Home cinema set up.
Discussion
Am going to be redoing the front lounge, its a mediumish size, which is my office/games room, currently have a 37 inch LCD so fancy going a bit bigger and will stick it on the wall, also would like an AV amp and some speakers for a basic home cinema system, not after anything massively fancy or hugely powerful, just a good upgrade over the sound from the TV in the other lounge that will be good for films and games.
TV Wise, I think 50 inch should do it, there seem to be a few in the £500 - £600, not after the latest or greatest, justa decent size with a decent refresh, the old 37 is fine picture wise, I am just not that discerning and every 1080P screen seems to be awesome to me after the CRT.
I had a Denon AV amp but my kids blew it up so need a new one, want to get one that will last but dont need 3000 Watts, so any suggestions there.
Speaker wise not sure what to go for, I have some Rega (EL8) ones that arent going much but may go for something smaller that can be wall mounted, might go for a package, certainly something not too expensive, can always upgrade down the line.
Will just buy another PS3 as a Blu Ray player for in there.
Will run a PC into the TV as well.
Cable wise, was just going to sink them all into the wall and use some half decent copper cables, going to plan it all out so all the cables are hidden and want it all decently integrated and easy to use without a plethora of remotes.
Not averse to going second hand for some of it, the TV will be new.
So any suggestions gratefully received. Budget is £1500, preferably less as have to buy carpet, curtains, decorating materials, sofa and get a fireplace boarded up. Want to have an upgrade path so I can swap bits out without her noticing in the future !
TV Wise, I think 50 inch should do it, there seem to be a few in the £500 - £600, not after the latest or greatest, justa decent size with a decent refresh, the old 37 is fine picture wise, I am just not that discerning and every 1080P screen seems to be awesome to me after the CRT.
I had a Denon AV amp but my kids blew it up so need a new one, want to get one that will last but dont need 3000 Watts, so any suggestions there.
Speaker wise not sure what to go for, I have some Rega (EL8) ones that arent going much but may go for something smaller that can be wall mounted, might go for a package, certainly something not too expensive, can always upgrade down the line.
Will just buy another PS3 as a Blu Ray player for in there.
Will run a PC into the TV as well.
Cable wise, was just going to sink them all into the wall and use some half decent copper cables, going to plan it all out so all the cables are hidden and want it all decently integrated and easy to use without a plethora of remotes.
Not averse to going second hand for some of it, the TV will be new.
So any suggestions gratefully received. Budget is £1500, preferably less as have to buy carpet, curtains, decorating materials, sofa and get a fireplace boarded up. Want to have an upgrade path so I can swap bits out without her noticing in the future !
SeanyD said:
For the TV, the current high street Samsung LED wifi smart TV's are a brilliant buy, we got a belter for not a lot of money a few weeks back, youtube etc has never looked so good.
For the rest, you could do a lot worse than a trip to Richer Sounds for a chat.
yeah, was thinking Richer Sounds, has always been a pleasant experience buying from them, been around a long time, so must be doing something right.For the rest, you could do a lot worse than a trip to Richer Sounds for a chat.
Just dont want to go mad.
realised I have a mates speakers that have been sat in the back of our people carrier for months in their box, Quad 12L2 I think, might see if he wants to sell those, will offer him say £200 - £250.
Nah, getting the room plastered anyway I expect, trunking looks crap.
My mate is letting me have his nice speakers on loan as he has nowhere to put them and knows I will look after them, can then get my own. Will need a centre speaker and rears as well.
Will keep an eye on Ebay for an AV amp, just after a bit of info as to which features I need, do you generally run all your video sources through it as well as the audio ?
My mate is letting me have his nice speakers on loan as he has nowhere to put them and knows I will look after them, can then get my own. Will need a centre speaker and rears as well.
Will keep an eye on Ebay for an AV amp, just after a bit of info as to which features I need, do you generally run all your video sources through it as well as the audio ?
j4ckos mate said:
channeling in the wire will be a ball ache,
Not at all IF you're decorating anyway, ideal time is if you're getting your walls skimmed. Our 5 speakers are all wall mounted with not a single wire in sight, far far tidier than any trunking or trying to 'hide' around things.J4CKO said:
after a bit of info as to which features I need, do you generally run all your video sources through it as well as the audio ?
Ours is very basic, but works spot on:Features: Dolby Digital / DTS. (Optional FM if you like a bit of radio at times)
Inputs: Skybox to receiver is Coax, DVD to receiver is Fibre, TV to receiver is HDMI, plus FM Antenna.
Outputs: Usual 5 speakers plus Phono to the sub.
Edited by SeanyD on Tuesday 17th December 13:29
We have samsung 40" smart TV and Denon avx1000. Both are network connected via cable in trunking on top of the skirting.
The TV is on a wall bracket and so can be swung out in either direction.
It's a 3.1 system - the centre speaker is under the TV, the sub is bottom left.
There's a NAS drive connected to the router as well.
The TV is on a wall bracket and so can be swung out in either direction.
It's a 3.1 system - the centre speaker is under the TV, the sub is bottom left.
There's a NAS drive connected to the router as well.
I can recommend the Pioneer AV Amps. We got the SC-LX56 which ticked all the boxes and the iPhone \ Android App is brilliant. If you're getting the pastering done etc I'd pop over to AV-Forums and have a look at the AV build threads. Was really good when I did my 2 AV installs.
I'm in a similar boat regarding a TV toss up between the Sony w8 and the Samsung 6800 or similar. Samsung really are ruling the roost regarding smart content HDTVTest is also a good website.
Richer sounds clearence is also a good place to look for kit as they'll have some stuff thats end of life but on special. Seriously considering another KDL HX853 LCD as last xmas's award winner is now this years bargain (if you can find one).
I'll drop a link to my build thread, might be useful as I put both TV's on walls etc.
link
Best of luck
T1b
I'm in a similar boat regarding a TV toss up between the Sony w8 and the Samsung 6800 or similar. Samsung really are ruling the roost regarding smart content HDTVTest is also a good website.
Richer sounds clearence is also a good place to look for kit as they'll have some stuff thats end of life but on special. Seriously considering another KDL HX853 LCD as last xmas's award winner is now this years bargain (if you can find one).
I'll drop a link to my build thread, might be useful as I put both TV's on walls etc.
link
Best of luck
T1b
Edited by T1berious on Tuesday 17th December 19:54
just got one of these http://www.whathifi.com/review/sony-bdv-n7100w,ver... pleased with it so far,wireless rear speakers were a big help as opposed to running cables across the room,connects to my laptop and phone,loads of features on it and cracking sound quality too.
Ok, little bit of progress, I bought one of these a couple of weeks back,
http://www.uk.onkyo.com/en/products/tx-nr626-92085...
Its set up but kind of plonked in the corner where the TV currently lives, it is running through a rather nice pair of Quad 11L2 borrowd of a mate.
The sticking point now is arranging the room, its a square room with a bay, 3.6 metres square (plus the bay which, like all bays is largely useless), the problem being is that it has my home office in it, I work from home part of the time so need my two screens and I cant put it anywhere else in the hose, keep pondering different solutions but cant find one that doesnt use valuable space or compromise the whole lot.
So, got to thinking that the two monitors could have the TV screen somehow drop in front of them when in use and then be pushed up out of the way when I need to work on some arrangements of brackets, so is that possible, I had a look onthe web and you can get stuff that may do it.
Then the wife said a projector, I had not though about them for a while as she didnt seem keen, there seem to be decent options for a 1080P unit at not ridiculous money and then team that with an electric screen that can be rolled up when not in use and rolled in front of the monitors when in use.
So, do my options sound any good, anyone done it, which is the best, I am kind of erring ont he projector as you get a fairly massive screen but obviously it still has to be appropriate for a 3.6 m square room, am guessing you can vary image size quite a bit so it doesnt overpower the room.
With projectors I always thought they were
A bit noisy
Expensive to run
Less reliable
Ran a bit hot
Kind of less practical, more of a faff
Required Darkness to operate properly
So, any suggestions/advice gratefully received
http://www.uk.onkyo.com/en/products/tx-nr626-92085...
Its set up but kind of plonked in the corner where the TV currently lives, it is running through a rather nice pair of Quad 11L2 borrowd of a mate.
The sticking point now is arranging the room, its a square room with a bay, 3.6 metres square (plus the bay which, like all bays is largely useless), the problem being is that it has my home office in it, I work from home part of the time so need my two screens and I cant put it anywhere else in the hose, keep pondering different solutions but cant find one that doesnt use valuable space or compromise the whole lot.
So, got to thinking that the two monitors could have the TV screen somehow drop in front of them when in use and then be pushed up out of the way when I need to work on some arrangements of brackets, so is that possible, I had a look onthe web and you can get stuff that may do it.
Then the wife said a projector, I had not though about them for a while as she didnt seem keen, there seem to be decent options for a 1080P unit at not ridiculous money and then team that with an electric screen that can be rolled up when not in use and rolled in front of the monitors when in use.
So, do my options sound any good, anyone done it, which is the best, I am kind of erring ont he projector as you get a fairly massive screen but obviously it still has to be appropriate for a 3.6 m square room, am guessing you can vary image size quite a bit so it doesnt overpower the room.
With projectors I always thought they were
A bit noisy
Expensive to run
Less reliable
Ran a bit hot
Kind of less practical, more of a faff
Required Darkness to operate properly
So, any suggestions/advice gratefully received
Can you build a desk into the bay window and mount a screen on the opposing wall?
Room seems very small for a projector...3.6 square meters is that right, sounds like a shower room!!
As for speakers, I have just fitted Q Acoustics Q7000i in our TV room with Yamaha amp and Panasonic 55VT65 very happy with the combo. The previous generation speakers Q7000 would be in budget I think.
Room seems very small for a projector...3.6 square meters is that right, sounds like a shower room!!
As for speakers, I have just fitted Q Acoustics Q7000i in our TV room with Yamaha amp and Panasonic 55VT65 very happy with the combo. The previous generation speakers Q7000 would be in budget I think.
SeanyD said:
3.6m, you sure? Our conservatory is about that, and that's just a little bolt on that you couldn't really swing a cat in, a projector would almost be sitting on top of the screen.
Its a small to medium sized lounge, 11 ft, 3.6 metres, the back one is bigger but we have already recently redone it and didnt think about Home Cinema in there, this is the room it has to be, on AVforums people have set up projectors in rooms this size, and smaller.To be fair, my sofa is about 4 metres back from my screen, so technically there could be a wall directly behind it, making my 'room' a similar size to yours. It works well (though I have another 2.5 metres beyond so it helps with the projector's 'throw' distance so I don't need to zoom. What you should do is put your figures into a screen size calculator as below, because some projectors won't give a big enough image from that far back.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calcula...
My screen drops down in front of my TV, much the same as you plan with your monitors:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calcula...
My screen drops down in front of my TV, much the same as you plan with your monitors:
OldSkoolRS said:
To be fair, my sofa is about 4 metres back from my screen, so technically there could be a wall directly behind it, making my 'room' a similar size to yours. It works well (though I have another 2.5 metres beyond so it helps with the projector's 'throw' distance so I don't need to zoom. What you should do is put your figures into a screen size calculator as below, because some projectors won't give a big enough image from that far back.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calcula...
My screen drops down in front of my TV, much the same as you plan with your monitors:
Very impressive ! now wishing we had thought about this at the time we did the other oom I did suggest swapping rooms at the time but it fell on deaf ears.http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calcula...
My screen drops down in front of my TV, much the same as you plan with your monitors:
think we are back on a TV, and the desk in the bay is back on the agenda, that leaves the room fairly free for other stuff.
The one stumbling block to a desk in the bay was the monitors being on display, so am looking at solutions to allow the monitors to be raised and lowered into a desk, even if they never are, think that could work quite well, hoping to find some off she shelf motorised units that will allow the monitors to sink unseen into the desk at the flick of a button, knock up a bespoke bay shaped desk, job done, can integrate all the cabling, laptop dock etc into it as well.
Bit of a Unit said:
Can you build a desk into the bay window and mount a screen on the opposing wall?
Room seems very small for a projector...3.6 square meters is that right, sounds like a shower room!!
As for speakers, I have just fitted Q Acoustics Q7000i in our TV room with Yamaha amp and Panasonic 55VT65 very happy with the combo. The previous generation speakers Q7000 would be in budget I think.
Get you now, had vision of you in a room 2 x 1.8m!!!Room seems very small for a projector...3.6 square meters is that right, sounds like a shower room!!
As for speakers, I have just fitted Q Acoustics Q7000i in our TV room with Yamaha amp and Panasonic 55VT65 very happy with the combo. The previous generation speakers Q7000 would be in budget I think.
Had me wondering if I could justify a flat screen and 5.1 set up in our downstairs loo!!!
Still think it is a little small for a projector set up, how dark can you get the room? Plus as you start looking at drop down screens etc the budget will go up - alot.
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