How to build an entry-level home media system? Choosing a TV, player, audio
Hello!
I had the opportunity and there was a need (or vice versa?) To get a big TV. At the same time, the need was transformed into a thought “a big TV is like that, with 3D so that the sound is multi-channel. And not to buy discs.
Most of Habr's readers, I think, in the field of modern technology, people are advanced and hold their nose to the wind. However, it is impossible to keep track of everything, and personally modern technologies and innovations in the field of delivering video-audio content to my brain eluded me.
')
I will not pour terms and talk about “interlaced scanning” and other “Sub-Field Driving Technologies”, but I will try to describe on the “fingers” how to choose.
I will not give you specific recommendations in the style of “buy XXX and you will not go wrong”, everything is purely subjective.
So, if you are going to buy a home theater / media system, or have already bought it and want to share practical reviews, I ask for a cat.
Be careful, there will be a lot of letters.
So, let's try to formalize our selection criteria:
1. TV with support for 3D and HD
1.1. We do not need a projector.
2. Ability to listen to multichannel sound of this very HD.
3. The sound is not necessarily clever: enough "home" acoustics.
You need to start, of course, with the TV. Still, he is "the main".
We go, for example, to the Yandex market, we look, we read, we choose Here .
There are a lot of criteria, of course, but on the same market there are brief descriptions of technologies and abbreviations.
For example, for myself, I defined several criteria:
0. Full-HD a priori.
1. Manufacturing company. By and large, I do not care. \\ Exception: if you need Ambilight technology (beautiful backlighting behind the TV in “tact” to the color of the image), then you have to choose Philips.
2. Panel type: LCD, Plasma or LED?
This issue causes a lot of controversy and discussion, and even "srachey." On the Internet, basically, the topics on the forums 2008-2010. In general, I decided for myself that I would choose either a plasma or an LED.
In plasma, as they say, “black looks really black” (yes, warm tube sound, khe-khe). Yes, and in stores it looks somehow more beautiful, juicier.
LED - thinner, with the lowest power consumption. More modern and looks more ... cool ", that is.
3. Availability of USB inputs.
Most TVs are equipped with them, so there should be no problems.
4. Format support.
Here should focus. Some models support MKV, some are not and so on.
5. Little things and personalities that are individual: a browser, web services, ethernet and other joys of life.
So back to paragraph 2 of our criteria: the ability to listen to multi-channel sound.
This is where the fun begins.
Depending on the choice of the source of the video, we will have an “iron” for playing the sound.
Consider them in order.
So, we read reviews on the model of interest, make sure that the TV "eats" all the major video formats, correctly shows the "rips", supports large files.
Thus, the sound we will have to go out of the TV. Now we look, what are the outputs of modern TVs and we get:
- Audio coaxial output;
- Optical audio output;
- Headphone jack (again khe-khe);
Total: the first 2 outputs are digital. What does this tell us? Right:
you can not just go to a computer store and buy the usual, not expensive, not cheap active 5.1 speakers, say, for 5 000 rubles and hook to the TV! (broads, the main disappointment, because I wanted to do with "a little blood"). Well, it is also logical: an audio signal that someone has to take off from the TV must also process / decode ...
Those. In order to feed this sound into the speakers, you need a receiver - a multichannel amplifier with digital audio stream decoders, a tuner and an audio and video switchboard for home use in home theater systems.
And now we will connect our long-awaited speakers to the receiver, and passive ones (without power). Which, by the way, we will also buy separately.
Audio: Output through the optical output of the TV + receiver + passive speakers to the receiver 5.1.
Advantages:
- “minimalist”
- potentially good sound.
Disadvantages:
- I do not want to pay for, in general, an unnecessary thing.
Audio: passive speakers included 5.1.
It seems like a “standard”: we buy a “cinema” and we do not steam.
We go to the same market and choose the taste and color (I do not promote the market, just convenient)
Pay attention to the supported formats so that phrases like “Usage of USB and DLNA are limited, through DLNA it does not lose MKV and WAV in general. Does not support NTFS, on FAT32 large MKV has to be split, for this and took one star. ”It was not you who said, but the members of the forum.
In general, too, choose not to pick.
Advantages:
- "all in one": turnkey. Bought, set and everything.
Disadvantages:
- the need to buy "all at once"
- lack of modularity
- functionality is limited to the player.
3. 3D TV + Blu-ray player.
Audio: Speakers separately, active.
Another option, quite acceptable. We buy separately Blu-ray-player, to him we buy speakers separately. Columns we mean active, "separate". For this we need a player with the output "Audio output 5.1CH."
Go here , choose with support for Blu-ray, “5.1CH Audio Output” and “USB Type A Interface”. And, and also to read MKV. And what do we see? .. And we see this , i.e. only 2 positions. A potential candidate is the Philips BDP7600.
To him also buy additional columns you need not forget.
Advantages:
- modularity. I bought one player - the other speakers.
- the ability to play files with usb + reserve for the future: blu-ray-drive.
Disadvantages:
- for some reason, too few devices that meet my requirements.
// To be honest, except for the market, I almost did not search, you can expand the list with worthy candidates.
- you need to carefully look at the supported formats and other buns.
- A bit limited in functionality.
Stationary media player - home electronics device. The player performs the role of "intermediary" between the Internet or home network and a regular TV, which allows you to output files from the web directly to the big screen. The device is connected to a TV or AV-receiver, control is exercised from the remote control.
An interesting thing, did not pay attention to them before. Let's see if there is a “5.1CH audio output”, because We do not need a receiver. What we see : 23 models, however, the price is about 11,000 rubles.
A good thing, of course. Modern, smart piece of hardware. It can also play the role of a home file server and show any video, and download it from torrents. But something is expensive for these parameters (with “5.1CH Audio Output”). With a digital output cheaper, of course, but again, the receiver + speakers.
Total:
Advantages:
- Pantophagy. As a rule, support most formats.
- Upgradeability. Quite often there are firmware and updates that add new features.
- FIFLUTS: ethernet, support for Internet services, hard disk and so on. More rich functionality.
Disadvantages:
- For some reason, too few devices that meet my requirements.
- High enough price with "5.1CH Audio Output". Perhaps I searched a little.
- Lack of drive.
I will not stop in detail:
HTPC is a personal computer equipped with software and, in some cases, hardware, allowing it to be used as a home theater computer.
Those. you decide for yourself what will be installed and how it will work. You can play games or watch videos.
Advantages:
- Pantophagy. The computer is the easiest to force to eat all formats.
- Upgradeability. Both software and hardware.
- FIFA On the screen there can be not only cinema \ music, but also games and other pleasures of life.
- Full control over what is happening.
Disadvantages:
- Probably a big price: you need both a video card and a sound one, and you need acoustics anyway.
- “Headache” - again read reviews, manuals, choose hardware, customize, update, connect. Someone likes it. I'm already starting to bother;).
- It’s probably not very convenient to play for the personal (keyboard + mouse) in front of a large plasma in the middle of the room.
- In the house of another computer. My wife, I, under the experiments, and here also this media. And how so, it will be a powerful game, and I sit, mean, should the old?
So, we have considered several options for building a home media center:
1. We leave only the TV: we break off with 5.1 sound, but we still watch 3D video. Save denyushki. Feeling of incomplete satisfaction.
1.1 TV + receiver + speakers. We pay extra (minimum) for a 6000+ receiver + 5000 columns = 11-12tr. Limited to the functionality of the TV. Pay denyushki. Feeling of incomplete satisfaction.
1.2. TV + external powered speakers = not possible. The feeling of complete dissatisfaction.
2. TV + home theater: we pay 10-15tr, we get a ready-made system. Minimum headache. "We limit" ourselves in opportunities. Pay denyushki. Carefully look at the formats supported by codecs and other shelupon. Feeling of incomplete satisfaction.
3. TV + blu-ray player 6000r. + external active speakers 5000r. = small selection. Pay denyushki. Limited to the functionality of the player. A feeling of satisfaction, but not to the end.
4. TV + stationary media player with “5.1CH audio output” 11000 rubles + 5000 speakers = 17 000 rubles. Pay deeeenyushki. We get a fairly broad functionality. Enough expensive. No drive. A feeling of satisfaction, but not complete.
4.1. TV + stationary media player + speakers. How?
5. TV + Full-featured computer “HTPC” 30000 + speakers 5000 = 35 000 rub. We pay a lot of cash. Full control: you want to play games, you want to watch a super-duper 3D and so on. At the same time you quack (buy ???) a program for watching a video, bother with other things. A good option, but there is no denyushki on a separate gaming \ media comp.
What is not considered:
- Use Xbox \ PS3 as a media center. But for now it’s not for me ...
- The choice of acoustics. First, it is not strong, and secondly, it is unassuming. The more expensive the better! ;)
Well, so how to be? Which option is the best? Choose you.
Practical comments / comments in the structure of the organization - are welcome.
I had the opportunity and there was a need (or vice versa?) To get a big TV. At the same time, the need was transformed into a thought “a big TV is like that, with 3D so that the sound is multi-channel. And not to buy discs.
Most of Habr's readers, I think, in the field of modern technology, people are advanced and hold their nose to the wind. However, it is impossible to keep track of everything, and personally modern technologies and innovations in the field of delivering video-audio content to my brain eluded me.
')
I will not pour terms and talk about “interlaced scanning” and other “Sub-Field Driving Technologies”, but I will try to describe on the “fingers” how to choose.
I will not give you specific recommendations in the style of “buy XXX and you will not go wrong”, everything is purely subjective.
So, if you are going to buy a home theater / media system, or have already bought it and want to share practical reviews, I ask for a cat.
Be careful, there will be a lot of letters.
So, let's try to formalize our selection criteria:
1. TV with support for 3D and HD
1.1. We do not need a projector.
2. Ability to listen to multichannel sound of this very HD.
3. The sound is not necessarily clever: enough "home" acoustics.
TV selection
You need to start, of course, with the TV. Still, he is "the main".
We go, for example, to the Yandex market, we look, we read, we choose Here .
There are a lot of criteria, of course, but on the same market there are brief descriptions of technologies and abbreviations.
For example, for myself, I defined several criteria:
0. Full-HD a priori.
1. Manufacturing company. By and large, I do not care. \\ Exception: if you need Ambilight technology (beautiful backlighting behind the TV in “tact” to the color of the image), then you have to choose Philips.
2. Panel type: LCD, Plasma or LED?
This issue causes a lot of controversy and discussion, and even "srachey." On the Internet, basically, the topics on the forums 2008-2010. In general, I decided for myself that I would choose either a plasma or an LED.
In plasma, as they say, “black looks really black” (yes, warm tube sound, khe-khe). Yes, and in stores it looks somehow more beautiful, juicier.
LED - thinner, with the lowest power consumption. More modern and looks more ... cool ", that is.
3. Availability of USB inputs.
Most TVs are equipped with them, so there should be no problems.
4. Format support.
Here should focus. Some models support MKV, some are not and so on.
5. Little things and personalities that are individual: a browser, web services, ethernet and other joys of life.
System structure
So back to paragraph 2 of our criteria: the ability to listen to multi-channel sound.
This is where the fun begins.
Depending on the choice of the source of the video, we will have an “iron” for playing the sound.
Consider them in order.
1. 3D TV + USB flash drive \ hard disk for video.
So, we read reviews on the model of interest, make sure that the TV "eats" all the major video formats, correctly shows the "rips", supports large files.
Thus, the sound we will have to go out of the TV. Now we look, what are the outputs of modern TVs and we get:
- Audio coaxial output;
- Optical audio output;
- Headphone jack (again khe-khe);
Total: the first 2 outputs are digital. What does this tell us? Right:
you can not just go to a computer store and buy the usual, not expensive, not cheap active 5.1 speakers, say, for 5 000 rubles and hook to the TV! (broads, the main disappointment, because I wanted to do with "a little blood"). Well, it is also logical: an audio signal that someone has to take off from the TV must also process / decode ...
Those. In order to feed this sound into the speakers, you need a receiver - a multichannel amplifier with digital audio stream decoders, a tuner and an audio and video switchboard for home use in home theater systems.
And now we will connect our long-awaited speakers to the receiver, and passive ones (without power). Which, by the way, we will also buy separately.
Audio: Output through the optical output of the TV + receiver + passive speakers to the receiver 5.1.
Advantages:
- “minimalist”
- potentially good sound.
Disadvantages:
- I do not want to pay for, in general, an unnecessary thing.
2. 3D TV + Blu-ray player "Home Theater".
Audio: passive speakers included 5.1.
It seems like a “standard”: we buy a “cinema” and we do not steam.
We go to the same market and choose the taste and color (I do not promote the market, just convenient)
Pay attention to the supported formats so that phrases like “Usage of USB and DLNA are limited, through DLNA it does not lose MKV and WAV in general. Does not support NTFS, on FAT32 large MKV has to be split, for this and took one star. ”It was not you who said, but the members of the forum.
In general, too, choose not to pick.
Advantages:
- "all in one": turnkey. Bought, set and everything.
Disadvantages:
- the need to buy "all at once"
- lack of modularity
- functionality is limited to the player.
3. 3D TV + Blu-ray player.
Audio: Speakers separately, active.
Another option, quite acceptable. We buy separately Blu-ray-player, to him we buy speakers separately. Columns we mean active, "separate". For this we need a player with the output "Audio output 5.1CH."
Go here , choose with support for Blu-ray, “5.1CH Audio Output” and “USB Type A Interface”. And, and also to read MKV. And what do we see? .. And we see this , i.e. only 2 positions. A potential candidate is the Philips BDP7600.
To him also buy additional columns you need not forget.
Advantages:
- modularity. I bought one player - the other speakers.
- the ability to play files with usb + reserve for the future: blu-ray-drive.
Disadvantages:
- for some reason, too few devices that meet my requirements.
// To be honest, except for the market, I almost did not search, you can expand the list with worthy candidates.
- you need to carefully look at the supported formats and other buns.
- A bit limited in functionality.
4. 3D TV + Stationary Media Player
Stationary media player - home electronics device. The player performs the role of "intermediary" between the Internet or home network and a regular TV, which allows you to output files from the web directly to the big screen. The device is connected to a TV or AV-receiver, control is exercised from the remote control.
An interesting thing, did not pay attention to them before. Let's see if there is a “5.1CH audio output”, because We do not need a receiver. What we see : 23 models, however, the price is about 11,000 rubles.
A good thing, of course. Modern, smart piece of hardware. It can also play the role of a home file server and show any video, and download it from torrents. But something is expensive for these parameters (with “5.1CH Audio Output”). With a digital output cheaper, of course, but again, the receiver + speakers.
Total:
Advantages:
- Pantophagy. As a rule, support most formats.
- Upgradeability. Quite often there are firmware and updates that add new features.
- FIFLUTS: ethernet, support for Internet services, hard disk and so on. More rich functionality.
Disadvantages:
- For some reason, too few devices that meet my requirements.
- High enough price with "5.1CH Audio Output". Perhaps I searched a little.
- Lack of drive.
5. 3D TV + Full-featured computer "HTPC"
I will not stop in detail:
HTPC is a personal computer equipped with software and, in some cases, hardware, allowing it to be used as a home theater computer.
Those. you decide for yourself what will be installed and how it will work. You can play games or watch videos.
Advantages:
- Pantophagy. The computer is the easiest to force to eat all formats.
- Upgradeability. Both software and hardware.
- FIFA On the screen there can be not only cinema \ music, but also games and other pleasures of life.
- Full control over what is happening.
Disadvantages:
- Probably a big price: you need both a video card and a sound one, and you need acoustics anyway.
- “Headache” - again read reviews, manuals, choose hardware, customize, update, connect. Someone likes it. I'm already starting to bother;).
- It’s probably not very convenient to play for the personal (keyboard + mouse) in front of a large plasma in the middle of the room.
- In the house of another computer. My wife, I, under the experiments, and here also this media. And how so, it will be a powerful game, and I sit, mean, should the old?
TOTAL
So, we have considered several options for building a home media center:
1. We leave only the TV: we break off with 5.1 sound, but we still watch 3D video. Save denyushki. Feeling of incomplete satisfaction.
1.1 TV + receiver + speakers. We pay extra (minimum) for a 6000+ receiver + 5000 columns = 11-12tr. Limited to the functionality of the TV. Pay denyushki. Feeling of incomplete satisfaction.
1.2. TV + external powered speakers = not possible. The feeling of complete dissatisfaction.
2. TV + home theater: we pay 10-15tr, we get a ready-made system. Minimum headache. "We limit" ourselves in opportunities. Pay denyushki. Carefully look at the formats supported by codecs and other shelupon. Feeling of incomplete satisfaction.
3. TV + blu-ray player 6000r. + external active speakers 5000r. = small selection. Pay denyushki. Limited to the functionality of the player. A feeling of satisfaction, but not to the end.
4. TV + stationary media player with “5.1CH audio output” 11000 rubles + 5000 speakers = 17 000 rubles. Pay deeeenyushki. We get a fairly broad functionality. Enough expensive. No drive. A feeling of satisfaction, but not complete.
4.1. TV + stationary media player + speakers. How?
5. TV + Full-featured computer “HTPC” 30000 + speakers 5000 = 35 000 rub. We pay a lot of cash. Full control: you want to play games, you want to watch a super-duper 3D and so on. At the same time you quack (buy ???) a program for watching a video, bother with other things. A good option, but there is no denyushki on a separate gaming \ media comp.
What is not considered:
- Use Xbox \ PS3 as a media center. But for now it’s not for me ...
- The choice of acoustics. First, it is not strong, and secondly, it is unassuming. The more expensive the better! ;)
Well, so how to be? Which option is the best? Choose you.
Practical comments / comments in the structure of the organization - are welcome.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/130569/
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