My new setup, pics soon..

oliphillips

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BUDGET BEDROOM HOME CINEMA CONVERSION FROM SCRATCH!

Ok so this is how it began. A new TV was needed for mine and my girlfriends room and reading the 'London Lite' I noticed some cheap looking deals in an advert from Hyper-fi. So a plan began to form of getting a new TV to replace my old piece of junk 20" CRT that I'm sure is going to blow up!

I am very much a noob to the technical side of things, but a fast learner! I have always been an avid AV fan and dreamt of certain setups but never got round to buying much, sadly being an addictive gambler I don't own much :( (Note I have stopped gambling, regularly attend GA and havent done it for nearly a year now!)

Now when I get involved in looking for something new to buy my addictive personality goes into overdrive! I start reading Specs, comparing with other models, then as always one model has these specs but lacking the other, and the other has those but lacking this, etc etc, I'm sure you know the feeling.

The Hyper-fi TV turned out to be a rear projection TV, so I thought to myself 'X$%^ that!". So I began to look into the lastest available, large, budget TV's. Then over the course of 24 hours, reading reviews, forums, price comparison, etc, somehow wanting to spend around £300 on a new telly turned into installing a home cinema in my room! It went from getting a 37" then slowly up to 50", then added WD-TV Media Player, then 1tb filled Hard Drive, then an added AV reciever, then speaker package, lol!!

In the end the grand total came to: £1320. This is everything from scratch, every single cable newly bought!!

Anyway, after comparing specs, reading reviews, comparing prices, coin flipping, etc, I decided upon the following :::



LG 50" PLASMA :: LG 50PS3000http://www.lge.com/uk/tv-audio-video/televisions/LG-plasma-tv-50PS3000.jsp @ £721.99 Delivered (used 5TV code) + £10 cashback from RPOINTS

50PS3000_en_ucuz____50ps3000__538.jpg



Ok now I thought if I'm gonna get a bloody 50 incher I'm gonna need to watch some HD content!! The lack of BluRay DVDs made me think I would prefer something to watch HD Media files on.

WD-TV Media Player :: WDAVN00 @ £79 Delivered

wdfWDTV.jpg



Now this wasn't essential as I had my own collection of movies. However someone I knew was offering this 1TB drive with a choice of around 180 1080P h.264 films on, so I decided to buy one.

1TB Western Digital HDD :: Elements @ £100 Delivered

b174144.jpg

With ~180X

1080p_mkv_320x148.jpg


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AV reciever wise it was a tough decision, between HD audio or not. It came down to this: a) Low end HD AV reciever that would also break the budget a bit or b) Closer to the top half of the 5.1/dts range within budget. I decided against going HD at the moment, especially as I would mostly be using WD-TV Media Player to begin with and I wouldn't be watching anything with a TrueHD or DTS-HD soundtrack. Also I have had some bad experiences with cheap equipment so I decided I would go for better quality but not as modern technolgy, rather than lastest HD audio but crappy quality. In the end it was a tough decision between the Yamaha RX-V363 and the Cambridge Audio AZUR 540R V2. Below you can see what I went for:

Yamaha RX -V363 AV RECIEVER @ £169.99

EV_rxv863_540x241-thumb-480x214.jpg



Right now I needed some 5.1 speakers to connect up to the AV reciever, I decided upon a Harman Kardon 5.1 speaker package. I looked at a few cheaper sets including the Yamaha NS-P110, which I nearly bought, but after reading some reviews I decided it lacked the build and quality. The Harman Kardon set came to my attention and it looked perfect. In my opinion it matched the same sort of quality of the rest of the kit, I found a really good price so I went ahead and ordered it:

Harman Kardon HKTS7 Speaker Set @ £179.99 Delivered

0064_1_sbl.JPG


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I currently already own the following too, so they will be hooked up:

DREAMBOX FLASHED WITH DW 1.6 : DM500C

url


SUMVISION LYNX HDMI USB XVID/DVD

31vF93pQebL._SL500_AA280_.jpg



OK, so this is everything I now own. It's all been ordered and I'm eagerly awating it all!! I am going to get a mount and 4 speaker mounts. As I set it up in my room I will update the thread. I live with my girlfriend in a shared house and we spend most of our time in our room. It is a large double room, but I am fearing the 50" will be too big. We'll See. My full list of equipment so far is as follows:

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VISUAL

LG 50" PLASMA LG50PS3000

MEDIA

WD-TV MEDIA PLAYER w/ 1TB HDD (180 X H.264 1080P MOVIES)
DREAMBOX DM500C (DW 1.6 IMAGE)
SUMVISON LYNX HDMI USB XVID/DVD

AUDIO

YAMAHA RX -V363 AV RECIEVER
HARMAN KARDON HKTS7 5.1 SPEAKER SET

ACCESSORIES

LOGITECH HARMONY ONE

CABLES

3 X 3m JVHD HDMI 1.3b CABLES
5m HDMI 1.3b CABLE
HURO 2X2.5 Speaker Cable (5.1 speakers)
399 STRAND Speaker Cable (2.1 speakers)
Nakamichi Gold Banana Plugs
Gold Flat Scart Cable
2 X Gold Optical Cable
5m Gold Jack to Jack Cable
5m Gold VGA Cable
5m Gold Jack to Twin Phono
Pure AV Belkin HDMI to DVI adaptor
2 X 3m Triple RCA Chrome/Gold Cable
10m Gold Coax Male to Male
Gold 3 RCA to Scart Convertor

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Here is the current setup in my room, comprising of my friend old broken Yamaha amp, 2 of my friends Matrix, out the back of a van speakers, that as it happens do have good sound quality. 20" panasonic tv that turns off every 20 mins with a weird hissing noise, 2 dvd players that are interchanged when ones not working!! As you can see the tv is simply on top of a chest of drawers with 2 wooden racks either side:::

WHAT I AM CURRENTLY PUTTING UP WITH
DSCF0173_1024x768.JPG
WHAT I AM CURRENTLY PUTTING UP WITH

Damn it's gonna be a nice change! We have to keep it to this layout due to the limited size of the room. This is the plan so far:

--- Mount TV on wall behind chest of drawers
--- Mount 2 front speakers either side of the tv
--- Mount 2 rear speakers to back walls
--- Have centre speaker sitting on top of chest of drawers
--- Spread AV equipment over the 2 racks (if i can get rid of those bloody hair straightners and other crap!!)
--- Soon buy 2 dedicated AV racks for either side of the chest of drawers, same sort of size as the ones there at the moment
--- Have some sort of throw to pull down and cover the front of the chest of drawers. Any ideas?

Also planning on connecting the big floor speakers to use at 2.1 when listening to music.

I'll keep this thread updated with my progress, with pics. Hope its of interest to some people! Anyone got any advice or comments? Im very excited about this, and looking forward to setting it up/ experiencing it set up!

Cheers, Oli
 
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Sounds like you are going to have an awsome setup mate. Always a fun challenge working round constraints. I look forward to seeing it completed though.
 
Cheers mate. I was close to getting a cheaper TV a slightly better AV equipment, but thought I would probably be wanting to upgrade the SOUND side of things much much sooner than the TV. The general plan is to slowly upgrade and add to the the setup, going to sell the change the WDTV player to XTREAM network tank when it comes out, also upgrade to an upscaling cable box and buy a games console at some point.

I'm glad I'm finally putting my money to some good use and having this sort of hobby is really good for me. A year ago I would spin away £1250 just like that! Looks like I've got some fun years ahead of me!
 
some good kit there for the money :thumbsup:

congratulations on giving up the gambling, but be careful, this av stuff can be just as addictive!:D
 
Congratulations on your new gear, youve gone for excellent kit and its going to give you countless hours of enjoyment!

Great to hear your now putting your attention into something positive, none of us are perfect mate and youve done the right thing!

Its a great community here so keep us posted and stay in touch.

BTW, your 50" is never too big, it will look perfect and will be a totally cinematic experience:devil:

Welcome!
 
Now its just a matter of paying for Cable tv ;) haha :clap:

Ill be reading this thread, looks like it will be an awsome setup :)
 
Cheers guys,

Yeah soon the cable box will change to Sky HD, i have a friend who works for sky and at some point soon he'll have his staff discount packages to give out and its £23 for the full package + £10 for hd, so i'll be straight onto that! Eventual plans are to install an HTPC with built in Bluray player and then an HD audio amp.
 
Sounds great, cant wait to see the pics :D
 
Looks great, don't let limited space stop you, instead of a bedroom with a TV you can have a cinema with a bed :)

Just wondering, have you budgeted for all your cables and stuff too?
 
Just wondering, have you budgeted for all your cables and stuff too?

I've set a very low budget, which yet again will probably end up being stretched. I'm know I'm gonna start comparing prices specs of cables soon and start to go a little mad again soon!

I know it would be hard to say, but would do you reckon would be a total cost to get the whole thing hooked up like stated in the thread, with say Average - Good cabling?
 
I've set a very low budget, which yet again will probably end up being stretched. I'm know I'm gonna start comparing prices specs of cables soon and start to go a little mad again soon!

I know it would be hard to say, but would do you reckon would be a total cost to get the whole thing hooked up like stated in the thread, with say Average - Good cabling?

speaker cable
2m hdmi cable

you dont need to spend loads mate, you could get all the cables for £50:thumbsup:

try to remember that hdmi cables are digital, so either they work or they dont, no need to spend loads of money, unless its 10m plus, then it can become necessary:thumbsup:
 
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speaker cable
2m hdmi cable

you dont need to spend loads mate, you could get all the cables for £50:thumbsup:

try to remember that hdmi cables are digital, so either they work or they dont, no need to spend loads of money, unless its 10m plus, then it can become necessary:thumbsup:

Decided on this speaker cable:

30M. 399 STRAND OFC VERY HEAVY DUTY SPEAKER CABLE/ WIRE on eBay, also Speaker Cables, Cables Connectors, Home Audio Hi Fi, Consumer Electronics (end time 24-Jun-09 12:14:28 BST)

Then if I upgrade my system, which I plan to, this wire would be fine. Nice one for the link to the cheap HDMI cables. So am I right in thinking that all I really need to setup cable wise, in order to have 5.1 / DTS would be this:

WDTV - HDMI - RECIEVER
DVD - HDMI - RECIEVER
RECIEVER - HDMI - TV

If so literally all I need is 3 X HDMI and the speaker cable? (this is forgetting the dreambox for now)
 
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Yep thats right. :thumbsup:
 
Here's the back of everything. What I am wondering is if I can connect the Dreambox up with Optical Audio and standard phono video, and have it ouputted along with the other two through the single HDMI? Or will it have to have its own output?

AMP back:
RX-V363_BACK_800x282.jpg


WDTV back:
wdtv-back-300x119.jpg


DVD back:
h-b-dx-3365hd-f-b-jpg.64921


DREAMBOX back:
DM500C_back_02_klein.jpg


Can it be done like that? Also anyone got a link to decent optical leads? And dont go mad at me but whats the name of the yellow lead for video, as I want to find a decent one to use for the dreambox. Cheers
 
Hi Oliphilips, am very impressed with your achivements and your inital post. You have given me something to think about and I have put your thread on my favourites - AV can be a great hobby and a very good motivation tool to stay away from your habit of choice! :hiya:
 
get one of THESE mate, you dont want to be using the composite connector, very poor quality!

you will need a set of component cables also but cab be had cheap enough:thumbsup:

everything else should work fine the way you have suggested, the only worry id have is that the speaker cable will probably be far too big for your current speakers system, the 192 strand i linked to will be a tight fit i would imagine :thumbsup:
 
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I'm looking forward to seeing the transformation.
 
get one of THESE mate, you dont want to be using the composite connector, very poor quality!

you will need a set of component cables also but cab be had cheap enough:thumbsup:

everything else should work fine the way you have suggested, the only worry id have is that the speaker cable will probably be far too big for your current speakers system, the 192 strand i linked to will be a tight fit i would imagine :thumbsup:

I was hoping I could use the dreambox via the HDMI output of the amp? If its not possible you definately reckon the output of the dreambox from the amp i should convert to scart? I've got an old xbox one lying around somewhere.

Speaker cable wise, you reckon the banana pins are out of the question then?

sneerfulbrute said:
AV can be a great hobby and a very good motivation tool to stay away from your habit of choice!

Yeah! I feel so much that getting into this is such a good thing, in GA (gamblers anon) we are told to find new hobbies and keep occupied, so far I have spent so much time on this and had so much fun with it too!

I'm looking forward to seeing the transformation.

I'll keep you guys updated!

Better try let this thread die down a bit now,, coming soon though: unboxing pics ;)
 
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I was hoping I could use the dreambox via the HDMI output of the amp? If its not possible you definately reckon the output of the dreambox from the amp i should convert to scart? I've got an old xbox one lying around somewhere.

Speaker cable wise, you reckon the banana pins are out of the question then?

Ah i didnt see a hdmi input or output on the dreambox picture?

i honestly did not think the speaker system you are going to buy would use banana plugs! then again they may be the small ones like my gallo's have?

anyhow if they do then by all means go for the bigger cable if you wish, but 192 strand is more than big enough for any normal setup, you only need the big stuff when you are using serious amps:thumbsup:

also the smaller stuff is alot easier to hide, you can get flat variants which are easy to hide under carpets;)
 
Yeah think i'm gonna go for 3 X this now:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Pureav-15-Gauge-Flat-Speaker-Cable-Pins-9m-Inter-devi_W0QQitemZ280353384206QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL?hash=item41465d270e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1300|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50

The speakers/amp dont take banana plugs, but I have found something called banana pins:

NX-BP-014

These 2mm Banana Pins can be used to connect speaker cable to amplifiers which don't normally accept 4mm banana plugs. They will accept up to 6mm Dia cable and are finished in Satin Silver with Gold Plated connectors. They are supplied in pairs.






Just for the stylish look really. But if they will be too big I dont want to bother. What do you reckon about that speaker cable, its cheap and flat type too so perfect really

 
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You might want to download the manual from this Link which is for a number of models including the LG 50PS3000!
 
OK, just read this thread:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/lg-owners-forum/1011441-currys-new-malden-store-opening-today.html

And Malden being 5 mins from here I suddenly got really worried I'd missed out on some amazing deals and wasted a load of money. So I decided to go and have a look up there!

Got there and went straight to the TV section, first screen I saw happened to be an LG, it was 50 inch and it was £549. My heart sank, I looked for the model number and felt even worse, then I noticed it said 720p, checked back at the model number and it was the 50PG3000!!! Eventually I found the 50PS3000 and it was priced at £999.99 so I felt much better!!

Looked at the speaker sets they did, they did the Harman Kardon HKTS11 set which is the model up from mine for £399.99. They had it set up in the hifi room at 5.1, and I was amazed! The sound quality was intense! It was only set up an older amp too at DD5.1/DTS.

So far everything just made me feel much much happier! The feeling of going from 'bugger i've spent far too much money' to 'damn, i've snapped up such a good deal and some quality kit' made me feel really really good.

I was able to look at the inputs in the Harman Kardon speakers and they are actually underneath the speakers, so it is a definate no no to the banana pins. The inputs in the back of the amp are too close together too, so gonna forget that idea. However I am still going to get 4 X 4mm banana plugs to use for connection for the 2 floor standing speakers.

I found out the HK speakers came with high quality speaker wire. However the lengths for the rear ones wouldn't be long enough. There was a very good clearance offer on some speaker wire in there, so I bought 2 lots of 12.5 meters for the rear speakers. It is HURO 2 X 2.5 Flat wire at 49p a meter!! They had the same one in blue at £2.99 a meter so a great discout of 6 times less cost!!

DSCF0179_800x600.JPG


DSCF0186_800x600.JPG


A very good sales assistant in there managed to persuade me into getting a new remote too. He just so happened to have a copy of the latest What Hifi which had a review on a few remotes in it!! I ended up getting the Logitech Harmony One, which especially after reading more about it, I am very happy with the purchase:

DSCF0174_800x600.JPG


DSCF0175_800x600.JPG


DSCF0176_800x600.JPG


DSCF0178_800x600.JPG


Loving the look of this remote! I especially like the way it can do lots of things in one press of a button. E.g Watch Cable TV.. it will turn on tv, swith to correct channel, turn on cable box, turn on amp and switch to correct amp channel.. This is perfect for me, but especially for my girlfriend. She isn't so good with technology, but when shes using it she really loves it, but she isnt so good at getting everything to work in parallel! So this is more for her (homer simpson bowling ball style)

Another piece to add to my kit! :thumbsup:

You might want to download the manual from this Link which is for a number of models including the LG 50PS3000!

Cheers for the link man!!

UPDATE:

3 X JVHD 3 meter HDMI's were bought. All from auctions from the same seller on ebay. One for £2.99, one for £6.71 and one for £1.20! All delivered free and came with a lifetime guarantee. :)

JVHD HDMI CABLES

shield1.jpg
 
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Now I have started to think more about how everything is gonna be set up. I ordered a standard mount from amazon and know where abouts I'm gonna mount it. The other thing was checking it was OK with the landlord to mount the TV, he was in here yesterday fand he's fine with my plan to mount it. Turns out he's a bit of an AV enthusiast himself!

I need to decided whether I'm gonna go ahead and channel the walls or not.
Next week the plasterer is coming in to fix another wall in the house so I am considering going ahead and making the channels now so while he's here he can plaster it all up for me. Thing is I haven't got all the cables yet and there's no guarantee they'll be here by next week! It's a tough decision as A) I haven't made channels before B) I haven't done any plastering by myself. I am pretty sure I could learn though, worked with a builder/joiner when I was 16, never any plastering or anything but did some things like laying patio. However that was nearly 10 years ago!

If I was gonna go ahead and make some channels it would be 1 up the middle for all the cables to the TV and then 2 very thin channels for the mounted speakers either side. So this is what I would do:

1)Work out the exact width and length of the channels, at rough guess it will be 8cm X8cm for the tv cables and 1cm X 1cm for the speaker wire.

2)Pencil in outline of tv and speakers and channels

3)Cut out the channels! What is the best way to do this? All I know is there is brick in there somewhere and it is not plasterboard!

4)Insert all cables into some trunking: 2X HDMI, 1X VGA, 1X Scart, 1X Scart to RCA, 1X PC AUDIO, 1X OPTICAL OUT, 1 X COAX and or course 1X POWER LEAD

5) Stick trunking into channel, make sure it is stuck fast and cover up both ends with bags/ductape

6) Plaster over top of trunking, allow to dry then paint over

Anything I've missed out, any tips/advice?

Cheers, Oli
 
looks an awesome set up cant w8 to see the final pictures
well done
 

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