My new System

[Lex]

Well, I bought myself a new system today! Yup, gone is the Lexicon, Sonus faber, Elite gear. Traded it all on this!



close up of my 20" big screen!



Ok, I didn't trade my main system for the above, that's true enough. What you see is video portion of my Cable Test System. It's going to be very simply, a 2 channel setup with a nice Toshiba 20" flatscreen TV and Pioneer DV-434 Progressive Scan 96/24 DVD player, and a Toshiba 20AF41 FST PURE Color TV with 3 line digital comb filter with vertical correction, advanced velocity scan modulation, and dynamic quadruple focus.

Key features of the Toshiba are Color Stream Component Video, and S-video inputs. Stereo speakers with left and right inputs. (that's key until I had a 2 channel receiver)

Pioneer DVD player, anybody know this player well? It appears it was produced end of last year, probably sold new in Feb or March of this year. Must have been a repaired unit perhaps, as I bought it as an open box today for 129.00. Picture is superb, remote functions properly, and all systems are go.

Add to the above system my old VCR for composite testing, or anything business related that comes in on tape, and you have the CAT Test System. It's quality, it's mobile, and easily accessable. Simply spin the rack around for complete access to back terminals. I don't have to test cables in my own system, risking wearing out terminals, or such.

Can't wait to cruze the pawn shops next week and see if I can find a bargain 2 channel receiver. I really don't care about surround sound in my kitchen/shop, lol. I will use a pair of Radio Shack LX-5 speakers for audio once I add the receiver.

The picture on the Toshiba is really stunning for a 4:3 non-HD television. At 299, with the full complement of video inputs, it was a God sent.




Cable Guy DVD Collection

[SiliGoose]

Pretty TV. Very nice.

I've got one of those Pioneer DV-434's. It's not really progressive. In fact, it looks much better in interlaced mode through my Wega XBR 450.




-Sili

[Lex]

What do you mean Sili, it's not progressive? Why does it say it is? Ack, here I thought I was buying something for the future...

Thanks on the TV. It does all I need to do, and I couldn't go bigger than this, and keep it on a cart portable. Not to mention bigger would have been more in the way in close quarters.

Lex

[Trevor Schell]

Good Stuff Lex!,
That would also make a nice bedroom system.

It is true that the Pioneer 434 was not truely a progressive model. This caused a lot of controversy when they were first released.




Trevor
My HomeTheater S.E.
Sonically Enhanced
C5

[Lex]

Well, I may keep the DVD player, and may not. I will reconsider it now. Today, it seemed a great deal being progressive. I mean that doesn't do me diddly good now, but could later. If I ever upgrade my RPTV, then I may swap out the progressive to my system. Of course, if it's not, that's a moot point. But really, for 129 bucks, not sure I can get a better player than the 434.

Well, I have a Mitsu 35" and a portable Panasonic DVD with Elite TX24 receiver back there along with a M&K MX125 sub.

Besides, the other benefit to the unit in my work area is entertainment while working on cables. That was the one thing missing from my work. Sure, music from the next room is good. But when that TV show comes on I want to watch, or maybe a DVD, why not have some entertainment.

Lex

[Andrew Pratt]

Doug the 434 doesn't really do the 3:2 pull down that true progessive scan players are supposed to do. They are good DVD players but won't give you noticably better picture then most other non progressive players. Nice TV though

[Chip]

Thats right....the 434 doesn't do true 3:2 pulldown. Something about how it reads flags..

- Chip




Chip Engle


"Concrete ain't a spectator sport"


<a href="http://www.htguide.com/bilder/index.cfm?fuseaction=arkivbilder&userid=0&selected userid=336" target="_blank">My HT

[Kevin P]

The 434 doens't do 3:2 pulldown, flags or not. It's basically an interlaced player with a cheap line doubler thrown in to make it "progressive". Most HDTV-ready sets have equivalent, or better, line doublers built in.

Also, the image is a bit on the soft side on the 434 (in progressive mode, I haven't seen how it looks in interlaced). I wonder how good a torture test it will be for Cat Cables.

But then if it's just a QA rig for the Cats (to ensure the cables work), there's nothing wrong with that. But if you want to see how the Cats stack up to the competition, you may want to do those comparisons on your main system.

Now you need to add a SACD player so you can hear what your SilverCats are really capable of! :B

KJP




Official Computer Geek and Techno-Wiz Guru of HTGuide - Visit Tower of Power
My HT Site

[Lex]

Well, I am still looking Kevin, and have 30 days to return the Pioneer if something better comes along. Imaging seems quite nice in interlaced mode on component hookup. The image is fine enough that if there is a problem with a Videocat I build, it will show up there, and that is what is important. The system is not for cable type critiques. Yes, those are done on my main system. I am slowly but surely getting a full complement of CATs in my own system, so I critique them daily.

But thanks for the accurate writup on the player. If I spend twice as much money, I could get true progressive. But since I don't have an HDTV, it's sort of a moot point anyway and 129.00 is not bad for a nice quality interlaced player. From what I have seen, I will be hard pressed to do better.




Cable Guy DVD Collection

[George Bellefontaine]

Neat set up. But don't try widescreen on that 20 incher.




My Homepage!

[Lex]

thanks George

Oh yeah, I watch DVDs in widescreen, from the viewing distance of 5-6 feet, it's not bad, really!

Lex

[Bing Fung]

Nice test bed Lex!

I like the integration.




Bing

[Markj]

Looks good Lex! I still have friends that don’t have a DVD player yet. So don't knock this test system you have. I like your shinny rack very cool.

[Lex]

Thanks Bing and Mark. Well, it's about functionality, and I already had 3 of these racks, called Kitchen Islands available at Walmart. I also have one that is a rather interesting combo, pics of those later. I also have 2 mega-size shelves in black designed this way. These things go together so easily, it's unreal. the big ones and one other small chrome one came from Home Depot. The small rack from the depot was the same size as one of the islands as seen here, so I extended it upward with a high top skinny shelf and room to open a storage case below. Probably doesn't make sense, but will with a picture.

Lex

[Burke Strickland]

Lex -

Nice setup -- should make a good testbed for your cables. I bought the 14" version of the Toshiba flatscreen about a month ago and like it a lot. I wanted something to use primarily for OSD (on- screen display) with my RDC-7 pre/pro and my CD/DVD changers without having to fire up the projector (the bulb for which costs about twice as much as the Toshiba!), but the picture quality is good enough and the set is close enough to my seating postition that I am quite content to watch the news, weather and Jay Leno's monologue on it, and an occasional "screener" movie, too. By "screener", I mean one I'm looking at to refresh my memory as to what happened in a particular scene, or get a line of dialog, rather than actually sit down and watch the whole movie. But actually, the "talking head" type movies
(as opposed to sweeping wide-screen specatacles) work well on this set too. But with its gorgeous color rendition with S-video, even the widescreen spectacles look "pretty as a postcard" on this set. Of course, that's about the size they are, too... :>)

Burke

[Lex]

thanks Burke. Yes, the 14" is a nice little set as well. I looked at it, but no S-video forced me to the 20". S-vid are a real pain to test on my system, so this is MUCH nicer.

Also, I forgot to mention, the blue lids you see down below are containers of heat shrink. I have 4 of the large ones like this, and a buch of the ones half this size. Great storage for my purposes. Likely, when I add a power plant, either my old Pioneer Integrated Amp, or add a receiver, these containers will be relocated.

Lex