A New-gen Pain in the Ass [An easy guide to home theatre setup]
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A New-gen Pain in the Ass [An easy guide to home theatre setup]
[Alright. A lot of us have been gaming since we were children. I'm no different. I was playing Sonic The Hedgehog 2 twice a day when I was 6, and I beat it each time. But now I've got some shit to get off my chest. Afterwards, I'll provide a brief summary on game setups that might help some that are confused by this new, crazy world of cables, HD displays and the like]
[THE HISTORY]
When I was a kid, playing on my Sega Genesis, there wasn't much to know back then. You slapped your cartridge in and played your game, but there were a few key things that could make your gaming experience better. You could have a bigger TV, and instead of using the R/F switch, which connected your video and audio via a Coaxial [cable] you could use the shiny new Composite cables. They are sometimes called A/V cables, RCA cables and things like that. But everyone knows what they are in some way. A red cable, a white cable and a yellow cable. White and red are for your left and right audio channels, and yellow is for your video
THAT'S IT! The SNES, the Sega Genesis, The PlayStation, PSone, fuck man, even the Nintendo 64. All of these consoles followed that simple rule. How can you have a better experience on the system? Bigger TV, make sure to use Composite cables and hell, if you were REALLY rolling in the awesome, you had the PSone and N64 hooked into a stereo system for your audio. And dammit! So great! Tube TVs had come out with the 480i standard, and almost nobody knew it by name. You just knew that for some reason, your new TV looked better. Oh these were nice times. So simple. But then...
2001 blessed us with the PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo Gamecube. Things were about to change, whether people realized it or not. Future cables were getting support in the new, shiny BIOS that the two systems utilized. By the time 2003 was in it's late stages, you could get a flatscreen TV. It wasn't exactly HD, but it was indeed made from pixels instead of a picture tube. And with that huge step came the first few plagues, paving way for people to seek 'the ultimate setup.' S Video was new, had been gaining momentum in the business for a bit, and before people had even adjusted to it and learned about it, a new Sheriff had already entered the arena
By the time it was 2004, HD was obtainable, but it wasn't cheap. The PS2 had long since upgraded its BIOS to accept the shiny new Component cables, which had started showing up with the earlier mentioned flatscreen TVs in 2003. Component cables were the successor to S Video, which did not yet have full public awareness. Component cables Were so nice though! Yet, who knew? People were becoming confused with the new cables, and the general gaming population stuck to their Composite cables, even with their HD TVs. And if that wasn't enough...POW! HDMI was starting to get some serious clout. What the hell was going on?
2005. Oh yes. Captain, we have HD! And HDMI, it seems. HDMI was simple enough to people that didn't fully understand it - it made your expensive HD TV look amazing. But HDMI had upgraded the market from 1.1 to 1.2 and then, just as quickly, 1.3a was everywhere. Getting confused yet? Don't feel bad, a lot of people are in the same boat. It's a confusing world, it really is
So where are we now? Well, we have 1.3b HDMI cables as a standard, but 1.4 is the next big thing, and the cables are already out there. Why do you need ANY of these cables? What are the differences? Don't worry, I'll get to that, trust me. But now, for my true venting! [Evil laugh]
[MY PROBLEMS]
I recently decided I would upgrade most of my older consoles to Compnent cables. HDMI is pretty straight forward, and doesn't usually present with many technical problems, which is why I think people have adopted it so much easier than Component and S Video. My HDTV contains one set of Composite cable hookups, and one set of Component, and three HDMI. I have a Hub/Game selector to help me deal with the massive amounts of composite, component and S video cords I have. With four channels, I can have four systems hooked up at the same time with multiple types of connections. It's quite nice. Yet the hub forces me to run an extra test I like to call 'is it the hub?' This little game is where I have a problem with connection, and I have to take the damn cords out of my hub and straight into the TV to see if the hub is causing the issue. Most of the time, it is not.
Now, Component cables are great. They really are. It's amazing to think they are capable of full 1080p, though it's not as sharp or crystal as good old HDMI. The systems I really wanted to upgrade to Component Cables were my PS1/2, the Wii and the SNES. When I finally got my PS1/2/3 Component Cables, I didn't expect a hassle, but I got one. No picture, perfect audio. After a large series of tests, I figured out the problem. I had to turn on the PS2 with the original Composite Cables hooked up, go into my System Settings and change the output from 'RBG' to the Component [YPbPr] setting, and then shut the PS2 off. From there, I had to connect the Component Cables and turn the PS2 back on in order to get picture.
Well, that headache's over, but at least the Wii will be easy right?.....right? -_-
It wasn't. In fact, I have the cables for it, but they don't work. I get a black and white picture when using Component Cables on the Wii. After an even larger series of annoying tests, I have concluded that either the Wii smartchip does not think my TV is HD [and furthermore thinks it's black and white -_-] or the cable itself, which supports multiple consoles, is not converting the signal for the Wii properly. The only thing left to do to help test this out is to buy an official set of Nintendo manufactured Component Cables. ALL I WANT TO DO IS PLAY MY GAMECUBE GAMES IN 480p!!! IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK?
[...I don't even want to think about things getting more conveluted than this. Component Cables, while great, drive me up a wall. Well, I'm pretty much done for now. Did you have trouble understanding the many cords listed above? A quick guide will be posted soon. Stay tuned!] -Astro9-
[THE HISTORY]
When I was a kid, playing on my Sega Genesis, there wasn't much to know back then. You slapped your cartridge in and played your game, but there were a few key things that could make your gaming experience better. You could have a bigger TV, and instead of using the R/F switch, which connected your video and audio via a Coaxial [cable] you could use the shiny new Composite cables. They are sometimes called A/V cables, RCA cables and things like that. But everyone knows what they are in some way. A red cable, a white cable and a yellow cable. White and red are for your left and right audio channels, and yellow is for your video
THAT'S IT! The SNES, the Sega Genesis, The PlayStation, PSone, fuck man, even the Nintendo 64. All of these consoles followed that simple rule. How can you have a better experience on the system? Bigger TV, make sure to use Composite cables and hell, if you were REALLY rolling in the awesome, you had the PSone and N64 hooked into a stereo system for your audio. And dammit! So great! Tube TVs had come out with the 480i standard, and almost nobody knew it by name. You just knew that for some reason, your new TV looked better. Oh these were nice times. So simple. But then...
2001 blessed us with the PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo Gamecube. Things were about to change, whether people realized it or not. Future cables were getting support in the new, shiny BIOS that the two systems utilized. By the time 2003 was in it's late stages, you could get a flatscreen TV. It wasn't exactly HD, but it was indeed made from pixels instead of a picture tube. And with that huge step came the first few plagues, paving way for people to seek 'the ultimate setup.' S Video was new, had been gaining momentum in the business for a bit, and before people had even adjusted to it and learned about it, a new Sheriff had already entered the arena
By the time it was 2004, HD was obtainable, but it wasn't cheap. The PS2 had long since upgraded its BIOS to accept the shiny new Component cables, which had started showing up with the earlier mentioned flatscreen TVs in 2003. Component cables were the successor to S Video, which did not yet have full public awareness. Component cables Were so nice though! Yet, who knew? People were becoming confused with the new cables, and the general gaming population stuck to their Composite cables, even with their HD TVs. And if that wasn't enough...POW! HDMI was starting to get some serious clout. What the hell was going on?
2005. Oh yes. Captain, we have HD! And HDMI, it seems. HDMI was simple enough to people that didn't fully understand it - it made your expensive HD TV look amazing. But HDMI had upgraded the market from 1.1 to 1.2 and then, just as quickly, 1.3a was everywhere. Getting confused yet? Don't feel bad, a lot of people are in the same boat. It's a confusing world, it really is
So where are we now? Well, we have 1.3b HDMI cables as a standard, but 1.4 is the next big thing, and the cables are already out there. Why do you need ANY of these cables? What are the differences? Don't worry, I'll get to that, trust me. But now, for my true venting! [Evil laugh]
[MY PROBLEMS]
I recently decided I would upgrade most of my older consoles to Compnent cables. HDMI is pretty straight forward, and doesn't usually present with many technical problems, which is why I think people have adopted it so much easier than Component and S Video. My HDTV contains one set of Composite cable hookups, and one set of Component, and three HDMI. I have a Hub/Game selector to help me deal with the massive amounts of composite, component and S video cords I have. With four channels, I can have four systems hooked up at the same time with multiple types of connections. It's quite nice. Yet the hub forces me to run an extra test I like to call 'is it the hub?' This little game is where I have a problem with connection, and I have to take the damn cords out of my hub and straight into the TV to see if the hub is causing the issue. Most of the time, it is not.
Now, Component cables are great. They really are. It's amazing to think they are capable of full 1080p, though it's not as sharp or crystal as good old HDMI. The systems I really wanted to upgrade to Component Cables were my PS1/2, the Wii and the SNES. When I finally got my PS1/2/3 Component Cables, I didn't expect a hassle, but I got one. No picture, perfect audio. After a large series of tests, I figured out the problem. I had to turn on the PS2 with the original Composite Cables hooked up, go into my System Settings and change the output from 'RBG' to the Component [YPbPr] setting, and then shut the PS2 off. From there, I had to connect the Component Cables and turn the PS2 back on in order to get picture.
Well, that headache's over, but at least the Wii will be easy right?.....right? -_-
It wasn't. In fact, I have the cables for it, but they don't work. I get a black and white picture when using Component Cables on the Wii. After an even larger series of annoying tests, I have concluded that either the Wii smartchip does not think my TV is HD [and furthermore thinks it's black and white -_-] or the cable itself, which supports multiple consoles, is not converting the signal for the Wii properly. The only thing left to do to help test this out is to buy an official set of Nintendo manufactured Component Cables. ALL I WANT TO DO IS PLAY MY GAMECUBE GAMES IN 480p!!! IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK?
[...I don't even want to think about things getting more conveluted than this. Component Cables, while great, drive me up a wall. Well, I'm pretty much done for now. Did you have trouble understanding the many cords listed above? A quick guide will be posted soon. Stay tuned!] -Astro9-
Last edited by [AstroCreep] on Thu Sep 16, 2010 6:09 pm; edited 2 times in total
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A New-gen Pain in the Ass [An easy guide to home theatre setup] :: Comments
Wed Sep 15, 2010 9:25 pm by [Mr_Self_Destruct]
[A QUICK GUIDE]
[There were some things I didn't cover in my synopsis of the gaming community, and the setup that we drive to obtain, such as the specs you need to keep an eye out for when purchasing an HDTV. I will include those in this guide as well, so BEEEAAARRRRSONA!] [Dammit Kuma]
First thing is first. You want a good picture when playing your games, right?
[HDTV SPECS]
Contrast Ratio - This one is very important. It's the difference, in number, between the brightest white shade and the darkest black shade your HDTV can produce. Thing is, ever since HDTV's came out, they couldn't produce a 'true black.' This may not sound bad to you, but black is the essence of every color. If your black is dull, grayish or the like, ALL of your colors will be affected by this. A deeper, more solid black provides the best color. The higher a contrast ratio, the more color gradients you'll have. 1000:1 used to be pretty standard, but now we get up to 1M:1 color ratio! Outstanding. And yes, the 'M' stands for 'Million.' Quite good. You should know, the higher the CR the higher the price, but it's worth it.
Polarized Screen - This is also VERY important, [equally important as CR in my opinion] and is not expensive. Does the HDTV you're looking at have a Polarized Screen? Easy to tell. Is the screen glossy and shiny? Then it's polarized. Why is that gloss so important? Well, if the TV is off, you'll notice it's VERY black. We cannot make true black with HDTVs, as I mentioned earlier. However, if you polarize the screen with layers of blackened material, it filters the colors through it and deepens them. Please don't skip on this! You'll regret it overtime. You'll wonder why your HDTV doesn't look as good as that HD HP monitor sitting on your desk next to your computer. POLARIZED SCREEN! HUZZAH!
Available Ports - SO IMPORTANT! If you want to play HD games on your HD screen, then it would be in your best interest to make sure you have HDMI and Component ports on that TV before you buy it! Seriously, it can happen. There should always be Component connections on an HDTV, but they don't HAVE to put HDMI on it. Check that shit! It's also nice to have multiple of each. Mine has a Component set, a Composite set, a USB connection and three HDMI 1.3, with an S Video attachment as well. Yet, I wish I had more. Now, if you only have one Component or Composite set, and you find yourself swapping cords from it daily, GET A COMPOSITE/COMPONENT HUB!!!! Component and Composite ports loosen up overtime from being used. Once they're loose, there's no fixing it. Sure, it's just a simple tightening of a screw, but do you really feel comfortable taking your HDTV apart? Didn't think so. If you're still under warrenty, they MIGHT fix it for you. Or not. It might not be covered under your warrenty. So! USE A HUB!
Organic LED LCD - Expect to pay for this. Ooooh man will you. OLED LCD, and even LED LCD displays, in short, give you a SUPERIOR picture than regular LCD HDTVs. As a result, they're EXPENSIVE! Seriously. How much was your 32 inch HDTV with that nice CR on it? 600? You'd pay well over a grand to get an oLED LCD of that same size. No, I'm not kidding. But hell, if you're filthy rich, have at it! The rest of us [myself included] will just wait for them to drop in price after a few years.
Tilt - While not really a HUGE deal, it's still pretty nice to be able to adjust your TV's angle. If you can't, you can live with it, but it sorta sucks. My current HDTV - which I plan to upgrade by the end of the year - has no tilt function. I hate every moment of it : P
Last edited by [AstroCreep] on Thu Sep 16, 2010 12:38 am; edited 1 time in total
[There were some things I didn't cover in my synopsis of the gaming community, and the setup that we drive to obtain, such as the specs you need to keep an eye out for when purchasing an HDTV. I will include those in this guide as well, so BEEEAAARRRRSONA!] [Dammit Kuma]
First thing is first. You want a good picture when playing your games, right?
[HDTV SPECS]
Contrast Ratio - This one is very important. It's the difference, in number, between the brightest white shade and the darkest black shade your HDTV can produce. Thing is, ever since HDTV's came out, they couldn't produce a 'true black.' This may not sound bad to you, but black is the essence of every color. If your black is dull, grayish or the like, ALL of your colors will be affected by this. A deeper, more solid black provides the best color. The higher a contrast ratio, the more color gradients you'll have. 1000:1 used to be pretty standard, but now we get up to 1M:1 color ratio! Outstanding. And yes, the 'M' stands for 'Million.' Quite good. You should know, the higher the CR the higher the price, but it's worth it.
Polarized Screen - This is also VERY important, [equally important as CR in my opinion] and is not expensive. Does the HDTV you're looking at have a Polarized Screen? Easy to tell. Is the screen glossy and shiny? Then it's polarized. Why is that gloss so important? Well, if the TV is off, you'll notice it's VERY black. We cannot make true black with HDTVs, as I mentioned earlier. However, if you polarize the screen with layers of blackened material, it filters the colors through it and deepens them. Please don't skip on this! You'll regret it overtime. You'll wonder why your HDTV doesn't look as good as that HD HP monitor sitting on your desk next to your computer. POLARIZED SCREEN! HUZZAH!
Available Ports - SO IMPORTANT! If you want to play HD games on your HD screen, then it would be in your best interest to make sure you have HDMI and Component ports on that TV before you buy it! Seriously, it can happen. There should always be Component connections on an HDTV, but they don't HAVE to put HDMI on it. Check that shit! It's also nice to have multiple of each. Mine has a Component set, a Composite set, a USB connection and three HDMI 1.3, with an S Video attachment as well. Yet, I wish I had more. Now, if you only have one Component or Composite set, and you find yourself swapping cords from it daily, GET A COMPOSITE/COMPONENT HUB!!!! Component and Composite ports loosen up overtime from being used. Once they're loose, there's no fixing it. Sure, it's just a simple tightening of a screw, but do you really feel comfortable taking your HDTV apart? Didn't think so. If you're still under warrenty, they MIGHT fix it for you. Or not. It might not be covered under your warrenty. So! USE A HUB!
Organic LED LCD - Expect to pay for this. Ooooh man will you. OLED LCD, and even LED LCD displays, in short, give you a SUPERIOR picture than regular LCD HDTVs. As a result, they're EXPENSIVE! Seriously. How much was your 32 inch HDTV with that nice CR on it? 600? You'd pay well over a grand to get an oLED LCD of that same size. No, I'm not kidding. But hell, if you're filthy rich, have at it! The rest of us [myself included] will just wait for them to drop in price after a few years.
Tilt - While not really a HUGE deal, it's still pretty nice to be able to adjust your TV's angle. If you can't, you can live with it, but it sorta sucks. My current HDTV - which I plan to upgrade by the end of the year - has no tilt function. I hate every moment of it : P
Last edited by [AstroCreep] on Thu Sep 16, 2010 12:38 am; edited 1 time in total
Wed Sep 15, 2010 9:54 pm by [Mr_Self_Destruct]
Okay, so we know how to shop for an HDTV, but do we know the difference between all the cords out there? If you don't, read on and be educated!
Coaxial Plugin/RF Switch - I shudder to think of people still using this. It's terrible. The video doesn't suffer TOO much compared to Composite, but the audio is downright AWFUL. Do yourself a favor if you're still using these - get a composite set. They're fucking cheap. CHEAP I SAY!
Composite - The most common hookup cords these days. A red cord, white cord and a Yellow. The red and white carry the left and right channels for your audio. This means that a game that is mixed in stereo sound would not be able to give you all of the sounds if you're missing one of these. You need both for full audio, unless your TV is m-m-m-monographic *shudders* The video signal is combined into one stream, of course. This is sent down the Yellow cord.
S Video - Generally a better picture than Composite. The video signal is sent through a few different pins inside, but is then converted back at the end. This does provide some blurring on your more graphical games, so there's still a lot of beef about the advantages it might have over Composite. Use at your own risk, I guess. Composite works pretty good in my opinion.
Component - A great cord system. The awesome successor to Composite, it still has the left and right audio plugs, and they're still red and white, but the similarities end there. You have a second red cord, a blue cord and a green cord. These actually split up the video data between the three cords, providing a SUPERIOR image compared to the single Yellow cord a Composite set has. There are things called Luminance and Chrominance. I will skip the details, but save to say your colors are processed afterwords, and the cords sorta split up your brightness, detail and things of that nature. Seriously, it's a great setup if you can afford it.
HDMI 1.3 - Okay, let's get something out of the way. The higher the number, the more data it can transfer. That's the most important thing to remember. There's no need to get worried about the numbers very much. Each HDMI revision is backwards compatible, meaning you can use any version in any HDMI port. 1.3 is the 'true HD" spec, meaning you can do crystal clear, perfect looking 1080p with no problem. HDMI also puts the audio through the cord. Neat huh? And you can get 'true HD' Audio with this, but that's for a different time.
HDMI 1.3a and b - The difference between a and b standard doesn't concern the general public and/or consumers very much. The difference between them is that b has more intense standards than a does. In simple terms, this means the cord manufacturers could get away with more under the 1.3a standard. You might have a slightly shotty cord with 1.3a, MAYBE. With 1.3b, as long as it says 1.3b certified on your cable container, you have nothing to worry about. Simple as that.
HDMI 1.4 - This is a new standard. It's not something you really need right now unless you are watching movies and playing games in 3D. If you are, you NEED this cord. If you don't have it, you can't do stuff in 3D. Simple as that. Also, HDMI 1.4 supports future resolutions.
[Well, that's it for this section. I'll provide a guide on audio cords in a while if I can get around to it. Peace] -Astro9-
Coaxial Plugin/RF Switch - I shudder to think of people still using this. It's terrible. The video doesn't suffer TOO much compared to Composite, but the audio is downright AWFUL. Do yourself a favor if you're still using these - get a composite set. They're fucking cheap. CHEAP I SAY!
Composite - The most common hookup cords these days. A red cord, white cord and a Yellow. The red and white carry the left and right channels for your audio. This means that a game that is mixed in stereo sound would not be able to give you all of the sounds if you're missing one of these. You need both for full audio, unless your TV is m-m-m-monographic *shudders* The video signal is combined into one stream, of course. This is sent down the Yellow cord.
S Video - Generally a better picture than Composite. The video signal is sent through a few different pins inside, but is then converted back at the end. This does provide some blurring on your more graphical games, so there's still a lot of beef about the advantages it might have over Composite. Use at your own risk, I guess. Composite works pretty good in my opinion.
Component - A great cord system. The awesome successor to Composite, it still has the left and right audio plugs, and they're still red and white, but the similarities end there. You have a second red cord, a blue cord and a green cord. These actually split up the video data between the three cords, providing a SUPERIOR image compared to the single Yellow cord a Composite set has. There are things called Luminance and Chrominance. I will skip the details, but save to say your colors are processed afterwords, and the cords sorta split up your brightness, detail and things of that nature. Seriously, it's a great setup if you can afford it.
HDMI 1.3 - Okay, let's get something out of the way. The higher the number, the more data it can transfer. That's the most important thing to remember. There's no need to get worried about the numbers very much. Each HDMI revision is backwards compatible, meaning you can use any version in any HDMI port. 1.3 is the 'true HD" spec, meaning you can do crystal clear, perfect looking 1080p with no problem. HDMI also puts the audio through the cord. Neat huh? And you can get 'true HD' Audio with this, but that's for a different time.
HDMI 1.3a and b - The difference between a and b standard doesn't concern the general public and/or consumers very much. The difference between them is that b has more intense standards than a does. In simple terms, this means the cord manufacturers could get away with more under the 1.3a standard. You might have a slightly shotty cord with 1.3a, MAYBE. With 1.3b, as long as it says 1.3b certified on your cable container, you have nothing to worry about. Simple as that.
HDMI 1.4 - This is a new standard. It's not something you really need right now unless you are watching movies and playing games in 3D. If you are, you NEED this cord. If you don't have it, you can't do stuff in 3D. Simple as that. Also, HDMI 1.4 supports future resolutions.
[Well, that's it for this section. I'll provide a guide on audio cords in a while if I can get around to it. Peace] -Astro9-
Thu Sep 16, 2010 10:54 am by Chaos
Excellent! You should really get a news thing up!!!
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