Can the a/v receiver be skipped?

[waveking]

I have just started venturing into the home theater DIY area, and am still trying to set by basics straight. Here are my objectives:

*Have an approx 30" display. I am aiming for a 720p
*Have 5.1 surround
*Be able to watch movies/Music from a DVD player
*Watch my cable TV via a STB
*Optionally be able to direct my laptop display to the TV, and laptop sound (maybe stereo) to the 5.1

I am confused as to why a a/v receiver is needed. Can't i directly connect the DVD player to the speakers and the TV? It might help you to know that I am on a shoe-string budget

 

[MDS]

Sure you can connect the dvd player and cable box directly to the tv if you have enough inputs on the tv, but it will only be stereo and you will be limited to the volume control of the tv which will not always be so great thru tiny tv speakers.

A receiver is needed for amplification and convenient switching between the devices, but then you would have to buy external speakers too.

 

[Hi Ho]

If one of your objectives is 5.1 sound then you will need a receiver. One possible alternative is the Yamaha YSP-800 Sound Projector which can work quite well depending on the room. It's still not the same as a full fledged 5.1 system, however. You would need a subwoofer along with the Yamaha as well.

 

[Nick250]

At this point I suspect you haved learned about what you need. Here is an expample of what it might cost to get off the ground with something decent. About $300 for a receiver (Pioneer, Denon, Onkyo) and about five or six hundred on a speaker and sub package such as the one sold by Hsu. Nick

http://www.hsustore.com/vt12.html

 

[waveking]

Thanks for the pointers,
MDS, i meant that can't I connect the DVD player's video to my TV, and the DVD player's audio directly to the 5.1 speakers?

 

[Hi Ho]

and the DVD player's audio directly to the 5.1 speakers?

That depends on the type of speakers you have. If you have 5 speakers an a sub, nothing else, then this will not work. If you have a powered speaker system, like a PC system, then yes, it is possible.

 

[ironlung]

Sure you can...

You could use a PC as preamp and sources. The PC could be a Blu/HD/SD-DVD player for video. CD/HDCD/DVD-A are also easy for a PC(sorry SACD). With proper tuners you coud have OTA HD and clear QAM digital cable. The DVB-S cards can get the dish providers if your crafty. If the providers get on the ball and allow cable cards and DSS/Dish CAMs for the PC then getting content fot the PVR section of the PC would be easy.

7.1 analog out to an outlaw 200 x 7 and a few SVS ultras. DVI>HDMI on the 100"er and your cooking.

 

[Nick250]

Thanks for the pointers,
MDS, i meant that can't I connect the DVD player's video to my TV, and the DVD player's audio directly to the 5.1 speakers?

Unless your speakers are self powered, very unlikely, no you can not connect directly from the dvd player to the speakers.

 

[ironlung]

missed a few

A PC with adequate storage could also make a very good music or movie server with little consideration to format or DRM. With HD on screen control to boot.

If the software was ever created room correction could be built in.


1 PC could replace a pre-amp, PEQ, optical disk readers, OTA, cable & dish STB(s), DVR(s), media servers, game systems, video scaler. I can't think of anything that could not be squished into a HTPC* but the power amp, display and speakers.


* With proper hardware/software support. As it is now some aspects are tough or impossible to excecute.