AV Forums - Experts sought, advice and help for Idiot

NeilMc1

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Hi Folks

Im really looking for all your help and comments as there seems to be so many users on here that have an amazing amount of knowledge something I will admit to having none hence the need for guidance and help...I have so many questions and a bit of a dilemma...so bear with me...

Im currently thinking about upgrading my current Toshiba Regza 42" LCD as its now a bit outdated and Im thinking of a 3D TV, I have been through the all the threads and there are so many pro and cons and different bits of advice and some of you guys have amazing set ups but unfortunatly with two young kids some of these sets ups are beyond me anyways Im bamboozled. Im leaning towards a LG Passive set probably 47" (any suggestions on which model) with looking to spend in the region of £700 - £900 not a huge amount I know, the TV will only be used for viewing and Movies, no games

I currently have a Blue Ray Player (altho used once) Sky HD (HDMI Cable)and a 5.1 LG Surround System (HDMI Cable)

The Issues Im having are -

1. My Current TV (Pic Attached) is Wall mounted (not a tilt bracket) above the fire place and from floor to the bottom of the TV is approx 50" would I still get the benefit of 3D, I don't really want to have to change brackets if I can help it...

141759d1254844467-mounting-lcd-above-fireplace-dsc00127_2.jpg




2. My Surround Sound System & TV, I spent a lot of money getting the cables, led lights embedded in the walls and don't really want to rip all of these out so the TV needs to remain wall mounted

3. 3D DVD / Blue Ray- for the Kids and to maximise the 3D Experience I know I will require a Blue ray / DVD player however I currently have a Surround Sound System LG LH-T760IA which I like and don't want to rip out and feel this is a waste, so what would you suggest, just have the TV and rely on Sky for 3D content and use the DVD Surround for normal viewing? or do you have better suggestions.

4.OKAY Stupid time - Is it possible to buy a 5.1 Blue ray minus the speakers and use my current speakers? any suggestions please don't laugh...

Its perhaps worth pointing out that I only have Two HDMI Cables embedded in the Wall although I know I could get a splitter? but Im just not sure what the best options would be, apologies if this is a bit hazy and all over the place but Im not sure what to do to be honest...any help and guidance would be appreciated....
:lease:
 
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I know very little about 3D TV, but a fair bit about 5.1 surround systems and DVD/blu-ray setups, so I'll help where I can.

There are a few main components to a surround system:
1) Source (e.g. blu-ray)
2) Video processor
3) Multichannel amplifier
4) Speakers

As a general rule, in the very best systems the four are separate. In mid-range options, 2) and 3) are together in an AVR. In budget solutions, 1), 2) and 3) are in the same unit. (In cheaper options, speakers are included in the same package but obviously aren't in the same physical unit).


By the looks of things, your LG system is an all-in-one, with 1), 2) and 3) all together in one physical unit.
Your problem is that you need a different source, being a 3D blu-ray player.
I can't find full specs for your LG, so I'm going to assume that it has a digital audio input (optical or coaxial), and also that it does NOT pass through 3D video.
So you can go ahead and get a 3D player, then connect the HDMI output direct to your TV for video only, and connect the coaxial/optical output to the LG for audio only.

That's an option that keeps your current receiver and speakers.

You ask about getting a player and keeping your speakers, to which the answer is definitely no. There would be nothing to amplify the signal to your speakers. You might be able to get a new player and AVR, but keep your current speakers though. It depends on the spec of your speakers, as some all-in-one kits come with particularly low-impedance speakers which wouldn't work well with most AVRs.
Getting a new AVR would allow 3D video to be passed through, so you can put both the video and audio through it via HDMI. This makes fixing lipsync issues much easier than separating out the audio over optical/coaxial.

Are my two assumptions about your LG system correct?
Do you know the impedance of the speakers? (manual should tell you)
Do you have a budget for this upgrade?
 
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Im leaning towards a LG Passive set probably 47" (any suggestions on which model) with looking to spend in the region of £700 - £900 not a huge amount I know, the TV will only be used for viewing and Movies, no games
The LG would certainly deliver a fantastic 3D experience but NOT in the position of your current set. At the very least you'd need to tilt the set down and even that I wouldn't class as ideal :(.

Have you considered a major re-design with TV in the corner (just to the left of the fireplace) or possibly just to the right. You'd also need to centre the sound field as best you can of course.

Like your back lighting btw :)
 
Hi audioenthusiast

Many thanks for your indepth response, my knowledge is very limited if none at all but your assumptions are right in that the sytem is not seperate and its the one unit with the speakers coming with the system as part of a package.

I was wondering whether I could purchase a 3D DVD/ Blue Ray surround system minus the speakers and just have the one unit conencted to my own current speakers, in terms of budget I havent really factored that as Im focusing on the TV however in order to maxamise the experience of 3D and the available 3D Kids movies this was something I was thinking about...

I then thought about disposing of my current Blue Ray Player (seperate unit,not conencted to surround system) and replacing this with a 3D Blue Ray (some offers of free 3D blue ray with LG Models) and continuie to use my surround as a completly seperate system for normal DVDs, just means the 3D Blue Ray movies wont have surround sound, I would then just conenct the 3 units - Sky, 3D Blue Ray and current surround system via HDMI, I have 2 HDMI cables in the wall, can I connect all 3 units to 2 cables via a HDMI splitter?
 
The LG would certainly deliver a fantastic 3D experience but NOT in the position of your current set. At the very least you'd need to tilt the set down and even that I wouldn't class as ideal :(.

Have you considered a major re-design with TV in the corner (just to the left of the fireplace) or possibly just to the right. You'd also need to centre the sound field as best you can of course.

Like your back lighting btw :)

Hi Jason, thanks for the comments, the Lights are great and I would certainly advise anyone pondering them to go ahead, various colours and settings and while its not a great pic looks great when the lights are off...

Re the questions on surround system and leaving that to the side, Im interested in your comments on the TV, it can really only stay in the same place, the unit to the left of the fireplace now has an Imac in the corner as there is no where for it to go to the TV needs to remain on the wall, If for 3d I need a tilt bracket then so be it...

No point in buying a 3D TV if I cant view it tilted or not hence why I was hoping to get some advice altho Im dismayed at your answer :facepalm: looks like its a non starter.....
 
If you were to get a 3D blu-ray, and connect it to the surround system via digital audio connection, then you would have no need to use an HDMI between the surround system and the TV, unless you're using ARC (Audio Return Channel). This is because you could then stop using the surround system's built-in DVD player altogether.

To give me a clue as to the best setup with your current equipment (plus new TV and blu-ray player), please could you tell me:
1) How many digital audio inputs your surround system has
2) Which devices you would definitely like to get 5.1 from, and which devices it would merely be a bonus for.

As for replacing all your electronics and keeping the speakers, as I said before this would depend on the impedance of your speakers. What are they? Look in the manual if it doesn't say on the back of the speaker.
Also, is your subwoofer active or passive? (does the sub have a power cable?)
 
If you were to get a 3D blu-ray, and connect it to the surround system via digital audio connection, then you would have no need to use an HDMI between the surround system and the TV, unless you're using ARC (Audio Return Channel). This is because you could then stop using the surround system's built-in DVD player altogether.

To give me a clue as to the best setup with your current equipment (plus new TV and blu-ray player), please could you tell me:
1) How many digital audio inputs your surround system has
2) Which devices you would definitely like to get 5.1 from, and which devices it would merely be a bonus for.

As for replacing all your electronics and keeping the speakers, as I said before this would depend on the impedance of your speakers. What are they? Look in the manual if it doesn't say on the back of the speaker.
Also, is your subwoofer active or passive? (does the sub have a power cable?)

Hi Audio, I think I will disregard the stupid idea of replacing the DVD player and using my own speakers with a replacement system...

The LG Home Cinema System has -

Connector Type 1 x SCART ( 21 PIN SCART ) - rear
1 x HDMI ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ) - rear
1 x composite video/audio input ( RCA phono x 3 ) - rear
1 x S-Video output ( 4 PIN mini-DIN ) - rear
1 x component video output ( RCA phono x 3 ) - rear
1 x headphones ( mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ) - front
1 x SPDIF input ( TOS Link ) - front

At the moment I have 5.1 Cinema surround for DVDs (obviously) and I also have it linked to my Sky HD so I can get 5.1 Surround however its not used that often so i could/would sacrafice that, so would I then be able to link the 3D Blueray player to my own LG system and watch 3D Blu Ray in 5.1 :confused:
 
No point in buying a 3D TV if I cant view it tilted or not hence why I was hoping to get some advice altho Im dismayed at your answer :facepalm: looks like its a non starter.....
Looking at it again, I'd consider fitting a tilting mount so that it's just above the fireplace. You'd have to move your centre speaker somewhere but I'll leave that to you ;)

You'd also need to consider the HTMI cables embedded. Are these High Speed (sometimes sold as "v1.4") because you'd need a HS cable for the 3D player although older slower speed cables should be OK for Sky 3D.

The reason I like my set at eye level is because the 3D always looks good no matter where you sit (many people don't appreciate that 3D is enhanced with distance so can look quite dramatic when walking into the room and you first set eyes on the set!) With the TV tilted down it will mean there's a fairly narrow seating position for perfect 3D viewing but at the end of the day I guess compromise is everything :)

You could also drop the passive set for an active one (vertical viewing angle is far less critical) but as a 3D fanatic that's not a choice I'd want to make :cool:
 

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