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General discussion

What the heck do I need?

Sep 8, 2005 3:07AM PDT

Hi,
I have a 2 year old Sony Wega TV and and Xbox that I use for DVD playback, as well as an iPod. The house I bought already has the wires set up for surround sound speakers, but I don't have any speakers.

I think that I need a receiver to plug the iPod and Xbox in, and I might possibly need to buy a real DVD player? I don't quite know what to look for....

There are two hooks set up in the ceiling to hang small speakers, and the speaker wire is really thick, but I don't know if I need a receiver or what?

Thanks, sorry, I am a noob Happy

Matt

Discussion is locked

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What the heck do I need?
Sep 8, 2005 4:19AM PDT
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Thanks, follow up question and reply
Sep 8, 2005 5:22AM PDT

HT... Ok, will look that up and see what it stands for. That means I can plug my iPod, Xbox, TV, and a DVD player into it, and all the audio will come out over the new speakers?

I have 5 places for speakers. Two rear wires, one big wire (seems like it's for a subwoofer), and two wires that are above the TV.

I really don't want to spend much more than 5-600, and it is a decent size living room.

Thanks!
Matt

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HT
Sep 8, 2005 5:29AM PDT

HT is this fourm stand for Home Theatre. John

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YOU NEED AN EXPERT
Sep 9, 2005 5:11AM PDT

My advice is to keep your computor, games, etc in your bedroom and use your wired room for your home theater only, Then call in an expert for your home theater EXAMPLE I wasted a lot of money buying equipment that wasnt compatable, A pro will actually save you money in the long run , in closing I dont want hurt your feelings but it sounds like you know nothing about home theater, it is complex and if its not set up rite you will be very unhappy good luck stewart norrie You may email me at cadillacstew@aol.com

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Yes, keep game stuff seperate!
Sep 9, 2005 6:44AM PDT

I agree with Stewart...keep you gaming systems etc. out of your HT setup. But basically you will be faced with: Receiver, DVD player, Speakers.

In a nutshell:
1. As suggested, you need a HT receiver. This will allow you to hook up your four corner speakers AND hook up a sub-woofer. It will also allow you to take the proper audio from a NEW DVD player and use it correctly. Most new DVD players have a single "optical" audio cable that allows the best audio to go from the DVD player to the HT receiver. You may find that your HT receiver is simply used to process the audio from your DVDs, but that's the most important issue. Once you get more advanced, you may find that you can actually use your HT receiver to switch video too, but at first, keep it simple. For what it's worth, my experience has led me away from Sony receivers. Yamaha and Denon seem to make much better receivers. Sony cameras are good, but their affordable recivers are junk. Don't get suckered into buying an all-in-one unit (receiver/DVD player). Often they compromise the audio/video performance for convenience.
2. Get a new DVD player. If you aren't a videophile yet, I suggest getting a cheap Panasonic brand that has DTS and that has "component" video connections. Panasonic has one of the better video chips, especially on the cheap models. By the way, a new DVD player will play your audio CDs as well as self-burned CDs and DVDs.
3. Hook the new DVD player directly to your TV. Your Sony WEGA probably has "component" video-in connections (3 separate cables instead of one). If your TV only has RCA type video plugs and S-Video plugs, use the S-Video.
4. Setup your DVD player properly through the menus. DVD players have the ability to show video in 4X3 (your TV picture size), or 16X9. I personally like my DVD player set to 16X9 so it shows the entire picture, but the drawback is that you get black on the top and bottom of the screen. 4X3 fills your square TV, but you will lose some picture. You may find as you get into this HT stuff that you aren't happy with a square TV and you will want a 16X9 (Widescreen) TV. This is the way movies are meant to be watched, so learn to love it.
5. Of course, you will need speakers. This is typically a very difficult decision, because speakers are so subjective. DO NOT get suckered into buying the BOSE speakers or their entire package (receiver/DVD player/speakers). My father and sister-in-law both have these and they stink. Visit www.hometheaterspot.com. Lots of discussion on HT there. I would say that since you are new to this, most any speaker will sound great, but my ears have turned me away from any JBL speaker that's affordable. Also, stay away from speakers made by companies that also make cameras, toasters, TVs, etc. Infinity, Boston, Axiom, Energy, B&K are some examples of really good speakers. By the way, you don't need gigantic monolithic speakers to get good sound. A good sub-woofer will be an essential part of quality sound. Try to place your speakers somewhere around ear level if you can.

The most important thing you can do at this time is to do some research. Scan the websites that discuss HT. Visit the electronics stores, but don't impulse buy. Read magazines. Learn a little bit now and your HT experience will be a rewarding one.

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Sounds good
Sep 9, 2005 8:19AM PDT

Thanks a bunch. I have to keep my Xbox with my TV or it isn't much good Wink so I will find a way to hook that up as well.

I always choose widescreen format for movies, though it does suck watching it letterbox on a screen less than 30".

I will keep researching, for sure, but its tough watching all these great movies from Netflix and turning to my wife and asking "What did he say?"

Matt

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hay mr> pro THIS IS STEWART CALLING
Sep 11, 2005 6:41AM PDT

You got that one rite I have been working on my home theater for years and when I upgraded to Hi-Def it was like I was lost even thou Ive been in electronics field fpr years, I bought every home theater magazine I could find and boned up for months getting all this knowledge saved me a ton of money now Iam in hi-def heaven Also this chat room is great ,I do see folks write in asking what kind of rabbit ears they should buy for there new hi-def ready t.v. and I want to screem anyway I have one for you I want to upgrade my 65" sony 3 trube monster to the SONY VPL-HS51 projector and 96" screen I saw this projector and it looked awsome. $3500 but how would this Sony compare to lets say the Sony Qaulla unit that sells for $35000 in other words would there be a big difference in picture quality thank you please reply cadillacstew@aol.com good luck

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games are fine...
Sep 12, 2005 1:47PM PDT

not sure why you wouldn't want your game systems on the same set, if thats all you have. As mentioned, yes get a surround receiver, if your on a tight budget, look around for the best deal you can get, you need something with alot of inputs.
Have fun, enjoy.

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Games are fine...
Sep 13, 2005 4:34AM PDT

Yes, you are correct. There is no technical reason for not having a gaming system in the HT mix. Sometimes I play my kids Playstation using the optical audio output, and the 5.1 sounds great for the games. The only reason I suggested keeping the game stuff out of the mix is that in the original post, the person seemed to indicate that he was considering using an X-Box as the primary DVD player. That's OK, but I don't think any of the game system DVD players give you easy control over the DVD parameters for HT use. Most table-top players give you an option of selecting "progressive" via the DVD player, or using the TV for the scaling. Also, I'm not sure that the game systems allow for "component" video output, which is necessary for the HT experience.

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both x-box and playstation2...
Sep 13, 2005 6:07AM PDT

have optional connections that allow for component or s-video hook up. You just have to buy the extra cables.

The PS2 has digital optical out and supports at least dolby digital. I don't know about DTS.

The x-box also supports dolby digital along with a progressive scan output option I believe.

both game systems support 16 x 9 displays as well.

They aint the atari pong games I had as a kid !

grim