First system - spec me up
Discussion
Hi
Having just finished renovating my house, it's only fair I get myself a nice set up (this will be my first) to go with her nice kitchen! I would be very grateful for any recommendations, if it helps my details/requirements are.
Crude room plan below to give you an idea of sizes
Any advice gratefully received, if you work in this field and can supply me (Scottish Borders)area please get in touch.
Having just finished renovating my house, it's only fair I get myself a nice set up (this will be my first) to go with her nice kitchen! I would be very grateful for any recommendations, if it helps my details/requirements are.
Crude room plan below to give you an idea of sizes
- TV Currently have sky + (would like to get HD) mainly watch sport and films. I would like at least a 42 or 50 inch screen (or more if 4m distance dictates)
- Player Would need a dvd player as a min, but very interested in BluRay
- Sounds Would like a surround sound / cinema set up, would I have enough or need 7.1? Can I wire this to play everything I watch through the extra speakers?
- Gaming I have an Xbox 360 and would like to get the HD cable and for it to play through the surround sound.
- Remote Would like to be able to change settings with one button to what ever I am watching/playing
- Budget I was thinking £2,000 to £2,500 am I being realistic?
- Optional Can I connect to my wifi and access internet or even YouTube etc?
Any advice gratefully received, if you work in this field and can supply me (Scottish Borders)area please get in touch.
In order...
TV - the standard reply on here seems to be Panasonic G somethingorother.
Blu-Ray - the LG BD360 and BD390 both had excellent reviews, particularly wrt disc loading time, which can be a problem on some BD players. Great VFM too, only just over the £100 mark. Both these LG BD players have YouTube access, one is wired internetz, the other is Wi-Fi.
Surround Sound - Given your room layout 7.1 would be very difficult, I'd stick with 5.1. Separates will give you more flexibility, particularly if you want to run the XBox and Sky into it too. Have a look at the Sony STR-DH800 amp, and Tannoy SFX 5.1 speakers, I'm very pleased with mine.
Remote - Look at the Logitech Harmony series.
Budget - Yes, you should get that easily within your budget.
WRT your room plan, ideally you want your TV on one wall, not in the corner. And pick YOUR seat - that will dictate where you place your speakers.
TV - the standard reply on here seems to be Panasonic G somethingorother.
Blu-Ray - the LG BD360 and BD390 both had excellent reviews, particularly wrt disc loading time, which can be a problem on some BD players. Great VFM too, only just over the £100 mark. Both these LG BD players have YouTube access, one is wired internetz, the other is Wi-Fi.
Surround Sound - Given your room layout 7.1 would be very difficult, I'd stick with 5.1. Separates will give you more flexibility, particularly if you want to run the XBox and Sky into it too. Have a look at the Sony STR-DH800 amp, and Tannoy SFX 5.1 speakers, I'm very pleased with mine.
Remote - Look at the Logitech Harmony series.
Budget - Yes, you should get that easily within your budget.
WRT your room plan, ideally you want your TV on one wall, not in the corner. And pick YOUR seat - that will dictate where you place your speakers.
Edited by parapaul on Monday 26th July 03:14
TV - Panasonic G-something (although i'm very happy with my LG 50PS3000 which was £649)
I would go with a seperate amp and speakers which will give you the flexibility for upgrades in the future. Look for an amp with multiple HDMI ports.
Do you have space/need for floor standing speakers? Your amp choice will need to work well with your chosen speakers.
My set up is as follows:
TV: LG PS3000 (£650.00)
Amp: Onkyo 605 (£400.00)
Blu-Ray: LG BR360 (£80.00)
Speakers: Jamo A102s (£185.00)
Remote: Logitech Harmony One (£125.00)
Some of those prices are guestimates as I can't remember the exact pricing for the remote or the Blu-Ray player
I would go with a seperate amp and speakers which will give you the flexibility for upgrades in the future. Look for an amp with multiple HDMI ports.
Do you have space/need for floor standing speakers? Your amp choice will need to work well with your chosen speakers.
My set up is as follows:
TV: LG PS3000 (£650.00)
Amp: Onkyo 605 (£400.00)
Blu-Ray: LG BR360 (£80.00)
Speakers: Jamo A102s (£185.00)
Remote: Logitech Harmony One (£125.00)
Some of those prices are guestimates as I can't remember the exact pricing for the remote or the Blu-Ray player
MRSNEAK said:
Hi
Have you thought about an HTPC (Home theatre PC)? This, like a normal PC can be connected to your TV to easily view YouTube or torrent sites for grabbing films - you can use it as your TV recorder, and they will play 1080p - Just a thought.- Optional Can I connect to my wifi and access internet or even YouTube etc?
With regard to your cables. All speaker cables will need to go from where your amp is and spur out to each of the speakers. For 5.1 this means centre speaker (above or below TV), main left and right (either side of TV), and surrounds (behind or to the side of seating position). With the TV in the corner, this doesn't make achieving the above that easy, but hopefully you get the idea. Where you actually run the cables to will depend if you are wall mounting your surrounds, or floor/stand mounting; I would recommend wall mounting given your corner TV situation - if you can get away with it.
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