LED TV + home theater help

[teutonicgoodness]

I am looking at getting an LED TV and a small home theater system.

I am looking at the HX LED Series by Sony. Anyone have thoughts on Sony LED TVs?

Also, we want to consolidate stereos to one home theater system, running iTunes off the laptop and the TV. We have a late 1990's Harmon Kardon tuner and an Arcam Alpha amplifier connected to some old Paradigm Titan bookshelf speakers. Any thoughts on what we could keep or do we toss the whole setup and start over. We live in a NYC high rise, so we can't get anything too powerful or space consuming.

[osiris]

Why do you want an LED, compared to a plasma?

Do you care about surround sound, or just 2-channel? What % of the time the system is being used is TV/movies/music?

[teutonicgoodness]

I probably do not need surround sound, just a small, high quality system.

I watch sports (soccer and football), and a lot of science and nature stuff, so i want excellent HD and crisp detail. I did some research online and it seemed to lean towards LED.

[osiris]

Your research has led you to some assumptions which are not correct, unfortunately. I would advise you to seek out a specialty independent audio/video store with a showroom and go take a look at things with your own eyes.

If you go here: http://www.cedia.net/

You can put your zip code in the bottom right corner, and it will give you a few places to start with.

[teutonicgoodness]

Thanks for the link, however these places are all a bit too high end for me. I live in a small rental apartment. I am looking for a nice 46" TV and a small, high quality stereo.

Any thoughts on Plasma vs. LCD vs. LED?

[ambat]

In the context of this discussion there is no such thing as an LED TV (There are OLED like the Sony XEL-1 but that's not what we are talking about).

The Sony BRAVIA XBR46HX929 is an LCD panel that happens to be back-light with light emitting diodes (LED). The other way of back-lighting an LCD panel is using florescent tube lights or CCFL At the end of the day its still an LCD TV. The LED backlighting is a bit more energy efficient than a florescent light but it means diddly squat as far as image quality.

A good plasma will still blow the pants off an LED back light LCD panel but they consume a lot more power.

Finally, you can get the finest $10,000 OLED or a hyped LED-LCD or even a good plasma, if you input source is standard definition it will look equally crappy on all these displays. If you watch a LOT of good hi-def sources like 1080p bluray or 1080i then nearly every type of display will do it justice in the real world.

[teutonicgoodness]

Thanks! So, if I was to get an LCD, what would you recommend? If Plasma, what would you recommend?

[ambat]

....I watch sports (soccer and football), and a lot of science and nature stuff, so i want excellent HD and crisp detail...........Thanks! So, if I was to get an LCD, what would you recommend? If Plasma, what would you recommend?

If you want best picture quality (PQ) you really cant go wrong with a good plasma (even the best LED-LCD TV will only come "close" to a plasma on PQ not exceed it)

This will be your personal choice all the way. You really cant go wrong with a decent Samsung or Panasonic plasma panel. I have been very happy with my Panasonic G series panel (now called GT)...if I had a bit more resources I would have gone with the Panasonic VT...but then I wanted to upgrade my AV receiver too so I had to scale down a bit. I am not sure if my eyes can distinguish between a 1080p on a G vs VT.

But if you are set on the Sony XBR there is no reason not to get it, you wont be disappointed.

[Jesse]

I'd check out:
Panasonic VIERA TC-P46ST30 46" 3D 1080p Plasma
Panasonic VIERA TC-P50ST50 50" 3D 1080p Plasma

ST series is a slight step down from the GT series, but offers great bang for the buck.

I don't know what to recommend as far as LCD sets go, because I much prefer plasma. Superior picture for less money, and better at displaying fast motion in things like sports.

[teutonicgoodness]

Awesome. I will swing by my local Best Buy and check out the Panasonic products. How about Samsung? There is a massive Samsung store near my place and will probably check those out as well.

If you want best picture quality (PQ) you really cant go wrong with a good plasma (even the best LED-LCD TV will only come "close" to a plasma on PQ not exceed it)

This will be your personal choice all the way. You really cant go wrong with a decent Samsung or Panasonic plasma panel. I have been very happy with my Panasonic G series panel (now called GT)...if I had a bit more resources I would have gone with the Panasonic VT...but then I wanted to upgrade my AV receiver too so I had to scale down a bit. I am not sure if my eyes can distinguish between a 1080p on a G vs VT.

But if you are set on the Sony XBR there is no reason not to get it, you wont be disappointed.

[Jesse]

I have a 50" samsung plasma and I love it.. but it's 5 years old now so has little bearing on today.

I don't know for a fact, but I believe current gen panasonic plasmas offer a slightly better picture, but you'd probably have to strain to see a difference in anything other than black levels.

[teutonicgoodness]

Upon doing some more research, I found that plasmas are not good for well lit rooms. We have basically wall to wall, floor to ceiling glass, on a high floor, facing south - so we get a lot of sun. That said, we are usually at work during peak sunshine and watch TV at night. In this case would LCD be better, or should we still look at plasma?

[ambat]

Awesome. I will swing by my local Best Buy and check out the Panasonic products. How about Samsung? There is a massive Samsung store near my place and will probably check those out as well.

When I was evaluating my two choices Panasonic G20 vs VT30 (back in 2010). Best Buy has both of them set up side by side. For some strange reason they were running a SD DVD on the G20 and a BluRay on the VT30. I asked them if I could see a BD on the G20 and they said it was only hooked to a DVD player not a BD player.

And while I was standing there pondering, I realized that a lot of people were making purchase decision solely on the basis of what image they were seeing on the screen at that moment in time. And by that yard stick the G20 was a POS and all the other LCD (including LED backlights) were simply gorgeous.

I maybe wrong but if I were a BB manager I would have the best HD signal going to the TV where I have get the highest profit margin. And to be fair that would apply to your local Frys/Microcenter etc

Finally there is a difference between having optimal conditions for viewing/listening and realworld conditions. We watch a lot of TV on a plasma with our blinds partially open because we like sunlight and I have not noticed much of a difference. I may have a decent 5.1 set up but that does not mean I don't hear my washer/dryer or the clanking in the kitchen in the background. Unless you have a dedicated home theater room, all extraneous real world noises and lighting will become a factor in real world usage. In our case we simply don't notice them anymore.

[Jesse]

Best buy and other big box stores are typically horrible places to get an accurate idea of picture quality between sets.. Poor and different source material, poorly calibrated tvs in torch mode with super high brightness to make the picture 'pop' in the store's abysmal lighting, setting up tvs they want to push with nice pictures and leaving others with poor pictures, etc. LCDs are usually more expensive, so it would make sense to push them over plasmas, no?

teutonicgoodness, LCDs are usually able to maintain contrast better in direct sun light compared to plasmas. Additionally, many LCD screens have matte or semi-matte finishes which helps reduce glare, whereas plasmas are typically glossy. Does it matter though if 95% of your viewing is done during night?

[osiris]

Had a Panasonic 50" plasma that crapped out a month ago, bought BF 2005... replaced with a Samsung 55" edgelit LED LCD.

Only plasma tv's worth owning are Pioneers.

[teutonicgoodness]

What do you guys think of Samsung home theater "in a box" systems? I want to get a system that has everything in one package.


Samsung 1000W 5.1 - 3D Wifi - Blu Ray system

[twelvevolt]

No. You can't go to that from the setup you currently have. You've got a ton of options for what you can do. If your speakers are fine, try upgrading the receiver to something that will give you enough inputs for all your sources. If your budget is lower, or want to keep it minimal, stick to a traditional setup with the amp integrated. If you want to replace the speakers, go out and listen to some models within your price range. Don't settle for what someone else likes. With that said, get a plasma.

[Jesse]

Had a Panasonic 50" plasma that crapped out a month ago, bought BF 2005... replaced with a Samsung 55" edgelit LED LCD.

Only plasma tv's worth owning are Pioneers.

was probably an easy fix.. fuse on the power supply board is common.

anyway, you're wrong. woohoo

[Jesse]

What do you guys think of Samsung home theater "in a box" systems? I want to get a system that has everything in one package.


Samsung 1000W 5.1 - 3D Wifi - Blu Ray system

Probably garbage. Your current setup most likely produces better sound, just not as much of it. I'd rather add a matched center speaker and a sub for a 3.1 setup.. or even just a sub for a 2.1. Perhaps upgrade your receiver so you get modern inputs like HDMI. Crappy sound from surround speakers is still crappy. Quality 2.1 beats crappy 5.1 any day.

[osiris]

What do you guys think of Samsung home theater "in a box" systems? I want to get a system that has everything in one package.


Samsung 1000W 5.1 - 3D Wifi - Blu Ray system

Gross.

[teutonicgoodness]

Probably garbage. Your current setup most likely produces better sound, just not as much of it. I'd rather add a matched center speaker and a sub for a 3.1 setup.. or even just a sub for a 2.1. Perhaps upgrade your receiver so you get modern inputs like HDMI. Crappy sound from surround speakers is still crappy. Quality 2.1 beats crappy 5.1 any day.

Ugh, you are right. That Samsung system looks junky, especially the speakers.

My Paradigm speakers are shot so I will have to get new speakers. Also, I can't seem to find a good tuner that has HDMI, etc, etc, AV stuff that isnt over $1000. So, I figure I could sell the HK pre-amp and the Arcam amp and buy an AV receiver. Again, nothing powerful needed. I would like to keep speakers + receiver to about $750 net, after selling my current components.

What do you guys think of this: Harman Kardon AVR 1565



On speakers, I am totally lost. I am not sure I need a sub as don't really watch movies - maybe a small sub at best. What is the suggestion here? 2 bookshelf speakers (left + right), 3 speakers (left + right + small sub) or (left + right + center)?

What about brands that are good, but not audiophile, such as PSB, Polk, Klipsh, NHT, Boston Acoustics?

[osiris]

Let's say you get $250 out of your current components, and have $1000 total as a budget. I would buy this:

http://www.accessories4less.com/make...eceiver/1.html

...and look on craigslist for some used Paradigm, B&W, PSB, Monitor Audio, etc bookshelves that fill out your budget range. If you are primarily a music user, I would skip the sub for now.

You can get an Apple TV for $99, which is great for playing your music through the system and is much more elegant than trying to wire up your laptop.

[teutonicgoodness]

Ok, I think I am down to a choice of 2 receivers and 2 speakers:

Receivers:
HK AV 1565 and
HK AV 2650

Speakers:
Polk Audio TSi200
Polk Audio RTI A1

Any thoughts? BTW, I am going to sell my current amp, tuner and speakers.

[osiris]

The HK stuff is fine. I have never like Polk Audio. They build speakers with inflated retail pricing so they can be sold online at what seems like big discounts. You can do far better on craigslist buying something used.

[teutonicgoodness]

Thanks. Back to TVs, I have decided to go with LCD as my living room has too much sun / glare to deal with a plasma (my TV is only a few feet from the window).

I was looking at 2 Sony TVs and there is a $500 price difference and I can't seem to figure out why, aside from Gorilla Glass.

46" LED HX750 = $1599

and

46" LED HX850 = $2099

The HK stuff is fine. I have never like Polk Audio. They build speakers with inflated retail pricing so they can be sold online at what seems like big discounts. You can do far better on craigslist buying something used.

[Jesse]

Google tells me 850 has gorilla glass, better image processing, deeper blacks, and possibly better 3d processing. Essentially a slightly better picture overall, and baby/wii proof glass.

[osiris]

Thanks. Back to TVs, I have decided to go with LCD as my living room has too much sun / glare to deal with a plasma (my TV is only a few feet from the window).

I was looking at 2 Sony TVs and there is a $500 price difference and I can't seem to figure out why, aside from Gorilla Glass.

46" LED HX750 = $1599

and

46" LED HX850 = $2099

The 850 has a better video processor, faster refresh rate, glare reduction screen (very nice in your case), and is better looking aesthetically.

[BlixemBimmer]

I have a counter point to most of the posts above.

If somebody comes to a forum asking for advice for what TV/ audio to buy, he is probably not a videophile/ audiophile. I would say unless you know of some terrible options with known defects, most other options would totally meet his requirements? Further, he mentions that he does not have budget for speciality stores.

Just for #### sakes, stay away from Bose. ;-)

[teutonicgoodness]

Ok, I have ordered everything for my new set-up.

Digital HD cable box
Home theater AV receiver
Bookshelf speakers
LED LCD TV - 3D / 1080p / 240Hz
No DVD player (I rarely watch DVDs)

How will I route it? Cable box -> receiver -> TV?
Any recommendations on what types of cables to connect everything? I was looking at HDMI cables and the price ranges are astounding.
A place like monoprice.com has HDMI cables for under $10, whereas Best Buy sells similar cables for $50-$100+. Am I missing something? Also, any recommendations on speaker cabling?

[osiris]

Ok, I have ordered everything for my new set-up.

Digital HD cable box
Home theater AV receiver
Bookshelf speakers
LED LCD TV - 3D / 1080p / 240Hz
No DVD player (I rarely watch DVDs)

How will I route it? Cable box -> receiver -> TV?
Any recommendations on what types of cables to connect everything? I was looking at HDMI cables and the price ranges are astounding.
A place like monoprice.com has HDMI cables for under $10, whereas Best Buy sells similar cables for $50-$100+. Am I missing something? Also, any recommendations on speaker cabling?

Monoprice should be fine for HDMI cables and speaker wire. You don't need anything special in either case. HDMI cable quality isn't really relevant until you get to longer runs in most cases.

Your sources go into the receiver via HDMI, and a single HDMI out to your television. In this scenario, you only have to use the TV remote to turn the power on and off, all of the input switching and volume control is done via the receiver.

[Jesse]

HDMI absolutely. monoprice.com absolutely.

[teutonicgoodness]

I got my speakers today and there are 4 binding posts (2 red + 2 black) on each speaker. Why would I run 2 sets of speaker wire?

[osiris]

Do they have a jumper between the binding posts? What speakers are they?

[teutonicgoodness]

Do they have a jumper between the binding posts? What speakers are they?

They are the Polk Audio RTi A3.

Polk speaker specs

Here is the back. Two sets of posts connected by a piece of metal. Is that what you call a "bridge"?

[osiris]

They are the Polk Audio RTi A3.

Polk speaker specs

Here is the back. Two sets of posts connected by a piece of metal. Is that what you call a "bridge"?

Yes, that is a bridge.

There are two binding posts so the speaker could be "bi-amped" (which is probably pointless) or "bi-wired" (which is certainly pointless). I will leave you to Google if you care to look those terms up.