[bozjc]

Hi there.

I used to have a 2.1 phillips home cinema unit connected to my phillips tv. for some reason it has decided not to work anymore.

Since i have a new tv, i fancy a new better home cinema setup.

What will i need to run my own home cinema setup.

I have been looking at a blue ray dvd player which i was going to run via an amp, along with my xbox and sky, then link the amp up to the tv and have everything controlled via the amp.

Does that sound correct?? lol

Also, will i have to run a 5.1 - 7.1 speaker setup, or will i be able to link up my existing phillips 2.1 setup, nothing wrong with the speakers, they work a treat.

thanks in advance ;D

[davepuma]

I doubt you could re-use your Phillips speakers. Check the impedance rating (ohms) on the rear of the speakers or in the specifications section of the manual. If they're low (<6 ohms) they will not be any use to anything else, which is the trouble with all-in-one home cinema systems. Most AV Receivers will happily drive 6 ohm and above speakers but 8 ohm is the norm. The subwoofer will more than likely be a passive (unpowered) model which will not be suitable. Therefore I would look at investing in a new system.

Bluray is capable of HD audio formats e.g. DTS HD Master Audio and Dolby True HD. These can only be carried in digital form over HDMI cables.

You could opt for a Bluray all-in-one type system, I'm not sure what is available. Have a look at whathifi and homecinemachoice and the all-in-ones forum here. Whatever you buy, make sure it has sufficient audio inputs for your other equipment though. Unfortunately all-in-ones are not designed for use with multiple sources which is why separates are better.

You didn't say which Sky box you have. If it's standard Sky or Sky+ your best bet is to connect the video side direct to the TV via SCART and set to RGB, SCART Control On and 16:9 in the picture settings. Standard Sky boxes only have analogue audio output (red/white RCA phono cable) but Sky+ and Sky+HD boxes have optical audio output (set to DOLBY D under optical output in sound settings). The newer Sky+HD boxes made by Samsung, Pace and Amstrad also have digi-coax output, which I prefer to optical but the settings remain the same. Sky+HD does not output DD5.1 over HDMI and a separate digital audio cable is required.

There is a sticky post in the Xbox360 forum re. optical and HDMI but if you opt for an AV Receiver or home cinema system that can handle audio over HDMI you wouldn't need the optical connection for the Xbox360. Not all AV Receivers, particularly the bottom-of-the-range models with HDMI can process audio over HDMI, so beware!

An often recommended 2.1 system that can handle audio over HDMI is the Onkyo HTX-22HD system. It can be made by 5.1 by adding the other 3 speakers.

The cheapest AV Receiver and 5.1 speakers that can handle audio over HDMI would be something like the Sony STR-DH800 at £280 with the Tannoy SFX speakers at £200. You'll need cables on top of that but there is no need to spend £loads. The Sony model I mentioned cannot convert analogue sources to HDMI so if your Xbox 360 is a non HDMI model I you would have to connect direct to the TV or maybe look at the Denon 1610 AV Receiver which can convert analogue to HDMI, resulting in a single HDMI cable to the TV.

What is your budget?

[bozjc]

thanks for the responce, loads of info there to help me out ;D

i wasnt going to spend a fortune, maybe £400 - £500??
i have had the all in one systems before and i wasnt impressed with them

my only concern is i would rather have 2.1 as i have a wee nipper and a dog, they are crawling and running about and i wont be happy if the speakers are knocked over lol

[davepuma]

Onkyo HTX-22HD is 2.1 and a few folks have said they're good on here. They cost £300 and you can add the remaining speakers once your wee one has grown up a bit more. It has the added advantage of being able to process audio over HDMI inc. 5.1 LPCM so you will hear the new HD audio formats from Bluray. The Sony BDP-S350 bluray player is going for £130 now the new S360 variant has been released.

Alternatively you could look at wall mounting the speakers out of the way, which would mean the above Sony/Tannoy combo would come into play. You could also look at a 2.0 setup with a £300 receiver and £100 bookshelf speakers, then add the sub later if funds allow.