MyGear: Peter Cook's projector set-up

Having seen our first MyGear pictorial, Peter Cook from Victoria was inspired to write to us and show off his home theatre system.

The home cinema in action
(Credit: Peter Cook)

Amongst the various components of his system Peter has listed "A great wife". Of all the hobbies you can undertake, a home theatre is one of the most likely to require the approval (and understanding!) of your significant other.

Peter has amassed himself an impressive system complete with a projector, 3D television, two consoles, media streamers and not one but four PVRS!

CNET Australia: Peter, please tell us about your set-up.

Peter Cook: I have a Panasonic TH-P54VT20A 3D TV, which is primarily used for day-to-day viewing and 3D gaming, or using the Xbox 360 Slim 250GB with Kinect.

I also use a program called PlayOn for my internet TV, which I can use through Apple TV, the television itself through DLNA, PS3 Slim or Xbox 360. I also use Boxee on the Apple TV.

As for the home theatre side, when watching the latest Blu-ray movies we use the projector, the Epson EH-TW3500, which is full 1080/24p. The projector screen is a Grandview 84-inch, the AV receiver is a THX-certified Onkyo TX-SR705, and the Blu-ray player is a Panasonic DMP-BD30.

The speakers are the Klipsch Synergy 3 series including F-3 floorstanders (bi-wired), C-3 centre and S-3 surrounds. The sub woofer is a 12-inch active model, which also belongs to the Synergy 3 series.

Other components are TiVo series 3 HD (the US version of the TiVo), MyStar HD, Telstra T-Box and an older Pioneer DVR5304 (which is mainly used as a clock).

Tell us about your favourite piece of gear

My favourite piece of gear is the projector with its calibration control, black levels and picture quality. It looks especially good when playing a full-1080p Blu-ray.

How much is your system worth?

About AU$17,000.

Which is more important to you: watching movies and TV or playing music?

Watching movies and TV, especially in high definition.

What's your favourite movie and/or album to play on this system and why?

Megamind, especially with the Dolby TrueHD mix.

How important are looks when buying new equipment (ie, the Wife Acceptance Factor)?

The way things look (ie, classy) is a great selling point to the wife.

Is your system connected to the net: and if so is it wired or wireless?

Yes, some of it is, such as the TiVo and T-Box, which are wireless. The Apple TV, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and the TV use Ethernet as I haven't purchased a Wi-Fi dongle for the TV yet.

What part of your system do you most want to change?

The AV receiver and eventually projector to go full 3D, and I usually update the AV receiver every three to four years. Looking to upgrade the projector screen to a widescreen of perhaps 108 inches instead of the 84 inches that I already have.

Another shot of the Panasonic VT20, Xbox and TiVo.

The impressive Klipsch Synergy F-3 floorstanders are bi-wired, meaning two sets of wires are connected to the treble and bass speaker ports on the rear of the Klipsch.

The Klipsch S-3 rear speakers feature two tweeters in a "bipole" arrangement, which fires information out in two different directions.

Close-up of the Onkyo TX-SR705 receiver.

The Epson projector is ceiling-mounted at the back of the room.

The projection set-up in action with the 84-inch Grandview screen. Note how the centre speaker is mounted high above both the screen and the TV.