CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[KWJ]

Greetings to all

I am new to this forum but I have been a Home Theater aficionado for some years.

About 7 years ago I put together a Home Theater system for our family.

We had to call for assistance with the initial convergence settings when we first put it up in about 1999 and have had no service calls since then. The system has been bullet proof and is bug free.

We have enjoyed it for years with little or no hassles or headaches. It is mainly used for TV sports and the occasional DVD movie or HD TV program / movie.

About once a year, I haul out the manual and check the focus and convergence, other than that we just turn it on and off. It has never been serviced by a tech since it went up on the ceiling years ago.

I am curious about some of the new standards for DVD and I wonder if it would be worthwhile to make some upgrades and changes.

Here is what we have had since 1999:
VIDEO SIDE:

SCREEN: Vidikron Tab Tensioned Power Drop 100” 16 X 9 aspect ratio
CRT PROJECTOR: Sony VPH 1272Q with 5 cable RGB (BNC) input from Video Scaler
VIDEO SCALER: Crystal Image (CI) VS 2.0 Video Scaler Controller (Inputs: VGA, component, S-VHS, Composite. output: RGB)
HDTV SET TOP BOX: Rogers Scientific Atlanta 3100 HD (Coaxial audio out, Component video out converted thru Scientific Atlanta breakout box to 15 pin VGA for CI backplane VGA input)
DVD: Yamaha DVD- S795 (Coaxial audio out, Component video out to CI backplane component input)

AUDIO SIDE:
TUNER AMP Yamaha RX-V995 (Dolby 5:1 & DTS)
SPEAKER SYSTEM Bose Acoustimass 10 Series II Home Theater speaker system (5 pair of Cube speakers)

Over all we are happy, on the other hand, we are curious about what we could do to take advantage of the new DVD formats (Blue Ray & HD DVD).

What would be the most effective investments for us as far as upgrades are concerned & in what order should I do them?

Should I consider investing in either a Blue Ray or HD DVD unit?

If I do that; to get the full benefit of the HD DVD format, will I need to invest in a card like a Sony DVI/HDMI (HDCP) IFB Input Card (Model: IFB-DVI-V2) or other similar digital input gadget (HD Fury) for the 1272Q projector? Presumably this might require us to replace or add to the cabling from the Video Scaler to the projector, though the projector could manage both the existing 5 cable RGB and the newer HD DVD input with the right choice of card or gadget?

Should I consider a new HD TV set top box that has DVI-D output or HDMI to get away from the Scientific Atlanta breakout box? How would I pair this up with the output from a new DVD player to get the best video signal to the projector from the new DVD and the new HD TV set top box?

Should we consider replacing the Video Scaler because it lacks DVI & HDMI capabilities? Up until now it has done a great job of switching video signals. It is also very useful for adjusting screen formats & aspect ratios.

At the backplane of the projector; how does the RGB video signal from backplane of the CI Scaler compare with the DVI or HDMI signal that would be the resultant input from a card like the IFB-DVI-V2?

Do we go with an HDMI or DVI-D cable to the projector directly bypassing the CI Scaler? It would have to be about 12 meters long?

What happens with the audio in these new formats, presumably, I can still stick with my old RX-V995 tuner amp if the new HD DVD player and cable TV set top boxes still have coaxial audio outputs?

Can any of you recommend someone in Toronto that I can call for a tune up / check up on the 1272Q projector?