Team-BHP - The Home Theater thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by mashmash (Post 3817591)

Thank You so much for the views. I guess a stand alone player does make a little more sense. Any suggestions on which one? It should be able to play popular Video formats with their 5.1 Audio if its a DVD or BD rip and the regular MP3s and FLAC music. On a limited budget here. please:

:thumbs up
MaSh

I use Pio BDP 170. Access youtube and a 1TB HDD via it .
http://www.trustedreviews.com/pioneer-bdp-170-review

A Noob question here

I was exploring the expensive and big TV for movie experience and a Friend suggested, why not a HD projector ? I know the projector can mirror my laptop screen , but can it be used as a second TV for movie viewing ?

It will be great if i can get some pointers on the projector and home theater setup i need for this projector(I am looking at budget setup that ends up being cheaper than a 46-48 inch TV)

1. Projector - A decent lamp life, ability to show good contrast with curtains closed during day time(may not be pitch dark), Support for SD card or USB pen drive etc along with laptop ports
2. How about the speakers,since the projector is not a TV, i need to compliment it with speaker setup(Will the projector have AV out ? or it all depends on laptop again ?
3. What else do i need to keep in mind ?
4. What if i want to play TV on it. Will set top box be able to stream on projector ?

Idea is to get myself educated enough to start shortlisting projectors or ditch them and invest on a TV

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajshenoy (Post 3820668)

I was exploring the expensive and big TV for movie experience and a Friend suggested, why not a HD projector ? I know the projector can mirror my laptop screen , but can it be used as a second TV for movie viewing ?

A projector cannot be a replacement for a TV, but once you have a good projector setup, you will not consider investing lakhs into a larger TV.
Basically you shouldnt purchase a projector for continuous viewing. it is a good option for a daily movie or a sports event etc.
I have an Optoma HD 70 projector, purchased in 2008. Earlier I used to hookup my laptop or DVD player to it but now have it connected to a Yamaha receiver which has 2 HDMI outputs. One goes to my TV and the other to the Projector.
Unless you have curtains with blackout (material used to cut out sunlight), the image is going to have some washed out look when run in the day time.
You will need some sort of Home Theater setup for the sound.
Good luck with your search and a projector is a worthy investment. Remember to keep your eventual setup simple to use, else it will end up collecting dust.

Quote:

Originally Posted by diyguy (Post 3820694)

Thank you, Mostly it is for watching movies. So continuous running of maximum 2-2.5 hours i guess

So i need an AV device that can stream the video to this projector(DVD,Blueray,USB,SD etc) and can either play the sound or stream it to Audio system.

At a basic level, i can think of a blueray player that can play disk/usb and project the video. For Audio, another setup !!

I will try to google and get some names, meanwhile if someone has some recommendations, it will simplify my search

Quote:

Originally Posted by mercedised (Post 3819556)

It was my fault, I connected the HDMI cable in receiver when both the Source and AVR were powered ON. The Yamaha SC guy told me that HDMI ports are very sensitive to voltages. He asked me to never connect HDMI cable between 2 equipments unless one of them is powered off. He also told me that if you more frequently remove and reinsert the HDMI cable and if the cable is not of good quality then HDMI port pins get damaged which is also the case with me.

The SC guy tried to first correct the problem on his level, but at last he decided to replace the whole motherboard of the AVR. The parts will come from Delhi and are only dispatched yesterday from there.

Oh yes he is right. Infact, the chips in an AVR are so sensitive that one should not connect or disconnect any source or speaker while the AVR is On.

A friend escaped with a blown fuse when he accidentally disconnected his speaker and the wire shorted. Blew a fuse in his Onkyo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkdas (Post 3819573)

I use Pio BDP 170. Access youtube and a 1TB HDD via it .
http://www.trustedreviews.com/pioneer-bdp-170-review

Oh thats an awesome player man. A legend of sorts, but now with 180 coming, its very difficult to find a 170 in the market. I finally picked up a Bluray Player. A Philips 2108/94 http://www.philips.co.in/c-p/BDP2180...isc-dvd-player. Its a very basic player but full fills all my requirements except playing FLAC files. There was no problem reading a 1TB external hard disk.

:thumbs up
MaSh

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajshenoy (Post 3820710)

Budget well :) Visit a good HT setup with projector and you wont buy a TV!
Size matters :thumbs up 120 inch projector setup at home.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkdas (Post 3821777)

Budget well :) Visit a good HT setup with projector and you wont buy a TV!
Size matters :thumbs up 120 inch projector setup at home.

Did you shot this pic a miniplex ? lol:

Its really amazing. Unfortunately, i am talking about a 13x12 family room, and i dont think the projector can project 100+ inches there. I would be rather happy if i can get 50-60 inch screen

Does this mean, a pico projector setup ? Came across this Acer C120 but it seem to be very basic and no feature set. But it seem to do the primary function pretty well. Wish if i got USB/SD card feature in this

Dear Gurus

I am looking to have a very first sound bar with subwoofer for my living room of size 20 feet x 12 feet. Initially i was thinking to go with 5.1 system, but after reading almost every thread here, I learnt from you experts that sound bar is a nice option. I have Sony 42" LED TV, also Sony Blu ray.

Pardon my knowledge on Hi-fi system, you may notice from my english on this subject.

Here is my wish list:
Bluetooth enabled, should work seamlessly with my iPhone and android phone
Min 120 Watt power, good connectivity options
Long term usage, i don’t want to change living room with home theatre experience.
Hassle free customer service.
Mostly used for movies and music, tv shows.
Am located in Bangalore.

Initially i was thinking to have a budget of within 20k, but after my research found that for the best quality a stretch upto 50k minimum required, so i can go upto 50k. Need inputs please.

I am in favor of JBL SB 350, for price of nearly 20k, after reading good reviews in snapdeal. Am not sure buying experience of this expensive stuff online.

Also bose cinemate 15 also running with a offer of 5k less for 45k.

One more is JBL cinema SB400, for roughly price of 38k.

There are lot of options out there and being a novice am in dilemma now and looking forward best guidance from you. please:

Thank you!

Lokesh
--

If you can afford the Bose Cinemate 15, go for it. Harman Kardon is also good, dont know if its available there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lokii_83 (Post 3835966)

Quote:

Originally Posted by lokii_83 (Post 3835966)

Also bose cinemate 15 also running with a offer of 5k less for 45k.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sebring (Post 3836599)

If you can afford the Bose Cinemate 15, go for it.

+1 to the Bose. I have another cinemate model with two side speakers and no Bluetooth. It's amazing and we can't imagine listening to raw tv anymore. If I need to control via my phone or tablet, I play via my PS3, so not a big disadvantage. It is mainly a living room HT so Bluetooth and Ethernet etc are nice to have for me but not mandatory.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lokii_83 (Post 3835966)

For pure audio quality, this one is the best of the lot

http://www.amazon.in/Philips-Fidelio...hilips+fidelio

Quote:

Originally Posted by lokii_83 (Post 3835966)

I am in favor of JBL SB 350, for price of nearly 20k, after reading good reviews in snapdeal. Am not sure buying experience of this expensive stuff online.

One more is JBL cinema SB400, for roughly price of 38k.

There are lot of options out there and being a novice am in dilemma now and looking forward best guidance from you. please:

--

The in-store prices are heavily discounted. Casually visited the JBL store at a mall and after hearing out a headphone (mrp 2000) asked the price for the sake of it. He quoted 600. Hell, I picked it up immediately. Also asked for the Soundbar demo. checked out SB250 & SB350. Liked the SB350 more. Mrp was around 48k IIRC, but the selling price was 21k.

You are better off taking a demo of the product at one of their stores and if you like it, you can buy it. Hardly any price difference as compared to online sites. I guess their newer range is being introduced and hence the heavy discount (JBL FLIP III is already out)

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant (Post 3836738)

2000 to 600
48K to 21K :Shockked:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sebring (Post 3836599)

If you can afford the Bose Cinemate 15, go for it. Harman Kardon is also good, dont know if its available there.

Thank you, I will have an audition and look at it.

Which one will stand above in between Bose Cinemate 15 & Harman Kardon SB26, as both are available in almost same price range?

Quote:

Originally Posted by reignofchaos (Post 3836681)

For pure audio quality, this one is the best of the lot

http://www.amazon.in/Philips-Fidelio...hilips+fidelio

Sure, i haven’t checked this yet, but will add to my list.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant (Post 3836738)

You are better off taking a demo of the product at one of their stores and if you like it, you can buy it. Hardly any price difference as compared to online sites. I guess their newer range is being introduced and hence the heavy discount (JBL FLIP III is already out)

Thank you for letting me know on drop in prices. When I checked JBL Store at Mantri Square Mall in Bangalore last week, they never told on price reduction. I will revisit one more store and have some demos.

Also, I will buy from in-store than online, as i want to ensure a pleasant experience in my 'mega' purchase:)

Is anyone has experience on JBL SB 350?

Quote:

Originally Posted by revharder (Post 3836744)

2000 to 600
48K to 21K :Shockked:

Yes. Thats the in-store price. When I asked him for the selling price, he removed a TOI copy and checked the advertised price, which was 600. So JBL advertised it but none of us noticed it lol:

It is for sure due to the newer range coming up. I could see the at least 8-10 boxes of SB250 & SB350 each. They are looking at clearing old inventory and make way for new range.