Suggetsions for HDTV Forum for newbie questions/Help

[TBoneit]

Well as the topic says I'd like some suggestions for forums that have decent FAQs and message bases where someone can get answers to newbie type questions about HDTV as it is here in the USA.

Eamples: 720P vs 1080i, or S-Video to Component adapters, and so on to multudinous questions that are popping into my head.
Many Thanks
Roger

[Nelson37]

Have you checked the Digital TV forum here? Silly question, I'm sure you have.

AVSforum is another good one, though it seems most of those guys have $10,000 or more to spend on their Video equipment. There doesn't seem to be a lot of "newbie" information concerning HD. Doom9 has some info, as well.

From what I have read - Not sure if S-Video to component adapters even exist, but they would be a bad thing and rather pointless. No HD out of the S-Video connection, although I can testify that the S-Video on an HD channel is distinctly superior to the same program thru S-Video on an SD channel.

On 720p vs 1080i, many seem to prefer 720p but it apparently depends on how your individual set handles each resolution. For the LCD and Plasma sets in particular, they have a fixed resolution so the internal resizer is most important and 720p is closest to native resolution. I think you and I both have CRT sets which can natively handle either resolution without change, however the only thing I get which is 720p is ESPN while all else (99% of what I watch) is 1080i so I don't have much to compare it to.

[TBoneit]

Hello and thanks for taking the time to answer!

I actually have a LCD HDTV for one reason and that reason wasn't price or PQ. It was the only thing I could load into the car and the only thing I could manhandle down the stairs myself. Maybe it is my eyes but so far switching back and forth I can't really see a difference. OTOH maybe 720P has a better refresh rate and would be easier on the eyes.

Well maybe S-Video to Component would be a bad thing in one way but it would let me use the second component as a input from older equipment that only has Composite/S-Video out. On that basis it would be a good thing. I was sort of hoping they'd be popular and people would have favorites.

I'm going through S-Video from my Pioneer 531h and component from a phillips DVP 5960 which actually looks pretty good that way playing Divx and DVDs.

I've been signed up at AVSforum and left feedback in the past on SD things. The HD users their all seem to be able to buy and do buy much better equipment than I could afford to purchase.
I had to wait for price drops and sales. $199 for the Dish 622 and $849 for the 32" LCD.

Didn't think of Doom9 though.

Example question: I set the Phillps, Pioneer, and Dish 622 to 16:9 as they feed the TV. What should I set the devices feeding Pioneer to so that the discs made their look ok on my tv here and on SD sets. Or why do some of the commercials look like 16:9 but have black on all four sides. Or what does the backlight setting do in terms of longevity of the display.

Generic LCD question. Does turning on and off shorten the life of the backlight vs leaving ti on or in energy saving mode where the computer turns it off? I have been involved in repairing little personal DVD players for example and it seems as they get older they get dimmer. And of course Bad pixels and bad inverters. the inverter of course supplies high voltage for the backlight, Pixels are in the screen itself and so on. I've seen displays where the backlight itself is bad, whether it was used to much or just a bad part I have no idea.

Going back to what you said I'm thinking I should get bettetr recordings from HD via S-video to the Pioneer vs SD channels.

Sorry to be so long winded.

Thanks
Roger