[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by rahul_9327

I haven't got a dth connection as yet. But are you sure if tatasky is 4:3 by default?

we had a (still have) Sony Wega 29" and we used it with TataSky+. when we got the BRAVIA, no setting was changed but the picture looked 16:9 (that was the TV stretching the 4:3 format). later i found the Picture Format setting on TataSky+ and set it to 16:9 and it is much better.

Originally Posted by rahul_9327

Contrary to what you have said, for me the image appears stretched only when I set it to 16:9

how do you mean stretched? people looking fatter than usual?

when you connect you cable to the LED/LCD TV, the TV automatically sets the picture to 16:9; if the cable is in 4:3, then the image will look stretched (4:3 expanded to fill in 16:9) and you'll see a lot of distortion.

if you set the picture aspect ratio to 16:9 the image should improve and will not feel stretched. moreover, if you're switching from a 4:3 (CRT) to a 16:9 (LED/LCD) you might take a bit of time to adjust to the image dimensions.

[rahul_9327]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

how do you mean stretched? people looking fatter than usual?
when you connect you cable to the LED/LCD TV, the TV automatically sets the picture to 16:9; if the cable is in 4:3, then the image will look stretched (4:3 expanded to fill in 16:9) and you'll see a lot of distortion.

Yes that is exactly what i mean. People appearing fatter/wider than usual. When i connect cable to the old CRT the aspect ratio is 4:3 and all images appear fine. While i connect the same to LCD which is 16:9, the images appear stretched and slight loss in quality as well.

if you set the picture aspect ratio to 16:9 the image should improve and will not feel stretched

How do i set this ? Do you mean setting the picture aspect ratio of Cable ? As far as tv goes i have set it to 16:9 but if you meant cable then i have no control over it i guess.
What about Tata sky, Can one set picture aspect ratio directly in that irrespective of tv settings ?

[amalji]

Originally Posted by rahul_9327

Yes that is exactly what i mean. People appearing fatter/wider than usual. When i connect cable to the old CRT the aspect ratio is 4:3 and all images appear fine. While i connect the same to LCD which is 16:9, the images appear stretched and slight loss in quality as well.

How do i set this ? Do you mean setting the picture aspect ratio of Cable ? As far as tv goes i have set it to 16:9 but if you meant cable then i have no control over it i guess.
What about Tata sky, Can one set picture aspect ratio directly in that irrespective of tv settings ?

a long as the broadcast signal is 4:3, it will always appear stretched. To have the signal in correct aspect ratio, the source needs to be either hd ( as in the case of hd channels ) or ed ( as in the case of dvd ). Normal channels will always appear stretched

[rahul_9327]

Originally Posted by amalji

a long as the broadcast signal is 4:3, it will always appear stretched. To have the signal in correct aspect ratio, the source needs to be either hd ( as in the case of hd channels ) or ed ( as in the case of dvd ). Normal channels will always appear stretched

Okay. Are Dth channels from TataSky also 4:3 ? The Big tv website claims that all all their 250 channels are converted into HD. So would aspect ratio be taken care of in that case ?

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by rahul_9327

Sorry I could not get the point across :(

1. Tata Sky HD+ has options to set the aspect ratio to
a) 4:3
b) 16:9
c) .... other ratios
d) .... other ratios
e) Source dependent. This option sets the aspect to 4:3 for normal programs and 16:9 for HD programs.

2. What I meant was that if you watch the programs at 4:3 in a 16:9 screen at the correct aspect, the "usable" area of the screen decreases due to two blank portions on left and right of the screen. So if you want the picture to have the same visual size of say a 25" CRT, where the picture height is 15", you need a 32" LCD which comes in 16:9, for the same picture height of 15"

[amalji]

Originally Posted by rahul_9327

Okay. Are Dth channels from TataSky also 4:3 ? The Big tv website claims that all all their 250 channels are converted into HD. So would aspect ratio be taken care of in that case ?

It's just marketing gimmick. I use reliance hd. They just upscale the signal. As long as the source signal aspect ratio is 4:3, it will always appear stretched on a wide screen tv.

[agspins]

I finally bought a 40" Sharp Lcd (LC-40L50M) for 45K. I had shortlisted Toshiba, LG,Panasonic & Sony, but i went in for Sharp. I found Sharp panels much Sharper and better compared to others.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by fine69

My parents have decided to get a 40" or 42" plasma/led tv. The TV is usually on for ~12-14 hours everyday so please advise if Plasma at this kind of usage makes sense?

It must be a Full HD TV with basic features such as USB connectivity etc.

Sony LED BRAVIA 40" Full HD KDL-40EX520 is what we finally bought.

Its got all the basic features that we were looking for and some pretty cool ones too.

KDL-40EX520 : EX520 Series : BRAVIA

What do you guys think?

[Mr.Boss]

I'm looking for a 24" / 26" LCD TV to gift my cousin. Budget is around 12k.
With this budget I could find Toshiba with 3 years onsite warranty.
Please suggest a suitable model in Toshiba / any other alternatives.

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by fine69

Sony LED BRAVIA 40" Full HD KDL-40EX520 is what we finally bought.

Its got all the basic features that we were looking for and some pretty cool ones too.

KDL-40EX520 : EX520 Series : BRAVIA

What do you guys think?

awesome choice (coz that's what we got too )!

we were also contemplating the 46", but then didn't want to spend an extra 15k just for additional 6"

btw, if you plan to use the internet on it, make sure you:
1. get the Sony WiFi dongle
2. arrange for lengthy LAN cord

congrats again on the purchase.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

awesome choice (coz that's what we got too )!

Thanks Its comforting to know that we didn't goof up. BTW this x-reality picture engine, is it better than most other LED TV's picture qualities?

No plans of using it with internet as of now, just watching some HD movies. One question though, what is the best way of watching blu-ray quality movies on this TV now? I'd be able to download those 4 GB prints off the net but then do I burn a DVD and then run it off a blu-ray player or something?

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by fine69

One question though, what is the best way of watching blu-ray quality movies on this TV now? I'd be able to download those 4 GB prints off the net but then do I burn a DVD and then run it off a blu-ray player or something?

i'm not sure, but i guess if you convert Blu-ray into DVD you'll lose quality. we got the HT too (DAV-DZ840K) when we got the BRAVIA and we opted against getting a Blu-Ray HT since we don't intend to invest on Blu-ray media (for now)

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by fine69

No plans of using it with internet as of now, just watching some HD movies. One question though, what is the best way of watching blu-ray quality movies on this TV now?

You need a Media player that will play these HD files and give output on HDMI to TV. If you have Home Theater, this HDMI output would go to HT.

Media players cost 2k onwards, HD player would cost around 5k.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

You need a Media player that will play these HD files and give output on HDMI to TV. If you have Home Theater, this HDMI output would go to HT.

Media players cost 2k onwards, HD player would cost around 5k.

Can my laptop act as a media player here? I wonder whether there's a port on my laptop for HDMI cable connection.

Currently I use my laptop to play BR/BD-rips on my other LCD TV using the VGA cable.

[Gandhi]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

You need a Media player that will play these HD files and give output on HDMI to TV. If you have Home Theater, this HDMI output would go to HT.

Media players cost 2k onwards, HD player would cost around 5k.

Just out of curiocity, can't the TV (I mean TV's media player) play HD movies directly from a HDD?