Home Theatre System

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Torquenstein

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#56587 18-Jan-2010 14:13

So, just bought a 50" V10 which will be arriving on saturday, just wanting some input from the experts for the next step when I can next add to the home theatre experience.

I know people say that the bluray 5.1 systems that Samsung/Sony/Panasonic etc list arnt as good as if you bought your things seperately, but they are very attractive in that its just the one unit for bluray/amp thingy.

When I do get around to buying the sound side of things, I really want something like those kits offer in terms of the tall thin speakers and not needing a seperate amp and bluray player. (this makes it easier to convince the other half also)

If i were to get one of those packages, is there any that you would recommend? Or do you advise to just stay away.

I'm not hard out into music and what not, just want to use it for some nice surround while playing games and watching movies/TV.

Thanks,

Jono

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#290893 18-Jan-2010 14:36

As one VMware trainer once told me, the answer to everything is: depends.

It depends on:

your budget, mostly

room size

how much of an audiophile you are

did I say budget?

Seeing as you already bought a Panasonic V series, going with a Panasonic HT package would be recommended if you want ease-of-use and simple setup. Panasonic has got the VIERA link much in the same way Sony has the BRAVIA Sync, in that the components just connect to each other seamlessly.

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Torquenstein

102 posts

Master Geek

#290898 18-Jan-2010 15:14

True that.

Budget, well going off that I can get this

http://lvmartin.co.nz/public/products/ProductViewDetails.aspx?productcode=SCBT207GNK&level1code=L1ENT&level2code=L2DVS

for around $1400 at staff price at LVmartin, probably wouldnt wanna spend more than $1500.

Room size, dont know dimensions yet as I am moving into the house on Saturday.

Not a major audiophile, but do enjoy nice sounds. Usually get things in the middle range, as I know the hardout stuff if expensive as.

I wont be buying this for months probably, just wanting a bit of advice.

magu

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#290899 18-Jan-2010 15:28

That kit seems OK. Haven't found the specs for it on a quick search, so do some Googling to see if you find any reviews on it. I usually look for Cnet reviews and some first page Google results to get a feeling for the general consensus about the equipment. I then go into specialized forums and do some deeper digging (not necessary in your case).

Room dimensions won't matter much if you keep within the $1400-1500 range, as most kits will be similarly specced. Just follow the setup and calibration stuff that accompanies the HT so that you get the best of it when you're finally settle on a room layout.

Normal HT kits won't give you as rich a sound as the pricier stuff, but should cover you for most stuff (blu-ray, games, TV, Sky, etc), so no fret. When you decide to upgrade, then you can look into nicer gear.

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richms

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#291184 19-Jan-2010 14:15

The problem with those systems with smaller speakers, is the rolloff of the 5 speakers is quite high, so they either crossover to the sub stupidly high like 180Hz, or just have a gap in the response.

Bass guitar sounds bad on them IMO. Its bad enough with the fundamental crossed to a mono source, but the first few harmonics too make it sound really disjoint.

If you only watch movies then theres not much of a problem since they seem to mix the music differently so that it sounds not too bad with it.

Richard rich.ms

Deev8

481 posts

Ultimate Geek

#291203 19-Jan-2010 15:05

magu: It depends on:
your budget, mostly
room size
how much of an audiophile you are
did I say budget?

It also depend on whether you want 5.1 sound from anything apart from the Blu-ray player - most Home Theatre in a Box systems don't provide any HDMI inputs to connect other equipment, the only one I'm aware of that does is the LG HB954WA.

magu

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#291208 19-Jan-2010 15:12

Deev8:
magu: It depends on:
your budget, mostly
room size
how much of an audiophile you are
did I say budget?

It also depend on whether you want 5.1 sound from anything apart from the Blu-ray player - most Home Theatre in a Box systems don't provide any HDMI inputs to connect other equipment, the only one I'm aware of that does is the LG HB954WA.

True. Although I assumed the OP would have already taken that into consideration since he mentioned gaming as part of his activities.

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Torquenstein

102 posts

Master Geek

#291223 19-Jan-2010 15:47

You would think so, but I hadnt. So, if I want the 5.1 on multiple devices I have to buy the individual option? Bummer

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#291225 19-Jan-2010 15:49

You don't necessarily have to buy the individual amp and speakers. Just ensure that the kit you want has extra inputs for other stuff like a gaming console and/or TV/Sky tuner.

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#291228 19-Jan-2010 15:55

And that it will support the formats you want to input to it. Not all will do the HD formats over HDMI, just PCM - great if you want to use PS3 on it, not great if you want to use a cheap bluray player into it.

Richard rich.ms

Deev8

481 posts

Ultimate Geek

#291415 20-Jan-2010 10:50

magu: You don't necessarily have to buy the individual amp and speakers. Just ensure that the kit you want has extra inputs for other stuff like a gaming console and/or TV/Sky tuner.

Quite so - but you'll have a hard time finding Home Theatre in a Box kit that offers the input connections you would like. Of course the big name producers of this kit (Panasonic, Sony, Samsung etc) and the stores that sell it don't go out of their way to make it clear that they don't provide HDMI inputs for other sources. They don't hide the fact - read the detailed specifications for their kit and you'll see what isn't provided, but it won't be apparent in their advertising.

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#291423 20-Jan-2010 11:08

You can also do something kinda like what I did, provided you got a Harmony remote or similar: have the TV doing the HDMI switching and just have an optical cable out of the TV and into the receiver.

In my case, I did it so I could get the Freeview 5.1 audio into my HT setup.

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Torquenstein

102 posts

Master Geek

#291431 20-Jan-2010 11:26

Why is it necessary to have a universal remote? would it not just work changing the source with the TV remote? Sorry for the noob questions, Im new at all this.

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#291436 20-Jan-2010 11:34

Torquenstein: Why is it necessary to have a universal remote? would it not just work changing the source with the TV remote? Sorry for the noob questions, Im new at all this.

I'm lazy and a control freak at the same time. I hate having lots of remotes on the coffee table. Having a universal remote just means I press "Freeview" and the receiver turns on to the right input, the TV turns on to the tuner input and I change channels and volume from the same remote without swapping around.

"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads." - Doc Emmet Brown