Best All-in-one system for £259-£350?

[Davidsian]

I'm looking for advice on a suitable Home Cinema all in one system in the price range £250 - £350. I would like to continue using my current DVD player for now – with a view to later upgrading with a PS3. Neither my DVD nor TV have HDMI sockets – my TV has DVI. Full connections shown below. I would also like to have wireless rear speakers, but get the impression that these are not without problems so guess I can manage without.
My system is -
Philips LCD TV [/B]with DVI and audio input
2 X Scart sockets 1 with CVBS/RGB inputs and audio, CVBS outputs
1 with CVBS/S-VHS inputs and audio, CVBS outputs
SPDIF SOCKET, Audio In L+R, Video In, S-Video

Sony SACD/DVD Player DVP-NS700V
Digital Out (Coax) jack, Digital Out (Optical) Jack, 5.1 ch Output Jacks, Line out L/R (Audio) jacks, Line Out (Video) Jack, S Video Out, Scart, Scart (RGB)

Thompson Top-up TV PVR
S-Video Output, Digital audio output PCM (stereo) only, Analogue audio output, Scart – TV output RGB or CVBS, Scart – VCR – VCR Pin 8 record control. RGB loop through for DVD players and digital recorders

 

[Davidsian]

I'm still confused by choice, but not sure what has the correct connectivity. Suggestions anyone?

 

[cols]

Well... Seeing as you're going for ps3 at some point you'd want something that can take lpcm over hdmi... Also you need digital coax or optical for your dvd player... The htsf/htss1300 can do all this and would be within your budget, it's generally considered one of the best in that price range.

Re your tv's lack of hdmi that shouldn't affect your choice of home theatre system afaik, but if you wanted to connect the ps3 to the amp by hdmi for hd audio i guess you'd then need a hdmi / dvi adaptor to get the picture from the amp to your tv (you'd also need this if connecting the ps3 direct to your tv by hdmi if you wanted a hd picture)
Not sure if there are potential problems there, dvi isn't something i'm familiar with.
Your other units i guess you'd just connect to your tv as you would normally do and then take digital coax or optical to the amp for your sound.

 

[Davidsian]

Many thanks. I had been seriously considering the 1300, and had been about to buy, when I decided I wouldn't be able to connect to it because of the lack of HDMI in my system. If other peripherals are connected to the TV via scart, will they still go through the 1300 amp to the speakers? Sorry but as you can tell I'm a novice to this!

Also how is the 1300 for playing music? Can you turn it to 2.1 for this?

 

[Davidsian]

A second thought. Do I lose anything connecting from HDMI to DVI?

 

[cols]

Many thanks. I had been seriously considering the 1300, and had been about to buy, when I decided I wouldn't be able to connect to it because of the lack of HDMI in my system. If other peripherals are connected to the TV via scart, will they still go through the 1300 amp to the speakers? Sorry but as you can tell I'm a novice to this!

Also how is the 1300 for playing music? Can you turn it to 2.1 for this?

well your other units would just connect to the receiver via digital coax or optical for sound.... And then connect them to your tv for picture as you would normally do.
Re the ps3 you'd connect it to the amp with hdmi, for sound and picture, with the picture being passed through and out the hdmi output on the receiver. So you'd connect that to your tv with a hdmi cable and dvi adaptor...

Not sure about image quality of dvi vs hdmi though, i assume you'd still get a hd picture at 720p or 1080p etc, but dvi is not something i know anything about really!

 

[cols]

Oh and re playing cd's etc, regular stereo cd's played on your dvd player or ps3 would come through the front surround speakers and sub, ie 2.1ch.
Sacd i also am not familiar with, sorry! But if that's in 5.1ch or you have some music sources that are 5.1ch, then they'd come through the speakers as 5.1ch, at least that's my understanding of it anyway...

 

[Davidsian]

Many thanks this is really helpful. I'll start looking for the best price on a 1300 - I had been really interested in it, seeing the good reviews here and elsewhere, but was worried about compatibility - and you have reassured me on that.

 

[Davidsian]

One final question - the DVI socket on the television is female, so will need a male connector. What type of connection will I need for the HDFS1300 hdmi socket?

 

[Davidsian]

Just to report back that I got my SF1300 and am really pleased with it.
One word of warning to anyone connecting to a TV with DVI rather than HDMI. It wasn't until after I tried out the HDMI to DVI converter that I realised my DVI socket was IN only. I had to connect instead from the RCA digital Coax socket. Also even if you don't have one of them, you can still use a scart to audio lead. Not as good or neat as HDMI, but at least it works

Thanks in particular to Colspark for all his help

 

[cols]

No problem mate, happy to help sorry i missed your query on the 4th...

out of interest, how are you connected up? I would have thought a dvi "in" would be all you'd need on the tv, ie for input of hd picture from source units.

Basically afaik your connections would be:
non-hd stuff to tv with scart etc for picture to tv
non-hd stuff to htsf1300 with digital coax or optical for sound to amp
hd stuff to htsf1300 with hdmi for sound and picture to amp
htsf1300 to tv with hdmi/dvi converter for picture to tv

Unless you're trying to get sound out from the tv to the amp? In which case, you'd hopefully have an rca phono output on the tv which you can connect with a phono lead to the htsf1300...

Oh by the way i noticed they also do hdmi / dvi cables, to save having to use an adaptor/converter... don't know if that'd interest you... See below...

Glad you're enjoying your new kit! Still waiting for my money to clear before i can go ahead and get mine!

 

[Davidsian]

The problem was I had expected the DVI/HDMI connection to give me sound through the amp - which of course didn't work as it was in only.

Anyway, thanks again.

 

[cols]

Ah right, the connection from the amp to the tv (whether by hdmi cable to a hdmi tv, or hdmi / dvi cable to a dvi tv) is just to take the picture from the amp to the tv.