Noob with lots of questions (1 Viewer)

My family will be upgrading from a 27 inch TV with basically no sound other than the TV, to a 60" plasma with 3d capabilities and surround sound. I've got a lot of questions We could probably stop at the new TV and be very satisfied but as ya'll know, once you start reading these forums you get sucked in. The first stumbling block is the room. It's an open floor plan about 30 X 30 with a vaulted ceiing. The kitchen foyer and dining room are all included in this space. So really, the place we sit for TV is about 15 x 15. It's a log cabin so we can't do wires in walls. And about the only place for the tv is caddy corner in one corner. Our folcal point is the wood stove, that's where all of our sitting seems to face. We have power all over the room so I think that's ok if we go wireless. So I'm gonna assume we can put the TV in the corner and get all of our seating within 12-15 feet of there...at least for the sake of argument. Since I have no idea how to mix and match I've been looking at Onkyo HT-S9400THX 7.1 for about $1000 (actually saw 650 refurb). Should I go with that or can I mix and match and get a much better quality of all 3 components of the HTIB for the same price? Should I even go 7.1? Every thread I read I seem to add another question Thanks, Curly

A corner is normally the worst place for the TV, due to setting up the front speakers. I would re-consider the corner TV position. Do you have a wall for the rear speakers?

Yeah I heard that about corners. No wall back there for the rear speakers. I figured they would stand kinda behind the couch. And now I just started looking for a stand for the tv....big sigh...another $300 or so. Oh well, when the pain is gone we'll have many hours of watching pleasure. I think I'm gonna call BestBuy and get them to send the geeksquad over to see what will really work in this space. I'll let ya'll know. Thanks, Curly

Please don't call the noobsquad over. Either give us a diagram of the room, or snap a couple pics.

Ha-ha...OK, I'll get some measurements and a few pics.

I haven't uploaded the room diagram yet, but in the whole room there's only one place that's 6 foot where the TV could go on a straight wall. Everything else is taken by windows or doors. And I really don't think we can use that spot for the TV. Our entire room was designed around the wood stove. Looking more like the corner is the only hope here.

I haven't uploaded the room diagram yet, but in the whole room there's only one place that's 6 foot where the TV could go on a straight wall. Everything else is taken by windows or doors. And I really don't think we can use that spot for the TV. Our entire room was designed around the wood stove. Looking more like the corner is the only hope here.

I would just use 2 front speakers or a soundbar. That room likes like a nightmare for surround sound.

Thanks Jim. The pic is horrible. The moderator intercepted or I would have seen how bad it was last night and tried to redo it. But yeah, it's one big open room. The kitchen is there under the loft. The only open wall is on the left side (about middle) and it's about 60 inches. The rest is windows, doors, corners or the wood stove area. The bottom left corner is where we currently have our entertainment center with 27 inch TV Questions: 1. So I guess we need to go ahead and put the 60 inch there with a sound bar or a pair of speakers, right. 2. Still need a sub woofer right? 3 .Do I still need a receiver? --- a. Iphone hook up --- b. What else is needed 4 And if I get a smart blu-ray then I don't need to get a smart TV? 5. What do I look for in a cuss box? Thanks for the advice.

[ATTACHMENT=241]home theater.xlsx (12k. xlsx file)[/ATTACHMENT] Here's a drawing I did in excel. It's much easier to look at. The only problem with that big wall space between the front door and the window is the furniture and speakers wood partially block the entrance to the cabin. Oh well, all advice is appreciated. Thanks, Curly

Curly said:

Thanks Jim. The pic is horrible. The moderator intercepted or I would have seen how bad it was last night and tried to redo it. But yeah, it's one big open room. The kitchen is there under the loft. The only open wall is on the left side (about middle) and it's about 60 inches. The rest is windows, doors, corners or the wood stove area. The bottom left corner is where we currently have our entertainment center with 27 inch TV Questions: 1. So I guess we need to go ahead and put the 60 inch there with a sound bar or a pair of speakers, right. 2. Still need a sub woofer right? 3 .Do I still need a receiver? --- a. Iphone hook up --- b. What else is needed 4 And if I get a smart blu-ray then I don't need to get a smart TV? 5. What do I look for in a cuss box? Thanks for the advice.

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1. Yeah, put it next to the woodstove, and if possible try to block out as much light from the side window. 2. It's preferable, but not necessary. 3. Yes. You need a receiver to power your speakers. Most will have a USB port to plug in your iPhone, and even control it from iPhone, iPad, etc. 4. Yes. 5. Wtf is a cuss box.

The Cuss box (as I've heard it called) removes the profanity from what you are watching. I've looked at TV Gaurdian so far. Any other suggestions?

Wow, that is one lousy layout for a home theater! I'm not a big fan of soundbars, and in that room it would quickly become overmatched by the size. (Anyone futher than the primary couch would get lousy sound.) Would you be okay mounting on the ceiling? If so, you could go with satellite speakers angled down, eccept for the center, which would go near your TV. You could then even go with rears. Harman/Kardon makes good surrounds. I would highly recommend a subwoofer (it would be mandatory with satellites. That room is fairly large and the low end will get washd out without one. I've never heard a cuss box being discussed before. Most of us on the forum strive for getting the exact experience the director intended. So the use of something like a cuss box would be anathema. (Personally, I just wouldn't watch anything I found objectionable.) I am curious what responses you get, since I didn't know they existed.

Al, The room was defnately not designed for sound. But the furniture is not connected to the floor so it can go anywhere it needs to go to make this work better. And yes, ceiling mounted will be fine if it helps. Would that allow 5.1 or 7.1? I've only got 10 posts and I've already encountered the cuss box haters What one person may see as sin (muting profanity from a movie) is entirely different than what I may see as sin, right? All of us with younger children know that even G rated movies have profanity in them now so it's pretty hard to know whats objectionable until after the fact.

I've only got 10 posts and I've already encountered the cuss box haters What one person may see as sin (muting profanity from a movie) is entirely different than what I may see as sin, right? All of us with younger children know that even G rated movies have profanity in them now so it's pretty hard to know whats objectionable until after the fact.

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Ha! I’m not a hater, just not an interested consumer. I have no problem with *you* using it. But for my kids the preference was that they saw the real movie, or they didn’t see it at all (at that age). I wasn’t overly concerned with foul language. Since it wasn’t language we used around the house, the kids knew it wasn’t acceptable. (The 1st time my daughter heard me curse, I think she was 17, she almost fainted!) I was most concerned with violence and to some degree inappropraite sex. Whatever you do, don’t watch ‘Stand By me’ with your kids. My wife and I didn’t remember it this way beforehand, but every 4th word was an expletive, and coming from kids at that. We (jokingly) told the kids not to tell their teachers that they watched it with us.

While standing in line at 7-11 it appears that just about anything is "acceptable" these days. I'd have had my ears pinned back for just thinking about saying some of that stuff when I was a kid. Cuss boxes, or some form of it, have been around for a while. I remember dvd's being released with so much "objectionable" material edited out that they were almost un-watchable. I forget what they were called but I think they were edited and released by a third party. And whenever there was sexual content scenes on tv at my brothers house they would make his nephew cover his eyes! This all seems ridiculous to me but since I don't have kids myself I admit that I don't have any right to critisize anyone who does. And I'll never begrudge anyone for doing what they think is right. At least they're doing something. Apparently a lot of parents aren't. I would also use a satellite/subwoofer system in a room like that. Something like the HSU Ventriloquist or DefTech Pro Cinema 600 or 800. The surrounds would have to be mounted on the ceiling so the fronts and center should also be mounted higher than normal. And I'm only guessing on how that might sound, but what other choice is there? Any chance of putting the tv between the window and the door and re-arranging the furniture? Probably not, but I thought I'd ask.

gene c said:

Any chance of putting the tv between the window and the door and re-arranging the furniture? Probably not, but I thought I'd ask.

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That was my original thought since that is really the only wall space I have. The problem there is that everythinh ends up blocking the door. And that is the pathway into the kitchen too. Thanks for the comments. Curly

I still say put the TV in the corner and just use 2 front speakers and a subwoofer. You can mount the speakers on the wall with brackets.

This is what I've got ordered. Definitive Technology ProSub 1000 Black- BBNDMA Definitive Technology MYTHOS SSA-50 BLACK - BBVEJB Pioneer Elite 50 7.1 Channel 630 Watt Receiver Panasonic - 65" Class / Plasma / 1080p / P65GT30 / 3D / HDTV