Oddball Update

I’m about to make the biggest upgrade to my home theater since I added my Toshiba 57HDX82 back in September of 2002. (I’d get all high-tech and link you to a vintage post about it, but those were all buried with my other purple site. Sorry.) Today I ordered a complete HTIB to complement my HDTV and Xbox360. It’s the Samsung HT-TQ85 5.1 surround system with Tallboy speakers and a 5-disc upconverting DVD player.

I’m not enough of an audiophile (nor rich enough) to assemble a really kickin’ system piecemeal as so many experts do, so instead I decided to settle for the convenience of a complete boxed system. Especially since just about anything would be better than the built-in TV speakers I’ve been listening to, although I do have to admit, the 57HDX82’s integrated speakers are easily the best I’ve ever heard on a television. The time has come, however, to enjoy the full positional audio of Dolby Digital 5.1, especially now that game consoles like the Xbox360 can support it. I’m salivating at the thought of playing games like Gears of War and actually hearing people sneak up behind me. Even though I have a 5.1 speaker system for my computer, it’s been years since I actually had the space to set it up. I’ve resigned myself to the idea that surround sound belongs in the theater, not the office.

So, I ordered the system today from OneCall, the same place I bought my HDTV in ‘02. Even better, I got in on yet another “no interest for 12 months” promotion on the store credit account I opened back then. Combined with free shipping (which makes a big difference when you consider that the HT-TQ85 weighs fifty pounds), a $25 holiday discount and a free Samsung 1GB flash MP3 player via mail-in rebate, and I think I scored a pretty good deal.

One thing I particularly like about the Samsung HT-TQ85 is that it is, quite possibly, the only HTIB system that includes both an HDMI output and input. HDMI is the next-generation interconnectivity standard for both digital video and audio, set to replace component (RGB) inputs for fidelity and simplicity. (It also supports evil DRM measures, but that’s a topic for another day.) While I thought my HDTV predated HDMI and thus was not compatible, it turns out that I have a DVI input — which is the same thing, except that it only carries a video signal, not audio. This is fine, since I’m letting the DVD player/receiver in the Samsung kit handle all the audio duties. The DVD player can also upconvert any video being passed through it to full 1080i HDTV when using the HDMI output, via one of the industry’s best upscaling algorithms. I can’t wait to see this!

I also ordered an HDMI-to-DVI cable and an optical audio Toslink cable from MonoPrice.com, which, I gotta tell you, is the Internet haven for affordable audio and video cables. I don’t have any idea why HDMI cables cost a whopping $100 to $400 in retail stores. Just go to MonoPrice and get one for somewhere between $6 and $15. You’re probably thinking that these must be really crappy cables, but tons of people swear by them, even A/V experts.

Combine all this with next week’s digital cable installation, and this is shaping up to be a pretty nice little home theater. Just in time, too — my parents are on their way down for a visit, and this will be a great way to introduce my dad to the Battlestar Galactica miniseries. He’s been watching the new episodes on Sci-Fi for the last few weeks, but the miniseries would be a good way to fill in most of the missing backstory for him. I don’t know if the BSG DVDs I have are mixed in 5.1 surround, but I know the show is originally filmed in high-def, so it wouldn’t surprise me. Mmmm, I’m looking forward to seeing that myself.

Categorized as Media, Media/Movies, Media/Television