Finally got a big screen - holy sh**!

[schizuki]

Picked up a Panasonic Viera 50" 720. Got the HD DVR box from the cable company.

Holy f***ing sh**.

My life was empty before now.

The picture is just stunning. I thought HD was a waste of money until I saw it for myself. I can see the friggin' weave on people's jacket fabric. Football games are spectacular. I haven't watched any porn yet because I'm afraid it will spoil reality for me.

And the thing only cost me $750.

We live in an age of miracles.

[Dr_Sprocket]

I'm sittin' here watchin' my 32" Viera as I type. This image is quite good, but not quite as good as yours ('cause it's bigger). Wait. Did I just say yours was bigger than mine?!

[Buzglyd]

Blu Ray players are about $150 now. I've got one that has Netflix streaming and Pandora built in. Samsung BDP1600.

Watch something like Ironman and the clarity is amazing. I've got a 1080p plasma upstairs and a 720p LCD downstairs. Football will never be the same.

Don't forget to spend a little time adjusting the picture settings. The stock settings are way too bright. If you don't feel like fiddling, just put it on Cinema settng.

[schizuki]

Originally Posted by Buzglyd

Blu Ray players are about $150 now. I've got one that has Netflix streaming and Pandora built in. Samsung BDP1600.

I bought the exact same one when I bought the TV. I still have to pick up an Ethernet cable to do the streaming (I don't feel like spending the money for a wireless network).

Don't forget to spend a little time adjusting the picture settings. The stock settings are way too bright. If you don't feel like fiddling, just put it on Cinema settng.

I've fiddled like hell with it, and I ended up on the Standard setting. I just go to "Dark" whenever it looks too bright.

The hardest thing has been trying to educate the wife. "See, honey, not all stations broadcast the same picture width, so for some you need to go with "Full" and for others you need "Just". And sometimes the commercials are different, but just ignore that." She just wants to set it and forget it. Chicks, man.

I was watching "Football Night in America" last night and they were doing aerial shots of the stadium. I thought I was going to fall in. Amazing.

[Buzglyd]

Originally Posted by schizuki

I bought the exact same one when I bought the TV. I still have to pick up an Ethernet cable to do the streaming (I don't feel like spending the money for a wireless network).



I've fiddled like hell with it, and I ended up on the Standard setting. I just go to "Dark" whenever it looks too bright.

The hardest thing has been trying to educate the wife. "See, honey, not all stations broadcast the same picture width, so for some you need to go with "Full" and for others you need "Just". And sometimes the commercials are different, but just ignore that." She just wants to set it and forget it. Chicks, man.

I was watching "Football Night in America" last night and they were doing aerial shots of the stadium. I thought I was going to fall in. Amazing.

You don't feel like spending the money for a wireless network? A good router is about $50.

If you want to fiddle a bit more, pick up a movie like Pirates of the Caribbean. In the special features section, there is a tutorial (complete with funky contrasting screens) that will walk you through set up.

Or just tell the wife to use the cinema setting. It has the warmest colors and best skin tones.

[Kenneth_Moore]

Speaking of "holy sh**!:"

The kid and I went to IMAX on New Year's Eve to see "Avatar." Wow. I've seen several IMAX films before, one or two in 3D. But this film just blew me away. The 3D was done so well that it was unnoticed, until something came out into the theater. The transitions from live action to CG, and the CG/live action integration, were so imperceptable that you completely ignored that it was there. Cameron had to build an entire ship in a studio to get the effects he wanted in Titanic, but it appears the state of the art in CG is now at a point where a film maker can do pretty much what they want, or whatever they can imagine.

If you have an IMAX in your area, don't miss this film.

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by Kenneth_Moore

Speaking of "holy sh**!:"

The kid and I went to IMAX on New Year's Eve to see "Avatar." Wow. I've seen several IMAX films before, one or two in 3D. But this film just blew me away. The 3D was done so well that it was unnoticed, until something came out into the theater. The transitions from live action to CG, and the CG/live action integration, were so imperceptable that you completely ignored that it was there. Cameron had to build an entire ship in a studio to get the effects he wanted in Titanic, but it appears the state of the art in CG is now at a point where a film maker can do pretty much what they want, or whatever they can imagine.

If you have an IMAX in your area, don't miss this film.

Except for the incredibly stupid trite hackneyed story and thin characters and a screenplay that a 10 year old girl would be embarassed to be associated with I'd say that Avatar wasn't too bad. Sure was pretty.

[Kenneth_Moore]

Originally Posted by seruzawa

Except for the incredibly stupid trite hackneyed story and thin characters and a screenplay that a 10 year old girl would be embarassed to be associated with I'd say that Avatar wasn't too bad. Sure was pretty.

Given your political persuasion, if you could manage to say: "wasn't too bad. Sure was pretty," Cameron did a masterful job.

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by Kenneth_Moore

Given your political persuasion, if you could manage to say: "wasn't too bad. Sure was pretty," Cameron did a masterful job.

Given yours I expected you to love such a puerile and stupid story.

[acecycleins]

I got a family wii over the Christmas break. Bought a new flat tv and actually hooked up everything in a seldom used livingroom. I was pretty proud of my achievement. THEN- my 17 yo step daughter decides it's time to use her share of the wii points. Buys an old N64 game and guess what- not supported by the tv because the resolution is too good on the new tv. Wifey and I hit dinner and hang out with friends the next night only to come home and have 15 teens piled into our bedroom with the new wii hook to our "old" flat tv. I was nearly unglued when I saw a handful of kids I have never seen before hanging out in our room. I scared everyone out in my not so subtle way. Told Katie to stop buying old video games and after only two days can par the wii sports golf in 9 holes. Woo Hoo!