Newbie Here (1 Viewer)

[SilverZ06]

Hey all, Im new here and had some questions.


I am in the process of finishing my basement and when trying to decide if a large LCD or a projector is the way to go and I decided on a projector. My electrician is coming out this week to start wiring everything, in terms of outlets and such, and he wants me to work on the theater wiring. I plan on doing a ceiling mounted projector and having a component rack about 15 feet away from the projector set off in a corner. I am unsure on the surround sound I will be purchasing as well as the projector but I was wanting to get some ideas on what wires to run anyway. I was thinking about running two HDMI wires, some 16 guage speaker wire, coax, and possibly some RCA A/V cables. Any thoughts on this? I know I will have my Xbox down there which is HDMI, a Blue Ray, Satelite, and Receiver for surround sound and stereo.


Another question I have is should I run seperate speakers for the receiver when I am using the stereo? The wife and I discussed getting in ceiling speakers, like I have in my garage, for the stereo part of the receiving so we don't use the surround sound for everything. Thoughts?


Sorry about allt he dumb questions. Just trying to learn some.


Thanks in advance.


-Nathan

 

[Robert_J]

What inputs does your projector have? Run the same wires to match it. There is no need to run speaker wire to the projector.


If you are using the projector, you will need to use the receiver to hear something. Technically, I don't use surround sound for everything. Some shows are broadcast in stereo and a few in mono.

 

[Jason Charlton]

If you get an A/V receiver that is capable of upconverting all analog video sources (component, composite, etc.) to output via HDMI, then you can get away with running only a single HDMI cable from the equipment rack to the projector.


I much prefer to keep the "mess" and "complication" localized to behind the equipment rack. Your projector is nothing more than a monitor that displays whatever input you select on the receiver - so it shouldn't care what source is selected (just as your speakers won't care that you're listening to a CD, or watching Cable - they just play whatever sound is sent to them).


As for the second set of speakers, what you're describing sounds like a multi-zone setup - something with which I am not very familiar. Hopefully others can chime in with specifics, but I do know that you have to be very careful when selecting a receiver for multi-zone capability. There are a lot of nuances to how they operate that can affect whether or not it will do precisely what you want it to do.

 

[CB750]

Originally Posted by SilverZ06


Another question I have is should I run separate speakers for the receiver when I am using the stereo? The wife and I discussed getting in ceiling speakers, like I have in my garage, for the stereo part of the receiving so we don't use the surround sound for everything. Thoughts?


Sorry about allt he dumb questions. Just trying to learn some.


Thanks in advance.


-Nathan

Nathan,


Like Jason I am a bit confused by your question as I may have one of two meanings. That could involve your current speakers or the addition of a Zone 2 speakers

1. If you have a 5.1 or 7.1 receiver your receiver will allow you to select from a number of sound processing programs. One of those programs should be Stereo. In that mode only 2 channel stereo will be processed. On my receiver the center channel turns off and the L &R front and surround speakers play stereo and the sub fills in the bass.
2. With most 7.1 receivers that offer a Zone2 you can add two speakers that will duplicate the L&R front channels. This can be done two ways either with a direct connection of the Zone2 speakers to your receiver or through a Zone 2 line out connection to a separate amp that will power the two Zone 2 speakers. Usually the Zone 2 is used to provide two channel sound to another room in the house or out on a patio or deck. I don't see why you would want to install in-ceiling speakers in your main HT room as a Zone 2.

If you can clarify what your goals are we can help your more.

 

[jackbrosnan02]

Hi guys, I am new here and need some advice. We want to get a sound system for our 55 inch TV. The budget at this point is around 500 and that should include BlueRay player. So we bought this Sony BDVIT1000ES system for 499. When we hooked it up the sound was not as deep as I expected. Moreover, for some MP3 songs the speakers start dribbling or ratling. So I have second thoughts on the whole thing. So what do you guys think, should I keep this set and few years later spend some real $ on something decent or return it and get BD player, basic receiver with couple speakers and then add components later??? I may sound naive but 499 for not-so-good sound seems pretty high..... Thanks Oleg