Home theater, advise please

[3245342]

So I've got a ps3 and full hd tv and am looking to buy a reciever to complete my setup. I've found that the ps3 doesn't surport true hd or dts hd but read an article on the net saying the ps3 will convert these hd formats into pcm either 5.1 or 7.1 without any data loss. Has anybody tried this set up? I know the ps3 is a grunty machine but can it really handle converting and sending uncompressed audio on 5 channels while playing a game at 1080p on the internet? or am i better off letting a reciever decode dolby digital for games and have a seperate blu ray player that can send dtshd, true hd? what set up do you have and what would you change? do playstation 3 games plan to change to hd audio?

[AVRat]

The older FAT (not Slim) PS3 has no problem decoding the new lossless formats and providing a great HD output. What speakers are you using and how much are you willing to spend?

[3245342]

Hi, I'm completly new. This will be my first home theater purchase. I'm expecting to pay around 2k American for a reciever and speaker package but can digg deeper if it's worth it. I'm in New Zealand all Japanese brands are advailable locally sony, panasonic, ect and we have a store for "upper" market brands like Marantz, Denvon. I originally went to that store but they tried selling me a reciever they claimed could decode dtshd and dolby true hd that couldn't. Hence why i've lost faith in local knowledge and turned to the power of the internet. That's good news about the PS3, I own a 80gig fat one.

[AVRat]

With that PS3, it doesn’t allow a lossless bitstream so the receiver won’t have any data to decode anyway. But most decent, newer receivers have the decoding anyway. Onkyos and Yamahas provide more features for the money than Denon or Marantz and most around here aren’t too fond of Sony’s receivers but they may work for you. All manufacturers post data and have manuals available for download so you can do your own research. It can be overwhelming and it’s easier for us to help if we have model numbers you’re interested in.

You really need to find a speaker setup first that sounds good to you then find the receiver that can power them and has the features you want. If your room isn’t too big, a good bookshelf setup with a better sub will provide a great HT experience. Unfortunately, the subs produced by most speaker manufacturers aren’t that great.

An SVS SBS-01 5.0 and PB10-NSD would blow most of your budget on the speaker setup alone but would definitely rock your world! http://www.deephzaudio.com/SBS-01%20Systems.htm

[sholling]

You really need to find a speaker setup first that sounds good to you then find the receiver that can power them and has the features you want. If your room isn’t too big, a good bookshelf setup with a better sub will provide a great HT experience. Unfortunately, the subs produced by most speaker manufacturers aren’t that great.

An SVS SBS-01 5.0 and PB10-NSD would blow most of your budget on the speaker setup alone but would definitely rock your world! http://www.deephzaudio.com/SBS-01%20Systems.htm

+1 on AVRat's advice. You have Blu-Ray covered with the PS3. Now concentrate on finding a set of speakers that you love, plus a subwoofer that's properly sized to fill your room. In fact I usually advise people on a tight budget to spend as much as they can on the best 2.1 or 3.1 system that they can afford and hold off on the surrounds until they've had a chance to save up more money. And as AVRat advised choose a receiver based on the power requirements of the speakers you've selected and the features that you need. If you're in the US you can always save a few dollars (or buy a higher-end receiver for the same money) by buying a factory refurbished receiver. The quality is generally just as good as brand new.

[vxcalais01]

So the newer Ps3 Slim wont do the decodings, only the older ones ?

[TLS Guy]

Hi, I'm completly new. This will be my first home theater purchase. I'm expecting to pay around 2k American for a reciever and speaker package but can digg deeper if it's worth it. I'm in New Zealand all Japanese brands are advailable locally sony, panasonic, ect and we have a store for "upper" market brands like Marantz, Denvon. I originally went to that store but they tried selling me a reciever they claimed could decode dtshd and dolby true hd that couldn't. Hence why i've lost faith in local knowledge and turned to the power of the internet. That's good news about the PS3, I own a 80gig fat one.

I trust you are not planning to buy an American receiver, as it will not work in New Zealand for lots of reasons. You need on for the New Zealand market.

[PENG]

So the newer Ps3 Slim wont do the decodings, only the older ones ?

Both can, but the slim can also bitstream to the AVR and let the AVR does it.