Discussion
I'm after a bit of advice regarding modernising my AV set up at home. I am a total heathen when it comes to things like this, so please bear with me.
Right - I'm after a 40 - 46" TV. No idea if plasma or LCD is "better",
I understand most have freeview built in - do some have hard disc recorders too?
If I purchase surround sound set up (5.1 better than 2.1?) will I need an "amplifier" box too? Or will the telly cope with it all?
DVD player seems simple enough (don't have any blurays)
Um... think that's it
Regarding budget, what would be a ballpark figure for a simple set up like this, middle of the road kit?
ETA: Telly doesn't necessarily need to be Smart either
Right - I'm after a 40 - 46" TV. No idea if plasma or LCD is "better",
I understand most have freeview built in - do some have hard disc recorders too?
If I purchase surround sound set up (5.1 better than 2.1?) will I need an "amplifier" box too? Or will the telly cope with it all?
DVD player seems simple enough (don't have any blurays)
Um... think that's it
Regarding budget, what would be a ballpark figure for a simple set up like this, middle of the road kit?
ETA: Telly doesn't necessarily need to be Smart either
Edited by evenflow on Friday 27th December 12:50
Think you'd probably be better off writing down that list and taking it to Richer Sounds or somewhere similar.
Bound to be a decent deal in the current sales, and if there's any incompatibility issues they would have to resolve them for you.
Otherwise you'll spend the next 3 months on AV Forums debating over which piece of kit is better than this, etc. IMO of course.
Would personally go for an LCD over plasma though, simply because I'm a gamer and LCD's don't suffer screen burn and are cheaper to run.
Bound to be a decent deal in the current sales, and if there's any incompatibility issues they would have to resolve them for you.
Otherwise you'll spend the next 3 months on AV Forums debating over which piece of kit is better than this, etc. IMO of course.
Would personally go for an LCD over plasma though, simply because I'm a gamer and LCD's don't suffer screen burn and are cheaper to run.
Right here's the simple way it works.
Your telly will not have anything in it other than the ability to act as a screen and produce some pretty rubbish sound.
To drive speakers you need an receiver which is better known as an amplifier. This acts as a central hub for distrubting sound as well as vision.
All of your sources be they blu ray or DVD, sky box, pvr, playstation or xbox or networked media players will connect to it, it will then send the picture to your telly and the sound to whatever speakers you've chosen.
As to whether a 2.1 system is better than a 5.1 or vice versa, that's down to the quality of the components. If you have the same speakers, then a 5.1 will be better, but if you decide to go for a higher quality 2.1 speaker set up compared to a cheapy 5.1 system, then it's a different story.
First question. What is your budget and what do you want it to do?
Your telly will not have anything in it other than the ability to act as a screen and produce some pretty rubbish sound.
To drive speakers you need an receiver which is better known as an amplifier. This acts as a central hub for distrubting sound as well as vision.
All of your sources be they blu ray or DVD, sky box, pvr, playstation or xbox or networked media players will connect to it, it will then send the picture to your telly and the sound to whatever speakers you've chosen.
As to whether a 2.1 system is better than a 5.1 or vice versa, that's down to the quality of the components. If you have the same speakers, then a 5.1 will be better, but if you decide to go for a higher quality 2.1 speaker set up compared to a cheapy 5.1 system, then it's a different story.
First question. What is your budget and what do you want it to do?
Having been down this route recently I decided not to get a smart TV, the reality is that the YouView box I have from Netflix etc, so a Smart TV is not required. I ended up going for a 39" Samsung TV that was reduced to £249 in Tesco before Christmas.
I have also bought an Orbitsound Soundbar from Currys to improve the quality of the sound. Cost £199, other better versions of it are available from other stores at a higher price. However I went on price and the fact it was in stock and Currys was open on Christmas Eve! I looked at some sound bars in Richer SOunds but when I went out to complete research on Christmas Eve they were closed, and I saw a Denon one in Sevenoaks Sound and Vision but they didnt have any in stock to sell.
My shopping was at the budget end of the scale, cheaper sound bars are available but I wanted one that had Bluetooth so it can connect to the phone, laptop etc to play music.
I have also bought an Orbitsound Soundbar from Currys to improve the quality of the sound. Cost £199, other better versions of it are available from other stores at a higher price. However I went on price and the fact it was in stock and Currys was open on Christmas Eve! I looked at some sound bars in Richer SOunds but when I went out to complete research on Christmas Eve they were closed, and I saw a Denon one in Sevenoaks Sound and Vision but they didnt have any in stock to sell.
My shopping was at the budget end of the scale, cheaper sound bars are available but I wanted one that had Bluetooth so it can connect to the phone, laptop etc to play music.
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