Moving Soon, Need Some Home Theater/PC Advice

[Stiker]

So I am about to move into a new house in a couple of weeks and I've been trying to figure out a good way to set up my TV, consoles, PC, sound, internet, etc.

So right now I have a fairly up to date gaming PC that I've built, HDTV, 360, PS3, and I'll be ordering Verizon FiOS service. I want to eventually get 5.1 surround sound, but I do not have that yet.

My current idea is this: Previous residents had FiOS and the "box" thing is still there (the thing that separates the signals), so I'm thinking to make my life easier, I place my TV, consoles, and gaming PC all in the same area by the box (so Verizon doesn't have to upcharge me on extra wiring). I have plenty of HDMI and HD component inputs to connect everything to the TV. Right now the 360 is HD component, PS3 is HDMI, and PC is simple VGA connection, but I do have a HDMI adapter that came with my video card (this is what I have: Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100251SR Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards).

The main question I have is that, if I hook everything up to the TV, when I get my sound system, would I be able to hook it up so that whatever sound comes out of the TV will come out in the speakers? I don't have much experience working with any setups that have HDMI, so I'm not sure if I'd have to connect the audio in a different way.

Also, has anyone used an HDMI adapter with a PC card? I'm wondering what kind of quality the output is and if it can get to say 1080p. I would also assume somehow audio would run through the cable as well, but I've never tried to use HDMI with a PC so I'm not sure. So advice on that would be helpful too.

As far as the 360 goes, I think I should be more or less set, but I do have one question. Would it be worth trying to find a HDMI converter for it (instead of staying with HD component -- doesn't have HDMI on it)? And if so does anyone have a recommendation of what to use.

My last question is how does Verizon set up their internet? I know they will give me one wireless router free of charge. Does this router allow for multiple connections (i.e. can I hook my PC, PS3, and 360 into it) or will I need another one? Also will I actually be able to administer the router on my own? My main concern is that the router they provide won't do what I would like it to do or that I can't administer it, in which case I'd like to get another one.

I guess sound system recommendations would be good too. As far as budget, I'm not too concerned right now. When I do purchase this, I want to have a good quality system that will last me a while. If it isn't in the budget, I'll wait.

Thanks for any help or advice in advance. I'm really excited about this move (first house, fixer-upper, been working on it for months) so I want to make sure I have a nice home theater set up. ^^

[Avanarius]

I don't have a true 5.1 setup, but I believe your stereo system receiver is suppose to act as a pass-through for the video side of things. For example, you plug in everything into the receiver, then 1 HD cable goes out from the receiver to the TV. The receiver then controls what the video source is.

The TV could also have an audio OUT....which could go to a receiver; I'm thinking more conceptually since I do not have a receiver or more then 1 HDMI source.

I'm sure there's alternatives to these methods though.

The adapter that came with your ATI card should allow you to pass Audio through an hdmi cable. Nvidia is a bit of a trickier solution to get audio to work via HDMI. You can definitely get 1080P with it, and I'm sure the audio quality is fine (since it's just a pass through from your audio card source).

Sorry I have no idea about good sound systems.

[aalryn]

1. if I hook everything up to the TV, when I get my sound system, would I be able to hook it up so that whatever sound comes out of the TV will come out in the speakers?

2. Also, has anyone used an HDMI adapter with a PC card? I'm wondering what kind of quality the output is and if it can get to say 1080p. I would also assume somehow audio would run through the cable as well, but I've never tried to use HDMI with a PC so I'm not sure. So advice on that would be helpful too.

3. As far as the 360 goes, I think I should be more or less set, but I do have one question. Would it be worth trying to find a HDMI converter for it (instead of staying with HD component -- doesn't have HDMI on it)? And if so does anyone have a recommendation of what to use.

4. My last question is how does Verizon set up their internet? I know they will give me one wireless router free of charge. Does this router allow for multiple connections (i.e. can I hook my PC, PS3, and 360 into it) or will I need another one? Also will I actually be able to administer the router on my own? My main concern is that the router they provide won't do what I would like it to do or that I can't administer it, in which case I'd like to get another one.

I'll answer your questions.


1. Yes, depending on your TV you should have an "audio output" on your television. You can hook RCA (red/white) cables up to this and get sound through your stereo. It is the easy way to do it.

The other (and best) option is if you get a good reciever, You can plug all componants directly into that, then only hook one video cable to the television (and audio if you want sound through tv speakers... ick)


2. HDMI on a PC (video card?) only carries the video. Some video cards I believe have wires that can hook up to a sound card, i think, but I wouldn't count on it. Run audio from the pc to your tv/reciever also.

Video Cards with HDMI will output in 1080p as long as your video card supports it. I think everything from the Nvidia 9600GT on up does.


3. XBox 360 has an hdmi output already in the system. Just buy a $5 cable and your set.

4. It is standard policy that an ISP will rent/loan you the modem. You will likely have to pick up a router. You can hook the router up yourself. They are extremely plug and play to get going. If it is wireless don't forget to follow the instructions to secure your connection with a password.




-----
If you are buying cables go to: HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more!
or for HDMI: go to Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & more

If you are buying a surround sound system, just go out to stores and see what you like. Then go on amazon and order it. Just as an example when I built my system, the reciever I wanted at Magnolia Hi-Fi was $850. I bought it on amazon for $350. My sub was $600, I got it on amazon for $220.

[Avanarius]

I'll answer your questions.

2. HDMI on a PC (video card?) only carries the video. Some video cards I believe have wires that can hook up to a sound card, i think, but I wouldn't count on it. Run audio from the pc to your tv/reciever also.

Video Cards with HDMI will output in 1080p as long as your video card supports it. I think everything from the Nvidia 9600GT on up does.


3. XBox 360 has an hdmi output already in the system. Just buy a $5 cable and your set.

ATI Cards have an integrated HD sound controller which will let you pass HD audio through an hdmi cable ONLY IF you use the dvi -> hdmi adaptor provided, a DVI -> HDMI cable wont cut it. Nvidia cards require a pass through cable from your sound card because they don't have an HD audio controller.

I don't think all Xbox 360's had HDMI and some only had component when it first came out.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Stiker]

Yeah the ATI card does have an ATI -> HDMI adapter that came with it, so that answers the questions there.

Also just to note, my 360 is the Pro model I think (forget the exact flavors they have out)...but I do know it does NOT have a native HDMI output hence the reason I'm wondering if I should even bother with a converter for it.

Was able to check my TV and it has two audio outs: a digital audio out and the usual RCA audio out. I would assume 5.1 would use the digital connection in that case. Again, I'm not sure, haven't done anything more than a RCA component connection in the past.

Also, I was able to get questions answered on the Verizon router so I'm covered there. If anyone else is curious, it does have an administration interface and 4 LAN ports for hardwired cat 5 connections (also, this is free as of now with a new FiOS order, now I just gotta hope it has QoS settings available).

[Isiolia]

Using the digital out on my TV didn't pass surround audio out properly off of HDMI at least (PS3), so I actually run my consoles with video over HDMI and audio over optical straight to the reciever. Works fine for stereo though. I don't have cable or whatnot to check and see if it'd pass that fine.

When you do get a reciever, get one with HDMI switching, and you'll be set on that front anyway. In that case, your reciever will just process the audio portion while passing through (or filtering, depending on the model) the video signal.

[aalryn]

I don't think all Xbox 360's had HDMI and some only had component when it first came out.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Ahh sorry for being mistaken. My gf bought me one of the 60 gigs from circuit city while they were going out of buisness and had everything marked down. So mine is a pretty recent one.


If yours doesn't have an HDMI output then I personally wouldn't bother. Without a bluray/hd-dvd drive the quality difference between 720p/1080i and 1080p is negligible and in my opinion not worth the extra money in cables/converters.

[guartz]

Try the VisionTek's All in Wonder card.

built in tuner, hdmi out. etc