can you afford it !!

[coolgools]

How many of you dream of:
1) state of the art home cinema system with a budget of £50,000?
2)Ferrai 360 Modena / Ferrari 355?
3)A quarter of a million plus dream home?
etc. etc. etc.

How many of the 2089 members on this bulletin board can really afford any of this?
Please identify yourself. Tell us how you achieved your dreams? Anybody inherited any fortune? Anybody won the lottery? There must be somebody on this bulletin board who must have come across a fortune. Tell us how you did it ?
coolgools



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RESISTANCE IS FUTILE...YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED!!!

[dUnKle]

back in the distant past when this forum had only a handful of members something similar to this was talked about and I thinks its nice that the question has been asked again.

It would be very nice to have those things im sure but.............

The most enjoyable thing about my home cinema ( apart from the films ) is the fact that I have built it from scratch. Starting with just a 28" pro-logic TV and video and now having a dedicated a/v room with 32" tv and a almost state of art amp and speakers ( denon a1d and b&w 600 series ) I often wander if the apeal would be the same if I had splashed out twenty thousand pounds or more in one go and had somebody install it for me ? I dont think i would !

Also I oftem find it funny to see that there are a fair few people who spend a fortune on equipment but little on software. When I purchased my denon I had around 100 DVDs and I now of someone who purchased one at the same time, he had 4 films and at present had around 20 http://www.wvip.co.uk/ubb/frown.gif hardly seems worth it.

I would much rather have stuff to watch than the equipment upgraded ALL the time !!

Duncan,

A few times in the past i have spend a lot of money on cinema set ups and each time have had to nearly start again from scatch again.(this was due to a split with girlfriend and moving to England to enhance my career).
At the minute i have only a 32" widescreen tv but have owned a 50" Pioneer widescreen tv.As for Amps i have had a few as well as Laserdisc and dvd.
I take great pride in my Hobbie and have spent the last year just building up my software collection.I am doing this so that when i eventually convert the spare bedroom of my flat into a HC palace I have things worth watching on it.
So i guess i agree with your point of having software and building from scratch,but after all it is only a hobbie and other things do take priority.

But i have to say i can give up smoking but i wont be able to give up this addiction.

Cheers
Phil.

[RMCF]

coolgools

If I had a Ferrari 360 or 355, I wouldn't be sitting in the house on this bloody computer.

[Black 5]

Coolgools,

There ain't no shortcuts http://www.wvip.co.uk/ubb/smile.gif I dedicated myself to a career 27 years ago and after loads of hard work, studying etc and many disappointments and setbacks I've been lucky in my job in the last 7 years and I am trying to make the most of it.

That's why I've spent a fortune on building my cinema (did all the work myself though, where's the fun in just writing cheques) and will be spending more next month on some new furniture, B&W speakers and upgrading my AV32R and amps for EX/ES.

While this group of enthusiasts will always take pleasure from putting their cinema together themselves just as I do, I doubt there's any who wouldn't buy more expensive kit if they had the chance. That's all I'm doing.

The Ferrari will have to wait until next year I think http://www.wvip.co.uk/ubb/smile.gif

ps remember, money only makes you happy when you're spending it http://www.wvip.co.uk/ubb/smile.gif

If I could afford a Ferrari.....

I'd buy a Porsche 911 GT2!

[PoochJD]

Hi,

Like many of the respondees, I think that the majority agree that building up from scratch is a far more enjoyable (and rewarding) way of getting into Home Cinema, than splashing out on everything at once.

I only have a Daewoo 28" 4:3 Nicam Stereo, Colour TV, and a multi-region Pioneer 626D DVD player. In comparison to others who write and read here, my set-up is probably not even worth of being actually called a "home cinema" setup, however, it provides what I need, on my limited budget, and is still the envy of the few friends I have - and ultimately, it's good enough for me!

I just wish I could afford more DVD films though! I seem to go in fits and starts, when it comes to buying them, although I do average out at about 3 a month.

Pooch

[General Skanky]

They call me the Primark Kid.
All the money I save on clothes goes on AV. http://www.wvip.co.uk/ubb/smile.gif

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Douch!!......Wot's da madder, da CIA got you pushing too many penzils?

Work: www.hughes-tv.co.uk (http://www.hughes-tv.co.uk)

and here lieth the greatest mystery of all. I genuinely feel abused by the home cinema hardware manufacturers as i am, unfortunately one those people (read-IDIOT) who is sadly never satisfied. After reaching my (read "our" if you listen to the missus) outter most limits (financially) of hifi which also suffers from the inevitable law of diminishing returns in so much after a certain point the cost of up-grading becomes equivalent to the national debt of some third world countries for improvements that can at best be called "slight", i stumbled across Home Theater. Needless to say that in the last 3 or so years i have managed to spend/waste some £10-12000 software excluded. Bearing in mind my occupation a Qualifying Supervisor/Technician for an Electrical Installation Contracting Company with an annual income of only £21000, a morgage, kids (fortunately the missus works hard bless her soul) and perhaps most amusingly the HC installed in the smallest room in the house (the missus and the kids have the rest) which measures some 4 by 4 meters only into which is installed amoung other things four (now, thanks santa) Rotel power amps offering some 1500 watts (luvurly!!!) 2 Rel storms, 1 Monitor Audio asw 100 sub, 2 centres (absolutely recommended if using a tv as a display device)2 floorstanders (measuring 135*40*40cm) 2 pairs of rears and 1 pair of center backs (this is quite a squeeze i assure you and i dread to think of the effect all the magnetic fields are having on me if the the doctor said i was sterile it wouldn't come as a shock!!) AND ITS ONLY £ WEEKS AFTER CHRISTMAS AND ALREADY I AM LINING UP MY NEXT PURCHASE!!!!

Now i realise that to some if not most that this is probably obscene and to be honest many's the time when i have genuinely felt ashamed after putting down the phone and replacing the credit card into my wallet but there it is. And if in the future it comes to light that there is a medical name for this sort of disorder then sign me up for the test drugs

Never one to take things too seriously

Regards

SteveEX

[StuartBooth]

I'm with General Skanky, above, on this one. I made my one & only annual clothes shopping trip just last weekend ... and came back with about 10 DVDs from HMV's January Sale!

Oh, and I got some socks too... but not in that same sale... ! http://www.wvip.co.uk/ubb/wink.gif

When I see people spending money on what *I* consider unnecessary I now have a demonic voice in the back of my head stating "Think how many DVDs you could buy for that..." !

Stuart the scruffy oik


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Stuart Booth
Somewhere in Buckinghamshire, England, UK

[desade]

Its all a matter of opinion. My set up is hardly state of the art, but it gives me enjoyment and that's what counts. I wouldn't feel the need to spend thousands of pounds on speakers but best of luck to those that do.

[MrFurious]

I love movies and have built and upgraded over the years,i am 26 now and have a panasonic 32 pf10 tv and a panasonic sc-ht80 dvd setup with about 150 dvds all in my own home to watch at whatever volume i like,i am very happy with what i have,how about everyone else??????????

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http://iamadvdaddict.homestead.com/dvdlist.html

Stuart
This happens to me all the time, i go out to buy a new jacket or get food for the month and end up buying DVD's.Yes some months i struggle to eat because i have spent money on Discs.Now that is Sad. I HAVE A PROBLEM, I AM AN ADDICT. I'm going to give up smoking so i have more money to buy discs......

phil

[dUnKle]

I think at the end of the day it is a pursuit of happiness thing.

Im currently buying around 4 titles a week, some people think im mad but its my money and I can do what I want with it, we ALL can !

[ptmbradley]

"Think how many DVDs you could buy for that..." !

That's what I do! Every time I buy something 'sensible' I think "but that's X DVD's"!

The word addiction springs to mind!! http://www.wvip.co.uk/ubb/smile.gif

Ptm

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Everybody be cool. YOU, be cool.
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ptmbradley@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.geocities.com/ptmbradley

[Mr.D]

Originally posted by coolgools:
How many of you dream of:
1) state of the art home cinema system with a budget of £50,000?
2)Ferrai 360 Modena / Ferrari 355?
3)A quarter of a million plus dream home?
etc. etc. etc.



Quarter of a million will get you maybe a 4 bedroomed terrace house in an average part of London.

The computer I'm working on is 300grand not including software. But I'm sure a train driver works on more expensive kit.

Its just money. Its not important. I doubt I'll lie on my deathbed thinking hmm I wish I'd made more dosh. And no I don't have a huge quantity of it either.

[Len]

The computer I'm working on is 300grand not including software. But I'm sure a train driver works on more expensive kit.

That is a typo isn't it? 300,000 for a computer... what are you doing sending shuttle's into space?

[Ono]

Originally posted by Mr.D:


The computer I'm working on is 300grand not including software.



Did you buy it from Tiny Computers? Cos they always rip people off the t0ssers

[Mr.D]

Originally posted by Len:

The computer I'm working on is 300grand not including software. But I'm sure a train driver works on more expensive kit.

That is a typo isn't it? 300,000 for a computer... what are you doing sending shuttle's into space?


You don't need that much processing power for the shuttle. Its for compositing motion picture film. Software probably takes it up to 500 000. They used to be more expensive.

But like I say I'm sure a commuter train costs more.

[Ars longa, vita brevis]

sure, i can afford it, or i could

through credit card fraud
it would be so easy to set up a safe house and record people's credit card details at my work

i'm so tempted.

------------------
Assumption is the mother of all errors

member formerly known as hank hill, the Jesus H
but he got bored of that so changed to some latin sh*t
'which is nice'

[Len]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mr.D:
[B] Its for compositing motion picture film. Software probably takes it up to 500 000.

Not working on High Heels by any chance?

"Ars longa, vita brevis"

My Latin is a little rusty, but doesn't it mean something like:

'Work Hard, Live Less'?

(obviously a literal translation doesn't do it justice)



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My DVD's on E-Bay (http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewListedItems&userid=ciderh&include=0&since=-1&sort=2&rows=25)

[Black 5]

If good old Hank plans on some credit card fraud then him living less suits me fine http://www.wvip.co.uk/ubb/smile.gif

[Ars longa, vita brevis]

it means
'art is long, life is short'

it was suggested a while ago after my first nam ehank hill was deleted that Jesus H was a sh*t name, i now agree.
this one's not so good, as i couldn't remember the quote from event horizon
'liberate de ... something or other'
which may have been more appropriate for this forum

however its better than 'eat my shorts' in latin or 'go with the flow'

although i was looking for something more traditional sounding.

meeeow black five

a victim of credit card fraud?

i was merely surprised how easy it is

I recently got a weekend job in a supermarket and found that access to people's details from their credit cards was ridiculously easy.

rip off a bit of receipt roll, rub it over the card ( the stuff's really thin so it makes it easier, as does grubby fingertips)

boom, you can order something.

I dont think many companies will have any way of checking matching addresses.

I'm not really suggesting i'd do it, i dont have enough money to set up a safe house,
am not sure if it would work quickly enough for them to cancel their credit card
and probably don't have the ballls to try it.


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Assumption is the mother of all errors

member formerly known as hank hill, the Jesus H
but he got bored of that so changed to some latin sh*t
'which is nice'

[This message has been edited by Ars longa, vita brevis (edited 18-01-2001).]

[Mr.D]

Originally posted by Len:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mr.D:
[B] Its for compositing motion picture film. Software probably takes it up to 500 000.

Not working on High Heels by any chance?


?
Nope. What do you need? Minnie Driver head replacement?

[Black 5]

Victim of credit card fraud? That's everyone who buys stuff from places that get ripped off, not the credit card holder http://www.wvip.co.uk/ubb/smile.gif

I assume everyone knows that in the event of a fraud, the merchant usually bears the cost. All this does is add to their overheads resulting in an increase in prices.

One of the reasons gear costs more in the UK? Well, I don't know...

[charles]

For me,the fun of home cinema,is attempting to elicit a 20k performance for half or a third of that..careful setup,the right cables,placement,speaker wire,spl meter set-up etc..all makes a difference..
What i also learnt very early on in this game,is that a 5% improvement in your system could cost you 20% more....
Its also not just about what you can afford-but what you allow yourself to spend...i`m sure if we used our flexible friend/bank loans/increase mortgage etc..etc..-we could all probably have a 20k set-up-but would we want it?(not if you could get this performance from 8k`s worth of kit..)..and thats where all the trips to av shops and the demos come into it...
For me,my interest in cinema started when my dad took me to see zulu at Leicester square-i may never recreate that feeling..but i can sure try!!!!!

[Len]

Originally posted by Mr.D:
?
Nope. What do you need? Minnie Driver head replacement?

Personality replacement maybe :-)

[charles]

The fun for me, is aspiring to the perfect set-up.If i had unlimited resources to go out and buy the ultimate set-up off the bat-i would soon lose interest in the hobby...what keeps my interest is the aspiration..

[Black 5]

But Charles, there is no ultimate setup as we're all different and hear and see the same things in different ways. IMHO all that having more to spend does is increase the choices and make it an even more interesting pursuit http://www.wvip.co.uk/ubb/smile.gif

[charles]

Sorry Black,i meant ultimate for me...