I'm beginning to put together a HT system. So far, I've got my Axiom speakers (yay!) and a Denon 2808 receiver, which I understand has HDMI 1.3a capability.

On to the next purchase: A TV and BD player. My question is, am I missing out on something if I get a TV that doesn't have HDMI 1.3A, and if so, what?

Same question applies for the Blu-ray player. I've been somewhat informed from the other thread about which BD player to buy, and I think for my purposes I'd be happy with a PS3 that decodes the HD audio formats internally (except for dts-ma) and can output a multichannel PCM stream which the Denon can handle.

My goal, if possible, is to spend $1500 on a TV instead of $2500, if the cheaper one will suffice. But if I am missing out on something like "deep colour" because the denon can provide that and the TV can't, (or lip-syncing, etc.) then maybe I should bite the bullet and get a newer model that I know is 1.3a compliant.
Thanks for the feedback in advance.

The PS3 has been a great Blu-ray player for me - lot of features its nice being able to download trailers & games and rip music to the hard drive.

For $1500 you should be able to buy a HDMI 1.3 LCD I have the Samsung LN-T4061 sells for around $1500 or less. That being said I am not aware of any content that utilizes the HDMI 1.3 video improvements. From what I have heard the deep color is a subtle difference (like more shades of blue in a sky scene) that most people wont miss if it is not there.

My projector does not support HDMI 1.3 and I am not to worried about it.

thanks for the response! I'm looking at a few models/types of TV. I had my mind fairly made up on getting a Panasonic plasma, but I don't really need a flat screen and recently the prices seem to have come down on the SONY SXRD models (KDS-50A2020) which generally has been reviewed favorably. With the price difference between the two, I could get a 'bonus' PS3

Not sure if you're aware, but the price drop is likely due to the fact that Sony is dropping the line due to the class action lawsuit over the "green blob" issue. I don't own one myself and am not trying to dissuade you, just so's you know.

I'm not aware of that issue and I don't think I've seen it referred to in the reviews. Thanks for the heads up. I'll do some research.

The lawsuit only affects first gen. A2000 and higher aren't part of it. I have the A2000 and it has been great. You can probably get a good deal on an A3000 now.

I was in Best Buy (Canada) yesterday and they had the A2020 on at $1100. At that price it is a real steal. I have had mine since just before Christmas and am very happy with it.

You do need to decide if you can handle the silk screen effect of rptvs, but if you can, its a great TV.

Sony did have some real problems with their 1st gen lcos sets, but the A2000 and up have been quite reliable. It is still possible to run into problems with the optical block, but that seems to be a risk with all of the newer projection sets.

The reason Sony, and others are getting out of projection is most likely cost and fashion. Most people have a bias towards a set you can mount on a wall.

Fred

Thanks Zarak. I have looked around for the A3000 but can't find it. Maybe it's not sold in Canada? If anyone from the frozen north knows where they might have these, let me know.


Regarding the Bestbuy price for the A2020 (it appears to be $1199 at the local store), that was what I was looking at. With their 10% discount on Monday, that's a fairly good deal.

I don't think HDMI 1.3 vs. 1.3a on the TV is important since you'll only be sending video and not audio to it. I understand that Deep Color is optional on 1.3 anyway, and I'm not aware of any relevant xvYCC source devices. Here's the wiki.

I have really enjoyed my JVC HD-ILA TV. I don't notice any SSE.

DBD, I'm sure you'll be delighted with the Panny, the JVC or the Sony.