A/V recommendations

[LouisEly]

Wondering if I could get some advice here. I'm starting from scratch in the A/V department (TV, audio) as I have gotten rid of my old components over my last two moves. Pretty much know what direction I'm going with the TV, but audio seems to have changed a lot in the last decade and I don't know where to start. To give you an idea of the setup, the TV will be mounted over the fireplace in the living room and the condo has an open living room/dining room/kitchen concept on that floor. The equipment (cable box, receiver, etc.) will be off to the side of the fireplace. The living room isn't wide (about 10' from couch to TV/fireplace - it's a long & skinny floor plan), and there is no shelf above the fireplace to put a soundbar on (I guess I could put one in if need be). There are circular speakers in the ceiling above where the couch would be, and the previous owners appear to have also wired rear speakers through the ceiling as well.

 

Based on my research, it seems like the best bet for audio is to run everything through a receiver. In looking at receivers, it seems like there are a lot of options and a wide price range; some of the higher-end ones seem to have a lot of features but I don't understand many of them and am not sure if I need them. As for speakers, it seems like the old speaker/home theater system is dying as I don't see many home theater systems on the market. Is the soundbar the way everyone is going now? Do those things attach to the bottom of the TVs? Pardon my ignorance here.

 

Basically looking for receiver and speaker/home theater recommendations. Here is what is important to me and what is not:

 

Not important/don't care - 3D, Blue Ray, Netflix, etc. (not a movie person), internet through the TV

 

Important - wireless speakers (the terrace is off the kitchen on the same floor so being able to bring the speakers outside would be nice), HD Radio (hard to find receivers with this capability, at least on the lower end of the price spectrum); satellite radio-ready receiver

 

Would be nice - some type of video interface telling you title/artist on the TV screen; connect to speakers in another room/floor

 

As for budget, I don't need to spend a ton of money here ($2000 for a receiver - really??), but if something is really worth it I will spend a little more. Thanks in advance for your help!

[Invader3K]

For your type of setup, forget about a soundbar. Home theater systems definitely aren't "dying". I'm not sure where you've gotten that idea from. Soundbars are OK for bedrooms and other secondary listening areas, but I wouldn't bother with one for any type of serious home theater setup, espeically in an open concept room.

 

I would start looking at receivers and go from there. You can get an excellent home theater receiver for less than $500 these days, with plenty of HDMI inputs, Dolby and DTS HD surround sound formats, etc. Look for one with a powered zone 2 output for your speakers in the other room.

[chadomac]

I'm resurrecting this thread because I'm trying to find a way to watch x264 video files on my TV. It seems that .avi/DivX is dying and I need to change with the times. Has anyone tried the Boxee Box by D-Link or Apple TV for playing your video files on your TV? Do I need an Apple PC to use Apple TV? I'm leaning towards the Boxee Box... but it's $180 and that turns me off. I may have no choice, though... fall TV is right around the corner. Any advice would be appreciated, thanks guys.

[1992casey]

Do I need an Apple PC to use Apple TV?

 

You'll need use iTunes to access your files, which means you'd need either a Mac or Windows PC.

[giffted1]

I'm resurrecting this thread because I'm trying to find a way to watch x264 video files on my TV. It seems that .avi/DivX is dying and I need to change with the times. Has anyone tried the Boxee Box by D-Link or Apple TV for playing your video files on your TV? Do I need an Apple PC to use Apple TV? I'm leaning towards the Boxee Box... but it's $180 and that turns me off. I may have no choice, though... fall TV is right around the corner. Any advice would be appreciated, thanks guys.

 

If you're looking to play x264 files off a hard drive consider the Sony SMP-N200 streamer. It's much cheaper than the boxee box and has handled all of the mkv files I've tried on it thus far (it did have some DivX issues, though).

[chadomac]

If you're looking to play x264 files off a hard drive consider the Sony SMP-N200 streamer. It's much cheaper than the boxee box and has handled all of the mkv files I've tried on it thus far (it did have some DivX issues, though).

 

48 bucks? I'm sold... Just bought one! I already have a DVD player that plays divx... Just need something for those mp4/x264 files. Thanks. But do I really need an iPad or iPod to use it? Does it have any buttons on the actual box to navigate it?

[chadomac]

....and I just found out I could play these files on my PS3. Duh. Cancelled my order. Thank you anyway for all the info. I feel dumb but am also relieved. Stupidly relieved.