Legend of Yellow Man continues......

Hi to all blog reader that somehow came and visit my blog!

Thx to a fellow forumer of LowYat net, I was able to get some picture of the filming of the DIGI yellow mascot army man commercial (wow that was long)!

Their special pose that resemble coverage + salute

Isn't the boy in the picture cute

A pic of all of the DIGI yellow man

Hope everyone enjoy the picture like I did. And for those that haven't saw the Army man commercial can check it out at my previous post.

DIGI Commercial

DIGI was 1 of the earliest company in Malaysia that launch the prepaid system. They really contribute a lot to the Malaysia Mobile Telecommunication, if not for them we will be still paying those high and ridiculous phone bill charges! They really kick their competitors a**!


The DIGI Theme Song that I like a lot!


The famous Cinema "DaiKoh" commercial

The latest commercial and i really like this a lot!


Malaysia 3G really need to have DIGI to join in! Although 3G was available 2 years ago in Malaysia but due to the fact that our Government did not issue it to them, one of the 3 largest mobile network in Malaysia, our 3G did not have any real development! The cost of using 3G is still very high (no competition), and having 1/3 of the mobile user does not have the 3G service in Malaysia is really a great pull back!

Before I end my post, I really hope that our government can quickly issue the 3G license to this company, this is the only Telco company here that does not have it(and for god sake help develop our mobile communication here)!!!!

HDMI and Optical Cable (TOSLink) Audio Comparison

So I just purchased a AV Receiver that comes with HDMI input (few weeks ago), so i plug in my PS3 and played some music through it the sound quality was clear and loud. I tested the same song again using Optical Cable (TOSLink) for sound output and the sound that came out of the Speaker was not as loud as the HDMI (same volume level on the Receiver).

Optical Cable (TOSLink) and HDMI Cable

For those ppl that own a PS3 should already know that PS3 7.1 channel surround sound can only be output from HDMI cable (Mention on the Manual). Those that used TOSLink will only get 5.1 and with usual AV cable you get 2.1.

The HDMI pin out

The HDMI and TOSLink both used digital signal to transfer information while the AV cable used analog signal. TOSLink used fiber optic technology, and it has maximun range of 10m (but user are recommend to have it less than 5m), and it can only be used to transfer audio signal. Currently it supports almost all formats except for the latest Dolby Digital Plus, TrueHD and DTS HD audio streams.

The HDMI on the other side is has not declared any maximum cable length like TOSLink. It transfer Audio and Graphic signal together and support all the latest audio formats (depends on the HDMI version).

So if you were to purchase either 1 of the cable, what price do you expect to paid? If I tell you that the cheapest one will do, I think you will most likely don't believe me. As i mention earlier this 2 types of cable delivers digital signal which are like 10101010. Unlike Analog signal that works on frequency and easily suffer on distortion due to distance!

So for digital signal you either get a very nice sound or you don't get anything!

What is the biggest different between a cheap cable with very expensive one?
For HDMI and TOSLink cable the more expensive one only give u a better quality cable or a little bit more bandwidth and include a lot of loyalty fees! Since HDMI came from DVI, and have u ever seen any super expensive DVI cable which sells more than RM200??? Same goes with TOSLink do you really think that a more expensive cable will help it transmit light better???

Conclusion is just go and grab a cheap cable, it will be enough to serve your needs!

1080p and 720p

Ever since our TV move into HD world, a lot of discussion has arise with 720p and 1080p. So in this post i will post a bit of my opinion. No 1080i here since the quality of the graphic (especially movement one) is not as good as the 720p.

720p which is 1280 x 720 was a resolution which PC has been commonly using for the last 3 - 4 years, and now TV also supports this resolution which greatly improve the quality of the picture and details of the show itself!

1080p which is 1920 x 1080 the highest resolution so far in TV industry. Even PC monitor seldom support up to this resolution!!! This is the future!!!

So which is better 720p or 1080p, of course 1080p if u compare picture quality, you already get more detail then usual! Want to get the most direct result I will let you see my Monitor in 1920 x 1080 and 1280 x 720. So for computer usage which you usually sit 0.5 -1 meters aways from the screen of course u see more detail in 1080p than 720p!!!

Text in 720p

text in 1080p (right) and 720p (left)

So for larger resolution u get more on the monitor but smaller text! So just imagine u siting further away, you can't see anything from the 1080p screen but u may still be able to see the 720p screen!

The GTHD 1080p setting (left) and 720p (right)

From the both picture above u cant really tell the difference because of screen size and the distanceof viewing. But if you had a larger TV (more than 40 inch) I think there will be a big different between 1080p and 720p!

For the upcoming future 1080p will most likely take over 720p, but currently there are some problem that hold the consumer from getting a 1080p Full HD TV!

1. The price of this TV cost at least RM10k+-
   
2. Comes with size in 40 inch and above only!
   
3. Ppl with space constraint cannot place it in their room
   
4. If u are watching movie on it u need a good viewing distance to feel the result
   

So ppl having the problem above can just go for 720p, which come in smaller size and also cheaper in price RM2600 - 4000 can already get a decent one! So unless you are thinking of getting a Monitor that support 1080p or else you can just stick with 32" LCD TV with HDMI.

One last thing before i end this post. If u plan to used a 720p LCD TV and with the size of 40" and sitting only 0.5 - 1 meter distance from the screen, that really sux!!! So in the end viewing distance + size of screen+ what content(text or movie) is really important for you to enjoy HD.

My HTPC (Thats wat i call it now)

HoHoHo.....
It beens 2 weeks since i posted anything (or was it 1 week?)! Too busy to post anything.

So lets start with my trip to the Malaysia International KLAV Show 2007 (a show with all sort of audio and video equipment). The location was at KL JW Marriot Hotel.

My main objective was to search for an AV receiver for my PC and my PS2 + 3!!!

It was indeed an interesting trip, nvr been to such exhibition before, the entry fee was RM10 and 4 floors was occupied by the exhibition itself, and the last 2 floors even used the hotel rooms as a showroom!

Things display there were all $$, u get to see HiFi units that cost up to RM5k - 10k, projector costing the price of an Perodua Kancil!!!! And yah this place isnt really place you should come if you are low on budget!!!

Ok back to my trip for the AV receiver! I managed to purchase a Pioneer VSX-2016 with build in AMP!!! The specs are as below:
* Number of Channels - 7.1 Channels
* Stereo Mode Power - 150 Watt @ 6 ohm, 1 kHz, THD: 1%
* Surround Mode Power - 150 Watt @ 6 ohm, 1 kHz, THD: 1%
* Surround Sound - Dolby Digital®, DTS®, DTS ES®, THX EX®, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS Neo:6, DTS 96/24, THX®
* DSP Modes - 7 CH Stereo, Action, Classical, Drama, Jazz, Mono Movie, Musical, Sci-Fi
* Rear Input Connectors - RCA (2 Audio Channels) x 6, Digital Coaxial x 2, Digital Optical x 3, Composite (Video) x 4, S-Video x 4, Component x 3, HDMI x 2
* Rear Output Connectors - RCA (2 Audio Channels) x 3, Digital Optical x 1, Composite (Video) x 3, S-Video x 3, Component x 1, HDMI x 1
* Front A/V Connections - Composite x 1, Couple RCA Jack x 1, Headphones x 1, Optical x 1, S-Video x 1
* PC Interface - USB
* Analog Inputs - 7.1 Channels x 1
* Preamp Outputs - 7.1 Channels
* Component Video Bandwidth - 100 MHz
* Number of Zones - 2
* Speaker Impedance - 6 Ohm, 8 Ohm
* Tuner Presets - 30 Channels
* Tone Controls - Bass & Treble
* On Screen Display

For clearer detail and pic visit the Pioneer website.

So i got the receiver but i still haven't got any speaker yet! So when I went home that day, I did some research on Speaker!!!! Did not get any useful info though.....so i went to the shop that sold me the AV receiver to test out the speaker there!

I was amazed by the variety of speaker there, the sound quality of the speaker there were all wonderful and was nothing like my old Altec Lansing VS4121. I tested a few speaker there and ended up choosing Polk Audio RTi4 Bookshelf Speaker and a Tannoy Mercury FC Center Speaker.

Here a pic of my so called HTPC:


My Polk Audio RTi4


My Tannoy Mercury FC Center Speaker:


Next post i will focus on the sound quality of the speker and the input.