TV and Sound Rig Set Up questions

[Bigdoggy]

So I've decided to add at least a 5.1 sound system to my TV purchase bumping the combined budget of both up to $1300-1500USD depending on features and sound quality. In the past I have always pieces together sound systems but it seems that this time around it makes more sense to get an all in one package meaning receiver, speakers, and subwoofer.

What is everyone recommendations for a good gaming sound set up? I've been looking at this Yamaha in the quote above and an Onkyo package as well.

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nice. I have a 52" Sharp with Klipsch surround sound with a 12" subwoofer (ground pounder). that thing pounds, especially when playing Battlefield 3 and using a sniper rifle.

[Yuuichi]

Taking the risk of being scrutinized here, what is the general opinion on Vizio? I stopped into a Walmart today hoping to see some Samsung's first hand and they had pretty much only Vizios. I was able to definitely decide on a 46"-50" though for sure after seeing the physical size of them.

I appreciate everyone's opinion on helping me make this decision!

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I have a 32 120 hz 1080p led vizio now and love it.

[GregWright]

I really do recommend you look at the Panasonic plasma range unless your wooooed by the bright picture a led tv gives you. I currently have the 65inch vt50 Panasonic tv and can't fault it with some of the deepest blacks of any set the picture quality is just outstanding. Wouldn't worry about any imAge retention this is a thing of the past now. Low input lag brilliant 3d I would say its the best tv money can buy your price range you could pick up a nice vt30 last years model or a gt50 this years model which is like panasonics middle range. Still has all the features for calibrating ect but thx mode out the box is great without the need to calibrate. 3d is a blast with it having such a high refresh rate. Natural colours ain't to every1s taste and some like the overly bright led pictures.

[TheStory]

I just bought a 50" Samsung LED 120 Hz for around $1000 on amazon. Really liking it so far. Although there is no game mode, I find movie mode to be the best picture for games and blu rays. I bought a calibration blu ray as well and it's recommended settings ended up being pretty close to the TV's movie setting. There is a feature called Auto Motion Plus that I had to turn off for games as it added blurring around hud elements and characters. But I'll be damned if it didn't make everything else look buttery smooth, I think it adds in extra frames. Sort of pretending that the game you're playing is 120fps rather than 30. Sad that I had to turn it off.

[coolguy]

the Yamaha is nice stay away from LG'S there black levels are bad.
i own a 50 inch panny plasma with about 2,000 hours no burn in no ir. i would never buy an led again i watch a lot of blu-ray moives
plasma has the natural look and smoothness of old tube tvs
and they have the best black levels which need to be tops on tvs

[MonkeyClaw]

the Yamaha is nice stay away from LG'S there black levels are bad.
i own a 50 inch panny plasma with about 2,000 hours no burn in no ir. i would never buy an led again i watch a lot of blu-ray moives
plasma has the natural look and smoothness of old tube tvs
and they have the best black levels which need to be tops on tvs

Edge lit LED TV do have uneven lighting and will have a little bit of bleed through, but I have seen some full array LED TV's that had pretty impressive black levels! This is one reason I can't wait until OLED is more price competitive with current tech, OLED is the holy grail of picture quality in my opinion!

[TAZ427]

Edge lit LED TV do have uneven lighting and will have a little bit of bleed through, but I have seen some full array LED TV's that had pretty impressive black levels! This is one reason I can't wait until OLED is more price competitive with current tech, OLED is the holy grail of picture quality in my opinion!

Yeah, and OLED been touted as the next best thing since sliced bread for over a decade now. I remember getting fed up w/ folks over at AVS Forum back around 2004 saying that everyone should wait, that they're going to be out in a year or two w/ 50-60" OLED flat panels that will blow out Plasma and be price competitive.

Don't get me wrong, I like the look of OLED, but a decade later and it's still not the dominator that was promised back in the early 2000's. It's still got a crap lifespan, they still can't make a decent sized one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, ...

I think it will get there, but we're still a few years away. For today, I say you can't beat plasma.

[MonkeyClaw]

Yeah, and OLED been touted as the next best thing since sliced bread for over a decade now. I remember getting fed up w/ folks over at AVS Forum back around 2004 saying that everyone should wait, that they're going to be out in a year or two w/ 50-60" OLED flat panels that will blow out Plasma and be price competitive.

Don't get me wrong, I like the look of OLED, but a decade later and it's still not the dominator that was promised back in the early 2000's. It's still got a crap lifespan, they still can't make a decent sized one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, ...

I think it will get there, but we're still a few years away. For today, I say you can't beat plasma.

I remember when Sony came out with that crazy overpriced 11" OLED for $2500!

[Coconut_Crunch]

I remember when Sony came out with that crazy overpriced 11" OLED for $2500!

It still costs about that much right now. You can get a refurshied one for $499 though. Already being a refurbished one I have a strong feeling these TV's go to crap pretty quick.

[PeanutButterMunky]

The major picture difference in a HDTV is usually when you go to the store and look at them, the cheaper ones always look like shit and the more expensive ones have a better picture and there is a reason for that setup. It's so they can sell more expensive sets. Now, get any TV you can afford, you don't need to go all out on TV's. Just remember while a cheaper HDTV still can have a good picture, the life of that TV may not be nearly as long. I've noticed more times then not that when you buy a TV, the setting the stores use are different then the settings you will use, which is why the pictures always look better in your house compared to the store.

I'm not saying that expensive TV's don't have an amazing picture, I'm stating that a picture from a cheaper TV isn't going to make you cringe like some stores try to do to people when they explain TV's to their customers.

This is true... in the stores they have the brightness turned all the way up... and for the more expensive sets it appears they have them properly calibrated for Blu-ray and whatnot... while the cheaper sets look purposely made to appear washed out. I was adjusting the settings on one TV and made it look way better and they got really mad at me and told me "don't do that", lol. It's like I'm trying to make a purchase you twat... and I can do whatever the hell I want if I'm planning to buy the TV. :/

[coolguy]

true the only full back lit tv i would buy is the sharp elite its 4 grand last year its 60 inchs.
i think they are like 3 grand now its the holly grail of leds this tv and the panny vt 50 won the high def tv shoot out.
ed miller one of the best tv Calibrations in america worked with sharp and pio on this tv

[MonkeyClaw]

This is true... in the stores they have the brightness turned all the way up... and for the more expensive sets it appears they have them properly calibrated for Blu-ray and whatnot... while the cheaper sets look purposely made to appear washed out. I was adjusting the settings on one TV and made it look way better and they got really mad at me and told me "don't do that", lol. It's like I'm trying to make a purchase you twat... and I can do whatever the hell I want if I'm planning to buy the TV. :/

And Best Buy is the worst offender of pulling the wool over your eyes...remember this from a few years back?

http://www.thefakegeek.com/2008/11/r...ation-service/

[PeanutButterMunky]

And Best Buy is the worst offender of pulling the wool over your eyes...remember this from a few years back?

http://www.thefakegeek.com/2008/11/r...ation-service/

Geek Squad has also gotten in trouble for stealing people's information/files during their "computer repair" service. Geek Squad is sh^t.

[mini E]

I recently bought a new TV. I'm the type of person who does A LOT (probably too much) of research before I buy a product. Basically, this is what I've learned

-research research research
-Don't buy too much into the specifications of the TV. These numbers have no real standard and don't reflect image quality; they are manipulated by the manufacturers to compete within their product line. See below for an example
-Plasmas are generally better for dark rooms, LCDs for brighter ones. Pay attention to the texture of the screen (if it is glossy or matte) glare on your screen will kill the image
-if you have a console connected to your tv, don't waste money on SMART features or wi-fi.
-take the time to calibrate your screen after you turn it on. It will result in a much better picture. There are "calibration discs" that can help you with this
- image motion plus tru motion HD, etc. (each manufacturer has a different name for it) is the cause of the "soap opera effect". Some like it, some don't. Personally I enjoy it on animated films. Basically, the TV takes two frames and averages them to give the appearance of more frames, (a higher refresh rate- like 120/240hz). Be aware that many sets have this option enabled by default.
-Buy a warranty. Cannot stress this enough. TVs have pretty bad failure rates these days (especially if you buy an LED)
-READ THE MANUAL. Your TV may have a function that you'll fall in love with that you wouldn't have discovered otherwise
-if you buy a passive 3dtv, you won't need batteries for your glasses and you can play splitscreen games in simulview (each player sees a whole screen)

an example of why you shouldn't read too much into TV specs:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-...r-lies-to-you/

and I'm glad you decided to add surround sound to your setup. Having an HDTV without surround sound is like buying a pair of headphones with one side missing. One of the best things about this generation was the standardization of surround sound. Don't buy a "home theater in a box" system, as they usually aren't upgrade friendly and don't allow for customization. And for the love of god don't buy Bose. You'd be spending more than you need to. Make sure you buy a receiver that supports linear pcm, dts hd ma and dolby trueHD for best quality. If you are into 3D, make sure you buy a receiver with 3d pass through. If you're budget is tight, going with 5.1 instead of 7.1 is a good choice if you wan't to save money (most games do not support 7.1 anyway) plus, it's two less speakers to buy.

This is the one i'm looking to buy next. Has everything I want and nothing I don't need. Sony STRDH720.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-STRDH720-...rds=str+hd+720

With speaker brands, stick to the big names. They're cheaper in sets. Research subwoofers heavily-get to know them very well. This will save you money and headache. Speaker setup is hard to discuss without knowing the setup of your room. Just follow the instruction manuals, do a little research, and play around with speaker placement and you should be okay.

Good luck

[PeanutButterMunky]

^ ^ ^

Very good advice. +rep

[K2D]

^^^Very informative post! I've basically come to many of the same conclusions . Rep+ for taking the time to write it down!

Went from a w3000 bravia to a Viera ut50. Paid twice the amount for my bravia but I'm twice as happy with my Viera.

I'm wondering if it's worth upgrading from z5500 to another 5.1 system in the $250-300 range?

[chuckAWD]

So I've seemingly narrowed it down to the specific TV I like based on a ridiculous amount of research but I have yet to actually see the TV in person so I can't be 100% sure as of right now. Its the Samsung UN46es6100 Smart TV. Now, the smart TV portion of things is just something that I will literally never use but I like the specs on this TV a lot. Thought and opinions everyone? My main concern is how much of the price of the TV is built into the darn Smart portion? It seems like I can't find a non Smart TV anyway.

I am also looking at the LG 46LM7600 which looks fairly awesome and while 3D isn't necessary, its fairly comparable to the Samsung above.

For the audio set up I have it down to 2 options. First the obvious HTIB and I would go with the Yamaha version posted earlier in this thread mainly because I live in an apartment with a neighbor below me so right now I don't need too intense of a surround system. I love very well rounded sound which leads to my second option which is using either a Pioneer, Denon, or Onkyo receiver paired with the Energy Take 5.1 speaker system minus the subwoofer where I would add in a different, larger subwoofer. I'm not 100% sure on the route I will take yet and again, its going to depend greatly on my TV selection.



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[coolguy]

all tvs are now smart. and leds now have the glass front like plasmas do. a lot of leds have the "soap opera effect"

[chuckAWD]

The Samsung UN46es6003 looks to be the ticket as of right now. Seems like last years model and it has no Smart TV features which is fine with me. I'm still up in the air since I can't find too many reviews on it but it looked great in person and is priced to compete with value TVs it seems.

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[MonkeyClaw]

all tvs are now smart. and leds now have the glass front like plasmas do. a lot of leds have the "soap opera effect"

The "Soap Opera" effects stems from the 120Hz/240Hz smooth motion crap...my TV is 240Hz and if you turn that smooth motion on it is hard to watch, looks really weird to me! I have resorted to just leaving my game mode on and bypassing all that internal video processing on my TV.

[PeanutButterMunky]

The "Soap Opera" effects stems from the 120Hz/240Hz smooth motion crap...my TV is 240Hz and if you turn that smooth motion on it is hard to watch, looks really weird to me! I have resorted to just leaving my game mode on and bypassing all that internal video processing on my TV.

Yep... by far my least favorite feature of new TVs. You can't even turn that off on some TVs.

[MonkeyClaw]

Yep... by far my least favorite feature of new TVs. You can't even turn that off on some TVs.

That is true, my wife's Vizio in her craftroom is 120Hz and I tore the TV menu apart looking for a way to turn it all the way off with no success!

[chuckAWD]

That is true, my wife's Vizio in her craftroom is 120Hz and I tore the TV menu apart looking for a way to turn it all the way off with no success!

Fooey! Is there anyway to tell from spec sheets whether or not smooth motion is a feature of the TV? I know now that I have to relook at a few models I'm interested in before actually buying.

I can't thank you all enough for all of your help on this decision!

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[PeanutButterMunky]

Fooey! Is there anyway to tell from spec sheets whether or not smooth motion is a feature of the TV? I know now that I have to relook at a few models I'm interested in before actually buying.

I can't thank you all enough for all of your help on this decision!

All you have to do is look at the TV to see if it's on. It's blatantly obvious when it's turned on because you'll have the urge to shove your foot right through the screen. You could always ask the person working there if a) it has the feature and if it does ... then b) ask them if it can be turned off. If it can't be turned off, avoid the TV.

[mini E]

^^^Very informative post! I've basically come to many of the same conclusions . Rep+ for taking the time to write it down!

I'm wondering if it's worth upgrading from z5500 to another 5.1 system in the $250-300 range?

^ ^ ^

Very good advice. +rep

Thanks! As good as the z5500 is, it can't compete with a full home theater set up. If you have the space, I'd say go for it. So long as you do it right, you won't regret it.

For the audio set up I have it down to 2 options. First the obvious HTIB and I would go with the Yamaha version posted earlier in this thread mainly because I live in an apartment with a neighbor below me so right now I don't need too intense of a surround system. I love very well rounded sound which leads to my second option which is using either a Pioneer, Denon, or Onkyo receiver paired with the Energy Take 5.1 speaker system minus the subwoofer where I would add in a different, larger subwoofer. I'm not 100% sure on the route I will take yet and again, its going to depend greatly on my TV selection.

You could always get a good pair of headphones to hook up to your receiver, or even some nice gaming headphones if you don't want to hear any complaints. You might have to sacrifice some bass or try some DIY sound-proofing because of your situation.

[QUOTE=chuckAWD;6046062]The Samsung UN46es6003 looks to be the ticket as of right now. Seems like last years model and it has no Smart TV features which is fine with me. I'm still up in the air since I can't find too many reviews on it but it looked great in person and is priced to compete with value TVs it seems.
/QUOTE]

If you buy from Amazon, they have an amazing return policy. Many people buy different TVs and return them just to try them out. Yeah it's exploiting the system, but it's also smart. I should have mentioned looking at old models for better prices. One thing that might help you is a trip to your local electronic stores (and yes I mean a few). Take a notepad with you with a few TVs you've been looking at and try to find them. write down any models you see that stand out to you. Then, when you go home, you can research them. You might even run into a TV you found online on clearance! That's what happened to me. Nothing wrong with it, it was just last year's model so it went for CHEAP. Amazon has a section called warehouse deals worth checking out. Check professional home theater enthusiast websites for the best reviews. Be wary of best buy's open box TVs unless you're a gambler. I've read a few horror stories. Good luck. Let us know what you decide to buy