If you're on a tight budget and don't often watch DVDs, I wouldn't even bother with surround at all - just get yourself a decent pair of speakers and a stereo amplifier. You'll get much better sound 90% of the time and save on boxes and cabling.

I agree entirely with Ali about flat panel TV speakers being bad. Earlier this year my 14 yr old 21" CRT packed up; it had great sound from its internal speakers. I replaced it with the best 24" LCD I could find, and both picture and sound are a step backwards - sound especially so. But the whole TV is only an inch or two deep, so I guess that's OK...

 

to be a pain in *** - what sort of thing do you mean by stereo amplifier and speakers

 

I think he means connecting up any midi/mini Hifi with the phonos leads.

Two problems with that; One, if its a HDMi input source, some TVs don't output an analogue audio signal when recieving a digital input, unless its using its onboard DVB tuner.

Second is remote control; a good a/v amp or home cinema will not need a another remote control...it'll work off the TV remote, turn itself on and off automatically and change volume with the TV remote and automatically change source. The panny, when used with a panasonic TV 'should' do this. But its not guaranteed.

For example I never touch the remote cointrol for my onkyo amp. Its all automatic and works through my Panasonic TV's remote (although it did get its knicker in a twist recently, god knows why ).

 

I meant using a good separate amp & speakers - but yes, you're right.

Any TV with a headphone socket should be able to output a signal to a separate amplifier, and you'd get remote volume control that way too. Personally I regard needing two different remotes as a non-issue, but that's just personal preference.

 

What a daft idea?

 

No point at all as it will just be more speakers to hear no special sound file, if the tv is in 5.1 sound it maybe of use. Home cinema systems only come good with proper Dolby Digital/ DTS or THX sound.

 

Just as a tester unhooked my 2 computer speakers from on here and plugged them into the headphone socket on tv and watched a film then,sounded much better then bog standard tv speakers and this was just using 2 cheapo pc speakers that are 15 year old.
So got me thinking can i buy a cheapo set of decentish speakers and just basically do what i have just done-will even modern pc speakers just use headphone socket or a different connection point on tv?

 

As long as they are powered you could use speakers like that or if your tv has speakers which are seperate you could wire in any descent speaker

 

yeh the computer speakers i used are powered-i know you folk that like all whizzy banging set ups will say its crap but i think of it like this-when i brought my first car a mk2 escort it had one simple speaker in middle of dashboard-like many others i brought a set of bigger speakers for the back parcel shelf-probably only a cheapish set but they massively improved the sound over that 1 front speaker.
So this be same even if they are relatively cheap speakers they still should make it sound loads better just by virtue of spacing the speakers more around living room.

 

I would disagree. The onboard speakers on 99% of flat panel TVs today are still too poor for even normal broadcasts. IMHO

Even a basic 2 channel setup like mentioned above is a benefit just for the sound quality.

Its ironic really, NICAM digital which gave us near CD audio quality, this has been round since the early 1990s. We now have Dolby/DTS/PCM etc. giving us even better audio quality. Yet the speakers inside the TV have taken huge steps backwards.

 

If I watch a tv program I find it annoying having the surround sound on as its the same sound coming from all speakers which gives the sound an echo. I have no problem with the sound from my Samsung plasma yet if I were to watch a blueray the sound system goes on and the tv volumed gets muted.

 

Just spent a few hours watching various tv programmes from a film (sucker punch) to hollyoaks and emmerdale-and tbh when watching normal tv with normal speaking on it was a pain to have the sound of spoken voice coming from behind you as well as in front.When watching the film tho having the extra speakers was nice.So as before and above 99% of tv i watch i dont really need surround sound as its spoken voice telly and i only want to hear it from one source in front of me-but for once every 2 weeks on average that i watch a film then better speakers is nice.
So maybe a soundbar is way forward as i dont have to mess about hiding wires under carpet etc etc and that should provide better sound when watching films but also not obtrusive sound when watching the news or a soap etc.

 

 

Totally agree
Its like the sound is being output via a tin can.

 

How is your system wired up? With a proper surround system that shouldn't happen - the rear speakers are silent most of the time.

 

I was quite lucky as my mate gave me his old sony digital amp. All I had to do was buy a 5.1 speaker and sub set which set me back all of £80 from Richer Sounds. All hooked up and sounds awesome, so much better than the standard speakers on my Panny Viera PX80b.

I really wouldn't waste money on an all-in-one system. Just try and be thrify like myself and cobble together what you can. You will be amazed.

 

I dont have a system at mo i was playing around and basically just connected up 2 computer speakers to the headphone socket on my tv to see what they sounded like.

 

Not for what you get. Once you've heard 7.1 against 5.1 you won't go back, and the stuff I specified is quality gear at astounding prices really. Someone said a budget of £500 or so, but maybe not the OP I think the set-up I recommended is amazing value.

 

i have 6.1 and it's quite impressive.

 

7.1 is better

 

 

Bloody amp was a pain to setup though - Denon 1910

 

My set-up will actually do 9.2, but the missuse drew the line at 7.1. Might sneak in the front 'presence' speakers and hope she doesn't notice. Left and right subs could cause neighbour problems.

 

i got

http://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/aud..._g/?mode=model

because

A. It sounds good enough for the front room
B my HDMI 1.4 is chooped in the wall so this lets me connect 4 pther HDMI items to the 1 lead in the wall
C it does optical
D Wife hates wires
e The sub is built into the amp
f What Hifi loved it

Now for my play room i have an older version of this
http://www.pioneer.eu/uk/products/42...021/index.html

connected to Missions FS2 flat panal wall speakers, and Mission sub, with LFE connected to a REL sub, with 2 Bi Pole Mission rears for 7.2

That obviously sounds better but cost a few grand.

personally m8 id get a sound bar, the speaker packages as ALi said are pretty ****e.
You wont go wrong with anything from Pioneer or Yamaha.

Ted

 

Foof me just followed link to look at that pioneer one-how many connections at back has it got-yikes-bit overkill just for my tv, dvd player and media player me thinks lol.

 

They are a bit busy round the back aren't they ! A lot of the connections are becoming legacy as most new kit is just a single HDMI. I think it would serve a company well to release a stripped bare av amp with just 4x HDMI in and one out. Getting rid of so much hardware could make it silly cheap and they could steal the market with a quality basic device.

This is the back of mine, and i use 3x HDMI (BD, DVD/HDD recorder, Cable TV), 1x component with digi coax audio (media HDD), 1x composite (CCTV), and 1x stereo phono (TV audio), and the 7.1 speaker outputs.