[Daverey2]

All
Hopefully this is the right forum.

In anticipation of hopefully moving house in the next month or so, I'm trying to work out exactly what I need to connect all my AV gear together.

Bearing in mind I am a complete noob to all this (all I have at the moment is TV, Sky, DVD player, VCR) I have been doing loads of research (not least on these forums), and think I'm almost there - but I have no real confidence in what I'm doing.

I've been playing on Excel trying to make a diagram that hopefully shows all the wiring I think I need. I've attached this file - and whilst it is very complicated and not really the clearest - I was wondering if anyone could take a quick look and give me the thumbs-up that I'm heading in the right direction.

I haven't bought any of the kit yet - although the ones I've got in mind sill definitely have the required inputs/outputs for the setup I've planned.

Thanks very much in advance
Dave

[MarkTaylor]

You don't seem to have your VCR on that diagram and is your DVD player the box marked 'Home Cinema' ?

[Daverey2]

Hi Mark
Thanks for the reply.

When I move I will be getting Sky+, so the VCR will become redundanct and relegated to another room.

And yes, the home cinema is planned to be a Samsung HT-TX35, so will incorporate a DVD player (as well as the PS3).

Ta
Dave

[MarkTaylor]

If you have not yet bought the Samsung HT-TX35 I would give this further thought.

Buying a combined DVD/amp and speaker kit may look like good value but you are crippling your ability to upgrade parts of the system and gaining problems like the lack of optical inputs which force you to include a switch in your plans.

[Mr Incredible]

I agree with the "sound" advice from Mark. Although "all in one units" may appeal to keep the connections and buggering about factor to a minimum, as MArk said, they will give you other connectivity problems with the upgraditis bug. Be aware, this bug is extremely virulent and persistent, sapping your money and straining relationships!

Have fun!

[Daverey2]

Cheers guys.
I hear what you - and many others on these forums - say about all-in-one's, but it will be my first venture into Home Cinema and I want to keep it simple (and cheaper). Once I've got the system in place I can't see me having the desire to upgrade until something falls apart. Also, I'm no audiophile or anything, so am not overly bothered about perfect sound quality etc.

Plus, and here's the crux of the problem, the missus likes Samsung gear (for no discernable reason) and likes the idea of as much of my (our) kit "matching".

If I stick with the all-in-one system, do you think I'm nearly there with the connections and things?

Cheers again
Dave

[davepuma]

One of my mates has a Samsung all-in-one system and it's terrible. I would be more inclined to go with Sony or Pioneer if you fancy an all-in-one system with that style of speakers. I don't have much experience of all-in-ones, I have heard some nasty Panasonic stuff too but that's not to say they all sound the same but the Sony is supposed to be pretty good. The Sony HT-SF1100 doesn't have a built in DVD player but does have 2 optical and 1 coax inputs which will suit your current needs and have 1 one more input digital input should you add to your system. Just a thought. You would have to use the PS3 for DVD, which isn't a bad idea, it's a cracking Bluray player and upscaling DVD player to boot. I would also recommend getting a universal remote to control everything (well apart from the PS3 unless you get an IR adaptor) such as the Harmony 555 which is only about £40 if you shop around.

Good on you for doing the diagram. I used to have drawings for mine (scrap paper) and I should really do a proper diagram. Your system isn't particularly complicated, mine isn't either for the multitude of SCART buffers and switching units. As soon as I stare behind the TV, I usually give up.

[Daverey2]

Ta for your comments.

As I said I'm completely new to all of this, and to be honest I'm hopefully moving from a 10 year old Toshiba CRT TV with no additional speakers or anything, to a 40" LCD TV with home cinema and a nice detached house to turn the volume up in, so even if a Samsung system is pretty poor, to my untrained ears it can only be a huge improvement over what I have now!!

I've read the forum threads on te Samsung system and it seems to get fairly good reviews, and from my (admittedly inexperienced) research it seems to be a fairly good value for money system. I'll have a shop round though when I move and come to buy one.

As for the DVD player - I've heard a lot about how good the PS3 is for playing and upscaling DVDs, but for some reason I don't like the idea of using it as a main DVD player. I know for a fact that the missus won't like using it, and my PS3 is also fairly noisy with the fan (the forums seem to say that some are noisier than others unfortunately), and as far as I can tell the Samsung one does upscaling too.

On a related note, does the height of the rear speakers on home cinema systems make much of a difference? I'm only going for tall speakers so they are at the right height, but if I could get small speakers and put them on the floor that would be better (the missus won't want them on the wall).

ta
Dave

[Daverey2]

Sorry, forgot to mention on my previous reply....

At the moment I have Sky & a VCr, and the TV aerial is plugged into the VCR, with a connection from their into Sky, as well as the Sky cable going into the back of the Sky box. This is then connected to the TV by a scart cable.

If I ditch the VCR but get a new DVD player/home cinema system, where would the TV cable go?? Does it go into the back of the DVD player?? What of there is no coax in on the DVD player??

Apologies if these are stupid questions, but I don't want to miss out on something that makes a huge difference.

dave

[Mr Incredible]

Unless you need to pipe the Sky picture around your house together with the TV signals from your aerial, I'd bypass the Sky box altogther and put the TV aerial coax directly into your TV.

However, if your new DVD is a recorder version with built in Freeview it wil have an aerial socket in and out. Just connect the out to you TV. As I said, if you're not piping Sky over RF coax there's no need to put the coax to your Sky box. The Sky box will be connected to your TV by Scart (or by HDMI if you ever go Sky HD).

[mjcairney]

Originally Posted by Daverey2

Once I've got the system in place I can't see me having the desire to upgrade until something falls apart. Also, I'm no audiophile or anything, so am not overly bothered about perfect sound quality etc.

Countless £'s ago, I remember thinking/saying similar things - how wrong I was and, if you need proof, just have a quick look at my signature line below.

I endorse all the remarks about the all-in-one route not being the way to go.

Best of luck.

Cheers,

Martin.

[Mr Incredible]

There a few straightforward rules when dealing with home cinema kit, the simpler you keep the decision making process the easier it is going to be for you in the long run.

Seeing the couple of comments below, I see you have made a fundamental error already.

Inclusion of SWMBO in the equation is likely to end in tears.

Originally Posted by Daverey2

Plus, and here's the crux of the problem, the missus likes Samsung gear (for no discernable reason) and likes the idea of as much of my (our) kit "matching".

Originally Posted by Daverey2

I know for a fact that the missus won't like using it,

[Daverey2]

Couldn't agree more, but if I went out a splashed £00's of pounds on toys without consulting the boss, then she's only go out and spend loads on expensive creams, potions and make-ups, shoes, clothes etc, so by keeping her involved in the whole project I hope to let her think its for her too!!

She also has a thing for blue lights, so the Apollo neon-light strips are another way of keeping her sweet (and they do look particularly cool!!)

Dave

[davepuma]

Originally Posted by Daverey2

On a related note, does the height of the rear speakers on home cinema systems make much of a difference? I'm only going for tall speakers so they are at the right height, but if I could get small speakers and put them on the floor that would be better (the missus won't want them on the wall).

Your front tweeters should be at ear level and ideally the rears should be slightly above ear level. My rears used to be on 60cm stands but now I've put them on 1m stands, the sound is a lot better. There is a guide on the dolby and audioholics websites about speaker placement.

To go from an no surround to an all-in-one will impress you straightaway, just don't audition or listen to a separates setup later! When I first got my DPL TV which admittedly sounded great at the time, I thought it couldn't be beaten. I then added a Yamaha DSP-E800 s/s processor to my hifi gear and some budget Tannoy speakers (which I still have) and the difference was night and day. I can see the appeal in all-in-ones but I couldn't go back....

[MarkTaylor]

Final comment from me then no more pressure

If you stick with the route you have planned make one solid mental commitment now.

Do not ever let yourself believe that any single part of the system you buy has any life beyond the time it takes for any one part to fail to work, or fail to satisfy your needs.

You buy it as one system you will throw it out as one system.

Don't kid yourself you can upgrade the amp or DVD and keep the speakers etc.

Do that and you are at least going into this with your eyes open.

Oh and that comment about 'turning the volume up' trust me, you really won't want to do that with the system you are buying, but it should be perfectly pleasant at normal listening levels.

[Daverey2]

Fair points made by all.
I'll do a bit more research before I buy, but I'm kind of drawn to the all-in-one cheapo system for the time0being - as an entry level system.
If its a success and missus like it, I might splash out in the future and get separates!!

Thanks for all your comments though guys - although one thing I've noticed in all the debate - no-one's confirmed or not that the wiring setup is right (which was the original question!!!!)

ta
Dave

[davepuma]

Wiring looked fine to me, other than I would get a different unit so I didn't have to bother with that toslink switch!!!!