Starting from scratch...

[Mobjack]

Hello all. I have been on Blu-Ray.com for a while now, but I dont post much in the forums.

I am going through a separation and I will literally be starting with nothing. I have started a pretty nice Blu-Ray collection of movies and now I don't have anything to watch them on. I will moving to an apartment and was looking for some direction. My budget is not grand, but I am willing to spend $2 to $3k, but would like to get the most bang for as little buck as possible.

I saw a previous post where some folks were suggesting the Onkyo TX-SR606. Also the poster stated he was looking at the Onkyo HT-S6100 7.1-Channel Home Theater System.

I don't consider myself an audiophile so I probably don't need top of the line stuff. My old system was a Sony S300, Sharp Aquos 50" and a htib speaker/amp system and I enjoyed that very much.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[CosmoKid]

Originally Posted by Mobjack

I don't consider myself an audiophile so I probably don't need top of the line stuff.

This is the most common phrase that people use when they mean "I don't want people to tell me my stuff is crap and I need to spend 10k to get good sound".

People here will make recommendations based on budget.

Some questions...

How far are you sitting from your TV?
When you say 2-3k does that include everything? tv, speakers, receiver, blu-ray player, wiring? or is there anything else I am missing?
Why does the hole get to keep all of the electronics when she *****ed at you for buying them in the first place?

[Sonny]

I'm sorry to hear that your O'l lady got all the goods. Sh!t happens. Live & learn right...

I don't know how you feel about Plasma TV's , but Panasonic has great TV's for a good price. Would you like 42", 46", 50"... 720p or 1080p? As far as Blu-ray players do you have any brand preferences? Onkyo A/V's are a nice inexpensive way to go (depending on the model).

[Mobjack]

CosmoKid:

My budget is for everything. Tv, receiver, speakers, BD player, the whole 9.
I am guessing I will be sitting 6 to 8 feet away from the TV. Not really 100% sure though. Depends on the apartment I get.
Yeah, the women always get the goods.


Sonny:

Exactly, live and learn.
The only thing I dont like about Plasma is the reflective screen. Much glare.
do not have a preference on anything really, as long as it is decent and I get the most enjoyment out of my system. I am not loyal to any particular brand.


Thanks for the assist guys.

[Beta Man]

If you're going to be happy with a basic HTIB, that leaves a lot of room in the budget for a display......

How about a front-projection

Do you have the ability to control the light in the apartment? do you have a second bedroom???? A simple Shelf on a back wall, and some paint, and you could be looking at a 120" display in no-time

[Mobjack]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

If you're going to be happy with a basic HTIB, that leaves a lot of room in the budget for a display......

How about a front-projection

Do you have the ability to control the light in the apartment? do you have a second bedroom???? A simple Shelf on a back wall, and some paint, and you could be looking at a 120" display in no-time

The apartments I have looked at are 2 bedroom. They aren't real spacey. lol. Plus the 2nd bedroom is for my daughter.

The light control I have would be between light switches and closing the blinds. I am having to move on the cheap so I the place I am getting is not great, but not bad. I would be willing to bet that front projection may be a little much for my living space, but I am open to the idea.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Mobjack

I would be willing to bet that front projection may be a little much for my living space, but I am open to the idea.

Then by all means..... EMBRACE THE DARK-SIDE!

You won't really know if it's a viable option until you settle on a place though..... and you should look to buy a t.v. etc. until you move in (since you'll want it delivered)

What is the tentative "move-in" date?

[CosmoKid]

Originally Posted by Mobjack

CosmoKid:

My budget is for everything. Tv, receiver, speakers, BD player, the whole 9.
I am guessing I will be sitting 6 to 8 feet away from the TV. Not really 100% sure though. Depends on the apartment I get.
Yeah, the women always get the goods.
.

Where do you live? I ask so I know if you have the ability to go to certain stores.
Do you play games?
Do you want to stream music and videos from yoru computer to your television?

My recommendation (So far with the ability to change as I find out more info)...

Panasonic Plasma
50" 720p for around $900
50" 1080p for around $1200

Speakers (These will sound much better than the onkyo speakers):
5.1 set-up with sub - $400

Receiver:
Either...
Yamaha 663 or
Onkyo 606 - both hover around $350

Blu-ray player:
Either Sony S350 or
Panasonic 35 (discontinued) - both hover around $250

Cables from monoprice.com

Even with the 1080p Panny, that would be $2200 + any cables/tax/shipping you encounter. Great entry level set-up (except the Plasma which isnt entry) for the money.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by Mobjack

Hello all. I have been on Blu-Ray.com for a while now, but I dont post much in the forums.

I am going through a separation and I will literally be starting with nothing. I have started a pretty nice Blu-Ray collection of movies and now I don't have anything to watch them on. I will moving to an apartment and was looking for some direction. My budget is not grand, but I am willing to spend $2 to $3k, but would like to get the most bang for as little buck as possible.

I saw a previous post where some folks were suggesting the Onkyo TX-SR606. Also the poster stated he was looking at the Onkyo HT-S6100 7.1-Channel Home Theater System.

I don't consider myself an audiophile so I probably don't need top of the line stuff. My old system was a Sony S300, Sharp Aquos 50" and a htib speaker/amp system and I enjoyed that very much.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Welcome mobjack!

I went through the same thing you did many years ago, and I also had to start from scratch. I understand your situation completely and not to worry.....things do eventually get better!

You have a very nice budget at $2G-$3G., so you have considerable options. The first thing I would do is decide on a viewing source. Plasma, LCD, DLP or Projector. This will be your biggest investment at the start and make sure you don't sacrifice yourself. That means (IMO), buy brand name like Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, LG, Sony and the like. Then decide on the audio side of things. Do you want a 2.0, 2.1, 3.0, 3.1, etc type system?

At this budget level I would recommend a strong 2.0 system. You can always add later. Get a nice A/V Receiver (at least 3 HDMI inputs) and 2 good Front Speakers.

Go quality first!

John

[Mobjack]

Beta Man:

Tentative move in date is March 6th. Agreed on needing to see the layout before entertaining the FP option.


CosmoKid:

I live in Midlothian, VA (just South of Richmond, VA)

I do play games and I have a Xbox 360 already.
I really don't do anything from the PC to the TV.

Thanks for the suggestions. I would love to be able to opt for a larger TV. Those look good. I will do some price checking around here and see what I come up with.
Thanks!!!

[Mobjack]

Originally Posted by John72953

Welcome mobjack!

I went through the same thing you did many years ago, and I also had to start from scratch. I understand your situation completely and not to worry.....things do eventually get better!

You have a very nice budget at $2G-$3G., so you have considerable options. The first thing I would do is decide on a viewing source. Plasma, LCD, DLP or Projector. This will be your biggest investment at the start and make sure you don't sacrifice yourself. That means (IMO), buy brand name like Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, LG, Sony and the like. Then decide on the audio side of things. Do you want a 2.0, 2.1, 3.0, 3.1, etc type system?

At this budget level I would recommend a strong 2.0 system. You can always add later. Get a nice A/V Receiver (at least 3 HDMI inputs) and 2 good Front Speakers.

Go quality first!

John

Thanks John, that is good advise.

Can anyone tell me the Pros and Cons of Plasma vs LCD?

[jaydoc24]

Yeah, I'll jump in.

Plasmas pretty much beat LCDs in any controlled movie environment. Controlled referring to set-up, lighting, etc. However, plasmas may be on the way out (Lord I hope not). Pioneer as you may have heard is the #1 maker of the sets and are exiting the business as it Vizio (don't laugh, they were #3).

For general viewing, the LCD will look better in brighter spaces. Do you have any large windows like a deck near where your TV will go. Consider that.

Panasonic for plasma (Samsung too but definitely 2nd)

LCD you can really go anywhere but Panny since they make plasma exclusively.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by jaydoc24

Yeah, I'll jump in.

Plasmas pretty much beat LCDs in any controlled movie environment. Controlled referring to set-up, lighting, etc. However, plasmas may be on the way out (Lord I hope not). Pioneer as you may have heard is the #1 maker of the sets and are exiting the business as it Vizio (don't laugh, they were #3).

For general viewing, the LCD will look better in brighter spaces. Do you have any large windows like a deck near where your TV will go. Consider that.

Panasonic for plasma (Samsung too but definitely 2nd)

LCD you can really go anywhere but Panny since they make plasma exclusively.

WRONG!

Panasonic does indeed make LCD as well. It's just that their largest LCD is 37". Their Plasmas start at 42".

John

[jaydoc24]

Ouch! Yelling! Sorry!

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by jaydoc24

Ouch! Yelling! Sorry!

Sorry...didn't mean it that way!

[Mobjack]

Ok guys, have an update. I got the apartment and here is some information that may be a little more useful. I will be sitting about 5 to 6 feet away from the TV. The room it is in however will have a HUGE sliding glass door that will allow much ambient light into the room and and it will be behind the seating area. That being said I think I will need to go LCD. Didn't know if this information would change anyone's suggestions.

Thanks!

[repete66211]

Originally Posted by Mobjack

Ok guys, have an update. I got the apartment and here is some information that may be a little more useful. I will be sitting about 5 to 6 feet away from the TV. The room it is in however will have a HUGE sliding glass door that will allow much ambient light into the room and and it will be behind the seating area. That being said I think I will need to go LCD. Didn't know if this information would change anyone's suggestions.

Thanks!

Normally I recommend plasma for everything except the exact situation you describe here. Looks like it'll be LCD for you. I'm a fan of Samsung because you get a lot for your money. (Same with Onkyo.) If you're 5-6 feet I'd go with a 40" or 46". Bigger is better and I swear the TV shrinks over time, so I'd lean toward the 46". The 2009 models are pretty hot right now so the price is a bit steep. The LN40B650 is over $1,400. That's more than I paid for my TV. The 46B is almost $1,800. Ouch! That's almost as much as a 50" Pioneer Kuro. Amazon, generally the least expensive source for TVs, doesn't even have last year's models, so get out to Best Buy and see if you can find a 40 or 46A650 and negotiate.

You really can't go wrong with the Onkyo TX-SR606 receiver. It's a pretty good deal at $400. As far as speakers go, check out Newegg.com's selection of Polks. That's where I got most of mine. The Monitor 60s are $260/pair, the Monitor 30s are $100/pair and the CS1 center is $80 (CS2 is $120). You can get a really nice receiver, speakers, sub, cables setup for around $1,300.

[Mobjack]

That is great info for the TV, receiver and speakers, thanks. Any thoughts on a Blu player?

[STARSCREAM]

Dang man, sorry to hear about the rough times. Like others said, it will get better. My blu-ray player recommendation at the moment would be PS3. That is unless you wanna bitstream the audio.

[Mobjack]

STARSCREAM, thanks man. To be honest, I don't even know what bit streaming is.