Connecting a Blu-ray to a TV... ?

[BrettCullum]

Okay, so I broke down and bought a BluRay player. I have bowed down to the corporate Sony giant, and decided to equip my rather sizeable hi def big screen TV with a high def player. But now the big question...

The player came with your usual three prong video/audio cords. Do I use them, or seek out a more effective connection? What do you guys reccommend?

[Dan Mancini]

HDMI is the only way to go. But don't spend to much on one. The $50 Monster cables at Best Buy and other brick 'n' mortar joints are a monumental rip-off. You can get one at Amazon or elsewhere on the web for around 10 clams.

[BrettCullum]

Well.. I noticed you can go from $1.73 up to $129 for an HDMI cable. Is there anything you need to look out for? Like will any HDMI cable work or does it have to say A/V on it? I've noticed some specify certain players or systems like specific cords if you have a PS3.

[Dan Mancini]

Most anything you'll find at Amazon or on the shelf at an electronics store will be Type A, Version 1.3. That'll suit your needs perfectly.

I'm not sure I'd trust a $1.73 cable, but there are plenty in the $10-15 range that work like a charm (Mediabridge cables are good). Monster's $200 cables are the way to madness.

[Future Man]

Is your TV capable of 1080p? If not...

[BrettCullum]

I'm hooking it up to my old portable black and white TV with rabbit ears. Having a hard time getting the HDMI cable to fit in there.

Nah, it's a super huge SONY with high definition resolution. But I'm cheap, and won't go for MONSTER cables. Probably will take Dan's advice and do a $10 Mediabridge cable. This should be fun...

[Steve T Power]

I'm hooking it up to my old portable black and white TV with rabbit ears. Having a hard time getting the HDMI cable to fit in there.

Nah, it's a super huge SONY with high definition resolution. But I'm cheap, and won't go for MONSTER cables. Probably will take Dan's advice and do a $10 Mediabridge cable. This should be fun...

How old is your set? You may be fine with component cables if your set only does 720p. Then again - i know people will argue to the contrary, but i do find i get a cleaner picture from HDMI than component.

[mkiker2089]

HDMI is usually safer but it also depends on your player. Many won't upscale DVDs with component so you'll need HDMI.

Also my Samsung sends out a 720p signal either HDMI or component however my PS3 sends out a 720p with component and 1280*720p with HDMI. The difference is that the TV knows the PS3 is widescreen and the samsung image has to be stretched. I'm told that I'm not losing resolution with the samsung but I don't know if I believe that or not. to me it seems like the samsung is sending less resolution or else the tv would know the picture was wide.

It seems there are two types of hdmi signals. One is RGB and the other is the symbols used for component. My TV uses RGB better hence my PS3 has that setting and it works better with the TV. My Netflix player and Samsung BR player must use the other and have no option to change it hence a generic 720p.

[Eric Profancik]

I bought the "$1.75" HDMI cables from monoprice.com and haven't had any trouble.
Really, a cable is a cable and it either works or doesn't.

My mom just bought an all-in-one printer and it didn't come with a cable. I should have known that but didn't plan ahead so when I got home for Thanksgiving to hook it up I had to run out and buy the cable. Radio Shack cost $36.99. I bought it, hooked it up, made sure it all worked, unplugged it, took the cable back, ordered a cable from monoprice for $1.25, showed mom how to hook it up when it arrived, and saved a ton of money!

[Steve T Power]

damn skippy!

larger grocery store and boutique joints with those generic displays full of a mish mash of cables and AV gear typically have cheap-o HDMI cables as well - i grabbed one with my PS3 in 2007 for 6.99.

[BrettCullum]

Well... actually my TV is a little bit older. It is a 50 inch Samsung DLP with DNIE. It handles 1080 dpi like a pro, and even cranks out 720p. Definitely pretty nice in picture quality. Course the BluRay will be strapped to the portable black and white because I'm running my Beta VCR on the Samsung.

[Steve T Power]

Well... actually my TV is a little bit older. It is a 50 inch Samsung DLP with DNIE. It handles 1080 dpi like a pro, and even cranks out 720p. Definitely pretty nice in picture quality. Course the BluRay will be strapped to the portable black and white because I'm running my Beta VCR on the Samsung.

It only makes sense! The quadrilateral pixelization ratio on Beta is so much better than Blu-ray thanks to the unifiltering osterizer - and the quandrophonic supersurround audio just rattles the walls, man!

[BrettCullum]

Beta just works better when I want to wact the VIDEODROME channel...

[Dave Ryan]

But what about tachyon emissions?

[Steve T Power]

But what about tachyon emissions?

Well if you by a Tachyon defibulizer for the Beta machine - not onlyy does it re-osterize your telemetry, but it limits your Tachyon output and also filters your power, allowing for less dirty electrodes through the pipeline, lowering electron interference.

Of course an Aptode Rectifier does a similar job, but you get the nasty drawback of ripping a hole in the space time continuum.

[Andrew Forbes]

Of course an Aptode Rectifier does a similar job, but you get the nasty drawback of ripping a hole in the space time continuum.

I misread the instructions that came with my Aptode Rectifier, and it definitely ripped a nasty hole. Not in the space time continuum, though. Now I sit on an inflatable donut.

[Steve T Power]

Of course an Aptode Rectifier does a similar job, but you get the nasty drawback of ripping a hole in the space time continuum.

I misread the instructions that came with my Aptode Rectifier, and it definitely ripped a nasty hole. Not in the space time continuum, though. Now I sit on an inflatable donut.

That can happen...

gotta be careful with high end electronics.

[Dark Knight]

Now I sit on an inflatable donut.

Do inflatable policemen eat inflatable donuts?