Hi All! (1 Viewer)

Hi,
I'm new to the forums but I did some searching before picking up my home theater components. I'm on a TIGHT budget as I am on disability but I think I got a GREAT system for the money. I had about $1000 to spend on a TV and about $350 for surround sound. I already owned a Xbox 360 Slim and have a HD cable box.
I found a GREAT deal on the TV. They had an open-box display unit for $500 off at Sears, and I snatched it up for $699. It is the Samsung PN59D550 59" 3D 1080p Plasma HDTV. It has a great picture and I love the 3D, although it makes me dizzy. Anyone have any advice on this? I already sit about 9 feet back from it and I noticed if I sit closer than that I get even dizzier and almost a little nauseous. But It's a great TV.
For the surround sound my awesome Dad got me a receiver and surround sound 5.1 speaker set for Christmas. The receiver is the Yamaha RX-V373 and the speakers are the NS-SP1800BL 5.1 Yamahas. I can't wait to hear the surround sound set up! The Receiver was $190 from ebay and the speakers were $120 from Amazon.
All in all I think I got a great home theater set-up for cheap! I'm holding out on buying a blu-ray player until the new Xbox comes out. Word on the street lately is that it is going to use blu-ray discs.

Welcome to the forum, Will! It sounds like you did great on the TV, and I am sure you will like the sound system.

Thanks! Ya I love the fact you can get an awesome home theater set up nowadays for pretty cheap. Even the poor man can play around with his home theater hobby nowadays, lol. The cost of my hobbies far outweigh my income though.. I'm also into lightning fast gaming PCs and Dungeons & Dragons (Those books are expensive man, I just bought $200 worth and still have about $250 worth I need to get). I try to get a new computer every 2 years to keep up with the curve and I generally have a pretty fast PC. It's nice streaming to my Xbox from my PC and then out to my TV. I can't wait until I can add that receiver to the pipeline! I live in a condo and I'm going to have to be careful to not blow my neighbors away with the sound. lol.
Btw, if anyone was wondering.. The Xbox does indeed perform as a 3D video streamer. I watch videos pumped through my Xbox from my PC to the 3D TV and the 3D performs very well. I only mention this because I researched it and some people don't realize this will work. Games like Gears of War 3, and Halo: Anniversary are 3D as well. I believe Black Ops and Black Ops 2 are also 3D.
So what type of Home Theater set up do you have, Steve? and How big is your HT room? I got about as big a TV as my room will support since it is a medium/small sized room and the TV is 59". How long have you been into HT?

I built a house in 1999/2000 that had a 20x20 bonus room over the garage. I turned this into my home theater. It has a couch and two love seats in U-shape. It started with a 40-inch Toshiba widescreen TV, followed by a 65-inch Mitsubishi RPTV that died, which I replaced last year with a 73-inch Mitsubishi DLP 3DTV (that I also found for a bargain.) The audio portion of the HT is an older Denon 5803 A/V amp (the Denon does not have HDMI, but it does have 7.1 inputs so I can use it with a blu-ray player that has 7.1 outputs and get high-res sound). The speakers are JBL that I got from Best Buy. I've only heard once from the neighbors that they could hear it. I was playing the intro to Lord of the Rings/Fellowship of the Ring on a loop. Of course, I don't talk to the neighbors much.
I knew I wanted a home theater when I went to a mall store in 1980 and saw a laserdisc player for the first time. I've had a home theater (speakers/surround/laserdisc) since 1989 when I lived in a town home.
By the way, I still use a Yamaha receiver with my downstairs TV. I think you'll like yours.

A 73-inch Mitsubishi, Nice! Sounds like you have a great set up. Laser Disc players, man I remember those.. never owned one because they were prohibitively expensive but they always looked cool. I'm 35 years old and when I was a kid my Dad bought a "big" 36" TV to put in the room over the garage for me to watch movies/TV and play games on.. I always loved big screens after that. When I was in my early 20's I would buy Home Theater Magazine and wish and dream about the awesome equipment they featured in there. I remember always wanting a set of Klipsch Quintets because of them, lol.
Well now I have my own place and decided to start my own home theater finally. I can't afford anything Klipsch but I'm sure I'll be satisfied with my sound set up. I can't turn it up but so loud anyway so I don't need much. I mainly just like the fact it will be surround. I'm very pleased with my set up so far! Every man needs a 'man cave' to revel in everything electronic.
What do you do mainly with your set up? Do you game or just watch movies and television? Do you listen to much music? I do all of the above.

I watch TV and some movies mostly downstairs in the family room. This is on a small DLP set that I've had for 6 years. I either use the TV speakers or a Polk SurroundBar, which is hooked to the old Yamaha receiver.
Upstairs, in the home theater room, I watch movies and listen to music. I have the Oppo universal player, so it handles blu-ray, DVD, SACD, and DVD-Audio. As for the TV, it is a nice size, and the 3D looks good even though it is half-resoliution. What's really nice about DLP is that is is so cheap...but now only Mitsubishi makes them, and the smallest size you can get is 73-inches.
I do most of my music listening on the computer, using an old set of Logitech Z-680 speakers. They accept optical digital input, and the Mac mini has an optical digital output. All I had to do was find a cheap cable from Monoprice to make it work.
As it could be a while before the new X-box is released, you might want to consider a blu-ray player. There are several 3D models on Amazon for under $100, although if 3D makes you dizzy, it might not be worthwhile. i've read that some people get dizzy or motion sick watching 3D films, both on TV and in the theater.
By the way, that is a great looking receiver that your dad got you, and an excellent price. Be sure and let everyone know what you think about it once you get it set up. (I guess you have to wait until Christmas, oh well...)

I hear ya on the blu-ray player, it would be nice, but I'm on a tight budget and will be paying this TV off for 8 months. I figure I can kill two birds with one stone next year when the Xbox is released. Games & Movies both. Ya I searched for days looking for a good receiver, and for the price the RX-V373 was by far the best deal. Brand new on ebay for $190. It even supports 4K resolution so in the future I won't have to swap it out if I get a 4K TV. I'll let you guys know how it sounds but I'm not much of an audiophile so I'm sure I'll be satisfied. I like things sounding 'good' but I don't have a trained ear, so to speak.
How thick are DLPs nowadays? My friend has one from years ago and that thing is HUGE.

The 73" is 65" wide by 43.5" tall by 18" deep and weighs less than 100 lbs. My stairs have a 90-degree angle, and the installers were able to navigate it with ease.
Now the old 65" RPTV was a 400 lb beast that had to be taken downstairs in two pieces. My walls got scuffed up.
I'm not an audiophile by any means, but I did future-proof my A/V amp investment several years ago by getting one with 7.1 inputs. It does not do HDMI or 4K, and I'm not too enthusiastic about 4K technology for the home. 1080p looks fine to my eyes at 9.5 feet. And the sound is good.
Enjoy your toys!

Ya I hear ya, the 4K wasn't really all that important to me. I think 1080p is great and honestly I don't see how things could even get any cleaner and clearer to the human eye. I guess there are people that would disagree but 1080p is fine for me.

I think 4K is the way to go for theatrical projection, but we are talking 50-foot screens there. As you say, the human eye will not be able to see a difference in the home. Besides, it will be years before the 4K sets are reasonably priced.

Ya I saw the Sony set that is $25k, that's a bit expensive.

Welcome aboard Will.
I had a Toshba 56" that I bought around '99.
After about three years it developed a white line across the middle,of the screen.
I had a warranty buti had to fight for awhile with Bryn Mawr Stereo(Tweeter) to get full value back on the warranty.
They claimed it wold only be prorated even though there was nothing in the warranty stating that.
Used that money to by a TV the size of a small house, almost.
That 73" CRT TV was a Monster and now I can't even imagine something that big.
Have A 73831 dlp now for six years and after three lamps and now the third light engine it's still going strong. But
For what I paid six years ago I can get at least 82" and 3D and proabaly any other feature you can think of on a dlp.
Have a Denon 3808 now for five years.
Anyway we are hoping to move to Florida early next year and expect to get a new tv that is at least 3D.
Good luck Will, with your new tv.

Hi Tony, sounds like you got a nice TV. 3D is pretty cool though, glad you're getting a new one