Browse Forums Home Theatre & Automation 1 Jan 07, 2009 10:50 pm I am in the process of getting together my preferred setup and requirements to complete my home theatre. I have a rough idea of what I would like but weather that actually works is another point all together. I have read heaps of posts in here and alot of them spark new questions for me so I have put together a lists of questions and hopefully can get some different points of views from you guys.
1. I am in Canberra and not Melbourne - I see you guys get a lot of work done by Matt and Rod in Melbourne, so does anyone know a good source in Canberra ? 2. My room is 4.2 x 4, so would you consider a 50" too large or would a 46" be big enough ? 3. If I was to say my budget was 6 - 8k and that I wanted the following things, would combination would you come up with for me ? a. Surround sound with dual zone so I can use it for music out to the Alfresco and still be able to utilise it for the theatre at the same time b. 46 - 50" Plasma c. blue ray DVD player d. I want the TV wall mounted but the other gear put in a small cupboard at the back of the room 4. With the wiring will the electrician be able to do it all or will I need to get a AV specialist in ? 5. Is it better to buy the equipment now or wait until the time comes to put it in ? 6. Last question: Are there any good resources online to look at to try and learn a bit more (lot more) about setups ? Thanks in advance and I really appreciate any advice that is given to me. Phil email: phillipsimmons@bigpond.com Re: Complete Newbie looking for any help possible :-) 2Jan 08, 2009 3:42 am Hi Phil
Short answer is it's definitely do-able! Do you already have speakers? For a budget of $6-8k you might want to look at a projector - it will give you a far better movie experience than a plasma screen (of course it all depends on what else the room is being used for). BenQ or Epson I think are the brands that the guys here recommend. If you are keen on sticking with a plasma then my opinion is that the Panasonic Viera is the best looking. Ultimately though the best thing you can do is go to HN or JB where they have a lot of TV's set up and pick the one that YOU think has the best picture - it's all subjective. As far as a receiver goes, in general most modern ones have at least one extra zone. Mostly though they use the surround back channel, so you end up with 5.1 in the main room. In my research it's only the Yamaha's (have a look at the RXV863 - around $1000-1200) that don't use the surround back channel to control the second zone - they have a 'front presence' channel which means you can have 9.1 in your main zone or 7.1 + Zone 2. If you don't really mind having 5.1 in the main zone then there are what some would consider to be better quality options - e.g. Denon AVR2309 or Marantz SR5003 (both about $1500) Of course this all applies only if you are plugging your zone 2 speakers directly into the receiver - you can also use a secondary amp and plug it into the Zone 2 pre-out but i'm guessing that is kind of defeating the purpose of what you are trying to achieve. As far as blu-ray players go, believe it or not a PS3 is the best value for money. Otherwise if you want a dedicated blu-ray player then maybe a Panasonic DMP-BD35 or Samsung BD-P1500 (both <$500) Option 1 Epson EH-TW3000 Projector: $3000 Yamaha RXV863 Receiver: $1000 Blu-ray: $500 Screen: $1000 Total = $5,500, leaving room for a power conditioner, or a better receiver (or speakers if you don't have them!) Option 2 Panasonic Viera 50" Plasma: $3000 Yamaha RXV863 Receiver: $1000 Blu-ray: $500 Total = $4,500 If you don't already have speakers, everyone's ear is different, so again you'll need to go to a home theatre store (or HN or JB) and go and pick the ones that sound best to your ears. I know I haven't answered all your questions but I hope this gives you a start - I'll leave it for others to comment now After 2 false starts, a year living overseas, two more world trips and 3 years of uncertainty we are now starting the build process again - hopefully for real this time! Re: Complete Newbie looking for any help possible :-) 3Jan 08, 2009 7:41 pm Thank you so much for you advice. That has given me something to start running with. I was going to stay away from the Projector as the room will be used for a "parents" TV room as well as a place where I can watch a blockbuster as well. Re: Complete Newbie looking for any help possible :-) 4Jan 10, 2009 8:49 pm You can buy a projector for the same price as plasma and why plasma? go with lcd.
i dont kno much about receivers and speakers so ill leave it to the pros to answer. and it's 'blu-ray player'...not 'blu-ray dvd player' ppl get it confused..or if you mean a blu-ray/dvd player then it's right. hehe i hope i got this right. also buy a ps3($700)..if you like playing games otherwise go with a dedicated blu-ray player for less price. Re: Complete Newbie looking for any help possible :-) 5Jan 11, 2009 11:35 am I don't think I want a projector hanging off my ceiling so I decided to go with a TV.
I was thinking along the Plasma line because of the following factors 1. Price 2. LCD's blacks are not as dark ? I am more than happy for you to fly the flag for the LCD and tell me why they "BETTER" than plasmas Cheers Re: Complete Newbie looking for any help possible :-) 6Jan 11, 2009 11:22 pm ok so we'll keep the projectors out of this and god i dont wanna start on the 'plasma or lcd' question. i mean it has been discussed all over the place, google it.
but ill quickly add this; if your tv is going to be used in an open area with light then lcd is the perfect choice as lcds tend to reflect more ambient light than plasmas. but for a dark room(eg. HT) plasmas are not a bad choice and as everyone knows they use more power than the lcds. Re: Complete Newbie looking for any help possible :-) 7Jan 12, 2009 6:22 pm Hey jester2619, did you speak to any Canberra installers yet, (don't know what pricing is like ?)
We're building in Macgregor and i'm thinking about doing the majority myself ? Just need to run all cabling before the plasterers come through. Re: Complete Newbie looking for any help possible :-) 8Jan 12, 2009 9:18 pm jester2619 I am in the process of getting together my preferred setup and requirements to complete my home theatre. I have a rough idea of what I would like but weather that actually works is another point all together. I have read heaps of posts in here and alot of them spark new questions for me so I have put together a lists of questions and hopefully can get some different points of views from you guys. 1. I am in Canberra and not Melbourne - I see you guys get a lot of work done by Matt and Rod in Melbourne, so does anyone know a good source in Canberra ? 2. My room is 4.2 x 4, so would you consider a 50" too large or would a 46" be big enough ? 3. If I was to say my budget was 6 - 8k and that I wanted the following things, would combination would you come up with for me ? a. Surround sound with dual zone so I can use it for music out to the Alfresco and still be able to utilise it for the theatre at the same time b. 46 - 50" Plasma c. blue ray DVD player d. I want the TV wall mounted but the other gear put in a small cupboard at the back of the room 4. With the wiring will the electrician be able to do it all or will I need to get a AV specialist in ? 5. Is it better to buy the equipment now or wait until the time comes to put it in ? 6. Last question: Are there any good resources online to look at to try and learn a bit more (lot more) about setups ? Thanks in advance and I really appreciate any advice that is given to me. Phil email: phillipsimmons@bigpond.com Hi Phil In regards to an online site for information have a look at www.dtvforum.info which has a section dedicated to setups, construction and design. Trust me it will be the only site you will have to visit for technical setup tips. I am building in Forde this year and have all my theatre equipment but need a reliable (competent) installer for my theatre install also. Cheers Michael He wants a dream home theatre - she wants a dream kitchen! Re: Complete Newbie looking for any help possible :-) 9Jan 12, 2009 9:23 pm Thanks so much for the advice and I will be sure to check out that link, right now.
Well after a shower. We are building in Bonner and fingers crossed the land will be released in July - September so we can kick off then Thanks heaps Phil Re: Complete Newbie looking for any help possible :-) 10Jan 13, 2009 3:19 am +1 for the DTVForum link
I have been looking a lot into home theatre gear recently and that forum always comes up in my searches After 2 false starts, a year living overseas, two more world trips and 3 years of uncertainty we are now starting the build process again - hopefully for real this time! Re: Complete Newbie looking for any help possible :-) 11Jan 13, 2009 10:27 am Quote: Hi Phil In regards to an online site for information have a look at www.dtvforum.info which has a section dedicated to setups, construction and design. Trust me it will be the only site you will have to visit for technical setup tips. That's not exactly true... Re: Complete Newbie looking for any help possible :-) 12Jan 13, 2009 10:41 am jester2619 I am in the process of getting together my preferred setup and requirements to complete my home theatre. I have a rough idea of what I would like but weather that actually works is another point all together. I have read heaps of posts in here and alot of them spark new questions for me so I have put together a lists of questions and hopefully can get some different points of views from you guys. 1. I am in Canberra and not Melbourne - I see you guys get a lot of work done by Matt and Rod in Melbourne, so does anyone know a good source in Canberra ? 2. My room is 4.2 x 4, so would you consider a 50" too large or would a 46" be big enough ? 3. If I was to say my budget was 6 - 8k and that I wanted the following things, would combination would you come up with for me ? a. Surround sound with dual zone so I can use it for music out to the Alfresco and still be able to utilise it for the theatre at the same time b. 46 - 50" Plasma c. blue ray DVD player d. I want the TV wall mounted but the other gear put in a small cupboard at the back of the room 4. With the wiring will the electrician be able to do it all or will I need to get a AV specialist in ? 5. Is it better to buy the equipment now or wait until the time comes to put it in ? 6. Last question: Are there any good resources online to look at to try and learn a bit more (lot more) about setups ? Thanks in advance and I really appreciate any advice that is given to me. Phil email: phillipsimmons@bigpond.com 1. I don't know any installers in Canberra. That said, I've actaully given the odd quote to interstate users (esp. in QLD) who were given expensive ones from local shops. If you truly get stuck you can certainly ask . 2. 50" is definitely not too big for that room. Consider a 50" 1080P plasma - really good value at the moment. 3. Big ask for anyone to just rattle off - so many options... That said, that is a very fair budget to get you a very decent system. 4. Electricians do NOT know everything they need to know to enable them to advise you on everything you will need for this room. They know how to run speaker wires and even a HDMI cable (wow), but they do not understand the variations in the equipment that you may end up with or how to make sure you are covered for them. 5. If you wait to get your equipment you will always benefit from any newer features incorporated to newer models and may also benefit from reduced prices too. That said, you need to know what features are currently available and which of today's features and technologies you need to cater for (does your preferred AV Receiver do HDMI switching or video up-conversion? This type of info will help determine what type(s) of video cabling you need to run...), as well as what features or technologies are very likey in the near future. Ask a sparky that! 6. Absolutely you should research your setup. All of the brands will have the technical specs for their equipment online (so you can check, eg. what video formats your chosen AV Receiver can support, etc.). Re: Complete Newbie looking for any help possible :-) 13Jan 13, 2009 10:47 am Apologies Rod
You are correct, what I was thinking was a dedicated room only, which is always in the back of my mind. Homeone is always a great resource and dtvinfo is NOT the only website he will need. Any chance Rod you could help us Canberrans out with installs, god knows we need it up here. Cheers Michael He wants a dream home theatre - she wants a dream kitchen! Re: Complete Newbie looking for any help possible :-) 14Mar 09, 2009 4:51 pm paddy Apologies Rod You are correct, what I was thinking was a dedicated room only, which is always in the back of my mind. Homeone is always a great resource and dtvinfo is NOT the only website he will need. Any chance Rod you could help us Canberrans out with installs, god knows we need it up here. Cheers Michael +1 for the need for a decent Canberra AV installer!!! Well, one that doesn't try and rip you off! Anyone have any luck? Also - any recommendations for Canberra sparkys?? yes it is possible but watch for noise transmission, decouple as best you can. Maybe wider top and bottom plates with 70mm studs to allow the cabinet to be recessed fully 1 4790 You can wash over existing pavers with 10% solution of water and hydrochloric acid, then wash off. The acid will provide for required bond key with new concrete. 1 32083 0 1547 |