i just register at Astro SC. they say will take 2 weeks. need to upgrade LCD since now still using philip 32TA1600 (no HDMI). should i go for LED LCD?

This post has been edited by stryfox: Dec 19 2009, 08:46 PM

Which kind of TV is better? LCD or PLAMSA? I read several post here but stil cant make a smart decision.
If we watch 1080i channel in a HD READY TV, is that any big difference by watch 1080i channel in a FULL HD TV?
Can we see the difference with naked eyes?

I was also one of the early one's who registered,but still waiting for the blardy installer to call,in KL most installers want extra $$$ if you want your decoder installed fast.My cable is 8years plus and i am gonna ask them to change..BTW,what brand is the decoder?

anyone who installed it and have it connected to 2 TV sets?

Ya,the LNB looks the same( not sure it's excactly same ) but u cant share the SD and HD with the same dish UNLESS u request astro to give u a dual-head-LNB so that u can connect both ur SD/HD cable to the LNB directly,no splitter is allowed. There're few types of LNB,single/dual/quad but at the moment i only see the single type.

Btw,watching HD in pana HDready plasma is really nice ( too good to be true actually ) but i cant really see the diff between 720p and 1080i,need to change spec maybe Hopefully more and more HD channels is coming soon.

It's because of the audio recording and broadcasting standards. 2.0 audio signals do not have a wide dynamic range (dynamic range is the range between the quietest parts to the loudest parts of a signal). So they are recorded and played back at a louder volume. 5.1 audio signals have a wide dynamic range.

HD broadcast is in 5.1 regardless of the number of audio channels is there in the content. SD broadcast is in 2.0. So when you switch channels, you'll notice the audio fluctuations. You will notice this too when you switch between Astro SD and properly mastered 5.1/6.1 DVDs.

Hopefully when more people subscribe to B.yond, Astro won't attenuate the Dolby Digital signal to appease the masses who don't have surround sound. It'll defeat the purpose of having HBO-HD where the sound is crappy. For those with surround sound and HBO-HD who think the sound is crappy, complain to Astro right now. You are a beta tester after all.

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Added on December 19, 2009, 5:54 pm Only if you have a BD player. The difference in cost between LED LCD and regular LCD is too big currently to justify the cost of watching 5 (if you have Movie/Learning/Sports) HD channels.

But if you're rich, splurge. But then, next year we're going to have 3D HDTVs...

The main difference between the two tech is black level. Plasma has the best black level BUT LCD is not that far behind. LED LCDs have the best black level for LCD tech but they are expensive.

Depends on the size of the screen. A 32" HDTV (most 32" HDTVs are not 1080p) won't reveal much extra detail. If you compare a 60" 1080i HDTV and a 60" 1080p HDTV, you'll notice SOME difference. For HDTVs, size matters.

Additionally, a 1080p HDTV will take a 1080i signal (B.yond) and de-interlace that to fit the 1080p resolution of its screen. Depending on how good the interlace chip on that HDTV, the result can be just "good" to "fantastic." On the other hand, a 1080i HDTV will take a 1080i signal and just make do with its native resolution.

I can't answer that but you can buy a HDMI signal splitter if you have two or more HDTVs in your house. The splitter MUST BE HDCP compliant.


fuad

This post has been edited by writesimply: Dec 19 2009, 05:57 PM

This new dish also feeds the many SD channels right? Those who already installed it, you can also watch the other SD channels as usual right?

If yes, then I hope the normal decoders should be able to use it as well, only without the 5 HD channels. This is important because if my condo upgrades the dish it won't affect the normal subscribers. And if the existing cable can be used, then my condo management only have to change the dish, that should not be too much trouble, I think.

of cause we still can watch SD channel,
and the quality is much better than before(compare to composite output i use before yesterday).

twl, go play with the usb and ethernet port, plug to ure pc or try plugging a thumbdrive in, ...see what happens =D ... though i would expect nothing will happen LOL

got any record function?

Thanks for the reply.

Wanna ask for your help, but the Astro techs must have taken your old smartcard right? Or already has it deactivated?

Cause maybe you can try plugging the old decoder back to see if it still works with the new dish. I'm pretty sure they've deactivated the smartcard though.

Really need all this info before I can push my condo management to upgrade, my condo is newly opened six months ago.

Already wrote to Astro CS but no reply yet.

where to find 1080i 60inch TV?

The sound level of Astro has dropped prior to HD launch. The moment they upgraded thier sound system. Now I have to raise my tv volume to 30 to get a reasonable level compared to 20 last time. I wonder how come many of my friends too never noticed it.Thank god u noticed. The SD Astro is stiil the same no major enhancement to boast about as what Astro seems to claim.

I wonder it installer is to lazy to replace cable and they say we can use old cable.

my parent and brother complaint it,
they said better watch with previous decoder,
but the picture quality is really nice.

even watching NTV7 by B.yond decoder,
the quality is much better than before,
maybe this is because last time i am using composite cable to watch astro on my lcd tv only..

Finally got my byond today. Using my existing cable. no need to change. the installer give me the new cable & bracket. hook up with my onkyo. the sound is good for my ear. the picture so sharp and clear. for me the other channel slightly improve video quality. imho worth it to subscribe. hehehe

all these make me really wanna install an illegal dish as my central dish is not HD ready

This post has been edited by accitzone: Dec 19 2009, 09:23 PM

i think, the picture quality for SD channel shown a little bit improvement because HDMI cable transmit Purely digital signal from decoder to HDTV..

Astro installer is coming to install tomolo sunday.

But he said maybe need to change cable...is it necessary cos my current cable is sealed inside the wall?

is the installer call from private/unknown number, just got a missed call