hey all. I am getting ready to install a pj hc1500 hopefully soon.

I was wondering about cable. I will use 25'. But my output to pj will be my direct tv dvr i guess and i will run playstation and dvd to dvr,

but dvr has only svideo output, np hdmi, so should i go ahead and run svideo or use hdmi and an adaptor to the direct tv dvr.

my screen is small by most standards about 65" wide, and seating is about 12' maybe closer no closer then 10' though. Sound will run seperate to suround so will use rca style.

and go place to buy whatever you recommend.

thanks everyone, i am a real novice with AV, but have been learning alot from your posts, and i tried seearch, but no luck, so thanks again.

tim

HDMI is your best connection. However I don't think I understand your setup at all. You're saying that you're going to run your Playstation and your DVD player through the DVR and then out to the PJ? Is that even possible?

S-video and HDMI cannot be converted back and forth with just an adapter - one is digital, one is analog (and not even component-separated!). You need to use a dedicated piece of equipment like a receiver, scalar, etc. In fact, in general it is very hard to convert HDMI to an analog signal due to copy protection mechanisms.

You should run HDMI direct to the projector from PS3 (I assume PS3) and DVD (if your DVD player is HDMI).

Run the DVR direct to projector using S-video or whatever else is the best (I would have thought component video, but you say only S-video, which is, um, ancient, frankly).

So you'll have to switch inputs on the projector.

The other option would be to buy a receiver than can take all the various video inputs and transcode them to HDMI, and then you only need to run one HDMI cable to the projector, and all switching happens at the receiver.

What surround sound system do you have? Does it have HDMI or any video switching capability?

shinksma

You will never truly see what your hc1500 can do by connecting s-video to it. Its like putting regular in a ferrari- it will run, but the performance will be horrible.

Assuming you have a PS3, this is what I would do: hdmi cable to the hc1500
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10243&cs_id=1024001&p_id=3990&seq=1&format=2

If you have a dvd player hdmi out also, buy this and 2 short lenghts of hdmi (ie 6ft or so) to connect the two sources to the switcher
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011002&p_id=3047&seq=1&format=2

Run the original S-video from the dvr to the hc1500. Alternatively, you could buy a a/v receiver with hdmi inputs and an upconverting feature (most have this) which translates svideo into hdmi output.

Victor

PS And yes, your screen is too small :-)

Time to upgrade your DirecTV service to HD. Watching 4:3 SD from your PJ is going to get old.

Thanks for the info, i knew hdmi was best way, but i have nothing with hdmi output.

well direct is brining me a new dvr, so mqaybe it will be hd and have hdmi out.

I am behind times with tech these days.

PS 2 and dvd has no hdmi. Surround as well.

I may have funds left to upgrade either dvd or surround, but not much, i just finished building the house, so funds are very tight right now. And i wanted to get PJ while I did have funds.

I do not like the idea of having anouther component and remote JUST to switch between the comps i have now.
And yes comp/rca style out is available, i wrongly thought svid would be better, why i mentioned it.

So, is there a reasonable dvd and/or surround that will let me out hdmi, and input the OLD ps2 and dvr?

suggestions on where to buy 25' hdmi and also dvd/surround suggestion also.

thanks again

You mention that "comp/rca" outouts are available - I will assume you mean Component, not Composite (both start with "comp" and both use RCA-style plugs/jacks). Component is three RCA connectors, red, blue and green colored, whereas composite is a single yellow connector. Component is far better.

You can get 1080i via component outputs, but I don't think any of your source devices (PS2, DVR, DVD player) would output anything like that - DVD players are supposed to output upscaled over HDMI only, and I don't recall any component-only DVD players having that capability.

For now, while your budget is tight, I would just hook up everything using whatever you can as the "best" signal from each source to the projector, using component, VGA, composite and/or S-video as best you can. Maybe buy a cheap component-video switcher ($25 at Radio Shack, I imagine) if you have two sources with component video out.

You don't have any HD-sources (although the PS2 via a VGA cable should be pretty good at 1280x1024, IIRC), so fiddling about with HDMI converters, new receivers, and such will not get you a lot of bang for the buck.

If you get a new DVR that has HDMI and you have HD channels, then I would connect that directly to the projector via HDMI. You can get a good 25' HDMI cable from Monoprice for a very good price, or try Blue Jeans cable as an alternate.

The downside is you'll have lots of cables going to the projector until you upgrade devices and/or get an HDMI receiver.

IMHO, YMMV, several assumptions made...

shinksma

Your new dvr should have hdmi out- so get the cable to hook it up directly to the pj for best pq. As to the ps2, get a component cable- similar to this:
http://store.gameshark.com/viewItem.asp?idProduct=2826&idCategory=51

and extend using this
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=091-202

and buy 25ft component cable
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10235&cs_id=1023502&p_id=962&seq=1&format=2

For the dvd player, get this and connect to the vga input of the pj
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10235&cs_id=1023503&p_id=2174&seq=1&format=2

thanks for the input. I guess i will go ahead and get an hdmi cable. I dont know about all the others. I will have to look at anouther peice of equipment that will handle the inputs and out hdmi to pj dvd or surround maybe,,, if i have to a switch. I did not take into account several cables when i constructed. I was figuring on one to the pj, so ran small conduit.

do you have an audio receiver already? If not, I would highly suggest picking one up. Even the inexpensive receivers these days will allow you to plug in all your devices (S-video, composite, etc) and output everything over a single HDMI connection to your display.

thanks M@V

can you get an inexpensive receiver that will also have dvd player. Thats sounds like what i will end up doing, but hate just adding components. And mine all need upgrades before long, so if i can accomplish the switching and upgrade the dvd or surround I would be thrilled

I don't think you need a Video Receiver. If the budget is tight there are inexpensive HDMI switch boxes available that will receive two, three or four HDMI sources and output whichever one is selected to the projector.

IMO - most important upgrade will be a dvd player with Up Converting capability for image resolution improvement of standard dvd movies.

Fact is, even with component output to pj component input you can only stretch a 480p image so much before image degradation is visible.

We were disappointed with how our dvds looked on our big screen and thought we might have to upgrade to HD dvds but instead spent about $100 on a new dvd player and now our huge collection of regular dvd movies look almost hi def @ 120inch diagonal.
good luck

good point with dvd player. it should have an input to let me hook dvr to it then out to pj. Or maybe new dvr will. I know old dvr has inputs, and so does dvd, just no hdmi.

so i think i am safe with 25' hdmi for sure, will just have to wait on dvr, and look at dvd, and maybe surround will be ok for awhile.

As long as you have a line capable of hd signals (hdmi/vga/component), you can always buy a passive/powered switcher or an a/v receiver in the future for video switching

Have fun

Victor

thanks M@V

can you get an inexpensive receiver that will also have dvd player. Thats sounds like what i will end up doing, but hate just adding components. And mine all need upgrades before long, so if i can accomplish the switching and upgrade the dvd or surround I would be thrilled

Unfortunately the receivers that come with DVD players built in will likely not include the upconverting to HDMI feature that you'd need to only have one cable running to your projector.

A basic upconverting DVD player is super cheap right now...we're talking less than $50 if you order online. In the used market you might be able to find one for even less.

I hate to say it, but get used to adding components now that you're building a home theater...its endless :)

The Directv DVR will only be a HD DVR (i.e., the only one with HDMI out) if you order HD service and specifically order a HD-DVR. At this point I would call Directv and tell them you want HD service (also requires they replace the dish with a new 5-LNB model) and want the new model HR22 HD-DVR (this one has a 500 GB hard drive that lets you store up to 100 hours of HD programs - the HR21 with 50 hr. HD recording capacity is still available for a few less $$). Directv normally charges $199 for the HR22 HD-DVR if you are an existing customer. The basic HD service costs about $10 per month extra and DVR service charge is about $5/mo. (regardless if you use a HD or standard def. DVR and the $5/mo. DVR charge lets you use more than one DVR in you house, i.e., not per DVR).

ok update. I am still waiting for PJ I bought from person on here.

DVR arrived, no hdmi output.

went looking for surrounds and or dvd's that might work. While at EE they had an Onkyo htib 605 reciever display model for 699 + tax. Wife thought after all other stuff we looked at it was good deal, and i know i have read a lot on here about them, so she ok'd it and we now have 7.1 surround, and it came with a dvd plyer. Have not been able to test it out much.

I swapped the good tv to the master and put the old old tv in living room until pj arrives, and all the tv has is coax input, so Am unbale to hook it to system. I did run coax from dvr, and hook dvr to receiver and it sounds good and works, but have no way to hook dvd up to tv until pj arrives.

I hope that I got a good deal, they had the new Onkyo listed at over 1k.