The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

This thread is for posting about the gear you use to watch films at home. Post lists or pictures of the sweet set-ups!


Like this!


Harman Kardon AVR 630
http://www.futurehome.co.uk/ProdImages/avr630.jpg


Sony DVPNS665 DVD Player
http://emarket.upsellusa.com/graphic..._dvpns665p.jpg


Sony Playstation II Slim
http://www.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/sony-ps2-new.jpg


Sony Trinitron 27" Television (Soon to be replaced, I would think)
http://www.mercadolibre.cl/jm/img?s=...4_5288.jpg&v=P


Polk Audio TB 90 Front Mains - CsI3 Center Channel - FxI3 Dipole Surrounds
http://twtr.imageg.net/graphics/prod...1699147reg.jpg http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/sc/31248527-2-200-0.gif http://www.polkaudio.com/images/home...black/fxi3.jpg

Velodyne Vx-10 Subwoofer
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it...dium/539813201

Motorolla Dual Drive/Dual Tuner DVR Cable Tuner
http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/im..._bigview_1.jpg

I would, but I'm not fancy enough to want to show it off. ;)

Great thread idea. :) Hope you don't mind me moving it to General Movie Discussion.

I'll weigh in with mine later, though it's a bit sad compared to what most of you have, I'm sure.

Cool Chris. For a second I thought I had spaced out and not hit post on my thread. I am in the middle of building mine, and the Fxi3's are actually on order, and not in place yet. Got the H/K just recently and let me just say, there is a major difference between the brick and mortar consumer gear found at Best Buy, Circuit City et al. and the stuff that companies like Harman Audio, Outlaw, NAD, and Pioneer Elite put out.

I am a thrifty chap, and the idea of spending $1000+ on a receiver sounded outright ludicrous to me, until I heard the difference. I had a chance to go back and forth between my Sony receiver (best buy, 199$) and the H/K I ended up getting, using the same speaker set-up and the same audio and video media. Both my girlfriend and I were completely blown away by the fidelity, clarity, range, and efficiency of the H/K. All of a sudden, Cold Play was sitting in our living room strumming acoustic guitars. All of a sudden, we were thrust down into the depths of Isenguard as the orcs toiled away at the decimation of the once noble tower fortress. I could actually hear the pick striking the strings of the acoustic guitar on the cold play stuff... WOW! The mid-high end receivers use DACS that sample the digital signal at almost twice the rate of the mass market stuff, the amp sections are massive, and use discrete technology, and the H/K weighs in at almost 50 lbs (!!) while the sony clocks in under 20 lbs. We went back to the Sony after using the H/K for a few hours, to compare some more, and my lady says:

"Man, it sounds like someone just closed a sliding glass door over the band"

We would also experience listener fatigue after only a few minutes with the Sony, and we can go for hours with the H/K immersed in the warm, rich sound field. It makes all the difference in the world, I now see.

Now, did we spend the 1000+ dollars getting this unit? Nope. We went the b-stock route, which is the reason we decided on the H/K over the other choices we were considering. H/K offers full, as-new 2 year (!!!) warranty on all B-stock items that they sell from their outlet. We got the receiver, with all accessories etc for $497. For just a bit more than what we would have paid for a much lesser unit new, we got a piece of amazing audio gear from a top company. I am soooo glad we did this, as we are constantly blown away by the quality of this thing. Anyway, enough plugs for H/K, but I wanted to let people know about the fantastic gear we got at a great price, with warranty coverage.

Right now, all I have is my pc to watch them on... but hopefully this thread will give me some ideas about what I need to get one day… :)

I have a Panasonic SC-HT05 setup in my apartment living room:

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbas...7/2/243572.jpg

Cheap system at under $200, but it cuts it fairly impressively at that price. A worthwhile 600 Watts total. The bass isn't as providing and responsive as it could be, but it still sounds great with DVDs et al.

I have a 27inch Sansui. A brand I had never heard of but was a great deal and is remarkably vivid for its sub $300 price tag. I love this TV:

http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/sc/31395734-2-200-0.gif

I have hooked up to it my cable, my Samsung DVD player and my computer is TV-outted to it from my bedroom.

And speaking of the bedroom I have my Klipsch 5.1 Promedias in there:

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/bobototo/enc...promedia51.jpg

These were the first thing I ever saved up for at my first job and at the epic $400 price tag (epic to a 16 year old) it was worth every single dime. I love these speakers. They punish top-line systems I've seen other places.

Not at all a bad set up for a college student. ;)

Klipsch make some great speakers. They were my other choice I was considering, and it was really just a coin flip between the two brands. Cool setup OG!

I have a panasonic XR-55
Dell 2405FPW
Axiom M3Ti speakers

Not a bad HTPC setup. The screen could be bigger but from 5 feet away it's not bad. I'm waiting for 50-60" 1080p displays to come down in price.

How do you like that panny? I listened to the XR55 a couple of times, and I thought, for the money, that is had a really clear, clean signal. I eventually decided against it, as I couldn't get it sounding warm, but for the price, it seems like the best deal out there for a digital path box.

An Aside: Anyone wishing to test out the capability of their system, should pop in Lord of the Rings : Fellowship of the Ring. Rumored to be one of the best, and hottest surround sound mixes available, It will put your speakers and gear to the test. Tons of LFE, rich music, and plenty of front stage effects as well, it really goes the distance.

Some of the scenes that shook me on a molecular level:

Buckleberry Ferry/Knife in the Dark
Drums in the Deep
The Caverns of Isenguard
The Balrog chapter (the name eludes me right now)


Also Try:

Fight Club
Fifth Element
Signs

For some solid sound mixes...

My set-up, although some of it isn't really considered home theater:

Sharp LC26GA3 (LCD Screen)
Denon AVR 1906 (Surround Sound Receiver)
Mordaunt Short Premiere Plus (5 Speakers and a Sub)
Samsung HD-950 (High Definition DVD Player, DVD-A, SACD, DIVX)
Humax PVR-8000T (Freeview Receiver)
Pioneer CLD-S310S (Laserdisc player)
Technics SL-PG4 (CD Player)
Apple Mac Mini
Microsoft Xbox 360
Nintendo Gamecube
Sony Playstation 2
Sony PSP

I'm definitely going to add another centre channel to my set up so it's a 6.1 system. I'm thinking about adding a DAB radio and when it's available in blighty I will be subscribing to Sky's HD service.

Sound is a major part of movies and games these days and I agree totally with Sedai, listening to music or watching a movie with the proper equipment is a totally new experience.

Try any of the latest Star Wars movies as a demo disc for both sound (Dolby Digital Ex) and outstanding picture quality.

Also, you can't go far wrong with DTS as far as sound goes, especially DTS-ES Discrete.

Hi D&C :)

Thanks for responding to the thread! Hey, I have a couple of questions about your set-up, as you seem to have been into it for a while. Have you used the SACD funcions on your play at all? How do the discs sound? Our viewing room isn't set up to handle 6.1 or 7.1, so I can;t go that route as of yet, unfortunately.

Re: The Samsung 950HD - What do you gain from this box? All current DVDs are mastered at about 480p, even if they are mastered from a 1080p source, like say The T2 Extreme DVD. What do you gain with this player? Are you planning on getting an HD-DVD player when they hit later this year? If so, make sure yourt TV is compatible with the massive amopunt of security they are putting on the discs. Fromwhat I hear, the discs will have trouble on some TVs.

Down-conversion trouble...

Playstation 2
Bush 28inch Television
Pentium 4 Emachine computer

I need money and cool gear!

I personally like SACD and DVD-A but my system isn't high end enough to really tell the difference anyway. I think they both sound great and a lot of it comes down to how good the mixing is.

Opinion on SACD and DVD-A is divided, SACD is said to have a more natural, warmer sound and I think is preferred by audiophiles. My understanding is that DVD-A is technically superior but it doesn't have that analogue like sound that makes vinyl superior to CD's in many peoples eyes.

The Samsung HD-950 will upscale DVDs to 720p and while not true high definition it is considered to offer better picture quality.

As long as your DVI/HDMI connection on your displau is HDCP compliant you shouldn't have a problem with viewing hi-def satellite/cable services and HD-DVD/Blu Ray.

I'll probably get Toshiba's HD-DVD and Blu Ray compatible player...

I've just bought one of these Goodmans jobs (not the TV though) and it's definately a lot more resonant than my last setup. Not bad for £100 either... ;)

http://www.argos.co.uk/wcsstore/argo...4UC197310X.jpg

I prefer vinyl, and own hundreds of records and two Technics SL1200 M3D decks. I didn't include them in the HT set-up, as they are in the office set up with a mixer and an Event Tria System. Basically a near-field studio monitor set up with a sub. It is a solid system for mixing, but alas, the near field characteristic of the speakers keeps them from filling any casual entertainment roles in the living room.

Good info on the upsampling DVD, alas, my television doesn't even have component inputs, let alone HDMI or DVI, so I shant worry about the new HD-DVD stuff until the dust settles a bit (and prices drop on displays ;)).

I think you have the right idea with that set up, away from everything else so you can fully immerse yourself in that warm vinyl sound.

Maybe one day I will actually get around to collecting vinyl.

For the next few months- All i have is my iBookg4. No extra speakers! :(
The sound is horribble, the picture could be better, the screen is kind of small.

The audio/visual library down the street has plasma tv's, though, and over 2000 dvd's. I'll be spending most of my time there. :)

when i move down to LA i'm gonna get a house or two bedroom townhouse to rent and pimp the sucker out. i want a humongo flatscreen but i want it cheaper. and a playstation 3. and floor speakers. raow.

right now, it's

- a panasonic 27" with 3 video outs for my various paraphernalia, including S-Video.
- sony playstation II, slim
- comcast Motorolla Dual Drive/Dual Tuner DVR Cable Tuner

Either my 51cm and DVD player through the stereo
Or off the DVD-rom on my computer

*bump*

This setup was a year in the making. Money that is. My dad finally got the money this year. He quit his job and got a large sum of commission for all his orders. First thing we did was buy a home theater system.

TV: Sony 60" SXRD Grand WEGA LCD Projection
http://www.datavis.com/images/PJTV/027242697799L.gif

DVD: Sony Progressive Scan with HD Up-conversion
http://img304.imageshack.us/img304/7...86024racd0.jpg

A/V Receiver: Sony 800W A/V Receiver with DTS/Dolby Digital Decoders
http://www.lacuracaostore.us/images/...00_320x320.jpg

Gaming/Blu-Ray: Sony PlayStation 3
http://www.techtickerblog.com/wp-con...8/ps3black.jpg

HD-DVR: Motorolla Dual Drive/Dual Tuner DVR Cable Tuner
http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/im..._bigview_1.jpg

As you can see, I really like Sony. I was the one responsible for picking all of this out and I wanted to do it right so I got everything digital. Also, all the cables that hook these devices together are top of the line Monster Cables.

I see a bunch of us have the same Motorolla dual drive DVR cable box. We love it! I'm so hooked on DVR now.

I'm approaching this thread from a different angle: how fun the setup is COMPARED TO THE PRICE. :) I've spent a lot of my adult life on the wrong side of the poverty line, so even though I'm comfortable now, I still have that thrift-store-and-coupons mentality. So, in my case (and maybe I'm the only one), I'm as proud of what we didn't spend as I am of what we ended up with. Perhaps we'll upgrade someday, but I'm still driving a 1989 Escort, so I'm thinking the car upgrade is kinda next in line. :)

-- Same Motorolla Dual Drive/Tuner everyone else has (free upgrade but we pay $9.95 for the DVR features)
http://photo-origin.tickle.com/image...O593441152.jpg

-- 27" Phillips Magnavox television (free upgrade from my parents when they bought a new TV)
http://www.losalamos.com/classifieds/images/tv.jpg

-- Samsung DVD/VCR combo ($80 after rebate about a year ago)
http://www.shopuk.co.uk/media/images...1113235390.jpg

-- Durabrand home theater set ($39.99 at Wal-Mart)
http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/01/79/99...17_215X215.jpg

-- D-Link media player DSM-320 ($100 after rebate). This will play any media file of any type (except iTunes) from any computer in the house on the TV and speaker setup ... without actually "bothering" the original file. Meaning, it doesn't open the file on your computer -- it has its own hardware to play/display the file on the television/speakers. This means: all our albums, all our digital photos, all media clips, etc., on our home computer network. It's a cool device! It was my Christmas present last year.
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...CLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Total cost of entire setup: $220.
Pimping out da shizzouse wit'out breakin' da bank: priceless

I can't believe that I was able to survive without it for so long. But yea, it's a great piece of equipment.

http://images.ciao.com/ies/images/pr..._3__458233.jpg
Sony KP 44PX3 44" LCD Rear Projection (£2199.99 3 yrs ago)
http://www.monsieurprix.com/photosPr...00422614_1.jpg
Sony RDR GX210 DVD Recorder (£299.99 18 month's ago)
http://techdigestuk.typepad.com/tech_digest/skyplus.jpg
Sky + (£199 Last Year)
http://www.digita.ru/mimages/126620.jpg
Pioneer VSX 2014 THX Receiver (£599 Last Xmas)
http://www.widetv.ru/product_images/main_kef-q5.jpg
KEF Q5 Speaker's (Plus matching rear's, Centre & sub)( Bought them off a m8, £600 would have cost £1000 or more!!)
http://www.playerdomain.net/img/ps2/ps2-o.jpgPs2 (£299.99 on release day!)
Plus a Snes, a Megadrive, a Dreamcast, a Saturn, a Nes and a Master System (Gotta love retro gaming!)
Total cost £Too much to even consider!!

The TV is soon to be upgraded, dunno what to go for though! and i'm probably gonna add a PS3 aswell

With all the reviews I read on my sound system, I was a little bit worried that it was going to suck. But considering it's my first true surround system, I love it.

We have nothing to compare ours to, either, so we're having a great time with it. Perfect timing with all the horror movies on too. The girls are still getting used to hearing "things" sneak up behind them from the back of the room! :D :D

The last sound system we had was only Pro Logic. And at one point it wasn't even set up correctly. So it kind of just sat there for show. :laugh: :)

Ours felt like Christmas morning. Hubby's working overnight shifts, so on his night off he stays up. He'd gone out shopping and came home with this around 1 a.m. just as I was going to bed. When I woke up at 8:30, it was all magically set up! :)

Then again, it was like catching your parents playing Santa when I woke up in the middle of the night and came out to find hubby hip-deep in different-colored wires and cables all over the floor. :D

P.S. I must admit ... I disliked Batman Begins the first time I saw it (on HBO a while ago). Just didn't strike me right. I'm watching it again now with the sound system, and it's a LOT more fun with all the action noises coming from all over the room! :)

This might change my opinion of a LOT of movies in the future. :D

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Well, if you hook up the DVR the right way you can get surround sound from your cable. I don't have it hooked up that way because I only have two digital inputs on my AUX system and they are taken by the DVD player and PS3.

Speaking of the PS3, I've had it for a while but forgot to update it here.

Gaming/Blu-Ray:
http://www.techtickerblog.com/wp-con...8/ps3black.jpg

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Finally completed:

http://www.butterflyphoto.com/assets...D09C746AA8.jpg
Pioneer PDP-5070HD

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/...288_AA280_.jpg
Onkyo TX-SR674

http://www.aperionaudio.com/ImageCac...ailsImage.jpeg
Aperion Audio Intimus 532 Cinema HD set

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/...ZZZ_AA280_.jpg
Logitech 880

That's all the important stuff. Fed to the monster are: one 360/ 360HD-DVD drive, one LG DVD player with upconversion and region free goodness, a Scientific Atlantic HD box of some sort and my precious little Shuttle packed full of goodies.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

John, not sure what you mean about getting surround sound from your cable. We do get the sound through the home theater speakers from any device we have hooked up: cable box, DVR, DVD players, VCR... (Hubby's an electrical engineer so he probably has everything hooked up the best way possible.)

Or did you mean something else?

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

I think he probably means hooked up with the right cables to the right ports for correct digital decoding. You need to be running either digital co-ax or digital optical to get true digital processing the way it was meant to be heard. Standard White/Red analog audio cables don't cut the mustard.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Yup, that's exactly what I was saying. :yup:

I'm sure he probably has all the digital ports filled on the AUX and that's why you don't get surround sound with cable. That's the same reason with me, I had to weigh which devices needed it more and cable just didn't really cut it. :yup:

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Ah, bummer man. Yeah, I am a long way off from having to deal with that, as I have plenty of ports left, with all my devices set up. Still, for true digital, I just have my cable and my DVD rig running, for the moment, as that is all I that own that needs the ports (Rarely use my PS2, so I haven't grabbed the optical cable for that). Plenty left to expand, as my AVR has 3 Digital Optical,
3 Digital Coax, 5 S-video, 8 Analog Audio, and 3 Composite video ports.

After over a year with the Harmon Kardon 630 AVR, I must say it was worth every penny I paid for it. High end DSPs, High-Current amps, and ridiculous cross-over control put this on the short list of "Best of the $1000 AVRs". For those in the market to get out of low-current, big box HT packages, I can't say enough about this rig. That said, Denon (AVR-3805) and Sony (ES line only) make some quality competition for my HK, so give those a look, too!

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Yea, two ports is all I got but, I really don't need anymore then that. The PS3 is hooked up through optical and the DVD player is hooked up through coaxial. That's all I need. :yup:

BTW, it's pointless to ever hook up the PS2 through optical because the only thing that gets true surround sound are cut scenes. Best bet is to get a really nice analog cable for it and run it in Pro-Logic II. It's rather sick, actually.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Well, keep in mind my hubby also added a few, well, I don't know their official name, but I keep calling them "switcher boxes" into which you can plug other things. I know he "upgraded" all our cables, saying that the regular red/white/yellow things were crap, and then he added these several switcher/aux-type boxes too. I think that was in order to do multiple tasks with the same equipment. Or something like that. :)

All I know is I've finally figured out how to make everything work because I made him promise to make it easy to actually use.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

I don't know why you'd stick with analog audio for cable while upgrading to an HD display and high(er) end speakers, considering cable is most likely going to be your most watched input. Unless you really do watch DVDs around the clock.

Many, many channels - including non-HD - have had 5.1 mixes available for years now, why degrade that just because its cable?

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Well, cable is the most watched thing on the TV except, it's the parents or sister that do that. If I'm watching something on the TV, it's either DVD or Blu-Ray. Like I say, forget the family and take care of myself. :D

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

It was a birthday gift and here it is. Oh by the way it sounds great.;)

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665361519


:yup: :yup: :yup:

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Nice system.

Here's an update on my family's downstairs system: I scrapped the DVD player once they released the upconvert feature for the PS3 and then I hooked the cable box up over coaxial so we have surround sound for everything now. Cable, DVDs, and the PS3. I also have the 360 and 360 HD-DVD drive plugged up to the TV, as well. I have to reach around and unplug the optical cable when I switch between 360 and PS3, but that's a small price to pay. :yup:

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Have you tried one of those optical splitters? I bought one for a couple of quid on eBay and it worked great with most things (can't remember now but one appliance refused to recognise the splitter), usually switching between the PS2 and PS3.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Westinghouse 32" LCD tv
http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/grap...house_240s.jpg

Sony Playstation 3
http://ps3-for-free.com/wp-content/u...aystation3.jpg

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

I took this picture from a downward angle so it may seem smaller than it actually is, but here's my TV, subwoofer, and part of my surround sound system. My TV is--I believe--47".

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/1420/coll9gl3.jpg

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Yes, I had thought about it, but it doesn't bother me to reach around and unplug the cable. I have easy access and it only takes a second or two. Besides, the PS3 is usually plugged up most of the time so it's not enough of a hassle to warrant a splitter.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Gaaaahhhh!!! Considering the love of movies that's displayed quite lavishly here on this forum, there's certainly a good deal of contribution to the slow death of the movie theatre business. I'm a complete contrarian when it comes to home theatre systems, etc. I prefer to watch movies in the movie theatre, on a great big wide screen, with the lights down low...the way movies are meant to be viewed.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Certainly, and I'm positive that practically everyone here with a sick home theater setup sees movies in theaters on a regular basis. I mean, few people have a 100"+ screen at home.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Which is fine if you live in easy (or even moderately easy) reach of a decent cinema...

Still, are you suggesting that we all make do with a 14" B&W TV and VCR? If everyone did that there wouldn't be many films made for cinemas to actually screen.

I don't buy it. :)

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

http://www.currys.co.uk/product/500/UV/474399.jpg

• 1000W - Total Power from Satellite speakers
• 1000W - Total power from Tallboy speakers
• 5.1 Channels - 5 Speaker surround sound
• Upscaling - DVDs appear in 1080p resolution
• Subwoofer Included

http://www.argos.co.uk/wcsstore/argo...8UC439530X.jpg

37inch TV

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

We just added one of these to the mix.

http://www.productwiki.com/upload/im...armony_670.jpg

We got it at half of retail value, so it was a deal we couldn't pass up. I am thoroughly impressed by this thing. It is, for lack of better words, sick. Makes things so much easier for my mom, and a lot more fun for me. ;)

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

John, was that thing a real bear to program properly? That's my one issue with combo/universal remotes -- getting them to work with everything and have the buttons all mean what they're supposed to mean....

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

bought a westinghouse 40" flatscreen tv w/a DVD player inside last month. this thing has every plug-in you could possibly think of - for a ridiculously cheap price, and I am LOVING it. how could anyone possibly NOT enjoy a flatscreen that you can simultaneously hook up every system you have? i play my PC games on it/watch PC movies on it in HDMI, and can hook up my consoles, etc.

lets just say gaming and my movie experience have risen to new level. :D now I just need to convert my basement, get surround sound and a wall mount!

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Nope, easiest thing to do (might be more difficult for novice users, but it's pretty straight forward). You use a web interface to program it. You tell the software what devices you have by their model number, and then how they are hooked up to do certain activities (watch TV, watch a movie, play 360, etc.). You can also use the LCD screen to have access to extra buttons that change based on what device you're using, or what activity you're doing.

By the push of one button, our remote turns on the TV, DVR, and AVR. It then switches the TV over to the respective video input for the DVR and audio input on the AVR. So if I had been watching a movie the last time I turned everything off my mom can still watch TV with the simple push of a button. Pretty freaking brilliant if you ask me.

Also, switching activities turns off devices you're not using, or leaves them on. It's all up to how you program the remote. With fine tuning, setup took about 30-45 minutes. I am still tweaking the thing, though.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Well, i may as well post mine.

Bedroom -

As i have a fairly small room, i don't have a large TV at the moment, when i get some more money i will be upgrading to a 30''+ TV.

Polaroid 19'' HDTV
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA280_.jpg

LG Surround Sound -
http://i.testfreaks.co.uk/images/pro...3su.973014.jpg

Also in my room, this is one of the places i watch Blu-Ray and sit on the computer -

http://tech2.in.com/media/images/200...000_series.jpg

That's basically my computer, but with this screen. It has a Blu-Ray player built in.

22'' Full HD Samsung Screen

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41jMGef4RNL.jpg

This works very well for my room. Main room Pics up soon!

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

No, Tacitus. I'm not suggesting that at all. Having an elaborate home-theatre system like that is just not my cup of tea, that's all.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

All I use is a standard TV and a DVD player. I wish I could have a 40 inch HD TV with high quality home theatre equipment but the fact of the matter is; I can't afford it.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Here's our Main Room:

Philips Cineos 42'' HDTV

http://sourceitallonline.com/store/i...42pfl9632d.jpg

PS3 - Use for watching Blu-Ray and Sometimes DVD's
http://ps3-for-free.com/wp-content/u...aystation3.jpg

Samsung DVD Upscaler

http://tech2.in.com/media/images/200...1_samsung2.jpg

And our old DVD and Video Combo:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA280_.jpg

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

This is the new Tatty-telly. It cost me £30, honest. ;)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b6..._ln40a550p.jpg

Samsung 5 Series. The old TV bit the dust after 10 months - the store didn't have any left so I got to choose something else of the same value or add a little more to the price. TVs had come down so much in price that I was able to get a better quality set than previously for very little extra...

The home cinema is cobbled together from separates (Yamaha amp), Philips DVP5960 for DVDs and PS3 for Blu Ray.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

After all is said and done, I'm going to be honest and say that if I lived out in the boonies, or even a suburb where only an antiseptic-looking multiplex cinema that plays all the schlocky films was available to me regarding movies, then I might consider getting a small home-theatre system. However, since I live within a moderate distance of three independent movie art-houses, I take advantage of them by going to a film at least once a month, due to holding simple annual memberships to them.

New DVD player time. The Philips has something wrong with the laser and is becoming a bit of a critic when choosing what to play or not.

Replacing it with a Samsung DVD-F 1080.

I have replaced a few pieces over the last couple of years...


Harman Kardon AVR 630
http://www.futurehome.co.uk/ProdImages/avr630.jpg


X-box 360

http://reviews.cnet.com/sc/31355096-2-440-OVR-1.gif
http://www.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/sony-ps2-new.jpg

Samsung - PN50C550 - 50" plasma TV - 1080p


http://files.pn50c550.webnode.com/20...g_pn50c550.jpg


Polk Audio TB 90 Front Mains - CsI3 Center Channel - FxI3 Dipole Surrounds
http://twtr.imageg.net/graphics/prod...1699147reg.jpg http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/sc/31248527-2-200-0.gif http://www.polkaudio.com/images/home...black/fxi3.jpg

Velodyne Vx-10 Subwoofer
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it...dium/539813201

Motorolla Dual Drive/Dual Tuner DVR HD Cable Tuner

http://neohdtv.com/wp-content/beauti...00gb-dvrmd.jpg

Nice. :up: TV's new, yeah? I got a new one back in November and it felt weirdly huge (though it's only 40 inches) at first, but after a month or two it became the new standard and I couldn't imagine going back. I get weirdly grumpy when a show I DVR turns out not to be in HD, too. :D

I bought a 42" LG before Christmas but I'm not amazingly happy with it.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b6...lg-42ld450.jpg

Should have either saved up for a bit longer or bought a smaller sized higher range TV. Oh well, it'll do me for a few years...

Had my Onkyo receiver for about a year and love it to bits. It's 7.1 compatible but I've only experimented with a full set-up a few times - 5.1 is fine for the size of room it's in.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b6...Channel_A_.jpg

I've got a collection of Yamaha speakers but can't remember the model numbers for a photo. They're black, if that helps. :p

PS3 for Blu Ray, DVD and TV watching/recording.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Yep, why else would I bitch about HDTV tech in the shoutbox the other day? ;) I was swimming in tech review articles... I got my TV for 899, and the thing is ridiculously awesome. My X-box seems to up-sample my standard DVDs, so films are already a pleasure with no extra expense beyond the display.

I am glad I finally have a screen to match the quality of the HK surround system, which blows the walls right off my house.

Seds, the 360 does indeed upscale DVDs if you're connected via HDMI, dunno about component.

Why is it that tech prices over here are so high compared to The States? :(

My bog standard 1080p LCD cost me the equivalent of $775, I hate to think what it would cost Stateside. $600?

Here's the thing which has been annoying me about my TV, and I'm beginning to think it's a fault which can be fixed/replaced under warranty. Maybe someone who has experience of HDTVs knows what I'm on about because friends and family sure as heck don't. :D

I noticed a few weeks ago that when the picture is moving vertically (camera panning up or down) I could see very faint darkish blurry horizontal lines across the screen - it's almost like interference. They're not as obvious as scanlines and disappear completely when you move close to the screen. They only show up when the picture shows a light coloured expanse with no detail, like a wall or a clear sky and only when the camera moves vertically - horizontally the picture is perfect.

It's not a fault in any cables or interference from other electrical equipment as I've tried the TV with nothing else plugged in, well away from my other electrical stuff - it happens on standard TV programmes as well as HD stuff. My friend has a 42" LG set a bit higher up the range and I tested it with the same movie I first noticed the lines appearing on - It coped fine.

Maybe I'm expecting too much and am being overly picky - people I've pointed it out to don't notice a problem. I'm half expecting the warranty people to laugh at me and say that they all do that but posting in the thread has set me thinking. I'll phone them tomorrow. ;)

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

I'd check the AVS forums, as they seem to cover every set in existence at the moment. Someone might ave run into it and come up with a reason and/or fix.

And this TV lists for $1200... I hit a Presidents Day Sale and got a good deal.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Believe me, I've tried everywhere (which makes me think I might just be overly picky - Once you notice something you're subconsciously looking out for it) but any threads which sound like my problem turn out to be something really obvious, ie a definite fault (like huge streaks across the screen) that Stevie Wonder could diagnose.

It's only 4 months old so has plenty of warranty time left but it might be worth getting someone to have a look at it. I've not been lucky with HDTVs - My first died after 10 months and its replacement had loads of dead pixels on delivery. The second replacement was fine but I just fancied something bigger.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

My Tube (Samsung 42 inch Plasma)
http://edge.shop.com/ccimg.shop.com/...-362937694.jpg
I personally love Plasma. Before this one I had the LG 50 inch plasma. Lots of people perfer LCD, I just love the picture on the plasma. My room is on the darker side so it works out nicely.
I have this for sound
http://shop.hippo.co.za/uploads/prod...0510132550.jpg
Its also Samsung
I watch Hdtv on this PVR
http://www.allshopping.ca/public/sho...ver_dc758d.jpg
Naturally with a four year old boy we have one of these conected to all this crap
http://assets.vr-zone.net/7151/black...ni-4,-2009.jpg
Some games we have:
Gretzky Slapshot
Super Hero Squad
Mario Galaxy
Tiger Woods 2010
Nerf shooting game or some crap
WII Resort and Sports
WII fit (This was bought for us but we are all pretty thin so its a little dusty)
We have two WII Hockey Sticks, the Nerf Gun, The WII fit board.
Next WII game: Tony Hawk

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

No, you have tremendously good crap. I think I've always had good crap, I've always been a sonic aficianado because I love to hear things. As I get older, it's almost that embarrasing that I ignore people's best goodies. Yet, when my friends and family come over, they always seem to recognize whatever the hell my latest piece of crap is worth (or I fake them out.)

The stereo is pretty good crap we have an MP3 always plugged in. I love my T.V I think 42 inch is a great size. We still are working on changing some things furniture wise. I only watch sports on TV so we have hundreads of chanels that never get watched. I cant stand when I cant get a certain game in HD. Other then watching a movie every night the T.V is ushally playing a kids movie or program.

I wonder how many people have dedicated audio gear these days? Decent quality speakers are everywhere with PCs and surround sets for TVs. My AV receiver has MP3 player inputs and has an excellent radio and my PC has speakers which are the equal of anything I've had to listen to music.

The first thing of value I bought was a JVC stereo set when I was 18, it cost £500 (obviously with inflation and me being so old, that would work out at easily a million quid in today's money), a lot more than my first car and ten times what I paid for guitars. I had it up until a few years ago. ;)

EDIT - I'm actually in the market for a new PVR. Free-to-air HD is coming here within 12 months and my present set-up (the PlayTV box for the PS3) is SD only. I've had a Humax PVR in the past - are they still the kings?

EDIT 2 - Don't mention Sky. Rupert doesn't get my money. ;)

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Plainview: I hear you on the Plasma choice. I tried to like LCD, I really did, but for films, Plasma just looked more film-like, and that was the main factor in this purchase - films.

I got home and LotR : Fellowship was on HD. Yeah, I had to watch the entire thing, of course. ;)

Taccy: I followed your advice to a T for break-in settings. As you said, it's a bit subdued for now, but still looks amazing.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

The one thing I wouldn't do (ie: I've done it in the past) is Google calibration settings for your TV model. Who knows what light level etc the person had when setting up his TV?

As we were talking about yesterday, most modern TVs that I've seen have pretty good settings out of the box once the picture enhancing nonsense is turned off. From memory I just had to change my brightness a notch or two to get perfect black level, colour and contrast were spot on.

Here's the link to a fantastic free calibration suite - Link

You'll need a Blu Ray player and at least a blank DVD to run the disc but there are a collection of separate MP4 files which play fine on an Xbox or PS3. All I would recommend are the brightness, contrast and colour ones.

My LG has a built-in calibration thingie which is excellent for basic brightness and contrast.

Quick tip for your Xbox - You know where you can change reference levels in display settings? Leave it on Standard. Expanded and intermediate show colours as more vibrant than originally intended, it might 'pop' out more but I prefer to go with what was originally envisaged. It's the same with the PS3's full colour setting - Movies and games don't use that benchmark because they go with standard RGB values.

Look at me pretending to know what I'm talking about. :D

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Yeah, No blu-ray for me. Disc based media? What is this, the 80s?? ;) Most people around Boston consider Blu-ray to be dead already, because it is. HTPC already killed it. Taking into consideration the 4 people I interact with most that have HDTVs, 3 of the 4 are already up on HTPC and have ditched blu-ray completely.

Did you know Netflix will soon be legally forced (by Cable companies) to stop using discs completely, moving all customers to streaming only? It's true, and Comcast is leading the charge. Get out of blu-ray, and fast - it's a complete waste of money.

I just don't see the allure of Blu-ray. The up-scaling on my x-box is absolutely good enough to just watch my current SD library while moving into the streaming for newer content.

I'll check out the file tools you linked!

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

So, I can have all my extras (commentaries etc) via streaming or downloadable (non-pirated) files?

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Yeah, I got nothing. *Runs*

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Here is a shot of my messy setup after my 4 year old has rummaged through some movies and shifted everything around. The movies are going into our guest room, where I will continue my collection, and I am currently building an HTPC.

As soon as the DVDs are gone, I am going to have to figure out some serious cable management. I had everything nice and neat with electric tape, but that only worked for so long.

http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/y...kman/wall2.jpg

And my favorite wall in the house :) Note the Bruce Campbell autograph. That is the only autograph I have ever owned and I met him in person to get it, so I am proud of it.

http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/y...ckman/wall.jpg

Heh, don't worry, it was an awful smartarse question anyway. ;)

There's a thread up here about physical vs digital media and I'll say the same thing here: Digital is excellent for watching something for the first time (my PS3 is linked to my Lovefilm account and streams thousands of titles on demand) or a quick refresher with an old movie you've not seen in ages but I'll always buy the disc if something tickles my fancy. Eventually.

Not just for the extras but I'm shallow enough to like looking at things on my shelves. It suits my Luddite brain better to browse that way, too, instead of navigating a screen.

Technology will probably offer what I want in one convenient downloadable bundle eventually but for now I'm sticking with my Digital Versatile Blu 8-Track Cylinders.

Hard drives do take up a lot less space than shelves (and I moved my CD collection over to them years ago) though and I've got a few bookcases which are groaning louder than MoFo does at my gags. :p

Yeah, there's no legal streaming service that offers the quality you can get from a Blu-ray disk. I'm largely thinking the audio gains that can be had, which is the only pro for Blu-ray disks as the HD audio tracks are sick.

However, pirated downloads have the same quality as discs, so there's no argument there. This, of course, isn't possible for most people so there's a huge reason why Blu-Ray is no where near dead. It's like the people saying DVD is dead. DVD is just as alive as Blu-Ray.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

I'm just pissed I have these big shelves taking up space in my place. ;)

Go to boxes. Way easier. Then you can just have a catalog somewhere with the movies and where they're located. It's what I will do when I get my own place.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

http://www.sb.fsu.edu/%7Exray/Images/DellComputer.jpg

+

http://www.popgadget.net/images/X-Fi...s-Creative.jpg

(NOTE: not actual models)

Then there's the problem of having so many boxes that they begin to get stacked on to of one another and even if you know where something is (I used to catalogue my collection but I grew up, fortunately :D) it's a pain in the rear getting at it.

Presently I've got enough space to have my Blu Rays and a selection of films that I think will impress women my favourite DVDs on display, as such. The majority is out of view in cupboards and boxes.

Big boxes. Heavy ones. ;)

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

http://i.testfreaks.co.uk/images/pro...6.28936499.jpg
I see people putting up their CPU so this is what I MoFo around on. Best Buy had it on sale around Christmas so I bought it for the wife as a gift. Our other CPU had a cracked screen from falling off a counter.

You put the boxes on shelves in a closet. Geez, how hard is this to manage? ;)

Hey that looks like my CPU:eek:

That still takes up the same amount of space, which is the issue I need to resolve. It also makes them WAY less accessible, as you would always have to move the boxes around, and then dig through layers of DVDs to get to the one you wanted. Not to mention cataloging all the DVDs...No thanks. :)

Although, hadn't we discussed alternate storage methods at one point? You may have a specific storage box in mind that would avoid these issues...



Putting DVDs in boxes in a closet is clearly a major pain in the ass for extremely obvious reasons if you want to like, you know, WATCH your movies from time to time. ;)

Here's what's easy : Pull up a menu of titles in the browser on my TV screen, choose a title, and watch it in 1080i streams. THAT is easy. Took about 13 seconds total.

Also folks - Just a quick reminder that this is the HOME THEATER SHOWCASE THREAD. You may consider your laptop with a 13 inch screen and two tinny ass speakers home theater, but I doubt many others would agree.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

I'm telling you, dude. Streaming is years and years away from replacing DVDs or Blu-Rays.

I'd once thought of something like this...

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b6...1ChlVb9IIL.jpg

...but quickly discounted it because you're doing without your cases (not a major worry but I can see some people finding it such) and it's flippin' expensive (50-odd quid) when the thing only holds 100 discs. Now, if I could get some sort of Heath-Robinson device that holds, say, 1000 and fits lengthwise into a hole in the wall we may be in business. ;)

The drastic action I took a couple of years ago was to get rid of loads of DVDs I rarely watched and to be a lot more circumspect when buying new ones. Probably pared my collection down by 2 or 3 hundred and I've only regretted it a couple of times. DVDs are so cheap now, even re-buying stuff isn't a major annoyance.

Thing is, the collection is only gonna grow because I have no more dead wood (but I do have a Deadwood box set :p) to get rid of...

EDIT - Oh yeah, I'm seeing about getting my TV repaired/replaced next week. It's getting worse.

I really have no luck at all with the things: 4 in 2 years. :(

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Depends on what "replacing" means, doesn't it? It's already replacing some of it. It'll definitely be years and years until it replaces it almost completely (if that ever happens; I have my doubts), but I think most people will consider physical media "replaced" long before it has some huge majority of the market.

If you mean replace in purely technical terms; that is, duplicate the quality and (almost) the reliability and speed of in-house physical media, then yeah, it'll take forever. But I think people will give up a lot of that picture quality for accessibility and cost. I know I sure will.

I said "here's what's easy..."

And it IS easy... you could argue that it isn't, but then you would be wrong...

As for quality... huzzuh? Streams are already WAY higher quality when compared to my entire disc collection. I have hundreds of standard def DVDs and none of them come anywhere close to the quality of my current (1081i) streams from Netflix. Not sure how it works for everyone else, but when I set up the streaming through my x-box, Netflix ran a test and automatically set my quality at 1080i. Maybe other folks have had their service dial down the quality? *shrugs*

Also, I have multiple friends that will never buy another disc again, as they have (not-so-legal) solutions set up and running at their house that makes all discs obsolete. Just around the corner from my place, a friend of mine has HTPC set up with a 60 inch or so LCD screen. They have Torr3nts running 24/7 which they can access and manage remotely from any of their phones. They have many, many terabytes of storage on the premises, with many, many titles available through a GUI right on screen. Don't see a title in the collection? They just dial it up on torrent and you are watching the film in HD quite soon on their set-up...

I'm not condoning all of this, but I certainly watch films over there...a lot. So, as you can see, this is already a household that has completely shed the disc-based paradigm, moving to 100% streaming content.

My streaming is definitely limited in comparison, but it gets better literally every day. And for me to stay with discs, I would have to start buying Blu-ray, which is a TERRIBLE idea, seeing how much i like films and stuff. I would spend literally thousands of dollars replacing my collection, and that's just to replace my current, relatively small collection of films.

Taccy's argument about the extras is really the only valid point that has been raised against it. If I run primarily streams on my system, then to me, discs are obsolete. What the rest of the word is doing just doesn't matter - it's completely irrelevant.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

My Netflix streaming isn't quite as good, though I think it varies; for one, I'm streaming over WiFi, which I assume is part of the issue. Anyway, it's been my understanding (I'm sure I've read something to this effect) that even the top-end of Netflix's streaming options are only in the same rough range as HD, so I think you might be seeing the best possible version.

Anyway, I agree that the extras are a reason they'll maintain some presence (though the discs will cost more, since there'll be less demand for them), and I'd add that some people just won't like relying on some nebulous cloud, or their Internet connection staying up. Some people want the security of knowing they can watch it no matter what, and having a personal copy. This is probably largely a psychological thing, but I think it accurately describes some people, particularly if they really love a film.

Mostly, though, I think it'll be about niche. There are tons of slightly less-mainstream things I have that aren't available via streaming and probably won't be for years.

All that said, if things keep going the way they're going, I'm definitely foisting part of my collection off on someone else. I've already cut back on the number of discs I buy dramatically over the last year or two.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

As have I. Yep, the connection thing is clearly also an issue, although in my friend's case, that only affects the download, as they aren't REALLY streaming. Still, in the end, the point is still valid, in that their system completely replaces discs.

I was concerned about net traffic being an issue with stream buffering, but so far, even on high traffic nights like Sunday evenings, the streams have been fine.

Here, I'll play advocate to myself for a sec. What if I wanted to watch HD Bladerunner this evening? I might be screwed. I would have to pop over to Pete's place to see it, because it isn't available over streams (yet), and it's my favorite film. Otherwise, it's low contrast up-sampled DVD in my X-box or I head over to Pete's to see it there...

Hey, THEY have a full solution - I do not....

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

That's my point. Until someone offers a service like the pirates are offering there's little reason to stream anything.

And again, while the quality might be pretty good with Netflix streaming it doesn't beat a physical copy (whether digital or disc). This is especially true of the audio tracks.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

I don't follow. I stream. It is worth my while to stream. Lots of other people stream.

No, it's MUCH higher quality than my standard DVDs. Why do you keep saying this stuff? How is 1080i lower quality than 480? I have physical copies of the series Lost, but the Netflix streams look much, much better, with much richer blacks and a much tighter image. Standard upsampling tends to add a weird soft filter look to films and the blacks aren't anywhere near as rich.

Also, if someone offers a service like the pirates, that is actually a reason to NOT stream. My friends DON'T STREAM - they download copies of the films. So why would a service that gives you digital copies to keep at your house make streaming more valid? I'm confuzzled...

Here is a quote from EnGadget over a YEAR ago:

"In some ways, streaming stole HD’s thunder. While the high definition digital video disc format Blu-ray was counting on viewers’ interest in quality, it turned out that more users have been interested in the convenience of watching content when and where they want. That has meant a sacrifice in resolution among other things, but 1080p Netflix is a first step towards closing the gap between quality and convenience."

5.1 is already up and running on some devices for Netflix (Since October 2010), with the rest to follow shortly, and they aren't even considered the highest quality Stream service. I think VuDu holds that title right now.

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Hey man, I stream tons of stuff too but there is a stark difference between the stream's audio quality and that on a disc. That's my main point. There are no services that provide HD-audio in their streaming because it would cripple their servers. It just isn't feasible, nor are the uncompressed soundtracks.

EDIT: And if you had one of these systems you'd argue the same way. The sound quality of Blu-Rays and HD-DVDs is unmatched to any other streaming audio source. Crisper, louder, cleaner.

This is precisely why they had to create the HDMI cable we use today. They needed a cable that could have a bigger bandwidth.

And, if I may say so myself, it's a rather big one. So's the point. ;D

At the risk of repeating myself (stop laughing!) streaming is perfect for the casual watcher or one of us who wants a quick rental fix. For the film aficionado you still need physical media of some kind. It may very well change in the near(ish) future but when I can buy the vast majority of Blu Rays for under a tenner I'm not too concerned.

They're the price of DVDs 5 or 6 years ago and you'll get a perfectly decent player for well under £100.

John makes a good point about HD audio and I'll add another - Do streams stream in 24Hz? From the moment I saw a BD on a HDTV I realised that this was a pretty big deal.

For me anyway. ;)

I was unsure what I was getting for audio yesterday so I popped something on last night - definitely streaming 5.1 sound from netflix, and I end up with the 3-bar service from Netflix (seems to be the gauge people measure by). The video is 1080i - my TV posts it in the corner when the source first comes up. I've enhanced my quality by 3-fold from what I was watching mere weeks ago, but it's somehow unacceptable quality?

So, I watched a film in 1080i with 5.1 audio on Netflix - I also consider myself to be a pretty big film aficionado. I've never said that stream quality matches Bluray... Yet you're trumpeting Bluray format as the best of the best. Yes, it's the best of the best, but it will NEVER, EVER, be the standard like DVD was...ever. Shall I quote all the tech sites some more, where they clearly say that convenience is clearly and obviously winning out over top quality, disc based media? Did you know that Netflix is contemplating a move to get rid of all their disc services? Why would they even consider that if Bluray is the future?

A note on audio: If we are talking high quality audio, everyone better be running top quality, clean high-current powered gear with discreet amplifiers to even be in the argument. Otherwise, I'll consider them someone that probably doesn't know what they are talking about. If you are running Bluray audio into a $200 Sony from Best Buy, you are actually destroying whatever gains you think you are getting from Bluray, and I will post the science to prove it if necessary.

The quality arguments just aren't going to fly with me, guys, I'm a musician and a performer that understands sound reinforcement backwards and forwards. It's just not enough of a difference to justify spending over 10,000 dollars to get a player and get my library changed over to BluRay. I used to spend literally hundreds of dollars per month on DVDs - not a good way to go about things these days, IMO.

The extras argument and Yoda's argument about always having the film available are MUCH stronger arguments to me...

Re: The Home Theater Showcase Thread
 

Here's mine:


http://fastcache.gawkerassets.com/as...bit_ears_6.jpg