Home Theater's topics - tribe.net

TV Size 46" vs. 52"

2008-01-15T20:37:28Z

So I am trying to decide between a 46 or a 52 inch LCD. Any pros or cons with one over the other? My room is just over 12 feet for the viewing. I am upgrading from a 42" and always thought that a 50 was the way to go, however the 46 seems fine. I was wondering if there were any downsides the the larger screen as far as screen refreshes, etc. I figured maybe the 52 might be slightly slower due to the size. How about things like picture stability, high speed action shots, etc.

Also if anyone knows much about these two tvs I would love any input. I am trying to decide between the Mitsubishi Diamond LT-46244 or the LT-52244 (46 & 52 respectively.)

Thanks,
-Tony

posted in Home Theater - 1 reply

Tv "picture frames"

2008-01-14T23:47:02Z

I remember seeing these things once upon a time that you could put a cover over (around) a plasma/LCD that was mounted on the wall to "cover" the tv. When the tv was off you would have a picture of a Monet or something in it's place, then when you wanted to watch tv, the Monet "disappeared" somehow. I seem to remember there was a mirror option as well. Anyone know what I am talking about and know of any manufacturers? I do not even know how to look for these on Google.

Thanks,
-Tony

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

AV connection question...

2007-08-20T00:13:06Z

I recently purchased this bluetooth headphone: www.amazon.com/gp/product...872-3084860

The receiver has a standard stereo/headphone jack so it can be plugged into anything with a stereo port. (ipod, laptop, cd player, etc) I really want to use it with my television, but my TV does not have a stereo port. Anyone have a solution? I've been trying to find the right cable adaptor that has one end that I can plug in standard blue and white RCA cables and a stereo port on the other end.

I also have a cable that looks like this: www.amazon.com/exec/obido...872-3084860
but alone, it doesnt help me. (I need something to connect the RCA to another RCA cable - the audio out on my cable box or dvd player) And then I could just plug my bluetooth receiver on the other end.

please help. If I lived near a radioshack, I would have gone to them. (since they usually have all the adaptors I need) But there arent any radioshacks near by.

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

home media server

2007-07-25T19:56:50Z

I'm considering making a tech jump and setting up a home media server, and would appreciate any comments anyone has about the available technology out there.

Here's what I plan to do:

1. Record TV, either from DirecTV or cable, up to HD resolution. I'd prefer a recording interface that's simple and reliable, similar to TiVo or ReplayTV (i.e. automatically receive program guides and automatically adjust recording a series if it airs a different day of the week). Recording software that supports live pause, instant replay, and skip forward of broadcasts is essential.

2. Host my music collection, and stream it out to remote audio receivers around the house. 802.11g would be preferable. Capturing internet music streams would be a bonus.

3. Burn DVDs for archiving. The DVD burner should be an upgradeable peripheral (i.e. not built into the unit) so I can upgrade to HD DVD once the standards battle shakes itself out.

I'm leaning toward having the server run Linux, but if anyone's had any experiences with Windows XP MCE, I'd love to hear them! I'm not really interested in using this server for handling photos and run slide shows...

posted in Home Theater - 2 replies

AV Receivers

2007-04-30T19:15:40Z

Has anyone had experience with these AV receivers from Pioneer? Are they any good?

http://www.pioneer.com.au/products/home_entertainment/amplifiers_receivers/

posted in Home Theater - 1 reply

how are wireless speaker systems? good, bad? recomendations

2007-02-13T11:40:05Z

are they good, bad..

is x10 the way to go?

what are some recomendations
for a system that uses a projector, to screen films to a small audiance (less than 50 people)

and is not expensive less than $500 ?

thanks

posted in Home Theater - 2 replies

Need some Tivo advice

2006-10-10T05:20:56Z

I'm looking to get a PVR, Tivo or some other system, and need some advice. I don't want to have to pay the monthly fee to Tivo, so I'm planning on manaully setting recording times, unless there in some other legal way (alternate servers, etc?).

I also would like a way to network the device with my PC, so I can backup any shows I decide to save to the computer, and eventually out to DVD for archival purposes. I don't watch that much cable TV (we have Comcast here) but there are a few TV shows I enjoy and would like to be able to save (Project Greenlight, for one).

Any any one recommend a *good* website with clear answers to what I am looking for. As a long time geek I'm not afriad to modify a existist machine to do what I want. I had been thinking of setting up another PC to do some of the same stuff, but my TV Tuner is kinda fading, and I'd rather have a stand along machine for this if possible, so a HTPC could be used for other purposes at the same time.

Thanks!

posted in Home Theater - 4 replies

Star Wars on DVD

2006-09-29T19:31:43Z

So has anyone picked up the latest releases of Star Wars? I was really excited to get these to replace my LaserDisc versions, however I am wondering about the audio. (I have the non-THX versions on LaserDisc) I could have sworn I used to have the THX versions as well (and am looking to order the THX LD's now,) but I am wondering about how the new DVD's are encoded. When I looked at the boxes, it sounds like the original versions do not have the full audio, they are just like Dolby surround or stereo. Is this true? Or is the original version at least with full AC3(THX?)

Thanks Ya'll.

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

New tribe, for the Neuros OSD PVR

2006-09-29T05:22:09Z

I just received my beta Neuros OSD PVR. I created a new tribe to discuss this little widget here:

http://tribes.tribe.net/neurososd

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

DVD Player Recommendations.

2006-07-11T01:09:19Z

My players have been notoriously finicky. I want a new one that had a pretty good success rate on my home burned DVDs, can play Divx and maybe even can play SACDs...
Anyone have a recommendation?

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

Flat Panel TV recommendations

2006-04-14T20:08:36Z

As I posted before I am moving into a new place and I have a great space above the fireplace for an LCD or a plasma. I'm looking in the 1000 dollar price range, hopefully around the 30 inch range. Any thoughts or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Adam

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

New advice for the tribe; something you should check out for your HT setup

2006-04-04T06:51:17Z

I don't want to sound like an infomercial, however this has by far been the best $ I've ever spent on my home theater setup (excluding my DD-15 and Denon 4806, of course). 8)

I just ordered a kit of these for my living room and my drum/music room. I looked at foam and all other sorts of acoustical treatment before going with these. Easy to install, you don't ruin your walls/ceiling, and they look really sharp and professional. I'm amazed at the difference these made in both rooms, one of which was extremely "acoustically challenged".

www.realtraps.com

Send Ethan an email and check out his website if you doubt his invention and approach to drastically improving environmental acoustics, traditionally the most overlooked aspect of home audio and theater. www.ethanwiner.com

Sorry to all the guys with wives in the tribe - you might have an uphill battle ahead of you! 8)

Peace

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

New place / On-Q

2006-03-31T21:42:23Z

I just bought a loft, and it has On-Q throughout.

Any suggestions from folks? Anyone use this technology?

http://www.onqlegrand.com/

Thanks!

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

New digs

2006-03-28T22:09:38Z

Fellow home theater tribers,

I'm moving into a new place and I've been trying to figure out the best arrangement for my entertainment center. The layout is roughly a 20 foot by 15 foot rectangular shaped room, with one wall being a window and door out to the deck. The ideal place for the tv would obviously be over the fireplace (and that excuse i've been looking for to get an LCD or plasma). My question is is what have some of you guys done to integrate your home theaters into an area like that? I have yet to take the temperature of the wall during a fire in the fireplace so I don't know if actually mounting it is an option, but it will probably be one of the first things i do, after i unpack and get situated.
I checked out the "Show Me Yours" galleries on CNET.com and they have some interesting set ups, but I thought i'd go to the community too : ) Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Adam

posted in Home Theater - 5 replies

dvd player question

2006-03-10T17:41:49Z

hi, i just joined this tribe because my husband went and got a sony sxrd 50" monster television. while i was a little resistant (seems a bit gratuitous in our small living room), i have to admit it's pretty cool. i want to get him an upconverting dvd player for his birthday, but i'm a little confused. i wanted to get the sony one but it says it uses hdmi, and our tv has a dvi interface. does that matter? should i bother with sony since it's the same brand, or should i go for something else like samsung (which i've read good reviews about), which i think says it does both dvi and hdmi?

posted in Home Theater - 5 replies

Any Home Theater Guys/Gals Looking For Work In Hawaii?

2006-03-06T02:44:42Z

We're looking for a few good men or women with carpentry/sheetrocking experience and experience/interest in A/V, home electronics.

Also, RTI/Questron home automation/home theater remote control systems programmers.

LOTS of work; good pay & benefits; great work envcironment. Good pay & benefits, rapid advancement for the right people. This field is BOOMING here right now! Get in on the ground floor of a new industry, with an established home theater designer, supplier, installer.

Check our profile/blog/listings for contact info.

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

DVD Center Channel

2005-12-22T02:44:02Z

I don't have the room or money to buy a really expensive home theater audio system, but I'd like just a little bit more than my TV speakers so that DVDs don't do that crazy "no center channel" volume leaps.
Can anyone suggest something?

posted in Home Theater - 2 replies

Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD

2005-12-19T15:18:37Z

Has anyone else been following the format war currently going on in the industry? What are you thoughts? It's still anybodys game at this point, and I'm not gonna choose sides, but just wait until the dust settles before investing in new hardware whenever it finally goes to market. It is starting to look like the Blu-ray camp may have the upper hand at this point, but it could still go either way.

posted in Home Theater - 1 reply

THX!

2005-12-14T13:58:28Z

I'm in the market for a new receiver and I'm torn between two Yamaha models. Essentially the difference between the two is about 200 watts (which in my house is probably overkill anyway... but it would be cool to have just for bragging purposes) and THX processing for an extra $175. Normally I would just splurge but with my HiFi spending already a sore spot with the wife I want to make sure the extras are worth the aggravation I am sure to receive.

So the questions is this, in anyone's experience... are the receivers with THX processing worth the extra expense, or are you really just paying for the name printed on the front plate?

posted in Home Theater - 3 replies

next gen counsels

2005-09-17T01:54:16Z

With next gen game cousels comming out will this make people think less of option to them in home theater market? The next gen counsels seem being taking more things way from seprate compents of home theater system.

posted in Home Theater - 1 reply

Home Theater Construction

2005-09-17T01:26:33Z

Hi ... I am having a new house built and will have a home theater constructed "turn key" by the contractor.

I have several areas of concern regarding the room itself ...

> Should I opt for Carpet or Hardwood floors?

> I am leaning toward a medium gray paint for the walls, dark floors (carpet of hard wood) and pot lights ... any thoughts?

> Would a basement sub-floor of concrete be better acoustically than a wood joist sub-floor of a "bonus room" above a garage? IE: which area of this house is ideal for the home theater?

> What can I have the builder do up front to aid in setting up the room after the building is done? IE: running heavy guage speaker cable in walls, CAT 5 wire, window placement, etc.

> Any pointers from anyone who has been down this road already?

All responses will be appreciated!

John H

posted in Home Theater - 5 replies

300 bucks for an HDTV

2005-07-06T05:07:51Z

Is 300 bucks for a 26" widescreen HDTV (HD-ready) flat screen CRT monitor a good deal? I saw a refurbished one for sale and was thinking of buying it. There are only 5 more left.

It is a Toshibia 26HF14.

posted in Home Theater - 11 replies

HDTV vs. DVD - which is higher res?!

2005-06-16T05:11:29Z

I recently bought some TV series on DVDs, is it me or it seems like the HDTV version is high res?! The DVD version is more blurry, grainy, has muted shadow areas etc.. Even the HRHD version of DIVX rips are better than DVD versions. What is going on?!

posted in Home Theater - 6 replies

Sonic Impact

2005-04-21T17:03:23Z

I just finished building some amazing speakers, and I'm looking for a good amp to run them through. I've read online (6moons.com, etc) that the Sonic Impact Amp is the best bang for it's buck. $30 and they say it is the same sound quality as a $1000 system.
The thing is, is right now I have a whole bunch of equipment wired through my current reciever. Rear and center channel speakers, my TV, DVD, etc. The Sonic impact has inputs for two speakers, and a headphone jack. Not to mention the lack of a wall wort power supply.
Have any of you used the Sonic Impact amp before and how have you tailored it to fit your sound system? Any thoughts or input would be much appreciated.

Adam

posted in Home Theater - 2 replies

my remotes are possessed

2005-04-16T14:03:05Z

Okay, weird thing happened today. All of a sudden, ALL of my remote controls (to my TV, DVD player, cable box, speaker system) stopped working.

I am so utterly confused. Sometimes they will work if I hold it at the right angle and repeatedly press the button. What could cause interference to all my remotes? They all are infra-red remotes.

Is this the beginning of the end of the world? Someone help...

posted in Home Theater - 10 replies

TV Tuners on your computer

2005-04-08T23:02:14Z

has anyone tried these? I was going to get one and get rid of my Cable/TV. But someone told me that in San Francisco is imposible to get normal broadcast TV reception if you are not on cable.

posted in Home Theater - 7 replies

DVD copying?

2005-03-12T01:36:28Z

Working from a PC environment or with home electronics, shat's an easy way to copy DVDs? I'm talking about the non-copy protected ones here, but if I could copy the protected ones too that would be great. Not that I'd do that ;-D , just want to know.

posted in Home Theater - 9 replies

Crestron Home Theater Automation? Pros and Cons

2005-02-17T18:23:57Z

I have been checking into a Home Theater System and using Crestron Remotes and automation system to control it. It seems that Crestron is the cutting edge when it comes to this type of collaboration of A/V electronic systems and home computerization.

What are the benefits and are they any limitation to using their systems to Control your Home Theater? How easy is it to install and program for a Theater Room (controlling lights, curtains, projection screen, and all the components)? What about using Crestron to control multi-room systems?

Any advice, stories about your install or alternate system suggestion would be appreciated.

-Daniel-

posted in Home Theater - 8 replies

Survey

2005-02-16T05:05:24Z

Please message me if you would like to take part in a survey for a business I am starting. I have about 80 people on my list but would like to get another 200 addresses. The survey is about consumers’ uses of electronics and the Internet. The results of the survey will be for internal use, and no names or e-mail address will be given or sold to any third parties. Let me know if you would like a free membership to our service when it becomes available. I can't tell you what it is right now, but hey, it's free!

~nick

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

Mac/PC -> DVI -> HDMI -> Display?

2005-02-10T17:41:16Z

I have recently ordered a new HDTV with 1080p and an HDMI input.
Is it possible to use an HDTV with 1080p as an external monitor and get full 1920x1080? Or is composite video my only option?
Also, is there such a thing as a cable with DVI and audio plug on one end and HDMI on the other?
it's just a cool idea to be able to connect a MacMini to the tv.

posted in Home Theater - 1 reply

Dolby Digital Plus

2005-01-13T19:23:59Z

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/01/06/news_6115922.html

The next standard, no more 5.1, now its 13.1. The only reason I see going that many speakers would be to have some of them above and below you, so you feel that something is flying overhead or some such.

What does everyone else think?

posted in Home Theater - 1 reply

HD "capable" TV

2004-12-29T21:13:38Z

What is the difference between the HD capable TVs, and the real HD TVs? Is it just the tuner? If I had a HD tv tuner in my computer, could I plug that in, and make it all work? Also could I plug a DVD player into the HD capable TVs and have it upscaled?

posted in Home Theater - 1 reply

VGA to DVI

2004-12-21T23:01:23Z

I recently bought a Dell Inspiron 700m laptop with a nice widescreen display. I've connected it to my HDTV via the S-video and the quality is crap. Unfortunately, there isnt a DVI port on my laptop. All it has is the standard VGA port. Could I buy a DVI cable and find a DVI to VGA converter and snap it on the end of the cord. I asked the guy at Best Buy is such a thing exists and he was clueless.

More importantly, if such a thing DOES exist, will there be a big quality drop with this method?

Thanks.

posted in Home Theater - 1 reply

Kudos to DVDO technical support

2004-12-21T06:33:18Z

I just bought a used DVDO iScan Plus on eBay, and ran into a problem that might or might not have been with the doubler-- I had no way of telling.

While I had low expectations, I sent off email to DVDO's technical support address explaining my problem and asking if they had any suggestions. A day later I got a wonderful response from someone named Adam-- he'd actually read my question, understood what I was asking, and sent me a real response that answered my question as well as anyone could have with the information I provided. Not only did he tell me what I needed to know about the iScan, he provided key information about the likely behavior of my projector.

(The bottom line is that I was futzing with the wrong settings on my projector, there was nothing wrong with the iScan, and after scratching my head and staring at buttons and knobs a while longer, I believe I've solved my problem.)

This is by far the best technical support experience I've had in years.

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

Problem with brightness after adding line doubler

2004-12-21T06:32:57Z

I have a GE Imager 310 CRT projector that I recently acquired. I've been feeding it S-Video from either a DVD player or a Tivo, and it's been happy with that.

Today I added a DVDO Iscan Plus line doubler to the system, configured with S-Video in (from both sources), and output in RGBHV into the projector's control unit.

When I feed S-Video directly into the projector, the picture is beautifully bright. When I run it through the line doubler, I get a picture that is so dim it's unusable. There's no brightness adjustment on the doubler, and I've kicked the projector's brightness to max.

Anybody have any ideas?

posted in Home Theater - 1 reply

High Def DVD players

2004-11-22T06:12:32Z

I was reading through the previous post, but decided to start a new thread. FYI - the first High Def DVD players are due out soon. The chips' firmware is pretty much finalized, and there are 3 manufacturers initially building players - that's V Inc., Apex Digital and Kiss Technologies.

The players will play Windows Media 9 720p (in addition to SD - although I don't know if they'll up-res SD to HD), and will carry the signal over DVI.

Now in a way there are already millions of High Def DVD players out there: PC's w/ a minimum configuration. About a 2.4GHz PC (or less - I've been able to play out from an XP2000 w/ no problems) and a reasonably good video card (ATI or NVidia recommended with at least 32Mb w/ dual output, including DVI if you want to view on your external HDTV) will do the trick. I find NVidia's a bit easier to deal with for 720p playback on a secondary monitor - they have a full screen video option and the resolution is already there. With ATI I've had to do some tweaking.

Media Center PC's are kind of built for this, depending on the model. The only thing they're missing, in my opinion, is High Def recording capabilities. TIVO has, I believe released or at least announced a model that will do so, so I know it's possible.

There are some few titles in this format already available. www.wmvhd.com mentions a few - documentaries and such; www.highdefxxx.com has a few adult (with another dozen coming within about a month).

By the end of the year, there will probably be about a dozen indie features as well - but it's unlikely that the major studios will make the move any time soon. I'm guessing a couple of years, although there may be exceptions to the rule within the year.

I'll post something more when these players are available.

posted in Home Theater - 7 replies

Build your own XGA projector for ~$300

2004-11-16T15:21:04Z

I thought this was really neat, I'm certainly going to build one of these as soon as I get all the peices together.

http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20041113/index.html

posted in Home Theater - 2 replies

Any AVSers here yet?

2004-11-12T03:53:55Z

Hi all!

Anyone else spend countless hours at the avsforum.com?

(yes, it is a test - anyone that's serious about this hobby hangs out there )

posted in Home Theater - 6 replies

Windows XP Media Center

2004-11-07T19:27:20Z

Has anyone tried using a PC with Windows XP Media Center as the hub for their home theater system?

posted in Home Theater - 5 replies

LCD TVs

2004-10-11T02:49:24Z

Alright I'm in the market for an LCD TV any tips? It will be connected in my computer room as a replacement monitor and HDTV cable. Any deals that you guys know of?

posted in Home Theater - 2 replies

Projector Vs. Plasma?

2004-09-24T08:48:54Z

Hi; I'm thinking about migrating my computer from its two 21" screens (bulky and hot) to either a projector (also kind of bulky and hot) or a plasma (just bulky :-) ). Do you have any opinions on the relative merits of either choice?

thanks!

posted in Home Theater - 3 replies

Any TiVo hackers out there?? Time Warner PVR hackers??

2004-09-14T15:11:53Z

I have the Time Warner PVR service and am debating on switching to TiVo. I am looking for a system that I could program over the web... Anyone playing around with this?

posted in Home Theater - 1 reply

HD DVDs

2004-08-26T04:40:06Z

I was watching some DVDs at my parents house who recently purchased an HDTV. Right now, we have a standard DVD player with progressive scan and connected with component cables. The quality of the DVDs are nice, but they aren't as 'breath-taking' as HDTV companies claim they will be.

And since it's probably going to be another year or so before Hollywood starts producing their movies onto HD-DVDs (or Blu-ray..whoever wins that format war), I was wondering that in the meantime, if its worth buying one of the few current DVD players (such as the Zenith DVB318 1080i Progressive-Scan DVD Player or the Samsung DVD-HD841 HDTV DVD player) that has an upconverter that brings the 480 resolution to 1080? I know that these players don't produce a "true" HD picture, but they must be a lot better than what I'm currently seeing, right? Has anyone seen the quality or can provide me with more info so I can decide whether its worth buying or waiting?

posted in Home Theater - 23 replies

Any Speaker Builders Out There?

2004-08-17T01:34:23Z

Just wondering if there are any others in the tribe who have built their own speakers (or would like to build a set).

I built my home theater speakers last year and want to guage the interest in a separate tribe dedicated to the design and construction of speaker enclosures.

If interested, please include in youre reply some details about the systems you built or would like to build.

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

DVI cable length

2004-08-10T03:06:46Z

I have a little problem and I hope that somebody here can shed some light on it.

I've got an HDTV that I have connected to my cable box connected by a 2m DVI cable. Okay, great...it works for now. Buuuuut, I intend to move the cable box into a central closet, and I would like to maintain a DVI connection to the TV. Distance I suspect will be about 30 feet.

questions:

* Where can I find a 10m DVI cable?

* What kind of signal loss occurs if any, and is there a signal booster that can be used?

posted in Home Theater - 7 replies

Best home theater and stereo system for under $5k?

2004-08-09T18:44:17Z

looking for any input. thx.

posted in Home Theater - 1 reply

Receiver power

2004-08-02T16:58:55Z

At the request of my wife I've recently started the project of upgrading my speakers not so much because what I had lacked good sound but because they were rather old (they just don't make 'em with 15" subwoofers anymore!) and getting a little beat up looking. So I just got a good deal on Infinity Beta 50 floor standing speakers, and I'm getting thhe Infinity Beta C360 center channel speaker. I already have a powered subwoofer by Yamaha, and back speakers by Acoustic Research. Neither are great but serviceable for the time being.

My real question is this: The new speakers can handle a ton of power, and my current receiver is a 500-watt receiver. Am I doing them injustice by not upgrading my receiver as well? Will the lack of added power via an amplifier or higher powered receiver hurt the sound quality?? I've always had an appreciation for home audio, but I guess I never really did my homework on the technical aspects! :-D

Any suggestions for the home theater gurus???

posted in Home Theater - 10 replies

Marshal AS100D

2004-07-28T20:10:01Z

I just bought a Takamine EAN10CX acoustic electric and use a Fender Acousonics.
I'm interested in the Marshal.
Can anyone recommend this amp to me?

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

Car -CD

2004-07-28T08:36:54Z

Since y'all seem to know stuff. My volkswagen came with a factory installed CD player with a 6-CD cartridge. The cartridge wont come out. Pretty much all I can do it keep pressing the button -- nothing works. I suppose that if I really try, I can find tongs or something to get a grip and pull. I was driving by an auto sound shop and asked for advice. It was, of course, "it's cheaper to buy and install a new one." Another friend's advice was, "get satellite radio."

Any thoughts.

posted in Home Theater - 5 replies

SONY DAV-FR9

2004-07-13T20:10:14Z

I'm considering the new SONY "dream system" home theater, dav-fr9. My question is whether the tuner/receiver/dvd/cd player on these things is any good. I generally trust Sony, but can such a small box do a good job at all those tasks? I'd rather not spend the money to buy each item separately, and I like the idea of saving space.

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=HCM-UZQ1LyU-dtTEeTY0Wts4KcBCUY19GcI=?ProductSKU=DAVFR9

posted in Home Theater - 2 replies

home theater setups

2004-07-07T20:14:44Z

how about everyone throw out what their current home theater setup is.. i know that i'm definatley interested in what other people are using and have experienced.

Toshiba 30HF83 30" HDTV
Yamaha HTR-5750 receiver
Pioneer DV-563A DVD player
Athena Audition Series speakers
- AS-F2 front
- AS-C1 center
- AS-B1 surrounds
monster cable THX for everything
monster cable PC1000 power center

This is a great setup for my small living room. The Toshiba has ridiculously good image quality and is now a solid deal for under $1000. I purchased the yamaha for its superior specs and (in my opinion) sound and build quality. The pioneer DVD player is a pretty entry-level piece but solid nonetheless. It had the video and audio DAC specs I was looking for along with the PureCinema progressive scan - probably not as nice as Faroudja DCDi but for the money hard to beat. The Athena speakers are totally awesome. For not having a subwoofer, they do a good job of reproducing bass at the mid and high levels, but unfortunately lack the necessary punch at lower volumes. The tweeters are incredible and if you like bright detailed highs then you can't go wrong with the Athenas. All in all I paid around $2500-2700 for everything including the TV. If you are looking for a bang for the buck home theater setup, I highly suggest looking at the components I have.

posted in Home Theater - 1 reply

Surveillence cameras? Remote access??

2004-07-06T13:51:34Z

Anyone using surveillence cameras? I am looking for a solution to allow me to remotely monitor a site via a dial up line... Any ideas?

posted in Home Theater - 3 replies

X-10... Home Automation??

2004-06-28T21:33:56Z

Anyone playing with this stuff? What do you use? What do you like/dislike? What software do you use?

posted in Home Theater - 2 replies

klipsch rf-35

2004-06-26T19:55:26Z

oes anyone know how the Klipsch rf-35's sound when they are broke in? What is the best way to break them in?? I need to know as I am getting a set soon.

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

TiVo fans?

2004-06-22T13:17:38Z

Any TiVo fans out there? I got a TiVo a year ago when we had our first baby, and I find that I hardly ever watch live TV anymore. On the rare occasions that I do, it's to find new shows to add to my Season Pass list (which records every episode of that show).

I have a wireless network at home, so I've been thinking about paying the extra $99 to enable "home media option." This would let me bring up digital photos from my PC on my TV, using the TV remote to navigate through picture albums. You can also play all of the MP3s stored on your computer.

Has anyone tried the Home Media Option service?
I'm not sure if I'd use it that much just for pictures and music, but I might subscribe for the opposite -- the ability to watch TiVo shows from my networked PC. That would turn my upstairs den into a living room too.

posted in Home Theater - 10 replies

Yaaaa

2004-05-04T22:57:05Z

I finally got my dvi cable to hook up my monitor to sony hdtv. Native resolution is only 720 by 480, but it works.
I was worried, somthing i read about a sony designed "handshake" between components before the dvi channel would work, but i guess it doesnt apply to video card output.

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

Surround sound report

2004-04-27T01:28:33Z

I'm doing some research on how surround technology works. I'm not just talking about speaker placement, but the package as a whole. I want to know how a disc is encoded, how the player deocodes the information and sends it to the receiver. Then how the receiver transmits only certain frequnecies to certain speakers. And finally how we interpret these sounds in our ears.

It sounds odd, but I need this for a communications couse I'm taking. I would like any websites or books that I could read. Preferably books, our professor would like us to use books if we can rather than the internet.

Thanks

posted in Home Theater - 4 replies

what to do for a projector screen

2004-04-14T15:24:24Z

hi all,

i have access to a digital projector through my graduate department, and i'd like to have a way to set it up without completely readjusting the layout of the sound system, since it's only a temporary thing. this means having some sort of screen that i can place over my entertainment center.

last time, i tried a white blackout curtain, but it was a bit of a hassle to get it tight enough so that the wrinkles didn't affect the picture. i considered the possibility of purchasing a pre-stretched canvas, but finding one big enough looks like a bit of a task, if possible at all.

what are some of the ways that you other projector-folk have used for your screens that i might be able to use in this situation?

posted in Home Theater - 7 replies

Cleaning CD players?

2004-03-21T19:55:47Z

This isn't excatly "home" theater, but my car cd player has a lot of scratchy noises when I play cds, it will also skip and stop playing for a second or two. Do I just buy one of those cd cleaners? Is there any particular one that people here recomend? Thanks.

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

Automation: Sony CX777ES DVD Changer, Sony STR-DA3000ES Receiver, MythTV

2004-03-08T20:02:49Z

I am a huge automation fan, and I've been trying to research the specifics for Sony's protocol over RS-232C for controlling their higher end products. There are a few commercial products for controlling the equipment, but they're quite expensive, and not really flexible for my needs.

I believe in open standards, and flexible configurations. I do believe in buying products, but only when they offer the ability to sit in the larger scope without standing out inappropriately (meaning, they have to integrate).

So with that said, I'm trying to develop a control driver for Sony ES devices for use with MythTV (http://www.mythtv.org). Does anyone have any information on the protocol, or can lead me in the right direction to find it on the net? I've done all the general google searching, etc for the last 10 months. Any information would be helpful, and I'll be releasing the "driver" open source once built.

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

Universal Remotes

2004-03-05T01:24:06Z

After doing a lot of research on various sites, I decided to go with the MX-500 for its features/price.

I will be sure to comment more once I get it configured. I currently have 5 remotes that I toggle through (DVD, TV, Audio Reciever, Tivo, HD Box) and this is a must for me.

Anyone else have a universal remote that they like and would recommend?

posted in Home Theater - 5 replies

horribly ignorant digital tv question

2004-03-04T23:03:40Z

I knew a guy a few years ago who had his computer hooked up to a big-screen TV. Great idea, but it looked awful; low-res analog display meant everything was blurry, you couldn't even read text.

So now I keep hearing the phrase "digital TV" and I'm wondering exactly what it means. Specifically, could I hook my PC up to it and actually get a decent image? If so, would it require extra hardware? Would it have trouble with varying screen resolutions? And if you can do this, why isn't everyone doing it (which is why I expect the answer is "no").

Even more specifically, assuming it's doable, would the $499 Advent HT2751A be up to the task?

posted in Home Theater - 1 reply

Speakers?

2004-03-03T18:35:58Z

What is everyone's favorite brand for speakers? I wasnt to get a 5.1 set up and my price range for the speakers is about $2-4k I was looking at Klipsch's site, and it looks pretty good, and I heard them at a store and they sound great. Looking for more suggestions to listen to. Thanks.

posted in Home Theater - 3 replies

DVD Ripping

2004-02-23T23:58:25Z

Does anyone know of a good solution for browsing and playing DVDs from a hard drive?

When my theater is done, I want to get a computer for it. In addition to web, photos and music, I want to rip all my DVDs (full quality, but dump all of the un-skippable ads, warnings, DVD menus, interviews, deleted scenes and all the other crap.. i mean "bonus features"), then be able to select from a menu and play the movie right away.

Plus I'd have a good archive so I can just copy a few movies onto my laptop when I travel. I've watched 2 movies on 1 battery in my powerbook when playing from the hard drive, while it can only barely get through one if the DVD drive is spinning.

And better still, I could mount the server on computers elsewhere in my house (or maybe even a Roku device), and watch the movies from anywhere, instead of having to hunt down the physical DVD.

A 300GB disk could hold 50 or more movies (depending on how many are dual-layer or Kevin Costner flicks). A few of those would hold a pretty decent collection.

Has anyone else done anything like this yet?

posted in Home Theater - 17 replies

Wireless audio?

2004-02-23T23:57:04Z

Does anyone have any experience with wireless speakers or headphones?

I purchased a set of Zenith wireless headphones a few years ago, and I've rarely used them -- far too much static.

posted in Home Theater - 10 replies

"Blu-Ray"?

2004-02-15T19:07:52Z

Anyone knows when the "Blu-Ray" DVD players will be on sale?

At this time we haven't got a DVD, was look to getting Surround Sound DVD and AM/FM in one Box.

Now I'm thinking of Surround SoundAM/FM in one box, and buy a stand alone DVD. Then Buy a Blu-Ray DVD and move the other DVD to the bedroom.

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

Subwoofer Noise

2004-02-11T19:18:27Z

I recently got a projector that has transformed my home theater into a Big Screen home theater (because I have 20-ft ceilings :-). But now my neighbors are complaining about their rattling walls and floors due to my subwoofer.

I turned down the gain on the unit, but I'm wondering if anybody has suggestions on damping the extraneous bass w/o compromising overall sound quality.

Thanks!

posted in Home Theater - 1 reply

Myth TV

2004-02-02T07:45:57Z

Anyone with experience with Myth TV? It's a do-it-yourself PVR built around linux or freeBSD. I'm interested in this because TiVo just has too many intentional limitations (ie the ability to easily stream the TV content to & from a file server, and the reliance on a guide subscription) but I was wondering if anyone has any personal experience with it.

posted in Home Theater - 8 replies

RG6 v. RG6/U?

2004-02-02T01:10:22Z

So, I got myself a spool of cable and some screw-on ends. Unfortunately, I didn't read the labels perfectly, and the cable is RG6U and the ends are RG6, and they don't fit together. So it looks like I go shopping again.

So, what is the difference between RG6 & RG6U? Which should I run internally in my house?

thanks,

-mike

posted in Home Theater - 4 replies

HP dc3000

2004-02-02T00:03:42Z

Does anyone have experience with the video-to-DVD device by HP, the HP dc3000?

I've done research on it, and depending on who you listen to, it's great, or it's a disaster. I'd like to taken my video collection over to DVD with the least pain.

NOTE: I did find this helpful site - http://k0lee.com/dc3000/index.htm

posted in Home Theater - 2 replies

Computers and home theater

2004-02-01T23:51:46Z

I admit it. I’m tired of storing CDs (pre-recorded or home compilations) and trying to sort through them to find the right songs. I thought about purchasing a 100-disk multi changer, but with that many moving parts, I wouldn’t expect it to last too long.

I’m about to purchase a new computer and my current one has a large enough hard drive to store thousands of WAV quality audio files plus video recorded from broadcast TV.

Does anyone know of a video card that outputs component video or s-video and has a high quality TV tuner that allows for the antenna input at 75 ohm or 300 ohms?

posted in Home Theater - 4 replies

digital projector lenses & recommendations

2004-01-29T12:09:29Z

is possible to change the lens of digital projector to get narrower or wider then avaerage images? i have 2 projectors and one is much wider (too much) then the other.

also, i want to upgrade to xga and looking for inexpensive reccomndations, especially if i can get a custom lens to properly fit my room.
thanks :)

posted in Home Theater - 1 reply

Screen Goo - digital projection screen paint

2004-01-28T03:41:54Z

hi,
just purchased some screen goo to paint on to my wall of my projection room. has anyone here done this before? i hear it's supposed to be better then and a lot luss bulky than a screen?
have you sprayed vs rollered it on?
any tips?
thanks

links in case you're interested
http://www.goosystems.com/goosystems.cgi/index
http://www.dazian.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?action=show_Product&series_id=42

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

LCD vs. Plasma

2004-01-26T16:32:11Z

What are the differences between LCD and Plasma FlatScreens? Which technology is better?

posted in Home Theater - 7 replies

HDTV?

2004-01-23T10:16:46Z

How's the HDTV reception in the S.F. area? In Phoenix all the stations have HDTV broadcasts on the air now but they aren't on all the time yet. They tend to go off on Sunday nights and early weekday mornings so I can't switch exclusively yet.
There's almost no actual HDTV programming content yet either. PBS is the only channel that has a full time HDTV broadcast but it looks wonderful! The networks just have some programming of their major shows during primetime with the regular old stuff the rest of the time. There doesn't seem to be any agreement on picture resolution, size or shape yet either and it goes from too tall to too wide or narrow as I switch stations.
I have a Samsung SIR-T150 receiver that I got on ebay for $80.00 feeding a 21" monitor. It receives all forms of broadcasting and the analog channels look normal but I frequently have to adjust the size or shape for HDTV channels to make them look correct.

posted in Home Theater - 3 replies

Myth, Tivo, and EyeTV - and the TV of the future.

2004-01-23T00:04:49Z

I sent a letter to EyeTV and they responded very cordially, and right away the next day. I was left with an awesome impression of their company. So It gave me an idea, start with what I have and add any features. Lets conceptually design the TV of the future. I realize there will be some impossible features here, I am shooting for more possible-today-ideas. What do you think?

Dear TiVO competitors,

I have joined a site where people discuss home theaters. They utilize Macs to serve television to all the pcs in their home and their home theater. I am seeing talk about TiVO's built-in limitations. Like not being able to easily transfer data to and from a file server. I am also seeing discussions opening up about HDTV. I don't know how HDTV is streamed, so then compressing it in MPEG2(-4) may or may not work, but I see that you have a digital cable eyeTV, but it isn't available in the US. Would that make it not compatible with Digital cable Television provided by companies like Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable? Mac towers are now fully capable of storing and transferring uncompressed HDTV using a RAID and the optional Fibre Channel I/O card. not that your average person has these things. I would like to, but then I am slowly building an HD video workstation. My 43" Plasma monitor is my home theater and my workstation monitor. (You can get addicted to a 43" computer monitor really fast.) An acquaintance of mine has your product and swears by it. TiVO has never really impressed me. For my needs, I would like something that would have the features of your EyeTV400, but making your Toast Titanium a requirement without providing it is kinda seedy as a marketing strategy. The Mac already burns DVDs just fine. They both lack one very useful feature, over-burn, but then again the only client out there that I found for Mac that does says the Super Drive can't do it.

Limitations just seem like a bad idea, the person who makes the most openly featured product will win the most market share. Frankly the product I want doesn't exist, too many hands in the pot for what I need. I would like to automate my TV viewing, an all-in-one-service. I would love a service that provides HD digital television and serves me high-speed-internet, through my Mac. The service is 100% fully programmable. It would have an intelligent visually interactive guide, perhaps like iPhoto but with configurable sub categories based on the personal taste of the viewer. It would Learn your viewing habits and intuitively show you the things you want to see. It might record the premier of a new show that seems like something you might like. It should broadcast in 16x9 or 4x3 for all stations. There would be no premium stations, but a comprehensive library of every movie available as a pay per view. It should be capable of enhancement utilizing voice activation commands, Services, and Apple Scripts. It would have features like picture in picture that I could drag anywhere on the screen or open all 25 premium channels in different windows. It can easily be transfered to a file server so every pc regaurdless of format can stream or watch a different concurrent channel. Well I am certain to think of at least half a dozen more features as soon as I hit send, but you get the picture. I am capable of using a service like this right now, and I think more people will be soon. Well one can always dream.

You all take care, keep up the good work, be well.
Sincerely,
Brandan Hart
Action Entertainment

Their response:

Brandan,

Thank you for contacting Elgato Systems.

We appreciate your detailed comments about our products, and the products that you would like to see come to market.

Digital television uses MPEG-2 as a compression standard. Our European products like the 300 and 400 take these streams and record them right to disk, with no additional transformation. We are looking into ways to bring similar products to the US market, that uses the ATSC digital TV format (same MPEG-2, different tuners and the like).

The EyeTV USB and 200 have analog tuners - they work with basic, unscrambled analog cable. If you have digital cable, then you'll have to use a cable box first, before the signal enters EyeTV. Then, you'll have to change channels by using your cable box remote. Perhaps in the future we'll find a way around this - realize of course that we can't clone the various cable boxes, due to legal issues. That said, there are TV's that are supposed to be coming out that offer digital cable tuning with the addition of an encryption card. When that technology matures, perhaps that will be an option.

DVD burning is one thing, DVD authoring is another. Toast offers both, while your Mac offers simple burning in the Finder, and authoring via iDVD. iDVD only likes DV video, while Toast can make DVDs from pretty much any video source that QuickTime can play. Toast isn't a requirement, you can use any means of taking MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 video and authoring a DVD. Toast is simply the market leader, so we support it. For the sake of disclosure, we also code Toast for Roxio, so we understand how to integrate EyeTV with it.

Thanks again for your comments and vision of future DVRs on the Mac. If we can realize any of these ideas, then I hope you'll give EyeTV further notice.

Nick Freeman
Elgato Systems Customer Support

Further notice I would be their biggest advocate. - B

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

Sony Wega Theatre

2004-01-22T23:14:21Z

Just got that new Sony Wega Theatre. It's a projection/plasma screen, 52 in. Its way cool. Surround sound and everything, I'm lovin' it. Then I hooked up HDTV didgital cable....it's godsent.

Anyone else have the Wega?

posted in Home Theater - 1 reply

Custom Installer

2004-01-21T01:06:20Z

I am a custom home theater installer looking to do some networking with like-minded professionals.

posted in Home Theater - 3 replies

DLP Projector for rent

2004-01-20T03:42:47Z

Hi! I have a bright 1024x768 InFocus video projector available for short term rental. It has composite and S-Video input, but really shines when using VGA input direct from a computer (PowerPoint, DVD playback, etc.).

Great for watching huge movies on the wall.

If you need a projector for a project or or party or just to try out, let me know and I'll hook you up. Some info on my website:

http://www.roughlydrafted.com

cheers - Dan

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

Home Theater Systems Audio or Video

2004-01-19T01:27:47Z

I have played with home theater, but have limited experience. My sense is that getting the speakers right ads a lot more to overall affect than incremental investment in picture quality. What do others think

posted in Home Theater - 15 replies

Wireless speakers

2004-01-17T17:52:42Z

I have been looking into wireless speakers for my surround system and am not very satisfied(poor quality). Does anyone know of some sort of addapter which I could attach to the back of my stereo and then hook to my speakers whch I already have and are of decent quality. Thus the need for all-in-one wireless speakers is not needed. All I am looking for is an adapter. Comments?

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies

Digital projector?

2004-01-17T01:37:03Z

I have all of the elements in my cozy apartment for an excellent home theater experience -- except for a good-sized screen.

I was considering the purchase of a refurb digital projector. During the dotcom heyday, I was very impressed by a setup I saw at a house party. The host used the projector to screen several short films he'd produced, and the quality wasn't bad.

Am I just whistling Dixie, or is this a viable idea? What about issues like refresh rate and resolution?

posted in Home Theater - 5 replies

Show Your Theater!

2003-10-07T23:28:36Z

I've posted a couple of pictures to get things rolling - I'd love to see picture of members' theaters - everything from family room on up!

You can view all of my construction pictures at http://homepage.mac.com/cptnrandy

posted in Home Theater - 0 replies