ab1385
Prominent Member
Im really not sure if this is the right place to put this, but since the amp/receiver may well end up doing most of the work in this system I thought this might be a sensible place to post. If not, could a kindly moderator please move it to a more appropriate place?
Im looking to build a system for my parents living room, which they are planning on doing up over the summer while Im home from university. They want a system that will all integrate well together, sound and look good, be functional, and above all else easy to use. The basics are this:
-The TV. We already have a 32 WS CRT, but its getting old. This will not be replaced at the same time as the rest of the system, but will be during the next year, so it is important to bear this in mind.
-The amp/receiver. This, depending on whether in the future it will be used for video switching, may or may not need to do component upconversion. Im currently thinking the Yamaha RX-V657 from Germany for about £265, but may consider going cheaper (say the Denon AVR-1706 if component upconversion isnt required).
-The speakers. Already got these Mordaunt Short Premier in 7.1.
-Sky+. Weve already got Sky Digital, but will go to Sky+. The decision is whether to get Sky+ or Sky+160, which depends on the DVD recorder
-DVD recorder. If we get Sky+160, then it seems that a normal DVD-recorder will do. If we get Sky+ normal, then it would seem sensible to get a DVD-recorder with a hard disk of around 200GB to back up Sky recordings easily. Since the Sky+ will be shared with upstairs, it seems wise to also be able to watch freeview downstairs, so a DVD recorder with freeview makes sense to keep things simple. To that end, the ideas I had for these would be the Panasonic DMR-ES20 if no HDD is required, or the Panasonic DMR-EH60 or Pioneer 530H if it is. This will also act as the main DVD player.
-Playstation 2 we already have, but needs to be connected into the system.
-Remote control to control it all.
Now, bearing in mind it needs to be very simple to run (though setting up is OK as I can probably get my head round most of it), how would you go about setting it all up?
The first thing I cant decide is whether its worth letting the amp do the video switching. If the TV automatically goes to the correct input, then thats fine for simplicity you just select the channel on the amp and turn the TV on. Problem is that the only inputs are S-Video, Composite, and Component. Since the DVD recorder is the main DVD player as well, this presents the first problem you cant connect it up as a video player as there is no component recorder inputs, only for DVD. And a S-Video input into the TV wont be much quality will it? Even if the amp did upconvert all the signals into conponent for the plasma when we got it, the signals would still have to be output as s-video first will this result in a big loss in quality?
The other option is to do it all independently Sky+ -> DVD-recorder -> TV via SCART, and PS2 -> TV via SCART, and all the sound done from the amp. When we get the plasma though, Id like to connect at least the DVD to it via component, can you go Sky+ ->DVD via SCART, then DVD -> TV via component? The problem with this setup is the lack of room for expandability if you only have 2 SCART sockets, and you use them both up, you have no space for anything else, e.g. dedicated DVD player, X-box 360, etc etc. Its also a little more complicated if you have to switch channels on the TV as well as on the amp it may sound silly, but my Mum and technology arent great in combination. Also, eventually, can HD go through SCART, or does it have to be component/digital?
I suppose the best solution is to follow option 2, and to use a remote like the Logitech Harmony 688 to set watch DVD options etc, but are there any other better options I havent thought of yet?
What about video upconversion? If you take Sky+ as s-video, feed it into the amp, and output as component, whats the quality likely to be like? And how easy is it to get s-video from a source with only a SCART out what are the SCART phono + s-vid adapters like? And what about watching Sky through a DVD player? Is it easy to get the DVD player to allow throughput, both when its on and off?
Sorry, this is a huge load of questions, but Im hoping someone can help with at least some of them!
Im looking to build a system for my parents living room, which they are planning on doing up over the summer while Im home from university. They want a system that will all integrate well together, sound and look good, be functional, and above all else easy to use. The basics are this:
-The TV. We already have a 32 WS CRT, but its getting old. This will not be replaced at the same time as the rest of the system, but will be during the next year, so it is important to bear this in mind.
-The amp/receiver. This, depending on whether in the future it will be used for video switching, may or may not need to do component upconversion. Im currently thinking the Yamaha RX-V657 from Germany for about £265, but may consider going cheaper (say the Denon AVR-1706 if component upconversion isnt required).
-The speakers. Already got these Mordaunt Short Premier in 7.1.
-Sky+. Weve already got Sky Digital, but will go to Sky+. The decision is whether to get Sky+ or Sky+160, which depends on the DVD recorder
-DVD recorder. If we get Sky+160, then it seems that a normal DVD-recorder will do. If we get Sky+ normal, then it would seem sensible to get a DVD-recorder with a hard disk of around 200GB to back up Sky recordings easily. Since the Sky+ will be shared with upstairs, it seems wise to also be able to watch freeview downstairs, so a DVD recorder with freeview makes sense to keep things simple. To that end, the ideas I had for these would be the Panasonic DMR-ES20 if no HDD is required, or the Panasonic DMR-EH60 or Pioneer 530H if it is. This will also act as the main DVD player.
-Playstation 2 we already have, but needs to be connected into the system.
-Remote control to control it all.
Now, bearing in mind it needs to be very simple to run (though setting up is OK as I can probably get my head round most of it), how would you go about setting it all up?
The first thing I cant decide is whether its worth letting the amp do the video switching. If the TV automatically goes to the correct input, then thats fine for simplicity you just select the channel on the amp and turn the TV on. Problem is that the only inputs are S-Video, Composite, and Component. Since the DVD recorder is the main DVD player as well, this presents the first problem you cant connect it up as a video player as there is no component recorder inputs, only for DVD. And a S-Video input into the TV wont be much quality will it? Even if the amp did upconvert all the signals into conponent for the plasma when we got it, the signals would still have to be output as s-video first will this result in a big loss in quality?
The other option is to do it all independently Sky+ -> DVD-recorder -> TV via SCART, and PS2 -> TV via SCART, and all the sound done from the amp. When we get the plasma though, Id like to connect at least the DVD to it via component, can you go Sky+ ->DVD via SCART, then DVD -> TV via component? The problem with this setup is the lack of room for expandability if you only have 2 SCART sockets, and you use them both up, you have no space for anything else, e.g. dedicated DVD player, X-box 360, etc etc. Its also a little more complicated if you have to switch channels on the TV as well as on the amp it may sound silly, but my Mum and technology arent great in combination. Also, eventually, can HD go through SCART, or does it have to be component/digital?
I suppose the best solution is to follow option 2, and to use a remote like the Logitech Harmony 688 to set watch DVD options etc, but are there any other better options I havent thought of yet?
What about video upconversion? If you take Sky+ as s-video, feed it into the amp, and output as component, whats the quality likely to be like? And how easy is it to get s-video from a source with only a SCART out what are the SCART phono + s-vid adapters like? And what about watching Sky through a DVD player? Is it easy to get the DVD player to allow throughput, both when its on and off?
Sorry, this is a huge load of questions, but Im hoping someone can help with at least some of them!