Do I need an AV Receiver?

[sykes111s]

I am not sure what I need, but I know what I want the result to be.

I have:-
Pana G20
Sky+ HD
Pana Blue Ray
Wii

What I want is good quality surround sound for the blue ray and sky.

I have been looking at AV receivers but they seem a bit over the top for what I need.
I am quite happy switching my source on the TV, so don’t need loads of connectivity that a AV rec has.
I also have a Sonas setup so don’t need all the streaming stuff that decent AV recs have.

I don’t seem able to find a good quality system that doesn’t come with a load of features that I neither need or want.

What do I need?
James

[Jubal]

You need something to drive the speakers. Which you don't have yet. The amp switching is useful because otherwise you'll be changing video source on the TV and audio source on the amp.

[Jubal]

You need something to drive the speakers. Which you don't have yet. The amp switching is useful because otherwise you'll be changing video source on the TV and audio source on the amp.

[sykes111s]

Could I not just take an audio output from the TV to the amp, be it HDMI or optical?

[Jubal]

With optical then yes but I don't understand your objection. On my setup the amp switches audio and video. If the device supports hdmi audio then great, if not you just tell the amp which audio input to use.

Of course, if you are adamant you don't want video switching you can buy an audio only amp. But it's a bit short sighted.

[sykes111s]

I don't have a strong objection, I just don't see/understand the need.

[Driller]

If you want surround sound then you'll need at least a surround processor (there's one in AV receivers but you can buy a sperate processor and amp) to decode the signal on the disc and port it out to the various speakers.

ETA Come to think of it, you haven't mentioned anything about speakers. Do you have a surround speaker setup? Left, centre and right speakers at the front and at least a left and right rear?

[TEKNOPUG]

AV receiver will be the simplest solution I would have thought.

HMDI cable from SKY, Blu-Ray and Wii to AV receiver, 1 HMDI cable to TV. So 4 cables in all.

Wire up your speakers to AV and then let is switch audio and video between the sources and the telly.

[scenario8]

Attempted tread hijack;

The OP has a G20. I'm having a GT30 delivered on Saturday. How good/bad is the standard sound? This will be my first non-CRT and the man down the pub says flat screen tv sound quality is dire. Should I be anticipating a trip to Richer Sounds over the next few weeks for an AV amp and speaker package? Or will it be ok? Sound isn't the be all and end all, but the tv is also my radio so it'd be nice to get fairly decent performance..

Thanks in advance.

[Jubal]

TEKNOPUG said:

AV receiver will be the simplest solution I would have thought.

HMDI cable from SKY, Blu-Ray and Wii to AV receiver, 1 HMDI cable to TV. So 4 cables in all.

Wire up your speakers to AV and then let is switch audio and video between the sources and the telly.

This. But Sky don't support surround via hdmi so you need an optical for that.

[TEKNOPUG]

Jubal said:

This. But Sky don't support surround via hdmi so you need an optical for that.

Yes that's correct, I should have mentioned that. It's no big deal to set up mind.

[oola]

"Sound isn't the be all and end all"

If you're investing in your TV, the sound is just as important as the picture?! The standard audio on flat screen TV's is poor ... the thinner they become, the harder it becomes for manufacturers to incorporate speakers to match.

Even a sound bar will at least give the audio some punch above a standard set up.

[TEKNOPUG]

scenario8 said:

Attempted tread hijack;

The OP has a G20. I'm having a GT30 delivered on Saturday. How good/bad is the standard sound? This will be my first non-CRT and the man down the pub says flat screen tv sound quality is dire. Should I be anticipating a trip to Richer Sounds over the next few weeks for an AV amp and speaker package? Or will it be ok? Sound isn't the be all and end all, but the tv is also my radio so it'd be nice to get fairly decent performance..

Thanks in advance.

I have a G20 - the audio is perfectly accetable. Obviously though no TV is going to sound as good as a dedicated amplipher and speakers. With Blu-Ray for example, the most impressive feature is not the images, it's the HD quality audio that really stands out - providing you have a suitable AV receiver and speakers.

I'd suggest getting the TV first and the moving up to a dedicated audio set up later. It depends what you are watching. If it's just general TV programmes then the TV will probably suffice. But you'll notice a big improvement if watching films, HD sources (XBOX, Blu-Ray etc) with a proper amped system.

[callyman]

Jubal said:

With optical then yes but I don't understand your objection. On my setup the amp switches audio and video. If the device supports hdmi audio then great, if not you just tell the amp which audio input to use.

Of course, if you are adamant you don't want video switching you can buy an audio only amp. But it's a bit short sighted.

^^ This, + almost all HDMI AV Amps upscale video too.

[sykes111s]

So it looks like I will need an AV Receiver (& speakers).

Even if it does mean I will have to buy a load of functionality that I don’t need. i.e. Streaming, radio etc.

Thanks all

[callyman]

You cant go far wrong with these guys
http://www.richersounds.com/

Best customer service around too.

[chris watton]

I didn't realise I needed to put an optical cable into the receiver and Sky HD box to get the 5.1! I wondered why the receiver was still showing output as 'stereo'! lol

[TEKNOPUG]

What budget are you thinking of OP?

[sykes111s]

Yes thanks I got the TV from them as it was in the sale and I wanted it there and then.

I know this is a big question but what about this
http://www.richersounds.com/product/speaker-packag...

[sykes111s]

Budget around £500 to £700 including speakers.

Would rather have quality then power.