Elphaba
Stunt Coordinator
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2007
- Messages
- 54
- Real Name
- Gilda
The room the HT is going to go in is the living room, with the section it will be going in roughly 10 x 12, open on one end. Seating will be seven feet from the tv.
I've been reading and researching and come to the conclusion that I want a 42" HDTV, LCD, a Blu-Ray player, a surround sound reciever, and a basic entry level set of speakers. I'm going to get the TV and player first, make sure everything is working well there, then get the surround sound equipment later.
Here is what I'm tentatively planning to get:
HDTV: Westinghouse TX-42F430S -- $1169
I played with the picture on this one at the store and liked what I was able to get there about as well as the Samsung next to it. I'm aware that the black levels aren't going to be quite as good as a Samsung/Sony/Sharp/Panasonic, but I'm not sure that they're going to be $500-$600 better.
DVD Player: I'm flexible on this, and have narrowed it down to three possibilities, each with it's strengths and witnesses. I've already decided on getting a Blu-Ray player, so please no suggestions for a SD or HD-DVD player.
Panasonic DMP-BD10AK--$600. The big advantage here is the five free movies in the box. I'll be getting the two Pirates of the Caribbean movies anyway, and I wouldn't mind owning the other three, all of which I enjoyed in the theater. Along with the five free discs mail in, that's a ten movie library to start. Very appealing.
PS3--$500: It plays games, and is backwards compatible with hundreds of PS2 games to tide me over until there are some really good ones for the PS3. It has regular firmware updates to add functionality. It's $100 less than the Panasonic, meaning I could still get the two POTC movies and pick another two.
Sony BDP-S300--$487: It's less than the Panasonic, enough so that I can pick out five movies I want. It's a dedicated player that's going to run more quietly than the PS3. I'm not sure how much time I'll have for game playing once school starts again.
I'm not sure which is going to upscale my current DVDs best; that would be a factor in my decision making.
Reciever: I'd like to keep this at $500 or less. I've been looking at these three:
Pioneer VSX-1016TX--$499
Sony STR-DG810--$399
Yamaha RX-V661BL--$499
All of these seem to have the major surround sound modes I'm looking for, plenty of power, and automatic setup, which I like because I'm not the most technically oriented person in the world.
Speakers:
JBL SCS300.5--$450
JBL SUB10--about $300
This is where I'm least sure of my choice. I picked those because they sounded fantastic at Best Buy when I listened to them and the system is five identical speakers (the center channel is the same as the satellites, but turned sideways), which I've read can be an advantage. And they look cool, though that's probably the least important part of it.
But I'm not sure if it wouldn't be better to get the Klipsch Synergy Quintet and add a subwoofer for about the same, or even go for a few hundred more and get the Klipsch Quintet and a sub.
I even considered buying Klipsch floor standing speakers, center channel, and surrounds separately rather than a pre-matched system. That came to about $1200, which is more than I wanted to spend initially, but their being in pieces would mean that I could start with the three front speakers and use the simulated Dolby (I forget the name) for a few months and add surrounds later when I can afford it, and then a sub if I decide I need one. If I get the bigger floor standing speakers, would a sub even be needed?
Add in a stand for the TV, DVD player, and receiver from Wal Mart for about $100, speaker wire, interconnect cables, surger suppressor, and a universal remote (Harmony 520, a little under $100), and I'm coming in at a total of just over $3000 with tax for everything, with money being split about evenly between video and audio, or actually about 50-40 in favor of video, with ten percent on cables, wires, stand, and remote.
None of this is set in stone, so critique away if you see any glaring flaws. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.
I've been reading and researching and come to the conclusion that I want a 42" HDTV, LCD, a Blu-Ray player, a surround sound reciever, and a basic entry level set of speakers. I'm going to get the TV and player first, make sure everything is working well there, then get the surround sound equipment later.
Here is what I'm tentatively planning to get:
HDTV: Westinghouse TX-42F430S -- $1169
I played with the picture on this one at the store and liked what I was able to get there about as well as the Samsung next to it. I'm aware that the black levels aren't going to be quite as good as a Samsung/Sony/Sharp/Panasonic, but I'm not sure that they're going to be $500-$600 better.
DVD Player: I'm flexible on this, and have narrowed it down to three possibilities, each with it's strengths and witnesses. I've already decided on getting a Blu-Ray player, so please no suggestions for a SD or HD-DVD player.
Panasonic DMP-BD10AK--$600. The big advantage here is the five free movies in the box. I'll be getting the two Pirates of the Caribbean movies anyway, and I wouldn't mind owning the other three, all of which I enjoyed in the theater. Along with the five free discs mail in, that's a ten movie library to start. Very appealing.
PS3--$500: It plays games, and is backwards compatible with hundreds of PS2 games to tide me over until there are some really good ones for the PS3. It has regular firmware updates to add functionality. It's $100 less than the Panasonic, meaning I could still get the two POTC movies and pick another two.
Sony BDP-S300--$487: It's less than the Panasonic, enough so that I can pick out five movies I want. It's a dedicated player that's going to run more quietly than the PS3. I'm not sure how much time I'll have for game playing once school starts again.
I'm not sure which is going to upscale my current DVDs best; that would be a factor in my decision making.
Reciever: I'd like to keep this at $500 or less. I've been looking at these three:
Pioneer VSX-1016TX--$499
Sony STR-DG810--$399
Yamaha RX-V661BL--$499
All of these seem to have the major surround sound modes I'm looking for, plenty of power, and automatic setup, which I like because I'm not the most technically oriented person in the world.
Speakers:
JBL SCS300.5--$450
JBL SUB10--about $300
This is where I'm least sure of my choice. I picked those because they sounded fantastic at Best Buy when I listened to them and the system is five identical speakers (the center channel is the same as the satellites, but turned sideways), which I've read can be an advantage. And they look cool, though that's probably the least important part of it.
But I'm not sure if it wouldn't be better to get the Klipsch Synergy Quintet and add a subwoofer for about the same, or even go for a few hundred more and get the Klipsch Quintet and a sub.
I even considered buying Klipsch floor standing speakers, center channel, and surrounds separately rather than a pre-matched system. That came to about $1200, which is more than I wanted to spend initially, but their being in pieces would mean that I could start with the three front speakers and use the simulated Dolby (I forget the name) for a few months and add surrounds later when I can afford it, and then a sub if I decide I need one. If I get the bigger floor standing speakers, would a sub even be needed?
Add in a stand for the TV, DVD player, and receiver from Wal Mart for about $100, speaker wire, interconnect cables, surger suppressor, and a universal remote (Harmony 520, a little under $100), and I'm coming in at a total of just over $3000 with tax for everything, with money being split about evenly between video and audio, or actually about 50-40 in favor of video, with ten percent on cables, wires, stand, and remote.
None of this is set in stone, so critique away if you see any glaring flaws. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.