Having A Lucinda Williams Marathon Tonight

[JDaniel]

Just chillin out with Lucinda Williams tonight and some Maker's Mark. I started out with Car Wheels On A Gravel Road.

It sounded so good, I just went to the rack and picked out Essence, Sweet Old World, & World Without Tears.

Anybody else in a "single artist" mood tonight?

JD

[newtrix1]

No music here tonight. I'm still enjoying the new TV. Watched Aliens earlier, then an MLS soccer game in hi-def, Phillies game, and now Jaws is on.
Enjoy Lucinda, but go easy on her old man.

[tentoze]

Just chillin out with Lucinda Williams tonight and some Maker's Mark. I started out with Car Wheels On A Gravel Road.

It sounded so good, I just went to the rack and picked out Essence, Sweet Old World, & World Without Tears.

Anybody else in a "single artist" mood tonight?

JD

Not me- I'm all over the vinyl map- just finsihed J. Armatrading's Sleight Of Hand, then onto rootsy stuff- Norman Blake's Fields Of November.

[JDaniel]

No music here tonight. I'm still enjoying the new TV. Watched Aliens earlier, then an MLS soccer game in hi-def, Phillies game, and now Jaws is on.
Enjoy Lucinda, but go easy on her old man.

Old Man? Old Man? Hey - 38 is a lot younger than many of the grey-beards around here.

What TV did you buy? I'm still using a 36" Sony in our Home Theater. I'd like to upgrade to a bigger screen, but can't really find a reason to. This one has worked flawlessly for 3 or 4 years.

JD

[dld]

Played the crap (twice) out of Lucinda Williams S/T (the one with Sweet Old World on it) yesterday on the way back from Houston. I swear, the first 7 songs on the album are as good as anyting shes done. Also spun Car WHEELS which never gets out of the Mazda.

Tonight I spun all three Jack Ingram Ceedees I own. We're seeing him tomorrow at a large restaurant/bar that has a great patio where they feature local/regional acts. Cover is $10, or free if you bring a Care package for the troops. We've been putting one together tonight, included, toothpaste and brushes, soaps, shampoo, conditioner, hand lotion, razors, shaving cream, kleenex, terlet paper (as they say in New Orleans), chocolates, canned pinelapple, canned mandarin orange slices, and a few other things. Nice to help out the troops with things we take for granted AND see a very good musician.

[newtrix1]

What TV did you buy? I'm still using a 36" Sony in our Home Theater. I'd like to upgrade to a bigger screen, but can't really find a reason to. This one has worked flawlessly for 3 or 4 years.

JD

If you're happy with the Sony, stick with it. I think HDTV needs to do some more evolving and flat panel televisions need to come down in price WAY more before they're ready for the masses. I'd guess another 1-2 years of maturity before this happens.

I couldn't justify 3K for the Sharp Aquos flat panel that I really wanted, so I went with the Toshiba 30" tube TV ($1100). It is widescreen format and HDTV capable, two criteria I definitely wanted. Downside; it weighs a hefty 120 lbs

[Slosh]

Toshiba 30" tube TV ($1100). It is widescreen format and HDTV capable, two criteria I definitely wanted. Downside; it weighs a hefty 120 lbs

Hey Rick, a couple of questions now that you've lived with the set for a while.

1. How are the stretch modes for normal 4:3 sources? Does it let you watch 4:3 in its native aspect ratio with black bars on the side or only grey?

2. Do you notice the pixels?

3. Does the TV's upconversion circuitry make standard definition channels look better than your previous analog TV?

I still have a 27" Sony Wega and was all excited about getting a widescreen HD-ready set until I saw my friend's 48" Mitsu with standard definition DirecTV channels (I have Dish myself but the picture quality is about the same). It also has awful stretch modes. Their room dimensions are about the same as mine (20' X 15') and we both have the sofa about three feet from the back wall (to make room for the surround speakers) and have the TVs on the long wall (which I can't change due to windows and the hallway entry). 48" is just too big sitting that close with all but true HD or very good DVD. RPTVs are a far better value so I may get something like a 42" Toshiba, but I'm still considering a 34" Sony or Toshiba direct-view (plus I already have a very nice TV stand with glass shelves that matches my audio racks and can support 300 lbs.) The only TVs I've seen with truly good stretch modes were the Pioneer RPTVs but their smallest is a 53", unfortunately.

Maybe I'll just wait another year or two.

NP: Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People

[newtrix1]

Hey Rick, a couple of questions now that you've lived with the set for a while.

1. How are the stretch modes for normal 4:3 sources? Does it let you watch 4:3 in its native aspect ratio with black bars on the side or only grey?

Well, there’s obviously some level of sacrifice with every stretch mode, however there’s always one (4 total) that seems to work fine for me. I don’t enjoy the "full" mode which stretches horizontal only. For DVD's I usually go with "Theatre wide 3" which zooms the image up a bit, and clips the far left and right edges, but does not distort the height-width ratio.
Gray only, it should be black!

2. Do you notice the pixels?

Yes, some sources are worse than others, but after watching a good high-def source, standard TV looks grainy.

3. Does the TV's upconversion circuitry make standard definition channels look better than your previous analog TV?

No and yes. Clarity is lessened (but acceptable), however, the bigger (wider) format, to me, is the way TV should be.

Maybe I'll just wait another year or two.

I think HDTV is akin to PC's, waiting can't hurt. The technology will only get better and prices will drop. Unfortunatly I needed to buy now, my old TV had problems.

[Slosh]

Thanks Rick.

Just got back from five days at the beach. HiDef, ShmiDef. Surf , sand, and bikinis are much more on my mind

[Davey]

Surf , sand, and bikinis are much more on my mind

In my best Homer Simpson voice, "Mmm ... bikinis."

[dph1965]

Just getting back online after CPU being down more than a month. You msgd me sometime back - we're both in Bham, AL - I replied to a Joss Stone post & u mentioned a Lyle Lovett Comp. Makers Mark happens to be my drink of choice and just had a Lucinda "mini" marathon yesterday playing poker w/ my cousin. Looks like alot of our musical interest the same.... E-mail me sometime - maybe we can share a 5th or more & trade some music.
Enjoy the marathon!