[vkvkvvk]

I'm building a home entertainment rig for my dad, Its about time for him to know how to use a pc since he's retired with lots of free time. lol

I haven't got a HD display yet.
Should I get a plasma HD ready or plasma Full HD?
[I am only using for consoles and HTPC not for watching normal broadcast tv]
[I'll be getting another HD display a year later when I shift house so the one I'm buying now is for standby ]

What is the difference between the 2?

Can HD Ready display 1080p if I have a video source that is 1080p?
[like a playing a ps3 blue ray or a video file from the HTPC that is 1080p x264 1920x800]

For best HD video viewing, would 8600 be enough or 3850 is the minimum requirement?

Any help or advice is deeply appreciated

[weib]

techincally 8400 is enuff liao.

[dr_disciple]

86GT Low Profile.

[vkvkvvk]

ok, thats gd. can save some money on gpu.

What about display? Get plasma HD ready or plasma Full HD?
I am only using for consoles and HTPC not for watching normal broadcast tv or cable

[weib]

get a projector hur hur hur.

[gabond]

your better off with lcd hd

has many other advantages over plasma hd. price is a different matter though, depending on the brand.

an article to read for more info. http://news.digitaltrends.com/talkback207.html

HD ready is enough. theoretically according to reports you need 50" screens above to appreciate full hd.

different tvs differ in their specs. what matters is that their pleasing to your eye in the end. dont be taken in too much by the harvey norman, courts or best denki sales talk too much. have found them to be quite uhm unreliable.

[gabond]

Originally Posted by weib

get a projector hur hur hur.

projector is the best...but space and room prep is so different

now thats something i lust after haha.

[vkvkvvk]

I thought plasma's video quality is better the lcd?

Projector takes too much space and needs to be watched in a dark area...

[gabond]

yup but only greater than 50"...some plasma aspects are better than lcd. in short, only the high end ones.

added advantage of lcd is brightness and refresh rate compared to a similarly priced plasma. also they seem to handle better black and white contrast.

generally lcd gives better value for price ratio nowadays

walk ard any electrical superstore and lcd tvs cover 90% of the market

[gabond]

its quite subjective really the debate between the two but ultimately plasma is a dying tv techonlogy among all the major manufacturers

[weib]

initial start up for projectors quite ex.
about 3k for the screen and 5k for the projector itself..
but after that it'll be cheaper if you compared the size, 100" projection and 50" plasma is a world of a difference.

[zzzMonster]

Get the 3850 better. ATI is better at decoding h264 and vc-1 than nvidia. You can google the reviews. Also ATI have better image quality. Not sure abt the diff between 2600 and 3850

Just my 2c

[vkvkvvk]

what about the difference between HD Ready and Full HD?

Originally Posted by zzzMonster

Get the 3850 better. ATI is better at decoding h264 and vc-1 than nvidia. You can google the reviews. Also ATI have better image quality. Not sure abt the diff between 2600 and 3850

Just my 2c

Ya just googled. The RV670 HD playback CPU usage is much less then the 8800GT. Not sure about the image quality though

[gabond]

hd ready is typically 1080i, displaying 1920x1080 in an interlaced format.

full hd is typically 1080p or sometimes known as 1080hd, displaying 1920x1080 in a progressive format.

theoretically progressive is better. but like i keep stressing, you can only notice for tvs above 50".

also, hardly any sources are truly 1080p recorded.

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6361600-1.html

hence there is little difference between the two for tvs and sources at this point of time until techonology advances

[vkvkvvk]

so If I were to buy HD Ready tv, it can output both 1080i and 720p?

And if I watch blue ray movies on my ps3 on a HD Ready 46inch tv, there wouldn't be any visible difference if I watch it on a FULL HD 46inch instead?