HD AV Pack with Sony Wega HDTV

[Maverick_23]

I have the new 32" Sony Hi-Scan Wega, not the XBR. the XBOX images look good on the tv with the standard RCA's but I want to get the XBOX High Definition AV Pack. I was just wondering if I will see an improvement as this is a true HD TV and also what type of cable will I need to connect the AV Pack to my TV. Any info is welcomed and appreciated.

[nate66]

If you get the HD pack, you'll be able to use progressive scan (480p) on your Hi-Scan Wega. You'll definitely see a difference going from composite, to component with progressive scan.

Also you won't need to buy any extra cables, the HD pack comes with a component cable to go from the A/V pack to the TV.

[mrgrod]

It's well worth the money. I use the Microsfoft HD AV pack on my 55" Mitsubishi HDTV, and the difference is breathtaking. I've been considering upgrading to even higher quality cables, but from what I've heard, the difference will probaby not be very noticeable until we get some true 1080i games released. So, for now I'm content with my Microsoft cables, they look beautiful, and nate66 is right, they come with everything you'll need...ENJOY!

[AcidJazz]

Hey guys,
What's the difference between Advandced VA Pack and HD AV Pack..?
Thanks.

[mrgrod]

I believe the Advanced AV pack allows you to use an S-video input...which is a high quality signal that some upper end TV's use, but it is not as high quality as true HDTV, which you can only utilize through the HD AV pack (or third party cables) on a true HDTV.

[AcidJazz]

Originally posted by mrgrod
I believe the Advanced AV pack allows you to use an S-video input...which is a high quality signal that some upper end TV's use, but it is not as high quality as true HDTV, which you can only utilize through the HD AV pack (or third party cables) on a true HDTV.

Thanks for clarifying this for me...I've been always bad with cables & wiring...
:)

[mrmp3]

Since you guys know about HDTV, I was considering getting one a month or 2 before christmas (hopefully just in time for XBL :D ). N e wayz, I was reading something earlier in the year about new HDTV's having something old HDTV's wouldn't have. What was it and is important to have or not? BTW, out of flat screen, widescreen, and HDTV which one would give me the highest quality. Signing off...

[mrgrod]

Well, first off, the thing you read about was probably the fact that most new, and soon all new HDTV's will have the HD decoder built in. That means, if you have a HD source, such as satellite, an older HDTV, like mine:( , needs an additional piece of equipment to "decode", or "decompress" the signal (or something like that, I'm not a tech or anything). These decoder's are pretty pricy right now, but the price is coming down fast. Soon, all HDTV's will have the decoder built in, so you don't have to worry about that. This doesn't affect a piece of equipment like the Xbox, or a DVD player, because they send the signal directly to the TV, not through the airwaves. That's why a lot of HDTV's (again, like mine), give you an excellent picture when using the Xbox or a DVD player, but regular TV reception isn't so hot. Another thing to keep in mind is that there are very few channels being broadcast in HD right now (even through satellite). There is a big push to get the industry standard changed, so that all channels are broadcast in HD, but don't hold your breath....a lot of cable companies are afraid to take the plunge, and right now are opting to give you hundreds of shotty quality channels that you don't even watch, rather than saving the bandwidth to give you fewer, yet higher quality channels in HD:( . Personally I would suggest you make sure you buy a HDTV that has the decoder built in, because odds are, you'll still have the TV when the standard changes, and that's one less piece of equipment to worry about.

Secondly, widescreen, flatscreen, and HD, refer to three different things. For instance, I have a 55" flat, widescreen HDTV. You can have all three on the same TV. The biggest boost in quality is going to come from the fact that the TV is HD. Like I said about the HD standard change above, the same is true about widescreen. The industry standard since the early days of TV has been your standard, "boxy" TV. There is a major push to change the industry standard to widescreen, so that all entertainment formats will be the same (i.e. when you go to the movies, the screen is in "widescreen", but when you rent the video (or DVD), it has been formatted for your TV....you either get a stretched picture, or a cut off picture, which compromises the film's integrity). Within about five years (that's the timeline the industry currently has set, but who knows for sure what will happen?), all TV broadcasts should be in HD AND widescreen. So that's an important consideration when shopping for your TV...can you deal with a slightly horizontally stretched picture for a couple of years when watching regular TV, in order to be ready for the change over? I personally am very thankful I bought a widescreen.....I really don't even notice the stretch on regular programming, and most DVD's are released in widescreen nowadays, so my movie viewing experience is truly like being in the theater. Another thing you want to check into is, what KIND of HD output does the TV have? I would strongly suggest getting a TV that supports 1080i, because that seems to be the way the industry (like the Xbox, although no 1080i titles have been released yet, it does have the ability to support them) is leaning for absolute top of the line quality. If you're gonna go smaller, Sony Wega is the way to go. They are very high quality sets, but personally, I don't think I could ever own anything smaller than 55" now that I've gotten used to it. Good luck shopping......

[AcidJazz]

Originally posted by mrmp3
Since you guys know about HDTV, I was considering getting one a month or 2 before christmas (hopefully just in time for XBL :D ). N e wayz, I was reading something earlier in the year about new HDTV's having something old HDTV's wouldn't have. What was it and is important to have or not? BTW, out of flat screen, widescreen, and HDTV which one would give me the highest quality. Signing off...


First of all, you can't go wrong with Sony when buying an HDTV
Look at their HS500, HV600 and XBR models...
XBR800 and HV600 are more expensive than HS500(the TV i'm buying myself next week), but they also have the newest DRC circuitry, where HS500 has the one from last year. This DRC will give you more control over the doubling and improve the grain issues that people are seeing when you have a lower quality signal source.
I also prefer 4:3 over 16:9, but this is my personal preference.

[AcidJazz]

mrgrod, are you referring to HDTV tuners..?
Any info which TV's have them built-in as of now..?
Thanks.

[mrgrod]

It really depends on the make and model. But if a TV has it, it'll tell you in the specs in the advertising cause it's a big selling point.