Got a p3 for Christmas - need info on setting up (HDMI, PS3)

[Tennesseestorm]

Hi all. I got a P3 for Christmas, but confused how to hook it up, despite reading the directions.

I have an HD TV, HD cable box and a HDMI DVD player/recorder. I currently have the HDMI cable I have hooked from the DVD player to the TV set. I do not have the HD cable with my P3, but only the Analog cables. So... if I use these cables, I will not get the benefit of the p3s picture quality?

Also is there anyway I can use the ONE HDMI cable I have and still be able to use my DVD player (and still get HD stations on my TV) or am I going to have to get a seperate HDMI cable for the P3?

Thanks!

[sailordave]

Do you have a surround sound system? Some newer surround sound receivers have multiple HDMI connections and one HDMI outlet to TV. Another option is to look for an AV switch box. You can connect all your AV cables to this box and then out to your TV. You press a button on the box to switch between sources. Until you can use your HDMI cables, see if you can connect component video or S-video cables to your TV. The component video will give you pretty close to HD picture of HDMI or at least DVD quality picture. S-video is nearly as good as component video. If you're not familiar with component video, it's the three plugs color coded blue, green, and red.

[Dd714]

Change the DVD or cable connections from HDMI to component. Component connection isn't "pretty close" to HDMI quality, it's equivalent and sometimes better and WILL give you an HD picture. Lots of consumers are confused about that - HDMI over component has nothing to do with quality and more to do with copy protection and some switching capablities.

Now I wouldn't recomment component for the PS3 because you have to buy a seperate Sony brand component cables (the HDMI connection however is generic) and also because component on PS3 won't carry the blueray 1080p signal or dolby digital. However, depending on your TV (non 1080p capable) that won't matter, so that's an option as well.

Better yet, scrub your standalone DVD, you have an excellent upconvert DVD and blueray player in the PS3 that I would bet is better quality than your standalone DVD..

[RMELIFER]

It's unfortunate that the PS3 can't record TV, but it is a great HDMI blu-ray player. My HDTV has three HDMI inputs so I have my HD cable box plugged into the first one, the PS3 plugged into the second and my laptop plugged into the third.

I'd like to eventually get a DVR recorder or work it through my laptop somehow. If I need to free up one of my TV's HDMI slots, I would probably switch the HD Cable box to one of the component slots.

[Dd714]

Originally Posted by RMELIFER

I'd like to eventually get a DVR recorder or work it through my laptop somehow.

.

Offtopic to the original post:
Depending on your cable box, a DVR recorder can be built in. Scientific Atlanta has those models that are used with Comcast, Cox, several other cable companies.

For a PC, most of todays high end HDTV sets have RGB inputs, thus freeing an HDMI slot.