[jonnyboy]

hi all what is the optimum height to set my tv. my eye level when sat down is approx 1 meter high, would i be right in saying that this level would be the bottom of the tv?

also i keep reading that comet are crap,why is this? trying to decide on where to get my tele from.

[Spiderkid]

Originally Posted by jonnyboy

hi all what is the optimum height to set my tv. my eye level when sat down is approx 1 meter high, would i be right in saying that this level would be the bottom of the tv?

also i keep reading that comet are crap,why is this? trying to decide on where to get my tele from.

From what I've heard, and from my own experience, yes, having the bottom of the TV at eye level is an ideal height. However it will depend on a number of other factors such as the size of the TV, the distance you're viewing it from and your own personal preference. Some people prefer to have their TV's much heigher or even lower, but I've read somewhere that it's more natural (and produces less strain over extended viewing periods) to be looking everso slightly up.

As for Comet, if you can get a good deal go for it. The main problem with Comet, Dixons and Curry's is the aftercare service. Basically they try to sell you '5 year cover' at criminally inflated prices, (talking several hundreds of pounds sometimes) for essentially cover which is mostly covered by your statutory rights, or home insurance, anyway. They give you a really hard sell on this as that's where they make their money.

They also give you the hard sell on cables which are normally priced well over the odds and won't give you any genuine improvement over far cheapers cables you can buy online (especially things like HDMI). They will also, on occasion, lie, or missinform customers just to make a sale. So for the average punter who doesn't know much about AV equipment and is looking for some objective advice they should be avoided, as the chances are you'd get ripped off.

However, if you're wise to their tricks, and do your research carefully, knowing exactly what you do (and more importantly don't) need, you can pick up some real bargains. It can also be fun messing with their minds as you ask them to give you a competant technical justification of why you need to spend £80 on a 1m HDMI cable...

[DANRB]

I have the center of the screen at my eye level when seated. I find this to be more natural.

[IWC Dopplel]

THX recommend the following :

THX Home Theater Display Setup

[Grangey.]

Exactly as superkid says, I used to work for a high street electrical retailer and they sell their warrenties the same way insurance companys sell insurance. Is a massive amound of money for bugger all work, and they chances are if it did go wrong within that 5 year period, it wouldnt cost them a penny anyway as they would send it directly back to the brand and get them to repair it for free due to the amound of stock they buy from them.

As also mentioned, there isnt that much of a mark up on tvs and large items (maybe 10% - 15% at most), so they will try to sell you as many cables as possible as their margins are significantly higher (anything from 50%-200%+ in many cases (Monstor cables do not cost £100 to manufacture thats for sure), so you can utilise this to get an even better deal on your tv ie, ok Il take this tv for x amount but only if you through me in a gold plated hdmi cable.

[Sanders79]

Our TV is a bit higher than most would suggest, the centre is about 1.5 m from the floor. We have it like this because it feels comfy looking up a bit when slouched on the sofa, and then it is also at a comfortable height wen leaping around the living room playing Wii tennis!

[alankennedy03]

for optimum height i was told to sit in your favorite seat and sit the way you sit then close your eyes relax and open them then look at the wall where your eyes natarly land on the wall is where the centre of you tv should go

iv done this twice now and seems to work great in getting the hieght just right for yourself.

hope that maybe helpfull.

[jonnyboy]

thanks peeps for your very god answers, just that im new to this home cinema lark but always longed to do it, so now i got my first house im doing it, ok trying to do it cheap but i gota start somewere.

i got a sony surround system the other day which had the dvd player and built in amp giving 850w and the 5 speakers and the sub, model sommert 260, sounds ok and was £150, it'l put me on while times are hard at the mo. got from comet. as i was paying for it some older guy assistant manager i think butted in and tried to sell me the 2 leads that i needed, hdmi and a optical lead, he seemed a bit obtrusive, couldnt believe the price ov them, gon ore the days of nipping to asda to get a £2 scart lead.

anybody know of anywere i can get good quality leads from that are cheaper than comet. my starter system will be an lcd tv, xbox 360 and my sony 260 cinema system. unsure what lead to get for my gear, so can anybnody advise me what leads i realy need? thanks for reading this long post. john.

[Sanders79]

There are lots of websites out there if you don't mind shopping online, some of my favourites:

AV Cables and Interconnects, UK Cables Shop
Audiovisual Online - High Quality Audio Video Cables and Accessories
Cables and accessories for hi-fi and AV systems - hificables.co.uk (a little bit pricey IMO)

If you only need short cables for your setup then don't worry about spending a fortune, it's worth spending a little bit more on analogue cables (scart, component etc...).

Lots of excellent advice to be found in the cables section of these forums.

Cheers!