home theater / surround sound / stereo system

[tyven]

idk how to technology so i need your help. i recently moved into a much bigger house so i want to look into setting up some surround sound for the living room but also be able to bump some jams when the situation calls for it.

what exactly do i need to make these dreams come true?
stores sell these all in one home theater joints that are like 200 bones and its a DVD player and speakers + sub, but then i am like wtf, do i need a receiver to run all this jazz?

currently in the living room we have a 360 and our cable box just hooked up directly to our TV, i am guessing if we want to keep it all going we will need a receiver.

i really have no idea what i am doing someone plz help me help me

[tyven]

see i am looking at something like this! but there is no receiver, idk how important a receiver is but i know they are pretty important. i see people with them and also i see their prices and they are not cheap.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+B...&skuId=9238906

[Arnwulf]

The "receiver" is coupled with the DVD player in the Home Theater in a Box stuff that stores sell. Those are fairly decent systems if they have what you're looking for, the main problem with those is that they have little to no inputs. So your other components, cable box and xbox, won't be able to send sound through it properly.

My dad has one just like the one you're looking at, it's nice, and he can get his tv sound through it, but the only time he's getting 5.1 sound is when he uses the DVD player. It didn't work for me simply because I have a PS3 and need the inputs for the digital sound and such for Blu Ray, so I went with a 5.1 speaker set and bought a receiver separately. Doesn't sound perfect, but it's serviceable.

[SephYuyX]

You said home theater, that entails ripping the room apart and starting from scratch from optimal sound/video quality and convenience.

But if youre just looking to lay some hardware in and forgo the quality of the room itself.

http://www.onkyousa.com/
http://www.onkyousa.com/prod_class.cfm?class=Systems is for full systems, or you can buy speakers, recievers, etc seperate.

[tyven]

The "receiver" is coupled with the DVD player in the Home Theater in a Box stuff that stores sell. Those are fairly decent systems if they have what you're looking for, the main problem with those is that they have little to no inputs. So your other components, cable box and xbox, won't be able to send sound through it properly.

My dad has one just like the one you're looking at, it's nice, and he can get his tv sound through it, but the only time he's getting 5.1 sound is when he uses the DVD player. It didn't work for me simply because I have a PS3 and need the inputs for the digital sound and such for Blu Ray, so I went with a 5.1 speaker set and bought a receiver separately. Doesn't sound perfect, but it's serviceable.

okay cool, so if i decide to get that best buy one, can i get a receiver later and hook it up to the receiver so i can have more components?

[Cephius]

You probably use HDMI for all your components right? Just look for a home theatre in a box that has HDMI in/out ports on the DVD/reciever box. Then buy a cheap HDMI switcher, hook the components up to your switcher, plug the switcher into the reciever, and then run a HDMI cable from the reciever to your TV. You'll get 5.1 sound for everything and the video will pass through to your TV.

[Mabubeezareel]

So long as those speakers don't use some sort of proprietary jack on them, then yes, they should work fine when paired with an actual receiver.

However, I wouldn't recommend that particular Home Theater in a Box (HTB) system solely for the reason that it doesn't come with an actual receiver. The DVD player has an integrated amplifier that will drive the speakers, but it's not a true receiver, and I guess is lacking a variety of inputs. Also, I don't think that you really need a DVD player anyway, since the XBOX360 functions as one perfectly fine. If you're going to be in the market for a receiver at some point in time anyway, then it's better to either:

A. Buy a HTB system that includes a receiver, or
B. Buy the components separetely (receiver + speaker set w/sub)

The former will be cheaper and easier to set up (HTBs usually have color-coded connections for everything, making setup a breeze), but may also lack some features that would be standard in any stand-alone receiver. As mentioned above, Onkyo makes some pretty decent HTBs, though they can be a little bit pricier than the model you were looking at.

The latter will be more expensive, but also much more robust and offer a greater deal of flexibility, especially on the available inputs.

My own very meager setup is actually a combination of the two. I purchased a Kenwood HTB ~6 years ago on clearance for $200. The receiver that it came with turned out to be a full-fledged component, and the speakers/sub were more than decent for my room. I ended up replacing the receiver with a Denon over the summer to take advantage of the newer technology offered by modern consoles and DVRs, and it has been working perfectly great with the speakers/sub from the Kenwood HTB.

[tyven]

You probably use HDMI for all your components right? Just look for a home theatre in a box that has HDMI in/out ports on the DVD/reciever box. Then buy a cheap HDMI switcher, hook the components up to your switcher, plug the switcher into the reciever, and then run a HDMI cable from the reciever to your TV. You'll get 5.1 sound for everything and the video will pass through to your TV.

my simple brain does not understand how this would work but i am greatly excited by how easy you make it sound.

[Mabubeezareel]

To break it down a bit more simply - each of your devices, whether it be a cable box, xbox360, PS3, etc, has multiple ways by which it can transmit video and audio. These are referred to as outputs.

The specific type of output that Cephius is referring to is HDMI, which is capable of carrying both the video and audio signals in a single cable. HDMI is the new standard for transmitting video/audio, supports the most recent surround sound formats, as well as is capable of carrying high-resolution video signals. All other types of outputs have separate cables that must be utilized for carrying video and audio. The most easily recognizable of these is composite, where the yellow cable is used for transmitting video, while the red/white cables are for stereo audio.

Now, taking Ceph's example a bit further, a HTB system is not likely to have multiple HDMI inputs on it. You may very well have more devices that can use HDMI than you have inputs on the receiver. In this case, you could consider using an HDMI switch box. In this case, the switch box would act as a "hub". You would plug all of your HDMI cables from your devices into the hub, and then plug the hub into the receiver. Then, you select which device you'd like to use on the hub.

That's also exactly why I would recommend against going with a very low-end HTB system, since the receiver is not likely to have multiple HDMI inputs on it, forcing you into an alternative solution like a switch box anyway. Standalone receivers, even on the low end, all have multiple HDMI inputs. I think even the ones that come with the Onkyo HTBs have at least 2.

[Cephius]

To break it down a bit more simply - each of your devices, whether it be a cable box, xbox360, PS3, etc, has multiple ways by which it can transmit video and audio. These are referred to as outputs.

The specific type of output that Cephius is referring to is HDMI, which is capable of carrying both the video and audio signals in a single cable. HDMI is the new standard for transmitting video/audio, supports the most recent surround sound formats, as well as is capable of carrying high-resolution video signals. All other types of outputs have separate cables that must be utilized for carrying video and audio. The most easily recognizable of these is composite, where the yellow cable is used for transmitting video, while the red/white cables are for stereo audio.

Now, taking Ceph's example a bit further, a HTB system is not likely to have multiple HDMI inputs on it. You may very well have more devices that can use HDMI than you have inputs on the receiver. In this case, you could consider using an HDMI switch box. In this case, the switch box would act as a "hub". You would plug all of your HDMI cables from your devices into the hub, and then plug the hub into the receiver. Then, you select which device you'd like to use on the hub.

That's also exactly why I would recommend against going with a very low-end HTB system, since the receiver is not likely to have multiple HDMI inputs on it, forcing you into an alternative solution like a switch box anyway. Standalone receivers, even on the low end, all have multiple HDMI inputs. I think even the ones that come with the Onkyo HTBs have at least 2.

Yeah, this pretty much sums it up nicely.

However, finding a low end HTB receiver with one HDMI input/output and buying a switch is often much cheaper than forking out cash to buy an Onkyo or similar higher-end brand. Obviously you sacrifice some sound quality, but for a non-audiophile who just wants to experience 5.1 sound while gaming and watching TV (like yours truly) this is a viable option.

The last thing I'd recommend is buying some revision of a Logitech Harmony Universal remote. They're not exactly cheap, but I love being able to control everything with one remote instead of needing to swap between 3-5 remotes just to change components or adjust volume.

[Mabubeezareel]

+1 for the Logitech Harmony. I bought a low-end one for myself this summer when I upgraded my receiver, and couldn't be happier with it. HIGHLY recommend one for any home theater setup, or even anyone who has more than a single remote. My GF loves it almost as much as I do - a simple process such as watching TV used to require 4 remotes in my setup (TV, cable box, receiver, and switchbox), but now it's a single button press to turn everything on, set to the proper inputs, and channel switching/volume control going to the proper devices.

I just read up a little bit, and it seems that some of the lower-end Onkyo HTBs aren't capable of decoding audio over HDMI, which makes them pretty useless in my eyes. Here's a very well-equipped Sony HTB for about the same price as the one that the OP was originally looking at.

[seppuku-gb]

Instead of looking at a list of specs., just go buy a $450ish HTB system. They're pretty much tiered in stores so one at that price will have all the inputs/outputs for your existing devices with a few spare inputs for adding later. Just make sure to get a stand alone reciever not a dvd/reciever combo HTB. And don't buy a HTB with the amp in the sub, it will often cost less but will be a bitch to replace if you blow your sub.

I would look at Sony/Onkyo/Kenwood systems if you want good value.

[Caiyuo]

Here's something that may help as far as an actual product link: http://www.consumersearch.com/home-t.../sony-ht-ss360 - picked as the best HTIB from this link (http://www.consumersearch.com/home-theater-systems) which may save you a little money as well as I don't think you need the DVD player if you have this in the same room as your 360, yes?

Pros:

• Inexpensive
• Three HDMI inputs
• Small speakers

Cons:

• Sound quality better with movies than music
• No analog video inputs
• No Blu-ray or DVD player included