Hi-tech-tv.com: Television technology news & answers

Question: I was at a Bose store last weekend and the systems look awesome, but my gut tells me they’re way overpriced at $2K-plus. My in-laws got one from Sam’s Club for about $550 with front and rear speakers (although not true surround sound), a DVD/CD player and a separate receiver that lets you hear what’s being played in another room or outside. I forget what brand it is.

I’m not a Sam’s Club member but I’m looking for something more along the lines of what my in-laws have. Don’t need top of the line, but something that is good for the money and has a receiver for at least one other room in the house.

Any recommendations welcomed – thanks.

Answer 1: AVS Forum.com is the place for all such questions. The forum topic Home Theater in a Box is a great source for information on inexpensive Home Theater sets, such as the Bose system (and yes, they are generally considered overpriced).

In particular, check out the thread on HTIB Alternatives. If you can spend up to $1000 you can put together a simple system (receiver, 5 speakers) from separate components that will far surpass what you will get from a HTIB.

Answer 2: I am very happy with my system that is closer to your in-laws. Bose is way over-priced in general. I have an Onkyo home theater in a box system that I spend about $500 on several years ago. It is great for my needs. You can spend a helluva lot more on higher quality components and speakers, but I’m not exactly an audiophile. I think that the sound and experience from my system is pretty amazing.

Answer 3: I would suggest picking up an Onkyo system. You won’t be disappointed. I got a 7.1 system made by Onkyo that I’m really happy with. It has a lot of bang for the buck. HDMI switching and everything. It has a channel for another room as well. Well under a thousand shipped from amazon.

Answer 4: You can do much better than the Home Theater in a Box or HTIB with a little research on the web and a visit to an Audio Store. The Good Lord gave us all two precision intruments to help us recognize good audio….they’re called Ears.

Get an idea of what you want and what price range you are comfortable with. Then visit an Audio Shop with a Listening Room (not Best Buy/Circuit City). They should be able to punch up any receiver in stock with a variety of speakers. You might want to bring in a CD of your favorite type of music. There’s no law that says you have to buy it there, just listen and say thank you very much.

I have a Denon receiver. It has a feature called 5-channel stereo that can matrix a stereo signal (like FM radio) into a nice 5 channel surround.

Find something that suits your listening tastes and search the web for the best price. Your friendly Audio Store may match the price.

And then don’t look back, because new improved gear is being released every month.

Answer 5: A quick shopping spree to Onecall.com came up with: Onkyo SR606B reciever $379.89 free shipping @ http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=91169

Infinity Primus front/rear/center speakers $398.99 +$34.95 shipping @ http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=34007

Infinity PS10 Subwoofer $169.95 +$44.70 shipping @ http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=20820

Total $1028.48

If you have a higher budget, I suggest some Definitive Technology speakers instead of the Infinity speakers.

Answer 6: Bose Sucks! I have an Onkyo 5.1 reciever for about 6 years now, love it. I have Klipch speakers, with a Velodyne 120 (450 watt) sub. This system still rocks, that sub can shake my entire house! Add the Klipch speakers, which are a very bright speaker, and its a really nice combo. Shop for the Klipch speakers online, or you will pay a high price at the local Best Buy or Circuit City stores. If you want all tyhe information you could ever possibly need or want, go to the Home Theatre Spot.com – This is a true fanatics dream.

Answer 7: I have an Onkyo 705 and 7 Polk speakers. It sounds great in the media room. Bose is terrible. You can do a lot better. Pick a receiver that sounds good to you (they all sound a little different). Some names are Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha, and Pioneer Elite. Then the same with speakers (again all speakers sound different). THere are many, many brands. For example some people love the Klipsch, but to me they sounded to bright and grated on me. A reciever will give you all the latest features (HDMI, etc), but if you value sound over features then go for separates (a separate amp and preprocessor). A receiver will say its 120W, but in reality it will be a lot less per channel in normal use. A separate amp will be 120W. The sound from separates will be better, but I really needed the additional features so I went with the received, and to me it sounds good enough.

Question: Can anyone give me some insight on the good and bad of mounting a plasma/LCD over a fireplace? My sister just purchased her first home, its a nice little town home but the family room is small so the base case scenario is mounting the TV over the fireplace….we have not yet purchased the unit so if there is a benefit to LCD over plasma or the other way around, that arrangement can be made. So yeah, if anyone has done this, or has any research on the topic, let me know if its ok to have the TV mounted with the fireplace on, how high above it it could/should be, etc. Thank in advance for all your help.

Answer 1: It can definitely be done. I think the issue is the heat. Use a thermometer to make sure where the TV will go never gets above 90 degrees F or the Plasma TV works harder to cool itself, thus shortening the overall lifespan. That’s only if the TV is on and only if it’s on for longer than a few minutes.

Answer 2: They did it on “This Old House” once.. they built a nice cabinet above the fireplace so the unit would be hidden when not used. it was really nice

Answer 3: I built a new mantle to put my LCD on. We only use our fireplace once in a while, so heat isn’t an issue.

Answer 4: I did it last year. Have a 60″ Pioneer Plasma, 145 lbs, mounted in the recessed area of the fireplace. Installed the mounting bracket into the studs behind the surface area. The bracket has an adjustable tilt so viewing is directly into the room. Mine is set for about 15 degrees down. Closest chair is 7 feet from the screen and the sofa is 10 to 12 feet away. .
The fireplace is gas so heat is not an issue in the Plasma area. Plasma does put off a fair amount of heat but not enough to be concerned with. Those CSI city views are absoutely breathtaking in HD.

Answer 5: You’re not supposed to put it over a live fire place as soot will be your enemy, but a gas one you can, as long as you determine heat isn’t an issue.

I just recently puchased a Samsund 1080 46″ LCD. I have seen a lot of good posts on HDTV’s. The question I have is, what is the best way to setup the picture ie contrast, sharpness, brightness, and tint. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Answer #1: I have Samsung 40″ LCD 1080p. I haven’t felt the need to adjust. Usually the manufactured pre-settings are perfect. But not alwats. Typically the manufacturer settings are geared towards in-store demos and may or may not be appropriate for your viewing area.

Answer #2: I use the Sound & Vision Home Theater Set-Up DVD.

Answer #3: Factory setting are rarely corect for your house. Buy a Spyder and redo the covergence on the set. Anyone who thinks their picture is perfect hasn’t had the convergence done. It’s worth every penny. Perhaps calibration is a better choice of words.

Answer #4: Convergence on an LCD set? Was his rear projection or direct display? Won’t be any convergence issues if it’s direct display. I’ll second buying something like Avia for setting the contrast and brightness to your room and liking. But convergence is way overkill for a home theater setup. If you were a photoshop guy who needed color correction so that his prints came out right, I could see it – but spending that when a $30 DVD can do just about the same is a waste of money (and likely time, since you’re going to need a PC in the same room, and software setup.)

You can buy Avia at Amazon where the used marketplace has them available for $20. It’s not a must-have, but if you want to optimize the set it’s a far better purchase than some of the accessory crap (Monster cables) that some people pay for.

Question: Can anyone recommend a good quality home theater in a box for around $500-700? My idea is to get a system I could expand/upgrade. I’m leaning toward Dennon and HK based strictly on brand loyalty from years ago. Do these companies still put out a good product? I haven’t actually heard the HK speakers yet, are they basically JBL’s? How about Yamaha systems?
Alternatively, I was thinking of going with separate components and using an old pair of DCM’s as my L&R speakers. The one salesman I talked to said that would not be a good idea because if the center speaker didn’t acoustically “match” the L&R, it would sound like crap. Is there some truth to this, or was he just trying to sell me a pair of speakers.

I also have to battle the wife because she thinks the DCM’s are ugly and too “80’s,” but that’s another story…

Answer 1: I went with Yamaha. I liked it better than comparable Denon or Onkyo systems (both of which were about $200.00 more). It does not have HDMI in/out so you will need co/ax cables. I love the sound, it has outstanding power and if I need more, which I do not, I could add a powered sub (it comes with a passive sub).

Great system, great price: Yamaha 720W 5.1-Ch. XM-Ready Home Theater Speaker System Model: YHT-370

Answer 2: I went with HK AVR 245 and infinity TSS 1100 speakers. The system is awesome! The 12 inch Sub woofer makes the thing pop.

Answer 3: Onkyo Home Theater System (HT-S790S) – ONK HTS790S
• 7.1-channel sound
• 8-piece speaker system
• iPod dock-compatible
• XM-radio ready
• Onkyo’s WRAT technology
• HDTV-capable

Under $500 at Circuit City!