Setting up an LCD TV
 

I recently got a Sony Bravia KLV-40S200A LCD 40" TV from a friend and I'm wondering what would I have to do to set the TV up(if anything? like recalibrate etc) and what cables I would need to buy? I'm guessing the HDMI cable?

What else would I have to do or buy so I can take advantage of the HDTV? I already bought a HD-PVR earlier in the month since TELUS had a promo(can't beat $90 for it).

Also what viewing option should I put the TV in? A quick google shows the TV has 1080i/720p, any preference to which one is better?

Thanks in advance!

you need aux cords of your stereo, cable box, or entertainment systems require them, hdmi if possible, 1080 is better, and ive never had a tv that need re calibrating....

just plug things in

Telus/Shaw/Bell output 720P

All you need is an HDMI cable for each HD device, and whatever composite cables for your non HD devices

As for color calibration, I don't think it's needed for that TV. Usually if you set it to "movie" or "cinema" mode is good enough for most people. You could get a calibration DVD and try adjusting the settings manually, or hire a someone to properly calibrate it ($200+) with a colorimeter.

im assuming it's a pretty old tv considering it doesnt support 1080p
dont waste money on calibration on an old unit IMO

Hooking up the TV is easy. Just plug wires in. Telus PVR's use HDMI cables or Composite cables...but HDMIs are usually more common.

Setting up the PVR is a different topic. They're slightly more involved. May need to call Telus to finalize.

When it comes to 1080i vs 720p, general consensus is that 720p is better, and that's what I had my old tv set to. But depending on how far you're viewing from, it won't matter too much...not an expert on this though.

You can still buy new 720p tv's. Samsung 43" 720p 600Hz Plasma HDTV (PN43E450A1FXZC) : 40" - 49" Plasma TVs - Future Shop

VOD titles on Shaw are 1080P. Most Primetime TV shows on Shaw's VOD are also available in 1080P.

I'm guessing the only thing I really need to buy is an HDMI cable. Any suggestions on brands/type and where's the cheapest place to buy it?

NCIX on their weekly sales page. Sometimes they have one of their cables for $2.99 for a 6ft. If they don't have it on their super specials section, scroll to the cables section and it should be no more than $10 per cable.

$6.99 Cable

Can't find any $3 HDMI cables but how are these 2? Are they essentially the same or is one better than the other?

How is the brand "ION" anyways?

ION Cables Premium 1.4 10FT Flat High Speed Digital High Quality Video HDMI ® Cable Black

ION Cables 30AWG 6FT HDMI to Mini-HDMI Digital Video Cable M/M GOLD-PLATED - Ion Cables - IC-MHDMI-6

i bought these last time
3 for $6
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B003QQANL6/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

Ion cables are fine, no issues with them so far, I have a bunch of hdmi cables either ngear or ion cables, have not had one issue so far.

Check your $ store also superstore for cables.

For the typical user, if you get the blu-ray/dvd calibration essentials you can use it to perform some basic calibrations to your set. Out of the box, the settings will need some refined tuning and may consider turning off some of the picture enhancements which may affect the viewing for people who like to see the original picture as much as possible.

Now for video enthusiasts, it's not considered calibrated by them and would recommend having the set calibrated by a ISF Professional Calibrator to set the TV up. If you're willing to pay for it, this will be the ideal way to go.

http://www.imagingscience.com/

How Much Does ISF Calibration Cost? - ISF Forum

ISF Calibrators, where are you located? Please post here!

As for getting quality cables, I recommend getting them from Blue Jeans cable. They are one of the highly recommended ones from members of the AVSForum as I have some of their cables myself.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/

I wouldnt waste money on MonsterCables or other $$$$ cables.... Unless you can tell the fine details (like pros), any cables under $10 would be good...


Zalman HDMI 1.4 Swivel Cable, 6ft On sale for $9.99
the head swivels sound interesting and makes it so much easier in tight spaces

^
Agreed. Monster cables is just for the name and their cables is not good; people on AVSForum know that. They don't even list the spec of their cables either; the reason is self implied.

Are these any good? Retail for $35, on sale now for $6.99.

ION Cables 10FT Super High Speed HDMI 1.4 Cable Supports 3D & Ethernet

IMHO, anything gold plated under $10 is good enough...

They should be decent.

For me personally, I would rather know the specs of this cable to know if its good since I'm more of the video enthusiast.

If you're looking for quality, then Blue Jeans which I recommended earlier would be an option.

What specs do you need to know?

It's the cable itself, such as the electrical and physical since it gets to details like the ohm, shielding and insulation details. Hard to explain it since it gets really technical and I do understand some of the technical information at the high level to know what it means.

With enough understanding to know, one can determine if the cable meets or exceeds the standards for its intended purpose (ie. for RF, Speaker, Composite, HDMI etc...)

Generally with the cheap cables, they don't necessarily meet the specs (or barely) of what the cable is intended for (ie. the impedance of the cable not in spec). This can affect the signal quality which would affect the audio/video/data transfer and could be more noticeable if factoring in distance of the cable as well.

when telus comes to install the tv service, they will install HDMI or if they dont just ask the tech for HDMI cables, most likely he will give them to you =)

btw 720p > 1080i ... if you want a description why, PM me, lol.

^
True. Telus or Rogers would most likely give some free ones normally.

Almost had me there for 720p > 1080i when I initially read it as 720p > 1080p!
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As per 720p or 1080i, based on your TV spec... 720p is the best choice since your set is a native 720p set.

HDMI cables are digital.

Gold plated with unicorn blood running through its copper cables will do no better then a rusty coat hanger with 2 hdmi heads. Sure, the construction may be better but how often will you move that cable? Ngear HDMI cables are hella good already with flexi-sleeving on top of it, as well as your super useless gold-plating.

Analog cables are the ones I'd be worried about, with speaker wires & component videos. However, specs of the cables don't even matter until you start going super high end, with Tannoy BRM's, Paradigm's or B&W. The average user could not care less about what impedance the copper material carries, or if it can support 3000W of pure bass. It just doesn't matter to them as long as sound comes out.

In the end, all cables are copper or alloy with some sort of super "uber" coating of whatever the hell you want to call it.

(I'm surprised to find another user so passionate about electronics on this forum :))


It's upscaled 720p/1080i in most areas, since their infrastructure hasn't been upgraded since the beginning of time. Shaw blew out the node in our area when they decided to "upgrade" us to the new 100/150mbit lines (and "real 1080P VoD), the thing just couldn't take the super increased bandwidth (especially when the area is full of hungry pirating teenagers!)

The cables still matter to an extent to the typical user. I personally had problems with cheap HDMI cables before in the past where the audio or video displays some form of random artifact (like a little blip) in the video or sound for a quick instance because it was an actual error in data transfer. It happened at random and if one was paying attention, it can be noticed. I verified it was the cable because I would I replay the sequence where it happened to check if it's the source but doesn't happen again but I know it happened. Swapped to a quality cable, no problem.

One worse cable case (different HDMI, it was the XB360 HDMI supplied cable, where the video signal would randomly blank out for a quick sec while the audio was still present.

There are a lot more gurus that are beyond me on the AVSFoum about electronics even thou I am a member there myself. I also know a co-worker who write audio reviews for a known magazine for the high-end audio as well.