Noob investing in a home threatre system - needing a hand with the basis

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Noob investing in a home threatre system - needing a hand with the basis

Scottishbhoy

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#57438 13-Feb-2010 15:30

Right, so we're moving into a new house come July and it's my job to get up to scratch regarding a home threate system in the main living room. Price doesn't matter currently but obviously something that doesn't cost $50000+.

First of all, I presume a tv is in order. I have read that one shouldn't go for plasma. LED or LCD? Can someone explain which is better for the quality of picture and sound as well. I think LED is more expensive? 3D tv's are coming out here soon but seem a waste of time with no 3D plans for sky etc. Correct?

I would be greatful for a bit of a review of some top models from the LED or LCD range unless, I am mistaken and plasma TV's are better..

Next, sound. We can have speakers fixed into the roof/walls. Though I have been recommedned unfixed speakers would be better? views?

Does anyone else know anything about data projectors and projector screens. We have a seperate room we would like to place a data projector in and link it up to skytv. Is this possible? Any recommended models?

This may seem a little vague but I don't have a lot of time. Any information regarding home threatres is helpful as I have very little knowledge.

Thanks!

robjg63

3833 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#298663 13-Feb-2010 16:30

Ok - See if I am first.....
"You have read that you shouldnt go for plasma" - May I ask why?

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

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Scottishbhoy

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#298683 13-Feb-2010 17:05

robjg63: Ok - See if I am first.....
"You have read that you shouldnt go for plasma" - May I ask why?

I have heard they are heavy on the energy usage, easily heat up and poor quality in a room with a lot of glare.

If what i have heard/read is wrong please advice me otherwise. This is the reason I came on here, to seek advice :)

Cheers SB.

Brunzy

1936 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#298687 13-Feb-2010 17:11

Scottishbhoy: Right, so we're moving into a new house come July and it's my job to get up to scratch regarding a home threate system in the main living room. Price doesn't matter currently but obviously something that doesn't cost $50000+.

First of all, I presume a tv is in order. I have read that one shouldn't go for plasma. LED or LCD? Can someone explain which is better for the quality of picture and sound as well. I think LED is more expensive? 3D tv's are coming out here soon but seem a waste of time with no 3D plans for sky etc. Correct?

I would be greatful for a bit of a review of some top models from the LED or LCD range unless, I am mistaken and plasma TV's are better..

Next, sound. We can have speakers fixed into the roof/walls. Though I have been recommedned unfixed speakers would be better? views?

Does anyone else know anything about data projectors and projector screens. We have a seperate room we would like to place a data projector in and link it up to skytv. Is this possible? Any recommended models?

This may seem a little vague but I don't have a lot of time. Any information regarding home threatres is helpful as I have very little knowledge.

Thanks!

Probably best to speak to a professional

robjg63

3833 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#298716 13-Feb-2010 20:02

Well unless you are really hard up, and have a generator/solar cells and no mains power I think you should worry about the power consumption - they aren't that bad - there is a lot of exaggeration about power consumption of plasma panels. If you are spending a few thousand this should sway you.

If you look through some of the other threads on this forum you will find lots of people (me included) that marched off to get an LCD/LED (same technology with different back lighting) and ended up buying a plasma.

Points in favour of LCD/LED:

Lower power consumption (if you are worried about $1 a month)

Very vivid picture

No screen burn (not really the issue it used to be for plasmas unless you have the same picture on the screen for many hours - google this)

You might get more choice of glossy/matte screen (glossy - as in glass plasma display might be an issue in a bright room)

Points in favour of Plasma:

Generally still have blacker blacks than LCD

Picture (to me) a bit more lifelike (I find LCD/LED starts to look a bit exaggerated after a while - though LCD/LED probably looks more impressive in the shop)

Excellent value for money.

I have a G10 50" Panasonic plasma I bought last September (around $3k at the time) - still well pleased with it.

I'd agree that 3D probably isnt a factor for now and sounds like we will be the last people to get it!

I think generally though I have to agree with Brunzy - you might need to talk to a professional for all the things you want to do.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

70mm

80 posts

Master Geek

#298786 14-Feb-2010 09:30

Im not sure who told you Plasma was no good, in my book its still the best! Want the best blacks? well Plasma is still the best, who cares if it may cost 50cents a month extra to run.....

Look at the Panasonic PT-AE4000 for a projector (never data) its amazing almost as good as a JVC, read the reviews even others mention this. At least a 120" screen if you are 4M or so away, dont go too small! Simple to use Sky HDi with it, even better with Blu-ray, this setup will kill any Plasma

samwooff

219 posts

Master Geek

#299771 17-Feb-2010 14:14

If you're willing to put a little thought into your home theatre then plasma is usually the way to go, a lot cheaper for the same screen size and a better picture, deeper blacks being the plasma trump card.
What you have been told about plasma is in part true, they are hotter and use more power than an LCD but the difference is going to be in the region of $20 a year and the heat will be unnoticeable unless you like giving it a hug a bit too much :P
Make sure your room is set up for a home theatre: position the tv so it's not facing any windows or bright lights and close your curtains, turn your lights down or off to get the most out of any tv(the perfect setup is just a small light behind the tv)
I would say go check out a few models but most stores are terrible viewing environments, paul money being the only exception I can think of.
If you have thick walls mounting speakers there is an option but most dedicated roof/wall speakers are designed for slimness and light weight rather than sound quality. I also doubt most interior walls have the stiffness needed to ensure the speaker is not vibrating and distorting the sound.
I know you said you didn't have a budget but try an give us an indication of what you expect for your money eg:60" screen and audiophile 5.1 setup with blu ray player or 32" with a dvd player etc

Desktop: i7 920, GTX 275, asus P6T, antec 1200, 6gb ram, 1tb spinpoint f1, 1tb spinpoint f3, Logitech Z2300, Zero DAC, Shure SRH440
Laptop: Toshiba satellite, T5300, Go 7300
Home Theatre: 32" loewe CRT, Harmon kardon amp, dvd player, image 418 speakers, rega planar 25 turntable :)

minimoke

749 posts

Ultimate Geek

#300188 18-Feb-2010 17:20

OK, my thoughts. If you've heard plasma is no good then I recommend going for either a plasma or LCD from a recognised and respected brand (I've a Panasonic Plasma and would recomend). Don't worry about LED'-s more marketing than substance and just something extra to confuse you.

Don't get hung up on all the HD / 1080 / 7 trillion pixles and 99,000 contrast ratio/ energy consumption stuff- it'll confuse the heck out of you. We could write pages of responces on each topic. You're not likely to notice the diferrence. If you don't want to spend $50,000+ then go for a 50inch Panasonic plasma they are a good price and a great size and you won't go wrong. Or something similar.

Don't buy off the shop floor. Pretty much all stores have all tv's cranked to look good in store - but will look crap at home. Just go for the recommended brands and then calibrate when you get home. Calibrate when you get home is a MUST!.

Don't buy a TV for its sound quality - they are all crap. Buy a decent HT Reciever amp and five seperate speakers and a sub woofer. There are threads here on what to buy. Sounds like you're not after audiophile quality so you could well get away with a "out of the box" solution - but I wouldn't recommend - best to take your favourite DVD and try decent amps / speaker combos out in store. There is one brand here I'd stay away from in particular - but leave it to your own ears to sort out. Your front Left/right speakers should definitly be floor standing - not wall mounts. These two (along with the Center) are the most important to get decent quality sound.

Personally, with your rear speakers I'd go in-cieling - put them in the right spot and you'll be fine. If you can't do in cileing then in-wall in the right spots is an alternative. Don't get rears that sit on the floor.

Rather than get a data projector (which opens up a whole new world of confusion) why not just buy another big telly.

Your room dimensions and furnishings are important to consider to. A small room? Long and thin: short and fat: lots of glass; - that kind of thing. No point spending loads of loot on a 1080p TV and flash audio if you are sitting 5 metres away in a concrete bunker.

And you'll will need a budget for:
A telly
An HT amp
2 front speakers
1 Centre Speaker
2 Rear Speakers
1 Subwoofer
1 Freeview box (probably now built into TV)
1 Blue ray DVD player
1 DVD player
1 Hard Disk recorder (or TIVO - or somethign similar)
Cables (not Monster cable - dick smiths/jaycar will be fine), Audio, HDMI and Component.

AS mentioned you can spend as little as $2,000 for a half decent setup or $49,000 (but it won't be 25 times better)

Scottishbhoy

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#300190 18-Feb-2010 17:28

minimoke: OK, my thoughts. If you've heard plasma is no good then I recommend going for either a plasma or LCD from a recognised and respected brand (I've a Panasonic Plasma and would recomend). Don't worry about LED'-s more marketing than substance and just something extra to confuse you.

Don't get hung up on all the HD / 1080 / 7 trillion pixles and 99,000 contrast ratio/ energy consumption stuff- it'll confuse the heck out of you. We could write pages of responces on each topic. You're not likely to notice the diferrence. If you don't want to spend $50,000+ then go for a 50inch Panasonic plasma they are a good price and a great size and you won't go wrong. Or something similar.

Don't buy off the shop floor. Pretty much all stores have all tv's cranked to look good in store - but will look crap at home. Just go for the recommended brands and then calibrate when you get home. Calibrate when you get home is a MUST!.

Don't buy a TV for its sound quality - they are all crap. Buy a decent HT Reciever amp and five seperate speakers and a sub woofer. There are threads here on what to buy. Sounds like you're not after audiophile quality so you could well get away with a "out of the box" solution - but I wouldn't recommend - best to take your favourite DVD and try decent amps / speaker combos out in store. There is one brand here I'd stay away from in particular - but leave it to your own ears to sort out. Your front Left/right speakers should definitly be floor standing - not wall mounts. These two (along with the Center) are the most important to get decent quality sound.

Personally, with your rear speakers I'd go in-cieling - put them in the right spot and you'll be fine. If you can't do in cileing then in-wall in the right spots is an alternative. Don't get rears that sit on the floor.

Rather than get a data projector (which opens up a whole new world of confusion) why not just buy another big telly.

Your room dimensions and furnishings are important to consider to. A small room? Long and thin: short and fat: lots of glass; - that kind of thing. No point spending loads of loot on a 1080p TV and flash audio if you are sitting 5 metres away in a concrete bunker.

And you'll will need a budget for:
A telly
An HT amp
2 front speakers
1 Centre Speaker
2 Rear Speakers
1 Subwoofer
1 Freeview box (probably now built into TV)
1 Blue ray DVD player
1 DVD player
1 Hard Disk recorder (or TIVO - or somethign similar)
Cables (not Monster cable - dick smiths/jaycar will be fine), Audio, HDMI and Component.

AS mentioned you can spend as little as $2,000 for a half decent setup or $49,000 (but it won't be 25 times better)

Thanks for that!

What shops/online sites would be recommended to head to?

minimoke

749 posts

Ultimate Geek

#300198 18-Feb-2010 18:03

For Home theatre and Audio info forum you can't go past http://audioenz.co.nz/forums/.

Shops - For a TV Harvey Norman / Noel Leeming will be fine - get the best deal you can. Don't buy an extended warranty that they'll try to flog you. As for audio depends what city you are in. If you are happy to buy off the internet go to http://www.rapalloav.co.nz/. Murray is probably the best internet retailer I've come across.

samwooff

219 posts

Master Geek

#300243 18-Feb-2010 22:09

Sound advice from minimoke.

Most stores do have terrible tv displays but I occasionally turn all the lights off in my store when there's no customers and drool over the plasmas.

What would be wrong with a 5m concrete bunker though? At least it'd be dark lol

JimmyH

2816 posts

Uber Geek

#300785 21-Feb-2010 19:32

Personally, I now tend to avoid Harvey Norman. The pricing and range of equipment at HN are both pretty good. However, me and one or two other people I know have found that they are pretty diabolical to deal with if there is an issue if something goes wrong after the sale has been made. In terms of refunds, replacements and getting stuff repaired if their is a a fault, I have considerably better experience from other vendors.

I got an LCD because weight was also a consideration where I wanted to put the screen, and LCDs are considerably lighter. Plasma vs LCD debates can go on for quite a while, but my take is that good (ie not budget range) LCDs and Plasmas can both give pretty darn good results when set up properly.

Personally, the next thing I need for my setup is blu ray, but the whole regioning thing is a bit of an irritant for me. I will be sticking with upscaled DVD until I can find a Blu Ray player on the market that can play North American zoned discs. Until then I am sitting tight on both that an upgrading my (elderly) sound system to 5.1 or 7.1.

Handle9

9633 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#300946 22-Feb-2010 11:45

JimmyH:

Personally, the next thing I need for my setup is blu ray, but the whole regioning thing is a bit of an irritant for me. I will be sticking with upscaled DVD until I can find a Blu Ray player on the market that can play North American zoned discs. Until then I am sitting tight on both that an upgrading my (elderly) sound system to 5.1 or 7.1.

Problem solved: http://www.rapalloav.co.nz/category/3/oppo-/