Online Store Question

TennesseeOutlaw
TennesseeOutlaw Posts: 414
edited March 2008 in Electronics
Does anyone know anything about "thehighdefintionstore.com"?? I am thinking of buying a television from there, but I want to be sure this is a legit store and not some kinda scam. If anyone has any information about this site/store http://www.thehighdefinitionstore.com/ please let me know. They do have a few reviews, but not nearly as many as Amazon or Vann's.. Thanks for the help. I'd hate to thow 2,300.00 bucks down the drain. By the way, I have decided on the Samsung LNT4081F. If anyone has any comments on this television please let me know, and I could use some help on a HDMI cable. I was looking at the Monster HD1000 or something like that for 100 bucks.. Thanks again all.

Josh G
Post edited by TennesseeOutlaw on
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  • Refefer
    Refefer Posts: 1,280
    edited March 2008
    They seem legitimate. They're New York based, but have no BBB entry which is the only flag I'd be wary of. However, they've apparently been around for several years now.

    Still, no BBB would be enough to make me think twice about it.

    http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2006/11/emw475576.htm
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  • TennesseeOutlaw
    TennesseeOutlaw Posts: 414
    edited March 2008
    Call me an idiot, but what is a BBB? Thanks..
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  • mmadden28
    mmadden28 Posts: 4,283
    edited March 2008
    I would have to say they are probably referring to the Better Business Bureau.
    http://www.us.bbb.org
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  • GreggS
    GreggS Posts: 12
    edited March 2008
    I usually check resellerratings.com to find reviews. I could not find anything on that site.
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  • Refefer
    Refefer Posts: 1,280
    edited March 2008
    mmadden28 wrote: »
    I would have to say they are probably referring to the Better Business Bureau.
    http://www.us.bbb.org

    Yep!

    I always check there when in doubt, especially if it's a tech store anywhere close to New York City.
    Lovin that music year after year.

    Main 2 Channel System

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    Computer Rig

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  • NewHTguy
    NewHTguy Posts: 584
    edited March 2008
    I bought the Samsung LNT5265 for $2000 from Frys.com on Black Friday. I took a quick glance at the prices of the store you're considering and they don't seem that great to me. Of course, I have not searched for the LNT4081, but I would strongly suggest keeping an eye on the specials at Frys. Some of them are simply amazing.

    Btw, what seems like a large TV when you buy it, will not seem so large after three or four weeks. My 52 inch seemed huge at Best buy. Not now. If you're buying a 40inch you should be sitting no more than 5-6 feet away. Roughly 1.5 times the diagonal is what people at CNET recommend.

    As for the hdmi cables, I paid $6 for mine through Amazon online and have no regrets. Unlike speaker wire, where there is variation in gauge, there are no clear differences in hdmi cables. I have friends who are videophiles who say they are all the same as well.

    Just my two cents...
    MAIN: Polk Lsi9s; Polk PSW505; Lsic (in box); Onkyo SR-875; Parasound 2250; Cambridge Audio 740C; LG BD370
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  • mmadden28
    mmadden28 Posts: 4,283
    edited March 2008
    NewHTguy wrote: »
    Btw, what seems like a large TV when you buy it, will not seem so large after three or four weeks. My 52 inch seemed huge at Best buy. Not now. If you're buying a 40inch you should be sitting no more than 5-6 feet away. Roughly 1.5 times the diagonal is what people at CNET recommend.

    Holy Crap, I am about 15' from my 52" DLP. That means I really should have a
    120" screen? Oh the wife is not going to like it when I tell her that. I think its time to build a dedicated HT. :D. and/or use a projector.
    NewHTguy wrote: »
    As for the hdmi cables, I paid $6 for mine through Amazon online and have no regrets. Unlike speaker wire, where there is variation in gauge, there are no clear differences in hdmi cables. I have friends who are videophiles who say they are all the same as well.

    Just my two cents...

    And for my two cents...
    Although I am far from an expert on cables, I read that there is a difference in HDMI cables as far as bandwidth capabilities. The new 1.3 spec requires a higher bandwidth to handle all the newer codecs, and other new HDMI features (deepcolor, etc). And I would expect the cable design to be changed to handle it.
    To me digital is digital-its 1s and 0s getting from point A to point B. Its not about coloration of an analog signal or anything. Just as long as they do in fact get there at the required signal strength, with minimal signal loss is probably the biggest issue-They have to contend with signal losses and interference like any other cable technology or signal type.

    The best analogy I could think of is with ethernet network cables. Cat3 is typically only used for phones (not IP phones), while Cat5 is used for 10 and 100Mbs data rates. Where you need Cat 5e or 6 to support the gigabit (1000Mbs) speeds without any data loss. As far as cable design changes, the twists are tighter, they have more stringent termination requirements (less exposed and untwisted wire at the modular connector), etc.
    I would not be using Cat 3 or Cat 5 for my gigabit network-Much the same I suspect I would not be using a cable rated for HDMI 1.1 on a latest generation equipment that requires HDMI 1.3 specs. If I did I should expect degradation in performance and quality.
    If you don't need to or can't take advantage of any of the newer HDMI specs, then I would imagine an older spec cable is sufficient.

    I would even venture to guess that higher quality cables may even allow longer runs before signal loss starts to occur. No?

    -Madden
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  • NewHTguy
    NewHTguy Posts: 584
    edited March 2008
    Your point about the 1.3 specification seems reasonable IF you have a device that requires it. The last time I looked for hdmi cables (5 months ago) there were no mainstream devices (e.g., BluRay players) utilizing the 1.3 specs. Perhaps that has changed, though I still haven't seen any. My point was that just because monster or some other company is charging $40 for a cable, it doesn't make it "higher quality." I understand why someone would pay more for 14 gauge speaker wire versus 16 gauge. But I don't know what specs one can look for to know whether the $40 1.1 hdmi cable is better than a $6 1.1 hdmi cable. If there are no concrete specs on which to base one's decision, then I can't help but be skeptical. Especially when friends of mine who spend thousands on this sort of stuff say there is no difference. I guess I'm just a skeptic who would like to see objective research or at least word-of-mouth confirmation before paying 5 times as much.
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  • TennesseeOutlaw
    TennesseeOutlaw Posts: 414
    edited March 2008
    I have purchased the TV. Amazon.com finally dropped the price down to the same as the other websites today. I recently got my aunt and uncle a 52" Samsung from Amazon and everything was perfect. It is ordered and on it's way. I couldn't be happier.

    Thanks everyone for your input.

    Josh
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  • TennesseeOutlaw
    TennesseeOutlaw Posts: 414
    edited March 2008
    Oh yeah, and I got the Moster Cable 1000HD Ultra High Speed HDMI cable with the t.v. for $70.00.. Possibly not the best buy, but I suppose it won't be a bad cable at all..
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  • Refefer
    Refefer Posts: 1,280
    edited March 2008
    Good to see it worked out!

    Nothing like knowing where the money is going before dropping a huge chunk of it.
    Lovin that music year after year.

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  • NewHTguy
    NewHTguy Posts: 584
    edited March 2008
    Congrats on the new equipment! Didn't mean to bash the expensive cable. Would honestly like to know if there is a difference. Perhaps you can compare a basic hdmi to the one you purchased and report the results.
    MAIN: Polk Lsi9s; Polk PSW505; Lsic (in box); Onkyo SR-875; Parasound 2250; Cambridge Audio 740C; LG BD370
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  • mmadden28
    mmadden28 Posts: 4,283
    edited March 2008
    NewHTguy wrote: »
    Your point about the 1.3 specification seems reasonable IF you have a device that requires it.

    I did mention that-"If you don't need to or can't take advantage of any of the newer HDMI specs, then I would imagine an older spec cable is sufficient."
    NewHTguy wrote: »
    The last time I looked for hdmi cables (5 months ago) there were no mainstream devices (e.g., BluRay players) utilizing the 1.3 specs. Perhaps that has changed, though I still haven't seen any. ....

    Quick look at the specs on the Toshiba HD-DVD HDA30 show that it supports 1.3 with the CEC and Deepcolor and we know that is not brand new product. I know I've seen other products. If the CEC and deep color is a funtion of spec 1.3 (I am not positive on that), the Sony Blueray players do support those features.
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  • NewHTguy
    NewHTguy Posts: 584
    edited March 2008
    Point taken, mmadden28. In fact, my Onkyo 605 supports the new 1.3 standard. When I bought it about 5 months ago people considered it "future proofing." I don't own a BluRay player, so I have not investigated how many movies are coded in a way to take full advantage of the 1.3. If there are only a few, then I still think paying ten times as much for the cable is quite a lot, but at least there is a clear reason to spend the additional dollars.
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  • WilliamM2
    WilliamM2 Posts: 4,808
    edited March 2008
    Although I am far from an expert on cables, I read that there is a difference in HDMI cables as far as bandwidth capabilities. The new 1.3 spec requires a higher bandwidth to handle all the newer codecs, and other new HDMI features (deepcolor, etc). And I would expect the cable design to be changed to handle it.

    No, it's just marketing, I'm using HDMI 1.1 and 1.2 rated cables, and my gear is HDMI 1.3a. No problems at all. Blue jeans has a great explanation of the different HDMI cable versions here:

    http://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/hdmi-spec-versions.htm?hdmidept
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  • NewHTguy
    NewHTguy Posts: 584
    edited March 2008
    Just FYI, for those who are interested

    http://reviews.cnet.com/hdmi-guide/?tag=prmo1
    MAIN: Polk Lsi9s; Polk PSW505; Lsic (in box); Onkyo SR-875; Parasound 2250; Cambridge Audio 740C; LG BD370
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  • mmadden28
    mmadden28 Posts: 4,283
    edited March 2008
    NewHTguy wrote: »
    ...paying ten times as much for the cable is quite a lot, but at least there is a clear reason to spend the additional dollars.

    100% agree!
    ____________________
    This post is a natural product. The slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects.

    HT:Onkyo 805, Emotiva XPA-5, Mitsu 52" 1080p DLP / polkaudio RTi12, CSIa6, FXi3, uPro4K
    2-chnl : Pio DV-46AV (SACD), Dodd ELP, Emotiva XPA-1s, XPA-2, Odyssey Khartago, LSi9, SDA-SRS 2 :cool:, SB Duet, MSB & Monarchy DACs, Yamaha PX3 TT, SAE Tuner...
    Pool: Atrium 60's/45's
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  • rainman31
    rainman31 Posts: 76
    edited March 2008
    Paying $100 dollars for an HDMI cable should be illegal. :eek:

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  • mmadden28
    mmadden28 Posts: 4,283
    edited March 2008
    mmadden28 wrote: »
    100% agree!

    Clarification---Meaning, I agree paying ten times as much is quite a lot, not that its reasonable, to me, to spend $100 on a cable-I should have clipped the quote a bit more. Maybe $100 if it were a really long cable and had a repeater attached or something-but then that would be a special case now wouldn't it.

    I bought a HDMI spec v1.3 "rated" Belkin PureAV cable at Sam's Club for $25 (12') I can't say I've tried any sources that would utilize any of the newer spec features though so I can only assume that its capable. Can't fault me for spending $25 for a 12' cable now can you?

    -Madden
    ____________________
    This post is a natural product. The slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects.

    HT:Onkyo 805, Emotiva XPA-5, Mitsu 52" 1080p DLP / polkaudio RTi12, CSIa6, FXi3, uPro4K
    2-chnl : Pio DV-46AV (SACD), Dodd ELP, Emotiva XPA-1s, XPA-2, Odyssey Khartago, LSi9, SDA-SRS 2 :cool:, SB Duet, MSB & Monarchy DACs, Yamaha PX3 TT, SAE Tuner...
    Pool: Atrium 60's/45's
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