High END HD sets have better everything. Companies out there have big names, Sharp, Pioneer, Hitachi, Panasonic, Sony, Samsung - its a matter of pride - which can rate better - that includes the circuitry in the set. The best is however always Japanese domestic market. There is a cultural thing in Japan to keep the best rated stuff for their own market, its a general trend. Their domestic market is always better spec'ed.
*** I absolutely agree, some TV models are better than others, but generally speaking, scaling is not one of their strengths. And you're right about Japan keeping things for themselves, but it's not as much cultural as it's a case of their local market is unbelievably developed. Japanese are tech savvy no matter their age or gender. They tend to embrace new tech with a vengence. Meanwhile experience has showed them that the rest of the world are often not ready long after they sold millions of their product locally in Japan. I saw Sony BD players on the shelves there about 5 yrs ago! when HD still meant Hard-Disk to usI remember being utterly surprised to see senior citizens of both genders on the trains there with their MP3 players in their ears! My mother still thinks a micro-wave is just something you use to warm up the milk!
Unfortunately the Japs are being proven right again with BD - many of us (we wont mention names, lol!) are clearly not that excited to embrace it despite it's advantages. So tell me, who's to blame that they keep the best for themselves?
More expensive TV = better upscaling, better contrast etc. It doesn't just stop at scaling.
*** better scaling perhaps, yes, but still not great!
R45K for a full HD (1080p) projector is cheap. I'm suprised you could find one at that price.
***Like you said in an earlier post, things cost substantially less across the ocean.
As said there is high end stuff, the $2999 processor I linked is actually
on sale at that price and in SA would cost over R45K (not that you'd even
find it).
*** EVDO scalers have been around since before Laserdisk. However good their product may be, it's still not as good as real HD. So, unfortunately, the need for their scaling products is all but gone with the advent of HD in the developed world. Technology like BD has made scalers obsolete. Spending that kind of money for a scaler at this stage of that technologies life-cycle makes little sense at all. Better to just ditch your DVD collection then, and buy them in BD format. If it's not available yet, it will be soon. if not in SA, import them via the internet or travel yourself. That, at least is what I would rather do.
Hitachi has some great upscaling tech which looks amazing on their test shots, coming out. They'll include that in their sets no doubt.
As for home theatre, sure big explosions but a pitiful selection at best.
*** Again, you can order a wide selection over the internet direct from the US. FYI, there is a vast selection of BD movies sold in US that are now all-region. I forget the site in UK, where they have an icreasingly large list of these all-region titles, seeing as the Brits also get ripped off by high taxes & profiteering in the UK. Perhaps you could try googling it?
Sony is just hoping but with the economic slow down less people will buy their cr@p. In fact SONY is one company I would love to see go bust, although the JPN government would bail em out but still. They do have a gorgeous Full HD CineAlta pro-camera I want to buy, the PMW-EX1.
Apparently video shot with that thing is suitable for DiscoveryHD.
*** A dilemma I can relate to: something like the Microsoft thing, where as much as we hate them, we can't deny that we love some of their products
Case in point: I have a Sony 200-disk DVD/CD changer gathering dust in my garage, which my brother bought for me in the US a few yrs back. I had to scare Sony Malaysia with all kinds of threats before they agreed to change it to Zone 2 for me there. In SA they just dismissed me, with no apologies. But, I can't deny it turned out to be an amazing product once converted. That, along with another Sony 400-disk changer, kept me happy for a relatively long time, until I decided to move my collection over to a networked HTPC platform. And, of course, who was there to welcome me with open arms to the best HTPC solution available? Non other than our much despised M$ with their slick MCE product
See comments above..
