912U
    Directv HR44 and WVB
    Logitech Harmony 700
    iPhone 5s/iPad 3
    Linksys WES610



    The Neverending DVD/BD Collection

    Subwoofer Setup and Parametric EQ Results *Dead Link*

  25. #50
    Loving This kexodusc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Woochifer
    Games, y'mean the PS3 can do that too?

    GM, L.J., kex -

    Man, talk about a full court press!

    Yes, I fully intend to get into this online gaming thing ... soon! There's one Wooch to go around, and only 24 hours in a day! This PS3 is a veritable Pandora's box with the endless functions that are built into it (protein folding?! Linux?!). And so far I haven't even come close to exploring the gaming capabilities, given that I'm still picking my jaw off the floor from the incredible Blu-ray playback and trying to troubleshoot the networking errors I'm getting with the media center!

    I will definitely need to check out the recommended list of games posted by L.J. and kex, and I see that you all have already begun taking things out of the steel cage and onto the PS3 network. I guess I can always cut sleep out of my daily routine, being alert and coherent is overrated anyway ...
    If you aren't somewhat familiar with Unix and, probably moreso Linux terminal commands, or don't have any pressing need for a computer in your HT, I'd bypass the Linux capability. The PS3 isn't the first machine I'd try learning Linux on.

    I installed it on mine just to see if I could. It works well enough - actually, surpringly well. Kudos to Sony. On the downside, developers are still trying figure out Sony's application of the cell processor and it's multiple cores, so speed isn't up to full potential yet with most distros, but it's not bad for most computing functions (haven't tried ripping hard media yet from CD or DVD's)
    It's low on RAM so some other creative architecture is required - I think the Yellow Dog distro with Sony's backing makes full use of the 7 or 8 cores, some of the other distros only use a few.
    Still, what seemed like a really cool idea at first I have to admit isn't that big a deal to me now. I don't download or stream a lot of video, and when I do I can connect my Macbook or wife's laptop to my projector anyway if so desired. Surfing the net is kinda fun, and it's handy to have. But I don't use it much. I give Sony full props for opening the doors to Linux, but I think for most people it's a novelty. If you didn't have another computer, the PS3 would be a godsend, but honestly, I'd rather watch DVDs, BluRays and shoot LJ than check my email.

    When you're ready to get shot in the head let us know - If you're like me and don't have as much time in the week devote to mastering a video game, and don't know many others with a PS3, it's cool to know a few people equally as bad at gaming as you are to play with online so you don't completely embarass yourself. More fun that way.

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