The Home Theatre Thread

Since this thread didn't seem to be getting much play I figured I would ask my question here instead of starting a new one.

What movie or movies would you say are the quintessential test runs of a home theatre system? It doesn't have to be an entire film, maybe the opening or a certain scene that you would throw in to see how well a system is set up.

For the system I bought in 1996 I used this. I am currently thinking of upgrading and was looking forward to what I would play in it the first time.

I got a home theater setup last october, complete with a 1080p 40" Sony Bravia LCD, a PS3, and some kind of 5.1 surround sound Yamaha receiver (don't remember the name).

My first two blu-rays I purchased as demo-discs were Ratatouille (to see the fine details on display) and Speed Racer (for the amazing range of colors).

I also got "The Godfather" collection to see how a more old-fashioned film looked.

Note that before I purchase any Blu-Ray disc I make sure to read the review on www.highdefdigest.com, so I know the transfer is worth getting in blu-ray, rather than a DVD (which is usually cheaper).

Also, Netflix now stocks blu-rays, so I save a lot of money by getting my blu-rays through them, only purchasing the movies I can't do without.

I guess I should clarify since when I bought my setup picture quality wasn't of utmost importance.

What movie did or would you choose to showcase your video and what movie would you choose to showcase your audio?

The Dark Knight's audio is exceptional, especially in moments without music (the score's great, but the detail is even better).

My favourite visual showcase is Planet Earth, as well as using it to callibrate friends' TVs since the colour range across the series is so good. Any Pixar transfer is pretty much a sure-fire hit.

I'm under the impression that Godfather's essentially the benchmark for film transfers, but if i'm showing off just what HD can do it's got to be the IMAX material from TDK.

If I could NEVER AGAIN sit and watch friends hunt around for scene after scene from different discs to show me how awesome their system is, that'd be swell. Let's just watch a goddamn movie, ace.

Heathen.

For audio pick up Wanted on Blu-Ray. If your system can decode lossless audio it has the most amazing DTS-HD track. It is by far the best sounding BR in my opinion. Breathtaking.

For video I would have to second the IMAX scenes from TDK. Wall*E is also almost photorealistic on BR. I'm a fool so I was an HD-DVD adopter. I still use Transformers action scenes as display-quality scenes for both audio and video. I don't have Transformers on BR yet so I can't comment on it there.

Question for those much smarter than me.

I'm looking into getting a home theater in a box. I understand that these aren't necessarily the best, but it's something I can work into my budget.

I just want to be sure that I can get one that would work with my PS3 as well. Would anyone have any recommendations?

HTIB systems get a bad rep. Audiophiles rail against them but for the money they really aren't that bad. If you're just looking for a relatively cheap way to get 5.1 sound you can't beat a HTIB. Now, of course it won't sound as good as separate components and speakers but if you have a small budget and a relatively small room you'll be AOK with a HTIB. If you have a very large room or if you want the latest bells and whistles you'll be shit outta luck with a HTIB. My parents have one for their family room and my in-laws have one as well and both are satisfied with their systems as they fit their needs/budget. I haven't personally shopped for HTIBs so I can't offer any advice on which are good vs. which are crap.

But I would try and make sure you get one that doesn't have a DVD player built-in. I'm assuming you use your PS3 for all BR and DVD watching so don't waste money on a HTIB that has a built-in CD or DVD player as you'll never use it. Use that $70-$100 savings to get a better HTIB that only has a receiver and speakers. I assume you have HDMI connecting your PS3 to your HDTV. Is that true and are you planning on a HTIB just for audio? I want to make sure you don't plan on trying to run video through a HTIB and HDMI. Don't, because I don't think any HTIB that does HDMI switching of video exists and it if does I can guarantee it won't be in your budget. I'll assume you are using HDMI from your PS3 to your HDTV. If so you'll want to make sure they make some kind of connection so you can run Digitial audio (toslink probably) from your PS3 to the HTIB at the same time you are sending HDMI video to your TV. I know the 360 has a special connection that allows that but I don't know about the PS3. It should.

Be careful, a lot of HTIB systems are cheap and aren soley designed to be the main DVD player in a system. As such they don't have any inputs for digital audio which I think you need/want. You'll need to make sure the system has what you need to work with your PS3. Some quick thoughts:

- Don't buy into "wireless speaker systems" in some HTIBs. They suck and aren't wireless at all.
- If a salesman tries to tell you that the HTIB can decode DTS-Master HD or Dolby TrueHD don't believe him/her. I think your PS3 decodes it via PCM anyway.
- Don't skimp on speakers. Too many people focus too much on the receiver and not enough on the speakers.
- Don't look for a 7.1 HTIB system. Probably expensive (if it even exists) and 5.1 will do just fine.
- Power settings (110 watts x5!) are scams. Each manufacturer has their own way of measuring and promoting power. So don't automatically think one system is better than another just because it has more power.

Good luck!

I'll agree with Judge Smails here: If you aren't an audiophile and just want 5.1 at a bargain, you'll be ok with a box system. I bought a Sony box system for my bedroom on a lark, and while it doesn't sound nearly as good as my living room system does, it's fine for watching movies in bed.

However:

You should go check high-end home theaters at your local (read: not Best Buy) home audio store. Many decent home theater audio systems sound better than actual theater audio systems. Mom and Pop shops are the best, because if you time it right, you can buy stuff just before it's being discontinued and save tons of money.

And I'd recommend against scrimping on speakers. My Paradigms are up there with some of my most prized possessions, and I've gone through several receivers since purchasing them almost a decade ago.

I just recently signed a new lease on my own apt for the first time (woo hoo!) and got this at Circuit City. Haven't set it up yet, but from what I've read, it is supposed to be quite good for a HTIB, and it was cheap. The receiver is supposed to be more than solid and the sub plenty powerful. I chose this because frankly, I don't like the idea of having the DVD/BRD or whatever in the same unit as my audio components. Obviously, I'll have to update once I plug it in and test it out.

Great advice, thanks.

I do use my my PS3 for pretty much everything. Gaming, BR, and DVD. Though I do have a region free player I use occasionally for overseas DVDs. I do use HDMI, and I'm positive I can just chose to use that for video and use the optical out for audio. I'll be sure to look for that when purchasing.

The HTIB that Pop Zeus mentioned might actually fit my needs. I'll have to do some more research.

well of course whats your budget? Then you know what to look at.



Also craiglists can get you some deals, but it can also get you herpes. So you must choose, but choose wisely.

Well if your going to use your PS3 for everything and you want to use those TrueHD and DTS-HD then your going to need a reciever with HDMI inputs. It's true that the PS3 decodes and outputs PCM but the reciever is only going to accept "high definition audio" fully over HDMI. Or else your just getting DD5.1 or Dts. And of course thats where it gets expensive. I bought a 7.1 set for about 700 and I love it. However if you only want to do 5.1 it is fine considering most Blu Rays don't have 7.1 The only one I own is Hellboy 2. A link to my system below.


My Onkyo HTS6100 7.1 system

Where? How? Who?

I'm thinking about picking up the new Onkyo TX-SR607 once it comes out (got my tax refund and Amazon credit just sitting there waiting). I'll also need to pick up a center channel speaker as well. And then probably find some new neighbors because I'm going to crank EVERYTHING.

As for those who say you need fancy high-end decoding to get the stuff off the PS3, that's not exactly true. I think the PS3 just spits most everything out as linear PCM (7.1 max) so if you have something that can decode 7.1 PCM off an HDMI cable you should be good.

In regards to HTiB, they're generally not a bad deal. Just make sure they actually do what you want before you buy them and hit a store and give them a listen before ordering online. Also keep in mind that they cable they give you for the speakers ... and often the satellite speakers themselves can be kind of crappy so you may need to upgrade something. Still, unless you're really picky the HTiB is the easy way to keep yourself from going crazy looking for the best deal.

Just one thing to be careful of with the Onkyo receivers. They run hotter than the sun. If you have an open rack to put it on, go for it, they make good stuff. But if your system is enclosed forget about it.

Well if you already bought the more expensive wire then use that. I went to monoprice and bought 12 gauge wire. Probably a bit overboard but it made that system come to life.

Ok, dumb question, but some of you should know...Im using some decent gauge wire. The coating is clear. Is this Ok??. Plus as i hooked it up, i assumed the line with the white line was the negative, is this right?

Yeah, light really has no impact on the way wires carry electrical signals so clear is perfectly fine. And the wires in each side are typically identical; the color marking is just to make it easier to know how to plug it in. Just make sure you plug the colored one into the the same thing (both ends in red or both ends in black) on each side.

I just ended up ordering the 607 from NewEgg and some extra speaker wire, banana plugs, HDMI cables from Monoprice. Amazon was refusing to get any 607's in stock and I'm sick of waiting. My Amazon credit will instead be going to buying a new center channel speaker or possibly a new subwoofer.

I'm really looking forward to not only the better surround sound but also not having to do all the video/audio switching I'm doing right now.

Well, now that my buddy and I have the HDTV all squared away, our next plan is to go ahead with a 5.1 surround system. We've already got the speakers and now need a receiver. Unfortunately, neither of us know ANYTHING about receivers. Let me go ahead and list what we're looking for, and maybe you guys could recommend something.

Under 250.00
Optical input (for PS3 sound)
HDMI (for TV sound)

Pretty short list I know. We just want to be able to have the tv hooked up to the receiver, and the PS3 hooked up to it as well. Also, when hooking up a surround system to the tv...do we have to hook it up from the digital cable box? Or will going directly into the TV work. We really dont know shit about home theater stuff, so any help would be really appreciated.

I currently have this and I'm thinking about getting this and just sticking with my speakers from the current setup.

Good idea? Stupid idea?

If buying a receiver for use with the PS3, I'd recommend using the HDMI audio for the PS3 as well. With Blu-ray you can get up to 7.1 uncompressed audio over Blu-ray but with optical the best you can do is get 2 channel uncompressed of Dolby Digital or DTS.

I don't know how easy it will be to find a receiver that does HDMI audio and sounds good for $250 or less. You need to find one that has at least 2 HDMI inputs and an HDMI decoding. I'd suggest something like the Onkyo 506 (refurbished for $180) or 507. They also have a 606 refurbished for $320.

My TX-SR607 came yesterday and what little I used it last night I'm really enjoying it. I can't wait until my new speaker wire and stuff comes from Monoprice to get it setup permanently. I think my neighbors may already regret the decision though.

Picked up an Onkyo 606 and Polk 6750

combine with a 55" sony hdtv, socks will be the neighbors pool. Finally get to use it tomorrow (being abroad sucks)

Yeah, I just picked up a temporary center channel until next year when I can actually do my system right.

I'm looking for a cheap sub for using in my apartment now. I'm kind of leaning towards the HSU-STF1 but given that I can't really blast it, I'm not sure what to do. I'm thinking about picking up a SubDude as well so that it keeps it from annoying my neighbors too much.

I did just spend a couple hours playing Army of Two on the 360 and I must admit that my new setup handles the surround about 30 times better than my old system did. Running the Audissey Auto EQ stuff (and tweaking the levels a bit afterwards) seem to have really done a great job of getting me in close to the right balance. I wish TVs had a similar calibration process.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-STRDG720-...0794271&sr=8-7

EDIT: Oops, just noticed that they no longer actually sell those new. I got one last year for about $200, and it has been great. I run a PS3 (hdmi), digital cable w/ HDDVR (hdmi), Wii (component), and region free DVD player (component) and have loved it. If you can find a good condition one for around $200, it might be worth a look.

Double-EDIT: It looks like the top seller is Amazon Warehouse and it is used (like new) for $250. Might be worth it if Amazon has a good warranty in place for their used items.

Oh, also, the 720 does run a bit hot, so you'll want to have a little room around it. Don't cram it into a shelf that barely fits it (especially leave some room vertically).

Most modern receivers run pretty warm so you should always make sure they have plenty of top ventilation.

Also, the STR-DH700 seems to be the replacement for the 720 so that may be worth looking at as well. Depending on the quality of speakers you're looking it you might want to look at what the output per channel is. Trying to drive larger speakers with one of these cheaper receivers may be rather difficult.

True. I'm actually running nanosats in a medium sized room and it gets the job done for those.

That thing an HDMI video pass-through only or does it run audio, as well?

We're not running anything fancy speakerwise. I think we might have to go with the STR-DH700 that dontEATnachos recommended. The price on Amazon is absolutely amazing. They've got it for $234.42. Which definitely falls in our price range.

Got upgraditis and ended up getting some cheap floor standing s300 I think speakers for my fronts. Oh and quantum of solace has amazing sound but the dark knight has the best natural use. God I love the joker theme creeping from behind and then a sudden noise from the fronts.

Sorry, missed this before.

I forget, actually. I'm moving some components around today, though, so I'll check if you are still interested.

Yep, audio pass-through. I thought it had it, but I didn't want to say so until I was 100% sure.

Best sound for testing your system:

Apocalypse Now - Dossier Edition
Godfather
No Country For Old Men
Children of Men
Wall-E

These will test your system in all the ways necessary.

You really don't want a huge sound movie to test your surrounds because it's not an accurate representation of how surrounds are mixed for. You want something nice and quiet like No Country or Godfather.

Children of Men will be helpful for how dialogue sounds. Same with Godfather and No Country.

Apocalypse Now will test your LFE and your centre.

Wall-E is awesome for showing off your sound system, plain and simple.

Yeah, I've got the 607 and I am perfectly happy with it. I still need a sub and better speakers but even with what I have I really like it. The HDMI switching/audio, Audyssey calibration, and sound really make me appreciate it over my old system (which admittedly was just a $300 set of PC surround speakers).

Soundbars

Anyone have experience with/opinions on the soundbar & subwoofer combos that seem to have become popular lately? Right now I'm just running a 2.0 setup (Onkyo 606 and my beloved PSB 300 pair), and I don't see running a true surround setup in my living room being a possibility for various reasons.

So it comes down to:
1)keep the PSB's, get a center channel and *maybe* a sub, and just gi with. 3.1 setup
or
2)store the PSBs for now, get a good soundbar/sub set, and enjoy "virtual" surround until some nebulous future date.

With two little kids, I'm very, very rarely watching movies with anything turned up loud. In fact, most of the time, I watch after they're asleep and use headphones. So the "real" audio setup will be used mostly for kids shows, occasional sports, and videogames, with rare movie watching when the kids are out of the house.

Anyone know if the newer HTIB's are Bluetooth capable? I'm streaming music from my phone to my car deck and to wireless headphones and was wondering about changing receivers.

I see a bunch that say "with iPod dock" but haven't been able to parse out if they have what I am looking for.

Well, almost none of the receivers will have it built in. What you'd want to do is either get a special accessory for the receiver that supports A2DP (I'd assume that's the Bluetooth audio you're looking to use). I know Yamaha has one that works with some receivers here.

You might also get a stand-alone thing that plugs in (but isn't integrated into the UI of the receiver). I think Sony has one.

I've kinda of narrowed myself down to the Samsung HT-BD1250T. It has a USB port in the front that the literature says can be used to play music from flash drives.

I have one of these IOGEAR USB Bluetooth adapters on my laptop. Is it possible that the same dongle could enable bluetooth streaming through the USB port on the HTIB unit?

Many thanks for any thoughts.

No, there isn't really a 'standard' bluetooth USB profile. It does say it's wireless ready (meaning you could buy a wireless adapter for it) and looking at the manual already has an ethernet jack in it.

It says it can do PC streaming though ... specifically it says:

If you want to share MP3s or photos, that looks like the way to go.

ETA: It also says it supports Netflix and Pandora so you can stream Netflix Watch Instantly or Pandora internet radio if you wanted as well.

The only thing I don't know is if the speakers are any good.

My apologies, I'm thinking specifically of playing music from my LG enV2 phone and the 8GB card I have in there. It has the iPod dock, but I use the phone as my .mp3 player.

The wireless adapter it has is utilized for home networking(Netflix/Pandora) and a wireless rear speaker set-up.

From what I have read about the PC streaming capability it isn't very functional.

The speakers are listed as 2-way whereas from what I have seen most HTIBs offer 1-way speakers. CNet has given the Samsung unit the highest marks for it's features and price point.

I just want to be able to utilize the music from my phone since I've read the PC streaming isn't very useful.

You might want to look for something like this. It can both send and receive A2DP signals (it's got a line out and line in jack). You could plug it into the the analog Audio In on the back of the unit. But yeah, there is probably not much you can do short of buying a new adapter.

ETA: You could also just plug your phone into the device via USB if you've got the proper cable and it can look like a USB Mass Storage device.

That's the Sony one you mentioned earlier. I'll give the IOGEAR a whirl if I decide to go with the system and report back. If not then Sony it is, then.

I wonder if Best Buy would let me plug in to their unit and test it? Hmmm, I do know one of the managers.

I don't think I'm making it clear, all a Bluetooth adapter does is provide rudimentary ability to send and receive basic Bluetooth format signals. You still need a complicated thing called a Bluetooth stack (which is usually handled at the OS level) to handle the communication beyond that. There is still a distinct lack of standards across dongles in this area so without any advertised support for any sort of Bluetooth add-on, there is basically zero chance that it would do anything useful (I've had a number of USB bluetooth dongles ... and in fact have the one you mentioned sitting in my living room to give as a Christmas gift).

ETA:

If you don't want that Sony one, there's this Blackberry one (which from reviews doesn't look like it's Blackberry only).

The IOGEAR is fantastic in my laptop. I bought it to pair my Motorola S9 headphones to the laptop for watching movies.