How is this for a start

RobotXander · 6 Mar 2012 at 08:57

My current Blu Ray player seems to struggle with the newer releases despite a firmware update (think it's just getting on a bit now)
Currently I don't have any form of surround sound, just my TV (Samsung LE37A656) and Blu Ray player

I like the look of this setup: Link

DTS HD, 2 x HDMI in, 1 x HDMI out

Like I said, it's a start and a nice upgrade from what I have at the moment.

Does anyone have a similar setup? I know a seperate Amp etc would offer more "l33t" sound etc but I wont be cranking the volume. Just want a decent Surround sound setup

hawker1986 · 6 Mar 2012 at 09:13

Personally I would say for the same budget I would get a seperates system something like:

ONKYO HTS3405 (google it)

And then just chuck on a £50-60 blu-ray player. Long term it will be a more versatile solution and tbh sound will be better too for the same money.

Hawker

realBabelfish · 6 Mar 2012 at 09:18

that wont be a decent surround setup. sure it will sound better than your TV but you will be missing out so much. i would get a 2nd hand AVR and speakers if you are on a tight budget, it will sound much better.

RobotXander · 6 Mar 2012 at 09:24

Not so much a tight budget, I'm just not an audiophile

I want the benefit of surround sound but advanced kit would be wasted on me.
I do like the pricing of the Onkyo kit though. 4 x HDMI inputs would take care of all my devices as well

realBabelfish · 6 Mar 2012 at 09:43

RobotXander said:
Not so much a tight budget, I'm just not an audiophile I want the benefit of surround sound but advanced kit would be wasted on me.
I do like the pricing of the Onkyo kit though. 4 x HDMI inputs would take care of all my devices as well

ah, but when you have got used to them you will wish you spent a little more on separates. then end up much cheaper in the long run too as you just need to replace 1 item when needed.

most of us start out with systems like this then upgrade soon after. trust me

lucid · 6 Mar 2012 at 09:47

All-in-one kit vs separates = Big Mac vs steak

Separates isn't just about volume; it's the sound quality that is key. Voices that sound more realistic - better depth, definition, greater intelligibility - and surround effects that are more convincing.

Then there's the flexibility....

You're having trouble with your current Blu-ray player. So what happens when you have problems with the built-in BD player in the all-in-one? You'll end up forking out to replace an entire £300 home cinema kit for the sake of sorting a £50 Blu-ray player. Does that sound like a good plan to you?

It's been said loads of times here, there's no doubting the economic appeal of a shiny all-in-one. They do give you a lot of bang for your buck, and if there was a massive price hike of several hundred pounds for a separates system then you'd be justified in making that choice. But there isn't. You can get a proper AV amp & 5.1 speaker package for under £300 and there's decent budget Blu-ray players starting at £50 or £80 if you need 3D.

Just a couple of observations on that Samsung kit: The spec mentions Dolby HD but doesn't say anything about the other HD audio format - DTS HD. I'm also worried that there's no mention of an optical input in the specs. It might be that they've simply forgotten to mention it, but it does make one wonder what else they conveniently "forgot" to mention as well, do ya ken what I'm saying?

RobotXander · 6 Mar 2012 at 09:56

Thanks for the posts guys, I appreciate the replies.

I googled some reviews and spec's on the Samsung kit and downloaded the manual. DTS HD is supported, which is what perked my interest in the first place.
I'm leaning more towards the Onkyo now. Is there a second hand market for this type of kit?
Basically (as I understand it) the receiver would sit in it's cabinet, Blu Ray, Xbox, Sky etx would all feed into it, and from there it would connect to the TV via HDMI.
With the Onkyo, does HDMI handle all the audio or will there be a need for a seperate optical cable?

realBabelfish · 6 Mar 2012 at 10:08

RobotXander said:
Thanks for the posts guys, I appreciate the replies.

I googled some reviews and spec's on the Samsung kit and downloaded the manual. DTS HD is supported, which is what perked my interest in the first place.
I'm leaning more towards the Onkyo now. Is there a second hand market for this type of kit?
Basically (as I understand it) the receiver would sit in it's cabinet, Blu Ray, Xbox, Sky etx would all feed into it, and from there it would connect to the TV via HDMI.
With the Onkyo, does HDMI handle all the audio or will there be a need for a seperate optical cable?

go to avforums - they have a good classified section and you can grab a 2nd hand bargain

you are right about the connections. all kit goes into the AVR and then just a hdmi to the TV from the AVR. make sure all your devices use hdmi for SURROUND sound. some can only do 2.0 over hdmi so you need an optical. make sure you know what your kit can handle first. you dont want to find that you need 4 opticals and the device only has 2. sure, you can get splitters but they are a pain switching all the time.

im not sure uncompressed audio will be noticeable on satellites. you would be better getting bigger speakers as lucid suggests. he knows his stuff

RobotXander · 6 Mar 2012 at 10:12

Heading to AV Forums, cheers guys

realBabelfish · 6 Mar 2012 at 10:15

no worries. glad to help. you will appreciate the difference

the online auction site can also be great for bargains. you can pick up old speakers really cheap and to be honest, speaker development doesnt move as fast as amp development.

33L · 6 Mar 2012 at 15:05

As said, i would never go for all in one package, i am slowly building up a nice 5.1 setup and the advantages it looks like you have already discovered with a good AV amp.

EllisDJ · 6 Mar 2012 at 16:37

Blu ray is 75% or more about the quality of the sound - I really think sound is sometimes overlooked as being important.

Obviously the picture is there but its the sound that meakes the movie - a scary film is not scary without the sound.

I second the guy who says he wouldnt buy an all in one - get yourself going down the 5.1 route as best you can with seperates as you can upgrade each bit individually as you go

Also 4 out of my 5 speakers are second hand - you get more for your money that way - a good speaker a few years ago will still be a good speaker today - similarly with av amps, but make suire you get one that decodes DTS HD Master and Dolby True HD

realBabelfish · 7 Mar 2012 at 13:12

EllisDJ said:
Blu ray is 75% or more about the quality of the sound - I really think sound is sometimes overlooked as being important.

Obviously the picture is there but its the sound that meakes the movie - a scary film is not scary without the sound.

I second the guy who says he wouldnt buy an all in one - get yourself going down the 5.1 route as best you can with seperates as you can upgrade each bit individually as you go

Also 4 out of my 5 speakers are second hand - you get more for your money that way - a good speaker a few years ago will still be a good speaker today - similarly with av amps, but make suire you get one that decodes DTS HD Master and Dolby True HD

i wouldnt say that. BR is for larger screens. HD on a 42" TV looks so much better than upscaled SD, better colours and more sharp etc but i agree HD sound (i.e. uncompressed) does sound much better than DVD audio.

overall BR is so much better than DVD that was only really made for 28" TVs.

33L · 7 Mar 2012 at 16:05

would this be the same for pc monitors, have a 23" monitor with HDMI port that might be linking up to a AV receiver attached to a PS3. I am not gonig to be that far away from the screen but will i see a loss of quality.

realBabelfish · 7 Mar 2012 at 16:33

33L said:
would this be the same for pc monitors, have a 23" monitor with HDMI port that might be linking up to a AV receiver attached to a PS3. I am not gonig to be that far away from the screen but will i see a loss of quality.

loss of quality on what?

PC monitors, due to sitting close, usually show more issues than TVs. a 23" monitor would look very different comparing 720 to 1080 for example.

33L · 7 Mar 2012 at 20:51

Image quality, at close range on a pc monitor am i gonig to have any issues?

RobotXander · 11 Mar 2012 at 22:00

Follow up question guys (doesn't warrant a new thread)

Looking at units from Pioneer and Onkyo. Due to space limitations in my TV unit, I'm guessing it wouldn't be a big deal for these to be sat on top of or under say.....my Vision box for example?
Not sure how much heat they output

Vonhelmet · 11 Mar 2012 at 22:42

I wouldn't recommended putting it on top of your Vision box... It's probably going to be pretty heavy. And I doubt putting the Vision box on top is going to do much for the heat situation. I've read Onkyo's are pretty warm, but don't have any first hand experience.

TheVoice · 11 Mar 2012 at 23:33

Although it seems you've already made the right choice, I'll just say it anyway: All-in-one kits like that Samsung one are rubbish and not good value for money at all. I bought a Samsung one a couple of years ago as my first venture into having a home theatre system, cost me £220 and all-in-all, it was crap. The speakers and sub were all cheap, plastic, hollow and ridiculously light. The 'receiver' was essentially just a DVD player with speaker outputs and a noisy fan tacked on the back, and it offered virtually nothing in the way of customisation or settings.

It gradually become more and more faulty as time went on, but fortunately it was within the 12 month warranty so I was able to get a refund. Bought an Onkyo kit with the money (plus another £50) and haven't looked back; the difference is utterly staggering. The quality of what you get is leagues ahead, and the Onkyo receiver offers crazy amounts of options and customisation.

RobotXander · 16 Mar 2012 at 09:59

Pioneer HTP071 ordered from Richer Sounds this morning, along with a new load of HDMI 1.4 cables from Ebay.
The only pain is my vision box doesn't output 5.1 via HDMI so I'll need an optical cable for that.
Now just to get the carpet edges up so I can route the cables