Questions About Custom Home Theater

Jack answers:

Don’t…You are better off saving your money and buying a much higher quality LCD or even DLP projector from Best Buy or Future Shop (in canada) Those projectors from China are heavily sold on ebay and I have not heard good things about them. They require a dark room, and rarely have anything better than standard RCA inputs. If they claim thay have HD connections, it is most likely a low end DVI connection, which is stupid bcause these projectors use LCD technology. Save your money and go for something you can use ebven with nominal darkness. You might also find a deal on a projector on ebay from sellers who live in canada so you can avoid duties and what not. I bought a DLP for under $300 a few monthe back and it is mmuch better quality than those cheaper systems.

Jack answers:

Kevin,
The first question is what size screen you are looking for; screen size drives the price of the TV. You might not need a big screen if you will be sitting relatively close to the screen. For example, a 30 inch diagonal screen is recommended if you are between 4 and 7 feet from the screen.

You have two choices: 1) use your computer and monitor, or 2) get a HD TV, Blu Ray player, amplifier, and speakers.

The most cost effective way to go could be to use your computer and monitor. If you go the computer route, there are good 24 inch monitors that will display HD pictures. You have to be careful when shopping monitors; the important specs are native resolution (you want 1920 x 1080 for HD; referred to as 1080p), brightness, and contrast ratio. You want the brightness and contrast numbers to be as high as possible. You will find that some larger monitors will not be as bright, which means they could look washed out in a brightly lit room.

I am using Logitech Z 5500 5.1 digital speakers with my computer and that provides decent sound for $400. I don’t have a Blu Ray drive in my computer; however, I have downloaded HD movies and watched them using the computer and monitor. It actually works quite well. With a Blu Ray drive in your computer, a 24 – 30 inch monitor, and a set of 5.1 speakers, you would be running for a very affordable price, especially if you already have some of the equipment..

Going the HDTV route can be a lot more expensive. You will need the TV, speakers, A/V receiver, and Blu Ray player. The big cost drivers will be the TV and the speakers. Good sounding speakers, especially if you want good-sounding reproduction at high volume can be pricey, especially since the new systems are 7.1 channel systems (2 front, 2 rear, 2 side, 1 center, and 1 subwoofer).

There are decent pre-packaged home theater systems that include speakers (5.1 configuration) and an A/V receiver, usually combined with a Blu Ray player. Prices range from $400 to $800. A decent Blu Ray player alone will be $200 to $300. Then, you have to add the price of the HDTV to the total.

It will basically be a matter of doing the cost/performance tradeoffs and deciding what performance you are willing to sacrifice to hit your price point. If you have a computer that is not too old (only a few years old), you can turn it into a decent home theater system.

Extreme Bean

Jack answers:

No you don’t want a HTIB. You will get far better sound with separate components for near the same price. You should be able to do it within your budget. It will be an entry level system but it will be a real system not an all-in-one piece of junk. You may be able to find last year’s models at clearance prices. Go out and listen and see what you can dig up.

Jack answers:

Go online to Home Theater Magazine and read the reviews on receivers and speakers. Pioneer, Pioneer Elite and Onkyo are very good receivers. For example get an Onkyo NR-808 receiver for around $1,000, Klipsch Quintet Satellite speaker and a Klipsch subwoofer for around $1,000 and you have a very good sounding system. You can demo the receiver at Fry’s Electronic or Best Buy with a Magnolia department. For the Klipsch speaker they are at best buy. You can also look at JBL, Infinity and Definitive Technology for Satellite speakers, which is also availble at Fry’s. Hope this will help you out.

Jack answers:

If you’re handy at building stuff out of MDF and have the time it can be rewarding and save you a bit of money. HSU is hard to beat for the price though and they sound excellent. I would construct a sub if you enjoy the hobby and take pride in building things yourself. Other wise just sell your woofer it and buy a pre-made one.

There are tons of resources on DIY sub building. I’ve provided a link to a DIY subwoofer forum that is excellent. There is a definite science behind it.