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Originally Posted by mcsouth
I look forward to reading your articles - based on how you described your setup at home, it sounds similar to the setup I'm hoping to do this fall - 42" LCD or plasma HDTV, 5.1 or 6.1 surround, and Xbox 360! Considering that my wife just spent several thousand on new furniture and fixtures for the living room, I managed to convince her that a flat panel TV mounted on the wall would complement all of her new stuff....and she's going along with it! Now I just have to figure out which technology, LCD or plasma, brand and model, etc, etc, etc......so any insights you can share will be appreciated!
Best of luck in your new assignment!
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Funny you mention the wife and furniture...my fiancee and I had a discussion last month about getting a new corner TV stand for the 27" Panasonic. It's a tube set, and weighs over 100 lbs., so it's not small by an stretch of the imagination. I said "let's get that $99 stand from IKEA", to which she replied "Ok, then later we can something nicer. Here, look I found a bunch online." She Froogled "Corner TV Stand" and came up with a bunch of custom made solid cherry and mahogany stands that started at, brace yourself, $1300.
Let's see:
Hiding a huge CRT television: $1300
Buying a new (and bigger) LCD flat panel TV to hang on the wall: $800-1300
Hmmm. Guess who won that debate? :wink:
Anyway, my current setup is as follows:
Panasonic 27" HDTV, 4:3 aspect ratio
Sony Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Receiver
Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble IV Home Theater System (4" cube speakers)
Cambridge Soundworks 8" Powered Subwoofer
Pioneer/Time-Warner HDTV Cable Box
Panasonic DMR-ES10S DVD Recorder
Samsung Progressive-Scan DVD Player
Halo Special Edition XBOX
Ancient :lol: Sony VCR
Monster Cable interconnects between every device
I got into home theater a few years ago after I graduated from undergrad, and had a few bucks from my first "real" job. Spent around $1500 on the Sony/Cambridge Soundworks setup, and it sounded incredible. I forgot one thing though, I'm deaf in one ear. So it was all in mono! I might as well have just had one kick-ass speaker! :lol: Earlier this year I upgraded to HDTV and got a DVD Recorder. Or should I say...
several DVD Recorders! The quality of DVD/DVR devices on the market today is suspect at best, imho. Remind me to tell you about the funny story from Wal-Mart someday.
The current XBOX looks incredible on HDTV. And yes, there are HDTV games out there from the current XBOX (720p and 1080i!). My only gripe is that the TV only has one HD Component input.
As far as flat-panel TVs, I'd go with an LCD panel. The prices are about 1/2 to 1/3 that of a comparable Plasma display, they use far less energy, they're lighter (easier to mount), and the quality is almost indistinguishable from a Plasma panel at the high end. Samsung, LG, and Sharp make the best LCD TVs imho. For the price of an EDTV (480p) Plasma display, you can get a true HDTV (1080i) LCD display for thousands less. Just don't get a cheap LCD TV, the viewing angles and contrast are typically horrible.
Something else to consider is how to switch HD Component Video inputs. If you don't have a receiver that can handle HD Component Video, and your TV doesn't have more than 1 or 2 inputs, you'll need to get a switching device to change components. I need to get one myself, as I currently have 4 progressive scan or HD devices, and only one input on my TV. Pelican Accessories makes several low-cost models that work well according to reviews. Only downside: they aren't controllable by remote. For that you'll need a receiver with multiple HD Component inputs.
And don't forget about sound! Good speakers can make or break a home theater system. When you get to this level of sophistocation, the weak links become really weak. A low quality DVD player will still look terrible, even with expensive cables and a high end HDTV. If you have to, spend a little less money on the rest of the components of your system if it means having more money to replace a low-end component. Try to shoot for a "balanced" home theater system.
As time goes on I'll try to get some articles up on building a home theater system. I've learned a lot over the past 5 years, hopefully I can condense some of what I know and pass it on to the rest of you.
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