Home theater information: questions, answers and miscellaneous
- Thread starter binary visions
- Start date
i was just about to start a thread.
I is here for your help.
please let me know your questions and ill try to answer as best as i can. consumer electronics has been my business for around 8 years now and i can answer most questions pertaining to this topic
I is here for your help.
please let me know your questions and ill try to answer as best as i can. consumer electronics has been my business for around 8 years now and i can answer most questions pertaining to this topic
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I'm in he market for a home theater system. Stipulations would be ipod dock and wireless speakers. Not looking for anything super fancy as we have a 2 year old, so I'm only looking to spend about $300. Suggestions?
not too much out there with wireless rears and a ipod dock for $300...actually, i dont think there are any with wireless at that price.
maybe you can find something at Walmart or Kmart but it wont be anything i would recommend
maybe you can find something at Walmart or Kmart but it wont be anything i would recommend
meh, that's what I thought but was in denial.
how about something like this?http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/595631-REG/Samsung_HT_Z420T_HT_Z420T_DVD_Home_Theater.html
or should I just focus on wired....
how about something like this?http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/595631-REG/Samsung_HT_Z420T_HT_Z420T_DVD_Home_Theater.html
or should I just focus on wired....
actually im sorta right.
Sony has a model with Ipod dock and add-on wireless rears for $299 http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665793572
the wireless rear add-on is $149
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&identifier=S_SAIR
Sony has a model with Ipod dock and add-on wireless rears for $299 http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665793572
the wireless rear add-on is $149
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&identifier=S_SAIR
id absolutely focus on a wired rear setup. how bad of a job is it to run the wires to the rear of your room?
honestly don't really know as I really don't have much if any experience with it. I was hoping to get away with a relatively decent wireless setup for now until our daughters get over their sticking food in dvd players phase and not having to pull cable would be huge.
I'll look into the sony setup. thanks for the help.
i love my Slingbox, but whatever is on one tv that the box is hooked up to, will be on your other tv in your bedroom. if you have VOIP or phone service via the internet, be prepared for talking to tech support like i did.
lol, yeah ive dealt with tons of parents trying to prevent their kids from messing with their systems.
usually you can tuck the wires for the rear under the carpet near the baseboard or there are baseboards that are hollow to run the wires inside of them.
a wired setup sounds better and you wont get any interference from outside sources. plus the money youll save, you can put towards a better system.
if you are going to pay $350 for the Sony setup, id suggest looking into paying $350 for a wired setup. youll be much happier
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sooo.
i just bought a bluray (yay! for modernity). a sony s370 with hopes (mostly) of watching stuff i download (mpg, avi) from the internet on tv.
so far so good. i was using some 16gb usb sticks.
problem is, they dont hold too much data (they are not even enough for my music collection for my car stereo). so i bought a 500gb usb external hard drive.
now the problem is, my bluray (nor my car stereo) will recognize the hard drive.
its seems the harddrive has to be in fat32 format (it was in ntfs). i did a quick format to xFAT in windows 7.... but no help.
anybody knows what else could i do?
i just bought a bluray (yay! for modernity). a sony s370 with hopes (mostly) of watching stuff i download (mpg, avi) from the internet on tv.
so far so good. i was using some 16gb usb sticks.
problem is, they dont hold too much data (they are not even enough for my music collection for my car stereo). so i bought a 500gb usb external hard drive.
now the problem is, my bluray (nor my car stereo) will recognize the hard drive.
its seems the harddrive has to be in fat32 format (it was in ntfs). i did a quick format to xFAT in windows 7.... but no help.
anybody knows what else could i do?
You just need a special utility to format the drive to fat32.
http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?fat32format.htm
Or check Google... There are lots of utilities.
http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?fat32format.htm
Or check Google... There are lots of utilities.
alrighty tech nerds...
XMBC or Plex? aaaand go!
i've been using itunes and it is just getting frustrating having to re-encode stuff.
specs: mac mini HTPC, usb bluray, 4TB NAS storage hooked up to a 42" LED lit LCD TV. no remote yet (should i get one? I REALLY like using my ipod touch as a remote; will I be able to continue to do this?); just a trackpad and bluetooth keyboard. sound goodies are in the pipeline--for now just a couple of speakers plugged into the tv.
XMBC or Plex? aaaand go!
i've been using itunes and it is just getting frustrating having to re-encode stuff.specs: mac mini HTPC, usb bluray, 4TB NAS storage hooked up to a 42" LED lit LCD TV. no remote yet (should i get one? I REALLY like using my ipod touch as a remote; will I be able to continue to do this?); just a trackpad and bluetooth keyboard. sound goodies are in the pipeline--for now just a couple of speakers plugged into the tv.
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anyone? is anybody else on here using a computer as their media center? What do you use as your frontend?
ah.Windows
is said computer a dedicated device? have you ever tried using a skin? I'm thinking of doing this; but not sure about what limitations it might impose. The respective user forums for both services are just filled with fanbois and not alot of info for someone thinking of taking the plunge. thought maybe someone on here had tried it.
It's a dedicated HTPC, we just don't use it a whole lot so it's easy to simply snag the wireless mouse that resides next to it and double click on the movie we want to see.
Ok. So my Samsung DLP fried. The lamp is NOT the issue. One of the main board decided it didn't want to work anymore. With my new line of employment, I say, "F*CK YOU JOBU!!!!" and will be purchasing a new "recreational device". (I'm home on weekends for the next 5 months...go to the Lounge you n000000bs!)
So. I am going from a 2005 Samsung DLP to.....?
I have read about certain models and have become increasingly interested in the LED tv's that are out there.
I would like to stay Samsung but am open to other options.
I know about dynamic vs. native contrast ratios and cannot seem to find a straight answer in ~1.5hrs of half-assed googling.
I also am aware of the distinct difference of gray-gray vs. black-white contrast measurements.
BOTTOM LINE: When I come home to watch football on Saturday and (especially!!!!!!) Sunday, WILL I BE HAPPY WITH MY 2 DAYS OFF!?!?!?!??????!
Any help is appreciated.
(Cost is a minor an issue. If you hit the mid to mid-upper 4 figure mark (4k-7k), it's probably a "no-go" unless the law of diminishing returns is turned on it's head.)
I know you know. Let me know.
Thanks.
-G
So. I am going from a 2005 Samsung DLP to.....?
I have read about certain models and have become increasingly interested in the LED tv's that are out there.
I would like to stay Samsung but am open to other options.
I know about dynamic vs. native contrast ratios and cannot seem to find a straight answer in ~1.5hrs of half-assed googling.
I also am aware of the distinct difference of gray-gray vs. black-white contrast measurements.
BOTTOM LINE: When I come home to watch football on Saturday and (especially!!!!!!) Sunday, WILL I BE HAPPY WITH MY 2 DAYS OFF!?!?!?!??????!
Any help is appreciated.
(Cost is a minor an issue. If you hit the mid to mid-upper 4 figure mark (4k-7k), it's probably a "no-go" unless the law of diminishing returns is turned on it's head.)
I know you know. Let me know.
Thanks.
-G
what size were you looking for? im assuming youd like to have a 3D set as well since price isnt too much of a concern?
ive always been a fan of Samsung's current crop of LED LCD's. they produce deep blacks that rival a lot of plasmas out there but dont have the disadvantages that plasmas have (power consumption, glare...) last i checked, the samsung sets had their high-speed refresh rate defeatable which is something i would do right away. i have never been a fan of super fast refresh rates since it tends to make the movie/show almost look fake. its really hard to describe exactly what im talking about, but if you went to a store and looked at a set with 120 or 240hz refresh rate, youll see what im talking about right away.
let me know price and size and ill fire off some suggestions since today will be slow at the shop.
ive always been a fan of Samsung's current crop of LED LCD's. they produce deep blacks that rival a lot of plasmas out there but dont have the disadvantages that plasmas have (power consumption, glare...) last i checked, the samsung sets had their high-speed refresh rate defeatable which is something i would do right away. i have never been a fan of super fast refresh rates since it tends to make the movie/show almost look fake. its really hard to describe exactly what im talking about, but if you went to a store and looked at a set with 120 or 240hz refresh rate, youll see what im talking about right away.
let me know price and size and ill fire off some suggestions since today will be slow at the shop.
Current size is 46" and the wife would like to not go bigger, but 55" would be my preference.
I know exactly what you mean by the "fake" look. Whenever I walk through Costco and they have a movie playing, some look so wonky that I can't stand it. So that's the 120Hz vs 240Hz, etc.?
I know exactly what you mean by the "fake" look. Whenever I walk through Costco and they have a movie playing, some look so wonky that I can't stand it. So that's the 120Hz vs 240Hz, etc.?
yes, thats the fast refresh rate that is causing that. some people dont notice it, but if you do, it can be very annoying
take a look at the Samsung UN46D7050 (they make a 55" version as well.) its not too badly priced and is a bit cheaper then the 7900 series but it comes with 2 pairs of 3D glasses ($80/each.) the 7900 series does have a higher dynamic contrast ratio (dynamic contrast is a bs measurement anyway,) but i dont think youll see too big of a difference b/w the two sets.
Ended up snatching a 55" 7000 model for a decent price. They threw in a Blu-ray player and a couple movies (shrek collection and something else....) along with the glasses.
I found the defeatable option to make it look "not fake" and it's pretty fun to switch back and forth...*geek*.
The remote that come with this thing could pilot the space shuttle....
This should be fun!
cool. thats a nice set. that qwerty remote really is something....a bit over the top if you ask me but i guess if youre browsing the web and skyping, it makes sense.
im glad there still is a option to defeat their "CMR" 720hz refresh rate.
im glad there still is a option to defeat their "CMR" 720hz refresh rate.
The refresh rate is AWESOME for football. The option to turn it off is awesome too.
This thing is AWESOME!!
so, i just got a 55" 3D samsung TV.
Instead of buying a 3d bluray, i decide i want to nerd it out, and get a dedicated CPU to watch blurays and stuff i download from the internet (3d preferrably).
being am absolutely new to 3d stuff... is there any standard?
say, i buy a geforce 460gtx card and it will be magically compatible to my tv once i hook the hdmi cable?
anything i should look for? ive heard about nvidia 3dtvplay... but am not really clear on the concept...
anybody has a 3d htpc?
Instead of buying a 3d bluray, i decide i want to nerd it out, and get a dedicated CPU to watch blurays and stuff i download from the internet (3d preferrably).
being am absolutely new to 3d stuff... is there any standard?
say, i buy a geforce 460gtx card and it will be magically compatible to my tv once i hook the hdmi cable?
anything i should look for? ive heard about nvidia 3dtvplay... but am not really clear on the concept...
anybody has a 3d htpc?
I'd like to spend 100-$150 on a new blu ray player. Wifi, optical out are important. I can probably get by with a standard digital out though. I don't have a 3dTV, but having forward compatibility isn't a bad thing. I don't really pirate movies, but I like having the option of playing things like DivX or whatever. My receiver is a toshiba or yamaha, can't remember. TV is a westinghouse.
We have ipads for surfing, so web browing isn't essential, but I wouldn't mind having an HTPC that can surfs nettertubes either. We have a Wii, and we have netflux streaming.
So what do?
We have ipads for surfing, so web browing isn't essential, but I wouldn't mind having an HTPC that can surfs nettertubes either. We have a Wii, and we have netflux streaming.
So what do?
Last month I bought the Panasonic DMP-BDT220 blu-ray player after searching around for a bit. Seems to be very popular and get high ratings in the $100-$150 price range. Has WiFi, optical out, lots of streaming capabilities, 3D although I don't have a 3D tv. Seems to work well but I haven't used it all that much yet.
I still have a HTPC that I built a few years ago. I use that to mostly play back downloaded TV shows/movies and surf the web. It's been having some issues recently and I've been thinking about turning it into a NAS type device DLNA server, so that I could just use the blu-ray player as the playback device.
I still have a HTPC that I built a few years ago. I use that to mostly play back downloaded TV shows/movies and surf the web. It's been having some issues recently and I've been thinking about turning it into a NAS type device DLNA server, so that I could just use the blu-ray player as the playback device.
Ummm, wouldn't just about any Blu-ray player in that price range have those stats? The first one I found on Amazon is a Sony for $120.
yeah, i'm not asking a whole lot out of it, I just want to buy one that works and won't turn into my old panasonic CD player, which crapped out of every orifice in a short amount of time.
yeah, pretty much any BD player in that price range would/should offer what you are looking for. plus at that range, most are going to perform basically the same
is it worth spending more, or less?
I was debating between the Panny and Sony S590 and only went with the Panny because it plays back FLAC files while the Sony does not. I agree that most players in this price range are equal but these two seem to be the most popular.
I don't see any need to spend more for what you need it to do. Otherwise you probably need to spend double to get any worthwhile improvements.
I don't see any need to spend more for what you need it to do. Otherwise you probably need to spend double to get any worthwhile improvements.
Thinking about going with a bluetooth setup for the garage/workshop. Reccomendations? Want to keep the laptop in the house where it lives and send tunes through the wall to the work area...about 20 odd feet...
What about wi-fi instead of Bluetooth and were you just after something like this that just plugs in to a stereo/TV or a full system?
http://www.philips.com.au/c-p/HMP5000_79/hd-media-player
http://www.philips.com.au/c-p/HMP5000_79/hd-media-player
I just want good sound and ease of use...I like the bluetooth as I have used it in my truck so far. Been looking at teh Sonus speakers...Play 5 I think...
Have you tried to see if you can get Bluetooth reception from the PC to something like a phone? Bluetooth is pretty crap for going through walls. I have a pretty old type one and it sounds pretty good(to me) but it still doesn't transmit all that far, however it is cool as you just plug it in and it mutes the computer speakers and always outputs at a set volume.
That Sonos gets some good reviews, it's pretty cool that each driver gets it's own amplifier channel much better than relying on natural rolloff/shitty 6dB crossovers.
That Sonos gets some good reviews, it's pretty cool that each driver gets it's own amplifier channel much better than relying on natural rolloff/shitty 6dB crossovers.
get the Sonos. theyve come a long way in a short amount of time. their UI on mobile devices leaves a lot to be desired but its functional and is simple.
How much dressing room square footage is required for a troop of midgets to play Hamlet in my living room?
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Are you talking selected scenes or the whole thing?
I have big plans for the (finished) basement in new house. 5.1 wiring is being hid in the walls--5.1 because that was what was included already in the house package and because it's not a huge room. I'll be doing this around a year from now.
Plan is ~70" 4k panel +/- high dynamic range and extended gamut, a Ultra HD Blu-Ray player to feed it, a Yamaha 7.1 receiver to power some SVS Prime speakers (extra two channels driving another stereo zone upstairs in the kitchen), and a SVS sub sitting in the corner. Oh, and a new-built PC that will be able to drive Fallout 4 at 4k resolution, hopefully a gaming model in a small case with no fan? GTX 980 Ti or thereabouts for graphics.
Plan is ~70" 4k panel +/- high dynamic range and extended gamut, a Ultra HD Blu-Ray player to feed it, a Yamaha 7.1 receiver to power some SVS Prime speakers (extra two channels driving another stereo zone upstairs in the kitchen), and a SVS sub sitting in the corner. Oh, and a new-built PC that will be able to drive Fallout 4 at 4k resolution, hopefully a gaming model in a small case with no fan? GTX 980 Ti or thereabouts for graphics.