New Build Advice Needed Please!

[1ceman]

Hi All,
I'm looking for a new home cinema setup, i have a budget of £2500 to which i will need to purchase the following:
1) 46" Plasma could go to 50"
2) Blu Ray Player
3) 5.1 Cinema surround setup (Would need wireless as the floor is Solid Wood)
4) Cables etc

I have looked around and like the Panasonic range, but im not totally sure what to look for as this will be my 1st system

Any advise given would be must appreciated

Regards
Stu

[Big_Dan_C]

Originally Posted by 1ceman

Hi All,
I'm looking for a new home cinema setup, i have a budget of £2500 to which i will need to purchase the following:
1) 46" Plasma could go to 50"
2) Blu Ray Player
3) 5.1 Cinema surround setup (Would need wireless as the floor is Solid Wood)
4) Cables etc

I have looked around and like the Panasonic range, but im not totally sure what to look for as this will be my 1st system

Any advise given would be must appreciated

Regards
Stu

Stu

wireless speakers still need cables for power - you ok with this?

[1ceman]

Originally Posted by Big_Dan_C

Stu

wireless speakers still need cables for power - you ok with this?

Yup where the speakers will sit in the room there are 4 power plugs i did expect the to have there own power feeds

[Big_Dan_C]

Originally Posted by 1ceman

Yup where the speakers will sit in the room there are 4 power plugs i did expect the to have there own power feeds

Latest G10 panny plasma here check out HDTV Reviews – LCD TV & Plasma Television Display Rating for latest review as they have a sd processing problem - only a problem on some programmes.

match it with a panny bd player

go for the onkyo receiver for 7.1 sound

not into wireless speakers much - but my niehbour has got a kef system around 500 quids worth and it sounds awesome!

hope this of some help - you could always blow your budget and get a pioneer kuro 9th gen plasma much better than the panny but alas 1800 quid.

[1ceman]

Originally Posted by Big_Dan_C

Latest G10 panny plasma here check out HDTV Reviews – LCD TV & Plasma Television Display Rating for latest review as they have a sd processing problem - only a problem on some programmes.

match it with a panny bd player

go for the onkyo receiver for 7.1 sound

not into wireless speakers much - but my niehbour has got a kef system around 500 quids worth and it sounds awesome!

hope this of some help - you could always blow your budget and get a pioneer kuro 9th gen plasma much better than the panny but alas 1800 quid.

Thanks Big Dan, the £2500 was a stretched budget as i've just bought a new house so all my cash is tied there, i might be able to stretch again to £3000 but that would be the ultimate limit for now i could afford to spend

Ill have a look around at the links

Again many thanks for the quick response

Stu

[1ceman]

One last question for now, i current have a Samsung LE40M87BDX 1080p screen which i have been told has been replaced with a 100hz version, what is so great about the 100hz and does the new panny have it?

What cables do i need to go for?? are gold plated terminals just a myth?

Stu

[Big_Dan_C]

Originally Posted by 1ceman

One last question for now, i current have a Samsung LE40M87BDX 1080p screen which i have been told has been replaced with a 100hz version, what is so great about the 100hz and does the new panny have it?

What cables do i need to go for?? are gold plated terminals just a myth?

Stu

100hz is really for watching sports - it shoves in an extra interpolated frame between the already 50 per second therefore you're getting 100 pictures per second. this means more input lag - not a problem when watching TV but a major problem for gaming. I've got on my sony (called motionflow) and its great for watching sports. if you have it on with movies they look a litle more like video.

the panny g10 has their version (intelligent frame creation) and would be essential for watching SD sports on a screem of this size.

The smaller models tend not have it since its not as much of an issue on smaller displays.


cables - i think QED provide best value for money - they sometimes make a difference - but i can't tell on mine between a £20 scart cable from sky + box and the one the sky + box came with.. I can tell, however, on my blueray player!

let us know how you get on!

good luck

Dan

[1ceman]

Originally Posted by Big_Dan_C

100hz is really for watching sports - it shoves in an extra interpolated frame between the already 50 per second therefore you're getting 100 pictures per second. this means more input lag - not a problem when watching TV but a major problem for gaming. I've got on my sony (called motionflow) and its great for watching sports. if you have it on with movies they look a litle more like video.

the panny g10 has their version (intelligent frame creation) and would be essential for watching SD sports on a screem of this size.

The smaller models tend not have it since its not as much of an issue on smaller displays.


cables - i think QED provide best value for money - they sometimes make a difference - but i can't tell on mine between a £20 scart cable from sky + box and the one the sky + box came with.. I can tell, however, on my blueray player!

let us know how you get on!

good luck

Dan

Ok so i have the equipment list now which is:

1) Panny P50G10 and slimline wall bracket
2) Panny BluRay Player
3) Sky HD
4) Kef KHT-2005.3 Black Cinema Sound Speakers
5) Cinema Amplifier is yet undecided
6) 3 * HDMI cables ( Either IXOS or QED )
7) 5 Metre Power cable for TV
8) 2 * Optical audio cables ( Either IXOS or QED )
9) Some form of cabinet to house the BluRay, Sky HD, Denon Amp

Now i have a wall in the room which is plasterboard but has the strengthen beams running down it so i plan on putting the screen on the wall and having the cables running inside the wall from the TV to the cabinet.

Question 1:
How difficult is it to mount the TV on the wall including the plastering fitting the trunking and cables etc? I'm not very good when it comes to DIY and was thinking of getting this done professionally seeing as its a brand new house

Question 2:
I would like to wall mount the speakers also can i wall mount small KEF speakers directly into a plasterboard and i guess i should also run the cables for the speakers in the walls like the TV.

Questions 3:
I would like also to mount the centre speaker just under the TV again mounted on the wall with the cables running inside the wall is this possible?

Question 4:
shall i make it easy on myself and have the surround sound speakers on the floor facing up.


Any advise on the fitting, mounting and cable location would be gratefully appreciated

Regards
Stu

[Big_Dan_C]

Originally Posted by 1ceman

Ok so i have the equipment list now which is:

1) Panny P50G10 and slimline wall bracket
2) Panny BluRay Player
3) Sky HD
4) Kef KHT-2005.3 Black Cinema Sound Speakers
5) Cinema Amplifier is yet undecided
6) 3 * HDMI cables ( Either IXOS or QED )
7) 5 Metre Power cable for TV
8) 2 * Optical audio cables ( Either IXOS or QED )
9) Some form of cabinet to house the BluRay, Sky HD, Denon Amp

Now i have a wall in the room which is plasterboard but has the strengthen beams running down it so i plan on putting the screen on the wall and having the cables running inside the wall from the TV to the cabinet.

Question 1:
How difficult is it to mount the TV on the wall including the plastering fitting the trunking and cables etc? I'm not very good when it comes to DIY and was thinking of getting this done professionally seeing as its a brand new house

Question 2:
I would like to wall mount the speakers also can i wall mount small KEF speakers directly into a plasterboard and i guess i should also run the cables for the speakers in the walls like the TV.

Questions 3:
I would like also to mount the centre speaker just under the TV again mounted on the wall with the cables running inside the wall is this possible?

Question 4:
shall i make it easy on myself and have the surround sound speakers on the floor facing up.


Any advise on the fitting, mounting and cable location would be gratefully appreciated

Regards
Stu

Hi stu,

looks like a class system!

its similar to my neighbours set up, he's got a yamaha amp which give the base some right old welly - it also comes with a little mic that you put where your head is going to be and i sets up the spear volumes and delays for you. we had star wars two on it yesterday, the bit with the siesmic charges in the asteriod field and the sound was amazing - I thought it was going to pop the window out!

you could put all the wires in the wall, with sheiled cables it should't affect picture quality.

you may want to use ducts in the wall so you can change/repair/upgrade your kit without breaking out the wall.

the yamaha amp will chuck out 7.1 sound which the panny blueray will provide so it will give you an even better sound experience.

go for as big a screen as your budget and viewing distance will allow since your sound is going to be fantastic and your picture should be able to match it!

wall mounting is straight forward as long as you've got the correct bracket.

i'd keep the speakers pointed at your head instead of the ceiling since you could get some delay in the back.

i'm genually excited for you - let me know how you get on!

Dan

[1ceman]

Originally Posted by Big_Dan_C

Hi stu,

looks like a class system!

its similar to my neighbours set up, he's got a yamaha amp which give the base some right old welly - it also comes with a little mic that you put where your head is going to be and i sets up the spear volumes and delays for you. we had star wars two on it yesterday, the bit with the siesmic charges in the asteriod field and the sound was amazing - I thought it was going to pop the window out!

you could put all the wires in the wall, with sheiled cables it should't affect picture quality.

you may want to use ducts in the wall so you can change/repair/upgrade your kit without breaking out the wall.

the yamaha amp will chuck out 7.1 sound which the panny blueray will provide so it will give you an even better sound experience.

go for as big a screen as your budget and viewing distance will allow since your sound is going to be fantastic and your picture should be able to match it!

wall mounting is straight forward as long as you've got the correct bracket.

i'd keep the speakers pointed at your head instead of the ceiling since you could get some delay in the back.

i'm genually excited for you - let me know how you get on!

Dan

Hey Dan
Thanks AGAIN for the info, ill have a look into the yamaha amp's right i need to find someone to help with the plastering now

Stu

[DJMALLZ]

Originally Posted by 1ceman

Ok so i have the equipment list now which is:

1) Panny P50G10 and slimline wall bracket

Stu

i checked and this tv it's pretty much nearly the same price as a 50" kuro ..woudn't be better to put lil more money and get a kuro?

also will you be doing a floating wall?

I also noticed that your went for an amplifier instead of a receiver :S quite odd but then again im no expert either..

i am too wanting to get the whole nine yard for a new build flat i just bought and quite short on cash. I was thinkin of wireless ceiling speakers so i won't have to do too many DIY but turs out there's still some sort of diy to do i.

I believe it's sometimes best to take your time buy bits and bits (the best quality) rather than buying something just quick and as you know technology is soo advance that tomorrow your setup/equipment will need upgrade..


anyhow im just saying try to go to custom installer forum and you'll also get some inputs.. i have been advised to get a denon avr as the quality of sound is better and it's easier to setup..however ill go down some store and see for myself

i wish you good luck in the project..ill check out everynow and then and see how you coppin.. im sure you'll get plenty help here, guys here are very helpfull..just like a family here ..well almost lol

[1ceman]

Originally Posted by DJMALLZ

i checked and this tv it's pretty much nearly the same price as a 50" kuro ..woudn't be better to put lil more money and get a kuro?

also will you be doing a floating wall?

I also noticed that your went for an amplifier instead of a receiver :S quite odd but then again im no expert either..

i am too wanting to get the whole nine yard for a new build flat i just bought and quite short on cash. I was thinkin of wireless ceiling speakers so i won't have to do too many DIY but turs out there's still some sort of diy to do i.

I believe it's sometimes best to take your time buy bits and bits (the best quality) rather than buying something just quick and as you know technology is soo advance that tomorrow your setup/equipment will need upgrade..


anyhow im just saying try to go to custom installer forum and you'll also get some inputs.. i have been advised to get a denon avr as the quality of sound is better and it's easier to setup..however ill go down some store and see for myself

i wish you good luck in the project..ill check out everynow and then and see how you coppin.. im sure you'll get plenty help here, guys here are very helpfull..just like a family here ..well almost lol

Hello Mate
Im not using a floating wall, as the house is brand new is would be a little silly to make the room smaller than it is already and to be honest with the wall as it is the beams will be more than enough to hold the TV, and the wall mounted speakers wont be a problem as they are light enough, i see your point about buying the expensive items which i might have to do with the AV reciever....

Stu

[Magslad]

A few thoughts below for you 1ceman

Originally Posted by 1ceman

Ok so i have the equipment list now which is:

1) Panny P50G10 and slimline wall bracket
2) Panny BluRay Player
3) Sky HD
4) Kef KHT-2005.3 Black Cinema Sound Speakers
5) Cinema Amplifier is yet undecided
6) 3 * HDMI cables ( Either IXOS or QED )
7) 5 Metre Power cable for TV
8) 2 * Optical audio cables ( Either IXOS or QED )
9) Some form of cabinet to house the BluRay, Sky HD, Denon Amp

If you want your rear speakers to be wireless (as you mentioned in your original post) remember that you will need to include a wireless transmission system in your budget. The KEF 2005.3 speakers are wireless-compatible but not out-of-the-box. If you go for the KEF wireless system, you'll need an extra £300-350 for this on top of the cost of the speakers.

Regarding cables (without wanting to get into the ridiculously long debates that crop up on the cable forums) I wouldn't personally spend money on getting 'branded' HDMI cables. HDMI is digital so it either works or doesn't, you won't get any better quality of picture/sound by spending more on a cable. I got all of my HDMI cables from here (their standard range - 'premium HDMI cable') and they do the job perfectly: I know a number of other forum members have used them as well. There is a school of thought that says you should go for higher quality if you have a cable run of >5m, but you shouldn't need this unless your equipment is going to be a long way from your TV.

For your receiver, remember to make sure you get enough HDMI inputs for the kit you are getting now and anything you may want in the future. Given your budget and the other kit you are looking at, I would say something like the Onkyo 606 would be perfect, and can be picked up new for under £400. I may be a bit biased as this is what I have, but it does a fantastic job running my kit (Panny plasma, KEF 5005 speakers, Sky HD, bluray etc)

Originally Posted by 1ceman

Now i have a wall in the room which is plasterboard but has the strengthen beams running down it so i plan on putting the screen on the wall and having the cables running inside the wall from the TV to the cabinet.

Question 1:
How difficult is it to mount the TV on the wall including the plastering fitting the trunking and cables etc? I'm not very good when it comes to DIY and was thinking of getting this done professionally seeing as its a brand new house

Question 2:
I would like to wall mount the speakers also can i wall mount small KEF speakers directly into a plasterboard and i guess i should also run the cables for the speakers in the walls like the TV.

Questions 3:
I would like also to mount the centre speaker just under the TV again mounted on the wall with the cables running inside the wall is this possible?

Question 4:
shall i make it easy on myself and have the surround sound speakers on the floor facing up.

Q1) The key thing with mounting the TV is to obviously make sure the bracket attaches securely to studs rather than the plasterboard. Depending on the positioning of the studs and the type of bracket you go for, you may need to put some extra studs or noggins in to provide support. Running cables in a stud wall is not difficult: drill holes, drop the cables down and bring them out another hole at the bottom (where the back of your cabinet will be) - you may not get all the way to the bottom in one drop depending on where the noggins are, then it gets a bit more messy as you would need to create a couple more holes in the wall so that you can get access to the noggin to drill through it for the cables. If you want to save as much money as possible on paying others (thereby leaving as much as possible in your budget for kit ), you could do the drilling holes/cable runs/bracket positioning etc yourself, then pay a plasterer to come and make the wall good which shouldn't cost more than £100-200 max. I would caution against doing the plastering yourself unless you are confident and have done it before, there's nothing worse than ending up with a lumpy wall!

Q2-4) Yes, this is all easily possible. Ideally mount the speaker brackets on a stud or noggin for extra strength, but the KEF 2005 speakers are not very heavy so should be possible to mount directly on plasterboard if you use the correct plasterboard fixings. I would not put the speakers on the floor facing up personally, for the extra effort it will both look and sound better to have them mounted on the wall. I would also put the speaker cables for these in the wall, if you're doing this with the cables for the TV then do it for the speakers as well, the finished result will look much better. If you're getting a plasterer in it won't cost any more for him to fill these holes as well.


Hope that helps

[1ceman]

Originally Posted by Magslad

A few thoughts below for you 1ceman




If you want your rear speakers to be wireless (as you mentioned in your original post) remember that you will need to include a wireless transmission system in your budget. The KEF 2005.3 speakers are wireless-compatible but not out-of-the-box. If you go for the KEF wireless system, you'll need an extra £300-350 for this on top of the cost of the speakers.

Regarding cables (without wanting to get into the ridiculously long debates that crop up on the cable forums) I wouldn't personally spend money on getting 'branded' HDMI cables. HDMI is digital so it either works or doesn't, you won't get any better quality of picture/sound by spending more on a cable. I got all of my HDMI cables from here (their standard range - 'premium HDMI cable') and they do the job perfectly: I know a number of other forum members have used them as well. There is a school of thought that says you should go for higher quality if you have a cable run of >5m, but you shouldn't need this unless your equipment is going to be a long way from your TV.

For your receiver, remember to make sure you get enough HDMI inputs for the kit you are getting now and anything you may want in the future. Given your budget and the other kit you are looking at, I would say something like the Onkyo 606 would be perfect, and can be picked up new for under £400. I may be a bit biased as this is what I have, but it does a fantastic job running my kit (Panny plasma, KEF 5005 speakers, Sky HD, bluray etc)





Q1) The key thing with mounting the TV is to obviously make sure the bracket attaches securely to studs rather than the plasterboard. Depending on the positioning of the studs and the type of bracket you go for, you may need to put some extra studs or noggins in to provide support. Running cables in a stud wall is not difficult: drill holes, drop the cables down and bring them out another hole at the bottom (where the back of your cabinet will be) - you may not get all the way to the bottom in one drop depending on where the noggins are, then it gets a bit more messy as you would need to create a couple more holes in the wall so that you can get access to the noggin to drill through it for the cables. If you want to save as much money as possible on paying others (thereby leaving as much as possible in your budget for kit ), you could do the drilling holes/cable runs/bracket positioning etc yourself, then pay a plasterer to come and make the wall good which shouldn't cost more than £100-200 max. I would caution against doing the plastering yourself unless you are confident and have done it before, there's nothing worse than ending up with a lumpy wall!

Q2-4) Yes, this is all easily possible. Ideally mount the speaker brackets on a stud or noggin for extra strength, but the KEF 2005 speakers are not very heavy so should be possible to mount directly on plasterboard if you use the correct plasterboard fixings. I would not put the speakers on the floor facing up personally, for the extra effort it will both look and sound better to have them mounted on the wall. I would also put the speaker cables for these in the wall, if you're doing this with the cables for the TV then do it for the speakers as well, the finished result will look much better. If you're getting a plasterer in it won't cost any more for him to fill these holes as well.


Hope that helps

Hi Magslad
Many thanks for your reply that has been most helpful 1 more question mind when you say just drill a hole in the wall then drop the cable in it then drill another to find the cable?

I was actually thinking of using the same method as this chap: Credit Crunch Special: new home, new install

But i guess this is alittle more specialised would be nice just to pay someone to come and just do this for me lol

Stu

[Magslad]

Originally Posted by 1ceman

Hi Magslad
Many thanks for your reply that has been most helpful 1 more question mind when you say just drill a hole in the wall then drop the cable in it then drill another to find the cable?

I was actually thinking of using the same method as this chap: Credit Crunch Special: new home, new install

But i guess this is alittle more specialised would be nice just to pay someone to come and just do this for me lol

Stu

The method you linked to would be more for chasing out in a solid wall - if you've got a stud wall then you don't need to do this. Using chasing tools creates a load of dust so best to avoid unless you really need to do it.

You could always get a quote for someone to come and do the lot for you (especially if you're not good with DIY), but if you want to save a bit of money it's not hard to create some holes in plasterboard and run your cables, then just pay a professional plasterer to make it all look good again afterwards.