While these suggestions may not be the best settings for every CD player, but it is a great place to start and will work with most any hardware. You do not have to use all his suggestions, but if you want as close to a perfect copy as you can get, following his guidelines is one way to do it. Further searching on your own may find better (usually meaning faster to complete) settings for your particular hardware (for example, there is no need to test first if you are using the accuraterip function which requires the CD already being in the Accuraterip database) so like with any guide, each person can take and use some or all of the info provided.
• Digital does not always mean HD, but HD does mean digital.
• No, you do not have to subscribe to cable or satellite to get digital/HD broadcasts. Chances are most, if not all, of your local stations are broadcasting in digital, if not HD and can be rec'd using a standard UHF and/or VHF antenna.
• There is no such thing as a digital/HD-specific antenna. The same antennas made a few years ago are still being sold today and work just fine for digital TV. The manufacturers simply stuck stickers on the boxes or re-printed the boxes they use to include "Digital" and/or "HDTV".
• When analog broadcasts cease (scheduled for Feb 2009), you do not need to get an HDTV. Using your existing analog TV, you just need something to convert the digital signal to what your set can display. Digital-to-analog converter boxes will be produced for this purpose and coupons (limited quantity) will be made available by the US gov't to subsidize the cost of purchasing these.
• Digital cable or satellite is not the same as digital (OTA) broadcasting. The change-over date will not affect you (unless your provider wants to force you into a potentially higher cost tier of service).
This online calculator, Viewing Distance Calculator, can help you determine the ideal range to sit from your television.
• Be sure to specify if you're using a standard 4:3 (square) TV or a widescreen or 16:9 format TV as the distance does differ.
• Note that you do NOT have to enter a distance since you're trying to find out what's the proper distance. You can leave # 1 blank, specify the TV type on # 2, and fill in ONE of the fields for # 3. Most people don't know how "wide" their TV is since TVs are advertised based on their diagonal size, not their width.
Most people don't need to worry about a lot of the values it calculates. The last two, Maximum Viewing Distance for NTSC/PAL (720x480 / 720x576) (this is for standard-definition DVDs) and Maximum Viewing Distance to HDTV (Fully resolved 1080i, 1920x1080i), are what you're primarily after.
1. Does a DVI-to-HDMI cable carry audio ? NO. DVI has no audio capability. You will need a separate audio cable to transmit sound, i.e. Red/white composite, TOSLink (optical), or coaxial.
HDMI cables do carry audio.
2. Do i need to spend a lot of money for an audio/video cable ? Absolutely not. Test equipment may be able to differentiate between a $100 "monster" type cable and a $10 no-name cable but very few human ears can. There are many online sources for high-quality, low-cost cables such as monoprice.com and others.