The $5000 Home Theater

Continuing my series on what kind of home theater you can get at various budget levels, here's an option for a $5,000 home theater system.

When I discussed a $5000 home theater last year, I had proposed a step up from a 50” DLP to a 46” LCD. Today, a similar (actually better) 46” LCD is part of the $2500 package! So I’ve stepped up the TV in this package to a 52” LCD, with very similar specs to the $2500 system. I also moved from an HTIB all-in-one system to a component-based system. So you get a separate receiver, Blu-Ray player, and speaker package in this system. And as I did last year, I added in a one-touch remote control and a wall-mount option, as well as high-quality power surge protection for both the TV and the other components.

The Television

I’ve increased the size of the television from 46” to 52” in the $5,000 package. Unfortunately, at this price point, I couldn’t squeeze in a 120 Hz model without giving up something else significant, like the remote, the larger screen size, or the component-based audio system.

So the TV here is in the same model line as in the $2500 system, but it’s 6” larger. And it’s mounted on the wall, which really adds an elegance to the room that a table-mount simply can’t duplicate. The remaining components would be mounted in a cabinet under or near the TV.

The Receiver

With the expanded budget on this system, I decided to put in a Denon A/V receiver, plus a separate Blu-Ray player. More on the Blu-Ray in a minute.

The separate A/V receiver is a much better alternative than the HTIB because of the higher-quality amplifier and other components. Because of this, it sounds better than the HTIB, especially at high or low volume levels. Interestingly, almost any receiver can sound ok within a narrow volume band. But when you try to rock the house, many very low end amplifiers just can’t put out the volume cleanly, and you get distortion. And at low volumes, they lose way too much detail to be able to deliver the full range of tones that you expect, so you can't understand the dialogue.

The Blu-Ray Player

Pretty much everyone these days has a library of DVDs that you like to watch, or subscribes to a service like Blockbuster or Netflix. Even a regular DVD will look better on a high-def TV than on a regular TV, but if you really want to take advantage of all that video power, you need a Blu-Ray player. There’s simply no other video source that delivers the full potential of hi-def.

When I added this player in, though, I wanted to put in a little bit of a different spin. So the Blu-Ray player I selected was Samsung’s entry-level player, the BD-P1600. This player is interesting because it supports a couple of features that weren’t even available a year or two ago.

First, you get the capability to have Profile 2.0 supported (you have to add a 1 GB memory card and a network connection to do this). Profile 2.0 gives you the full capability of the Blu-Ray spec, including multiple camera views and Internet-based interactivity. So you could interact with the stars of the movie, play online games, or whatever other content the producers dream up. And you’re not limited to whatever was created at the time the disc was pressed.

Many people I talk with don’t really care about Profile 2.0, but they get very excited when I tell them about the next feature – online Netflix movie streaming. Imagine never having to wait for your movies to arrive in the mail, never having to send them back, and never worrying whether they’ll have the disc you want to watch. Simply connect to your Netflix queue, select the movie you want to watch, and press play.

Now, not all content from Netflix is available online, much less in hi-def, but the selection is large and growing. My wife and I recently caught up on older episodes of the TV show "Heroes" using the Netflix online option, and I have to say, it was very convenient. The video quality was a bit lower than ideal, due to the high bandwidth requirements, but the convenience couldn’t be beat.

The Speakers

Since we don’t have an HTIB in this package that already includes speakers, we needed to look for a speaker package that fit the overall system. We settled on a Polk Audio system that includes a center channel, left and right main speakers, and left and right surround speakers, plus a subwoofer. This is a great mid-level speaker package that balances well with the entire system.

The Remote

One of the great step-up features of this package is the addition of a one-touch universal remote control. Now, this isn’t like the universal remote that comes with many TVs, cable or satellite boxes, or other devices. We would set up this remote so that you can simply press one button, say, “Watch TV”, and the entire system is turned on and set to all of the right inputs – no remembering which input the satellite receiver is on for the TV, the receiver, etc. And more importantly, no trying to teach your babysitter or mother-in-law how to use your system!
I could (and will) spend an entire column on universal remotes, so I’ll just say this is a “must-have” part of any mid-range or better home theater system.

Power

Electronics today are sensitive pieces of computer equipment. And they are just as subject to power surges and brownouts as your desktop computer. So we always add in good-quality surge protection into any mid-range or higher package. And since we’re mounting your TV on the wall (where very few people have power outlets), we need to get power there to allow you to actually turn on the TV!

We use excellent products from Panamax, including both a very high-quality surge strip and an in-wall power extension kit that meets the electrical codes. So you’re doubly protected, and as a bonus you get that electrical outlet just where it’s needed for your TV.

Installation

We chose to do an on-wall installation at this price-point. We specified 6 hours of installation labor, which includes mounting the bracket, running the video and power cables through the wall, mounting the TV, setting up the speakers and receiver, and running the speaker wires inside the wall. Your situation may be unique, and may take more or less time, so get in touch with us for a quote.

Since we’ll use two technicians on a job like this, we’d be in and out of your home in about a half-day. That’s a lot less time than you’d spend to do it yourself, and we clean up, too! Plus, our work is guaranteed, so you know your TV and speakers won’t fall off the wall. Isn’t it worth it to spend just a little more for the peace of mind that comes with knowing your system was professionally installed?

Calibration

As before, this level only includes an audio calibration. We will set your TV to an appropriate standard setting for you, and this will offer some improvement from the factory setting. And of course, the audio calibrations are what will make your system really shine.

As with any package, you can always make trade-offs. If you want better sound, you could step up to a better receiver and speakers, while switching to a smaller TV. If you want a larger screen, you could go back to an HTIB. If you want an even better one-touch remote, you could consider table-mounting the TV. The options are endless, and the answer to the right system lies in your room, your style, and your budget.

Next time, I'll step up to the $10K level. There are a lot more options here, so stay tuned.

For more information on how Inspired Electronics, Inc. can put in your dream home theater, visit our web site at http://www.inspired-electronics.com/ or call us at 847.471.4420 for a consultation or demonstration in our showroom!

Rob

Things to Try On Your TV at Home

I’m going to list a few things here, things I’d like you to try for yourself at home if you can. Some of these things are watching specific parts in a movie; some are listening for particular sounds in movies or music.

Play along, let’s see if you hear what I hear, let’s see if you see what I see. If you do, great! If you don’t, let’s find out how we can get you there.

1) Put in the “Lord of The Rings: Fellowship of The Ring”. It’s the first of the trilogy, and one of my favorite movies. Don't like Lord of the Rings? Call me, and we'll find one of your favorite movies to try this with.

In the first couple of minutes there is an epic battle between the races of middle earth. And not to spoil the movie or anything, but Sauron, the main “bad guy” is killed in the first couple of minutes.

When he is struck down, a shockwave radiates across the battlefield, and a devilish sound permeates the viewer. I can’t explain this sound, it’s akin to a low-flying plane, or an oncoming freight train.

This low pitched sound wave should evoke an emotion in you, it should be powerful and have a definitive and profound effect signalling the falling of a terrifying foe.

If you’re not floored by this sound effect, you’re not experiencing the movie as it was meant… and we should talk.

2) Watch any NFL football game. In every game, the camera will at some point fall on the coach, who, without fail, will be holding a piece of paper in front of his mouth as he instructs the quarterback via radio on what play to run.

Look at that piece of paper… can you see words? Can you READ them?

If you’re saying to yourself, “words? I thought that was just a piece of white cardboard.” You’re not watching in high definition… and we should talk.

3) Look at the back of your DVD player and your cable or satellite receiver and tell me what you see.

If you see an HDMI cable, good for you... HDMI is a great video cable; however it sometimes doesn’t transmit the best audio. If you want to know if it can get any better, give me a call.

If you see (3) cables and they are red, green and blue… great! That is also a good video cable, although in some ways it’s not quite as good as HDMI. They don’t transmit sound at all, so we would still want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your audio. If you are curious to see how it can be made better, give me a call.

If you see a strange plug, which almost looks like the plug on the end of an older computer keyboard or mouse; that is what we call an S-video cable. It is not high definition, and it can be so much better, let’s talk.

If you see a little yellow cable (usually accompanied by a white and a red one for sound… this is one of the most basic and barebones A/V connections there is. It’s not your fault, don’t worry… even Blu-ray players which produce beautiful 1080p images come with these cables INCLUDED IN THE BOX! This astounds me to no end. That cable can’t even carry the high definition signal which Blu-rays are intended for.

If you don’t even know what any of these cables are, that’s okay. Again, you can give us a call, and we’ll be happy to take a look.

In the world of video cables, it gets better, so much better than composite or S-video… let us show you.

4) Turn everything in your A/V system off. Now, pick something to do, watch TV, watch a movie, listen to the radio, or whatever else you like to do.

Count how many remotes you use, and count how many buttons you have to push to make it all happen.

If it’s more than one remote, and more than one button… that’s too much, at least in my eyes. After all, how do you ever explain to a houseguest, or the babysitter, or your in-laws, how to use your system? Entertainment systems should entertain, not befuddle. Let us show you how we can make things easier.

5) Turn on your TV, and use it to check your e-mail, watch YouTube, or visit a website.

If you can't do that, or didn’t even know it was possible, we can show you how!

Well that’s all for now, folks. If you would like to know more about anything I’ve brought up in this article, please feel free to give me a call at 847.471.4420, or email me at keith@inspired-electronics.com. It is a sincere offer, and something we take pride in.

Oh, and please visit our website at http://www.inspired-electronics.com/. You can find out more about what we do, sign up for our newsletter, and more.

We’re here to help, to teach, and to make home entertainment, well, entertaining!

Take care everyone!

-Keith

Plasma vs. LCD TVs

Not a week goes by where someone doesn’t ask me whether a Plasma or LCD TV is better. I’m actually getting that question more frequently than I used to.

Now, you’ll hear a lot of talk about Plasma vs. LCD TVs, and a lot of that talk is pretty outdated.

That’s why I’m going to give you my “2-3 years ago” answer, and then follow it up with my “today” answer.

And just to keep things fun, (and not to mention easy to read) I’m going to try to keep this very short and sweet. Imagine you asked me this question on an elevator, and we only have a few minutes to talk about it.

So, here’s my “2-3 years ago” answer:

At the time, I would have said that Plasmas are great because they come in larger sizes like 42” and above, and they handle motion smoothly with great black levels. This means dark scenes in movies don’t look washed out, they actually look detailed.

But plasmas were big and heavy, so mounts were generally expensive. They also sucked up power like crazy, and they didn’t typically come in higher resolutions. When you did come across a high resolution, they were pretty darn expensive.

LCD TVs were nice because they tended to have higher resolutions. So it was easier to find, say, a 1080p LCD than it would be to find a 1080p plasma. They were also lighter, came in smaller sizes and took up less power than plasmas. Some people said that because of that, they lasted a bit longer than plasma TVs.

On the other hand, they tended to have poor black levels, meaning dark images tend to look bright and washed out – think more grey than black. Many LCD’s also had a tendency to blur images during fast motion.

All in all, if you were looking for a “home theater” type of TV, to go with a dimly lit room, comfy chairs and surround sound, I’d have said pick plasma.

If you were looking for a bedroom or kitchen TV, secondary TV, or something to display your computer on, pick an LCD.

Now for the “Today” answer:

Take your pick. I mean, really, as long as you stick with good brands, and don’t opt for the cheapest TV out there, chances are very good that you’ll be happy with either plasma or LCD.

Some of the things I still mention:

- Plasmas still don’t come in smaller sizes, so if you want a kitchen countertop TV, it’s going to be an LCD.

- Although plasmas have gotten better, LCDs still take less power. In today’s environmentally-conscious world, that’s a real factor.

- Plasmas are still HEAVY!

- LCD’s have gotten way, way better with black levels. But I have to mention that the LCD’s that handle black levels great are generally more expensive than a comparable plasma, which has been doing it great for years.

- LCD’s have gotten much, much better at motion, especially with the introduction of 120 Hz TVs. If you haven’t seen one, give me a call. I will arrange to meet you at our showroom so you can see one in person. Seriously, my number is at the bottom.

Now if you really want to sit down and get bored to tears over the details, I’ll be more than happy to talk with you, but typically, the preceding is all I really say about plasma vs. LCD anymore.

I will say this again though; don’t be fooled by the tempting, cheap TVs out there. All my current generalizations about plasma vs. LCD pretty much go out the window when you’re talking about extremely low budget TVs… because they’re pretty much living in the past.

Ah one more thing… you know those articles where the author sits nicely on the fence and provides a nice balanced argument for both sides and doesn’t push his or her opinion on the reader?

This isn’t exactly one of those articles.

I’m actually going to go out on a limb here and proclaim my love for LCD TVs. I’ve installed plasmas and LCDs all over town, and while I have nothing bad to say about plasmas, I still personally choose LCD to grace my walls.

If you’re really curious as to why, give me a call at 847.471.4420 or email me at keith@inspired-electronics.com and we’ll chat.

If you'd like to learn more about what we do here at Inspired Electronics, Inc., visit our website at www.inspired-electronics.com.

Take care, everyone!

-Keith