£6K To Spend - Advice needed for newbie

B

Bob P99

Guest
I have a max budget of £6k to spend on a Plasma / LCD screen and Dolby surround system. Requirements:

1. HD compliant (can't see the point of buying non-HD at this point in time
2. 42 inch screen
3. Budget includes wall mount and pro install (chase-in cables, I HATE cables!)
4. Screen must take feeds from Sky+ / DVD / Playstation / PC.

Am also hugely confused on best way of connecting things - HDMI / DVI / RBG2VGA convertor etc. Having spent a few days chugging through endless posts, I still feel none the wiser!! Any advise on models connections would be greatly appreciated.

thx,

B.
 
You'll get everything you want for max 4k, so I'd spend the rest on a holiday - you know you deserve it :thumbsup:
 
usual suspects are Panasonic and PIONEER - but go see Liam's site www.progressive-av.co.uk for great priced new 40 series Fujitsu 42" screens and audio systems and for custom install - he is da best in the bizz!! Best advice - get great advice first !!!

Or dont bother and order online with no ongoing support and sales patter.

for 6k you should get a bloody decent set up

Dil
 
How a Sharp LC45GD1E?

45" LCD screen, and capable of displaying 1080i HD material at native resolution (which no plasma can, not even 50" screens). You can get one for about £4800 online. You'd probably want to factor in another £800 or so for an external scaler, mind you.
 
yeah that is a good LCD screen the Sony as Nic says - so check it out (Liam has that too).

By the way i should also say that to get the best PQ for your money esp. if you move down to a less expensive model hence freeing up some more dosh - is to factor in 250 quid for full ISF - its no longer a luxury item...but should be part of the extras in your not insignificant 6K budget. It wil give you more VFM PQ than any amount of expensive cabling etc... I am assuming yu wanna spend 6k for the PQ right? Sod the other extras if you have to for now, mate. Connections aint no probs so you wil get all da advice wiv da gear installation.

A scaler is a very good idea too. And HAVE FUN SHOPPING!!!!

Regards

Dil
 
OK, so after a solid day researching, I've come up with the following:

Pioneer PDP-4345HD Plasma
Denon 3910 DVD (connected via HDMI)
Denon 3805 Receiver / Processor (i-link)
Hifidelio Music Server (optical connection)

Does this sound like a solid system? Only question is what speaker package to get - ideally want something that works for both home cinema and heavy rock music - ideas? Comments?

Thanks,

B.

Connected using I-link
 
So, took my budget and threw it out of the window!!! Have also decided to add a Cinemateq Optimizer Plus II as we watch a lot of Sky+. Can anyone recommend an installer in the south of England (Bournemouth) that can perform a full set-up of all kit, including an ISF calibration?
 
Panny Viera HD 42": £2373
Panny EH50 DVD/HD recorder: £183 extra when you buy the Viera from Av-sales (very useful for archiving SKY+ stuff)
ISF calibration: £250 (piers or gordon)
Scaler: Lumagen or iScanHD+: ~£1000
Arcam DV79 DVD player: £1000
Arcam 300 receiver: £1300
Speakers: a very personal choice. Probably best not Bose, though :) ~ 1,500
Cables: ~ £600

If I had the money... :)
 
Hello all

Bob P99 - you seem to be going with a US PlasmaTV; not too handy in Bournemouth I'd suggest :)

If your keen to get the best image and sound for your money and want to consider investing in an external Video Processor then possibly the PlasmaTV (PDP-435XDE - I think that's the one you really meant) is possibly not your best option for now.

An HD Ready Plasma Display + HD Ready Video Processor is your ideal 'starter' kit and then 'perversely' work back from there ensuring you cover all the bases - I say perversely as normally you want to start at the beginning of the signal chain and work forward not at the end and work backwards.

I'd question your choice of Video Processor as it lacks an HDCP complaint HDMI or DVI Input - which renders it useless with SKY HD unless you get a Display that's exactly 1280x720P and has an HDMI input plus a DVI Input.

Your choice of loudspeakers has to be governed by what works in your room - so dimensions; an idea of furnishings and a seating layout are all required.

Installation can be a two part affair - you don't always require an AV Technician to chase walls, install conduit, hang a wall bracket and re plaster; a bit of guidance for a competent builder or DIY'er is usually enough to get that work resolved; though if its a tricky install then there's no substitute for a 'time served' AV Technician.

Configuring and Calibrating is definitely best done by a Pro - though its fun to be involved or at least 'learn' a little so be involved. We also find its often worth pre configuring a system before we deliver it then giving the customer a few days to 'have a play' before we tie down the configuration and set up.

Best regards

Joe
 
spend 2k

and get what I have got then save the rest for 5 years HD will be cheap as chips then.

Thats my 2p worth
 

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