*** THE OFFICIAL HOME THEATER & AUDIO THREAD**

[copper_shot]

^ i'll take your Klipsch when you upgrade

[Humes]

More questions.

Vizio any good?

What about 1:1 pixel mapping? I read in a review that some 1080p TVs don't do 720p properly because they lack this feature...and they cut part of the picture out. Is this a significant issue? It sounds like something that might bother me.

I ask because I've decided to go 1080p, and I've adjusted my budget up a lil bit accordingly. One of my goals entertainment-wise is to play PC games from the couch on the TV. Current PC won't be able to handle that resolution too well, but yuh never know when the upgrade will come.

[Humes]

All I can go on are reviews and price ranges on Amazon, so here are some candidates:

Panasonic TC-P42U2 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

LG 42LD520 42-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV

Panasonic TC-P42S2 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Panasonic TC-L42U22 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

LG 42LD550 42-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV

Panasonic VIERA TC-P42G25 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

^ Vizio has gotten some good reviews recently, better than Sony, Toshiba and Sharp.

check out www.cnet.com for reviews as well

not seeing any Samsung in there - any reason?

[Humes]

^ it is always a good idea to build a HTPC

I'm thinking I can save good money by using my laptop as a HTPC. It's small and fairly powerful, so it will handle anything, plus my emulators.

Only problem is space. It has a 320gig hard drive, but at least twice that would have been a lot more useful. Might upgrade, or I will just hook up the portable drive to it.

I'm looking at some remotes now.

[Humes]

not seeing any Samsung in there - any reason?

Wasn't intentional. I like Samsung's TVs. But I set the search filter for price/size, and no Samsungs turned up at that range.

I will do another search with Vizio.

[RapToR]

not seeing any Samsung in there - any reason?

Wasn't intentional. I like Samsung's TVs. But I set the search filter for price/size, and no Samsungs turned up at that range.

I will do another search with Vizio.

whats your budget and TV size you looking for ?

[Humes]

he ha real paper doh study he n he "budget"

RapToR, I put a $650 USD limit on the filter. I doh want to go higher than $6000 TT. 42", 1080p.

Doh mind all de questions. I like to know everything there is to know before spending this kinda money. All the options available etc.

Cyar move like pioneer and just pull out the Visa Black if I get it wrong.

[RapToR]

he ha real paper doh study he n he "budget"

RapToR, I put a $650 USD limit on the filter. I doh want to go higher than $6000 TT. 42", 1080p.

Doh mind all de questions. I like to know everything there is to know before spending this kinda money. All the options available etc.

Cyar move like pioneer and just pull out the Visa Black if I get it wrong.

I just ordered a Samsung 42" plasma for someone

$5500


Will get model no. Tomorrow

Not in front pc right now

[Humes]

1080p?

[RapToR]

1080p?

Samsung 42" , 720p , 600Hz , Plasma HDTV

Model: PN42C450


$5500.00

[Humes]

^ Vizio has gotten some good reviews recently, better than Sony, Toshiba and Sharp.

Seeing a lot of good Vizios in my range, but it's important to me that I have some sort of local dealership that I can consult for warranties etc. I'm not reading too many good things about them in that area.

But as we're on that anyway, what sort of support can I expect locally, and from which manufacturers?

[RapToR]

^ Vizio has gotten some good reviews recently, better than Sony, Toshiba and Sharp.

Seeing a lot of good Vizios in my range, but it's important to me that I have some sort of local dealership that I can consult for warranties etc. I'm not reading too many good things about them in that area.

But as we're on that anyway, what sort of support can I expect locally, and from which manufacturers?

i give 6mts warranty


anything goes wrong and i cant get replacement

you get a full refund



or choose another model and pay a difference if you like

[X_Factor]

Anyone knows of 5.1 sets w/o subwoofer?
headin miami in a couple mths and thinking about bringing back a set providing its not 2 heavy

im only seeing this set of amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-Synergy-Q ... 340&sr=1-6
but im guessing 5.5lbs weight is per piece?

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

The Quintet II is small - 5.5 pounds is for all 5 speakers.
I use two Quintet III satellites as my surround channel speakers. and 3 Quintet SL LCRs as the left, right and center.

You don't HAVE to look for a bundled set - you can just look for 4 satellites and one center channel and it often sounds better since the best surround manufacturers are not necessarily the best center channel manufacturers - nothing is wrong with mixing brands, like having NHT surrounds and a Polk center channel and Sunfire sub. That mixed set would actually sounds pretty good!!!

Another alternative to the surround and center dilemma is to look for LCR (left, center, right) speakers - these can be used, as you guessed, as a left, center or right speaker - so you just buy 5 of the same speaker and the one you use as the center channel you just turn it horizontally. The Klipsch Quintett SL, Energy Take FPS, Definitive Tech Mythos XTR 50 etc are all increasingly good LCRs and look great wall-mounted.

[X_Factor]

nice info there!
thanx
didnt think about the LCR idea

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

^ yup - the good brands usually sell an LCR as a single unit - so you just buy 3 or 5 or 7 depending on your setup

I bought 3 LCRs, 2 satellites and 1 sub to make up my 5.1 system

[Humes]

I installed XBMC for the first time last night to see what all the fuss is about.

Damn. It's probably a good thing I only now seein it.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

Why yuh say that?

[Chiney]

loving the quintet5 eh duane!!

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=357789

yall checked out the ixtreamer media player as yet???

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

^ after really getting to experience Netflix, Hulu, Amazon VOD etc etc I am thinking the better device is the Boxee Box
http://www.dlink.com/boxee/

I currently run Boxee app on my ASUS 1201N netbook and connect it to my 58" plasma and use the iPhone as a remote, however I am tying up a US$400 netbook for this and the Boxee box is US$199 - its just easier to set up, doesnt tie up a PC and the remote is full of win.

[Humes]

Why yuh say that?

Because I mighta jump the gun and buy a HDTV years ago. The thing have a dedicated front-end for MAME and emulators! Apps for all my favorite podcasts! WTF!

I will make do with my laptop for now, but I use it for work and the to-and-fro might be a hassle. A Revo (or something like it) lookin like a must eventually. If Boxee Box or one of those has enough computing power to handle emulators, even better.

[Swisha]

I installed XBMC for the first time last night to see what all the fuss is about.

Damn. It's probably a good thing I only now seein it.

what skin u using? Aeon ftmfw! Aeon MQ to be exact

[Humes]

That's the thing...I eh even try a different skin.

pioneer is your land I plantin on...send a driver down and we go load up something fuh yuh.

[Swisha]

That's the thing...I eh even try a different skin.

yeah i thought XBMC was the bomb when i first installed it. then i discovered Aeon65 and Aeon MQ and realized XBMC was even more awesome!

[shaneelal]

That's the thing...I eh even try a different skin.

yeah i thought XBMC was the bomb when i first installed it. then i discovered Aeon65 and Aeon MQ and realized XBMC was even more awesome!

Aeon65 is quite resource intensive when moving around the interface, you'll need a good machine to run this skin without any delays.

[M_2NR]

That's the thing...I eh even try a different skin.

yeah i thought XBMC was the bomb when i first installed it. then i discovered Aeon65 and Aeon MQ and realized XBMC was even more awesome!

i real sticking yes. i now gone back checking it out. I just randomly came across this guide. It really has everything for a n00b like me. It outlines all the basics yes.

http://lifehacker.com/#!5475649/set-up-a-fully-automated-media-center

[Humes]

bookmarked

[nareshseep]

I believe this is the appropriate thread.... so guys which is the best

I am between XBMC, boxee, miro, netflix, probably hulu
Has anyone added successfully netflix to XBMC or boxee?
Also can boxee or XBMC download episodes based on feeds?
What will be great is if I can get a plugin to download streaming content of netflix to view later.

thanks for the usvideo link!! YAY!!!

xbmc- lots of setting (but you can tweak it), got the navi-x addon theres a ton load of stuff out there
Boxee-cleanest interface,
Miro- useful for the ability to subscribe to feeds an download automatically when a new episode comes out, I use this for top gear

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

^ Netflix is very cool - been using it over a week now, but...

I just installed VUDU on the PS3
http://www.vudu.com

There is no subscription: you rent each movie you want for ~US$3.99 or can buy it for US$9.99
There is no waiting, the movie streams instantly and in full 1080p with 5.1 Dolby Digital (I tested it)
Oh and for ppl with 3D TV's it streams HD 3D as well
They have movies as soon as they come out on blu-ray, same day. You can watch trailers for free or watch 2 mins of any movie for free before deciding to rent or buy. Plus they have a huge selection of older movies too from as far back as the 80's

I just sat and giggled at the blow-minded-ness of the whole thing. The quality is superb.

It only works on PS3 and TV's and Blu Ray players that have Vudu built in.
There is a PC app too: Install Boxee and then install the Vudu app for boxee

I may never have to buy another blu-ray disc again!

I'm still in the 30 day trial for Netflix, not sure if to take the lower quality of netflix for all-you-can-watch for a monthly fee, or the no subscription, full HD and 5.1 of Vudu and pay as you watch. I might just keep both!