Home Theater/HDTV/et al...

[krim]

bmwracer wrote:

And I'll need it in 2009 since that's the year we all go HD.

best joke i've heard all day.

[bmwracer]

Looks like the LG is rather hard to find and is pricier than the Philips, so the Philips seems to be on the short list... But which model to buy?

And where?

[bmwracer]

Okay, I finally locked in on the player I want: Philips DVP-3960.

Region free hackable and has 1080i upconversion... Looks like the remote is crummy, though.

[Terryb]

Talk about crummy remotes, the remote that came with my Toshiba 32" WLT66 is like the WORST remote in history for real, you need to press down so hard to change channels that it hurts your thumb. It's unreponsive, you need to aim at your tv...it's absolutely shit. Not sure about the newer toshiba's but for a multiaward winning $1000 tv you expect better...the tv itself is great though, cept for the remote

[bmwracer]

Terryb wrote:

Talk about crummy remotes, the remote that came with my Toshiba 32" WLT66 is like the WORST remote in history for real, you need to press down so hard to change channels that it hurts your thumb. It's unreponsive, you need to aim at your tv...it's absolutely shit. Not sure about the newer toshiba's but for a multiaward winning $1000 tv you expect better...the tv itself is great though, cept for the remote

Bad contacts?

You might try to take it apart and clean those buttons.

Or buy a universal remote to replace it.

[dochira]

Terryb wrote:

Talk about crummy remotes, the remote that came with my Toshiba 32" WLT66 is like the WORST remote in history for real, you need to press down so hard to change channels that it hurts your thumb.

Going back to crummy Philips remotes, on the 642 you'll notice that there is no eject (open/close tray) button. Instead, you need to hold down the stop button. Idiots, I tell you.

[bmwracer]

dochira wrote:

Going back to crummy Philips remotes, on the 642 you'll notice that there is no eject (open/close tray) button. Instead, you need to hold down the stop button. Idiots, I tell you.

The new ones are the same... Looks like they spent zero time revising the remote.

[Terryb]

bmwracer wrote:

Bad contacts? You might try to take it apart and clean those buttons. Or buy a universal remote to replace it.

the remote was crap from the start, and I'm not the only one who thinks so

I was looking into those Logitechs, but $100 for a remote is just too expensive IMO. That's like nearly half a Wii

[bmwracer]

Terryb wrote:

I was looking into those Logitechs, but $100 for a remote is just too expensive IMO. That's like nearly half a Wii

But the Wii can't control your TV... Or can it?

[Terryb]

Maybe a wii mote can?

[bmwracer]

No luck on finding the Philips so far... But I did go with my brother to pick up a 32" HDTV from Costco... The brand was Vizio...

Nice LCD, lotsa inputs: 2HDMI, PC VGA, 2 Component Video, 2 Composite Video... Even PIP with an external tuner.

Not bad for $600.

[bmwracer]

Wal-Mart finally had the Philips DVP-3960 in stock so I went over there and bought it... For some reason, I got a $10 discount, so the player only cost me $35.... Sweet.

The thing looks rather cheap, though. Let's see how long it lasts.

Oh, and I tried out the Region Code hack: perfect...

Now I can watch all of my Region 2 flicks on the living room TV.

[Anime Dad]

Congrats. That's cheap!

I don't know why the makers persist in making them region-coded: It's so easy to change them to region-free nowadays. Even my 3-4 year-old Samsung DVD/VCR combo could be hacked to region-free

[bmwracer]

Anime Dad wrote:

I don't know why the makers persist in making them region-coded: It's so easy to change them to region-free nowadays. Even my 3-4 year-old Samsung DVD/VCR combo could be hacked to region-free

It's probably some kind of global agreement to keep out outside competition and *ahem* prevent piracy.

Yeah, that worked.

[tabana]

bmwracer wrote:

No luck on finding the Philips so far... But I did go with my brother to pick up a 32" HDTV from Costco... The brand was Vizio... Nice LCD, lotsa inputs: 2HDMI, PC VGA, 2 Component Video, 2 Composite Video... Even PIP with an external tuner. Not bad for $600.

Nice. That's my next buy, cause gaming or regular TV sucks. Not to mention, most the stuff I watch is widescreen and high def. Except I might go for a 40" or 42" LCD.
_________________

[uhno]

Anyone have any experience with a Divx DVD player and care to give reviews. I want to buy one, but can't decide on which one.

[bmwracer]

tabana wrote:

Nice. That's my next buy, cause gaming or regular TV sucks. Not to mention, most the stuff I watch is widescreen and high def. Except I might go for a 40" or 42" LCD.

Yeah, my brother will probably buy a 42"+ as well... If I goad him enough.

[bmwracer]

uhno wrote:

Anyone have any experience with a Divx DVD player and care to give reviews. I want to buy one, but can't decide on which one.

The Philips that I bought last week (see previous pages) will play DivX and is Region hackable.

A mere $35 at Wal-Mart.

[moocow]

bmwracer wrote:

The Philips that I bought last week (see previous pages) will play DivX and is Region hackable. A mere $35 at Wal-Mart.

what resolutions do divx play as?

[bmwracer]

moocow wrote:

what resolutions do divx play as?

Resolutions?

The limitations are determined by the TV it's played on not the player itself, I'd think... The Philips DVP-3960 has Progressive output and can upconvert to 1080i via the HDMI output....