"Home Theater" at Walmart (1 Viewer)

[Mike Huay]

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...4477&dept=3944
For under $250, with DVD. I wonder how this sounds? Looking at the retail and guessing the cost to make this, those speakers likely cost about 3 bucks each, the sub about 20, and the DVDp w/ amp about 75.
Whew that's cheap!

 

[Brett Hancock]

O lord. I would buy that but the dvd player doesn't eliminate those annoying black bars

 

[Richard Knight]

Personally, I can't imagine it sounding very good. The remote-control sized speakers would be the first warning sign...

Richard

 

[Shad R]

Look, I know you guys don't like Bose but come on, give it a rest...oh, it's not bose, nevermind...i thought you guys were talking about bose

 

[Darryl_B]

Hey....this could be an ideal setup for someone with kids who wants to keep them out of the main HT room....No more talking Dinosaurs....

Oh wait...they're sold out?????

 

[RAF]

Damn! I must be doing something wrong. That system is about half the cost of a bulb for my projector! Live and learn.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

You will get what you paid for. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[NickSo]

I dunno if its the same system, but in some big stores around, they are selling these VENTURER HT sets with DD and DTS decoding for $350 CAD... damn, that costs less than my reciever alone

 

[Mike_Ped]

....notice they are sold out? Gotta love it!!

Mike

 

[Greg Robertson]

Whoo.. check out those specs.. "130 total watts of power"
Well that must be about what, 20 watts per channel, plus the 30 to drive the 4" sub.
Of course, that's peak, not rms..

 

[FilipM]

I always wanted to say this, and now I can!
My speaker cable cost more than thats system.
WooHooHooo!
But really why do we even care what walmart sells, nobody on this BBS buys their HT stuff there, no?

 

[Carl Johnson]

I don't buy my HT stuff there but I must admit I got my parents a $79 DVD player for Christmas. Technologically it is a step and a half above the ten year old 25" television that they will be watching it on....

 

[RAF]

Don't misunderstand. I have absolutely nothing against anything that makes a person "aware" of the benefits of the Home Theater Experience. Even though I, and several others, made some tongue-in-cheek comments about the cost of this unit, I fully understand that there are lots of people on very rigid budgets to whom an introduction to HT opens up a whole new entertainment world to them, and this I applaud.
What does get my dander up, however, are two general things in this same area:

• Those people who ask the "why did you spend so much on your home theater" question and then try to tell you that you could have done "just about the same thing" for a couple of hundred dollars.
• Those products that are grossly overpriced but perceived as "top-notch" by many thanks to very effective marketing campaigns when the true situation is that for the same or less money a knowledgeable customer could get much better performance. (Can you say, "Bose?)"

Every product has a purpose and a niche, and some even benefit the customer - but not always. A $250 intro to HT is not necessarily a bad thing when it leads to enjoyment. Remember, a Home Theater is defined as whatever the user wants it to be, no matter what the equipment involved.

 

[Kevin_W]

I'm looking to incorporate a cheap HT into my master bedroom... nothing fancy, something I'd probably just fall asleep to. Tell me this isn't perfect for that!

Kevin

 

[Bob Christensen]

Greg: The 130 total watts of power likely drops to 50 when you don't dim the display. If you have to spin up the DVD, it probably drops to about 20
Hey, this might make a good present for the in-laws!

 

[Ches Campbell]

That's cool how Wal Mart has their own HOME THEATER BUYERS GUIDE. did y'all notice that link? Must be some good info there. HA!

Later

 

[Jerome Grate]

You will get what you paid for. Nothing more, nothing less

Absolutely.

But you gotta admit, it has to sound better than the speakers from the t.v.

 

[Jason Wolters]

The tone of most of these threads almost makes you think the original poster, did something wrong. Hey man, If you are interested in the product buy it! Whenever you are talking about the cost of ANYTHING, all things are relative. For example the DVD player may sound better than some else's that spent $1200 for a Progressive Scan top of the line. Huh? Well with the DVD player in this package you also get a Receiver and speaks so you can also hear it.
As for Walmart it seems funny that they would be giving HT advice. However, they know that there average customer,when shopping for a DSS system will walk in and say, "Hey do you have any of those dishes?" "uh, yes sir, they are over there in house wares," replies the clerk. There marketing strategies are geared to selling a whole lot of stuff to a whole lot of people. It seems like it has worked so far.

 

[John H]

...you could have done "just about the same thing" for a couple of hundred dollars.

Oh, I didn't know that. Stop the world and let me off.
John

 

[Richard Burzynski]

For what it's worth, I just want to say that I installed a Venturer HT system for a co-worker earlier this week. She got it off of QVC.

Considering the size of their living room, it does the job admirably. The thing has a 3 DVD/CD changer and auto searches and auto plays a DVD upon powerup. Has DD and DTS (I think). Coolest feature, it has the 4 level zoom (crucial feature for average "J6P" users).

For $300 bucks, this thing does it all. My only concern is QC. I hope it doesn't break in 6 months as I'm sure repairing it will be cost-prohibitive.

Please note:

Most people that are considering purchasing an entry-level "box" system are often starting from scratch. Their point of reference (for comparisons) is the "audio system" that is built into their TV's, meaning they're upgrading from listening to TV speakers. For this market segment, the sound a Venturer system can produce is a revelation.

No need to poke fun or act like a bigshot. Remember, the more people that get into our hobby, the better. It shouldn't matter how much it costs.

Rich B.