Time for a change...

[DeepSeaDan]

Greetings,

Currently, I have a 32", 14 yr. old Sony Trinitron, with 14 yr. old audio components accompanying. All this is housed in an entertainment center my spouse is adamant to keep, existing in a 10' x 18' room where the viewing area is about 7' - 10' distant.

The ol' Trinitron is in it's death throes, thus I'm in the market to upgrade. I am looking for superior picture quality in a 32", or possibly 36" flatscreen, which will be hooked to local cable; further, I'd like the ability to watch Netflix. I'm aware of the current "Smart-TV's", though I'm not sure we'd make sufficient use of all the options to justify spending the extra money for one.

I'm assuming I'll need to upgrade my audio components as well; I'm thinking of a PS3 for wi-fi/blue ray, & a new audio receiver with HDMI, that will accept the wiring from the existing Bose cube speaker/base woofer system.

Any thoughts / suggestions are much appreciated.

Regards,
DSD

 

[ImcLoud]

I would first find a tv you like, do some measuring you may be able to get a 40" in the cabinet and be much happier with the size... I was pretty impressed with this one Amazon.com: Samsung UN40F6300 40-Inch 1080p 120Hz Smart LED HDTV: Electronics
as for a ps3 for bluu ray, there are cheaper and easier to use options out there Amazon.com: Sony BDP-S5100 3D Blu-ray Disc Player with Wi-Fi: Electronics
audio as you know can go from a few hundred to a hundred thousand lol, so that is going to depend on your budget... My father in law uses his bose cubes with a klipschrw12 subwoofer and pioneer 1222k avr, they are crossed high and sound OK, but I say buy once cry once, sell all the bose stuff and go all new .....

a decent avr for $250+-, a set of pioneer bookshelfs and center with some surrounds $300, and an HSU stf2 subwoofer $400....

What does your budget look like and what do you think about scrapping the bose cubes?

 

[DeepSeaDan]

Budget's a bit tight right now, so the Bose cubes are staying for the time being. I've heard the PS3 has an exceptional blue-ray player & is excellent for wi-fi - are the features of the Sony player as good IYO? Is it possible to spend more for a TV that has a superior picture in lieu of all the extra "smart" features? I'll likely spend no more than $500.00 on the receiver. I have a Harmon-Kardon in my basement theater set-up that I like.

Thanks...

Dan

 

[ImcLoud]

You can spend much less on an AVR, this is a lot of avr for the money DENON AVR-1913 7.1ch Home Theater Receiver w/AirPlay 3D ready | Accessories4less , I am not a huge harmon fan, I like denon and some yammys, marantz, and Pioneer though...

I like that blu ray player and for the price I wouldn't bother with the ps3 if you are not going to play games and get a smart tv... The smart tv is much more convenient, it seems like everytime I turn the HT ps3 on it needs a 20 minute upgrade, it flashes here and there, and we don't use it for games, if I had to do it over, I would go smart tv or blu ray player and skip the ps3... {plus the extra remote is tough to learn for us older guys that dont "game", and I dont care what you do with it, you start watching a movie and somehow you will hit that thing 20 times and ff or rewind or something.... But it is what it is, that blu ray player is pretty impressive...

If I were in the market again, I would get either a sharp, panasonic, or samsung Smart LED tv {I got an lg and then heard all kinds of stuff about reliability, mine is a year old and so far so good, but, we are waiting} I would probably opt for the 60hz models myself since I think the 120 and 240 hz pic looks fake and can not stand it... then a basic blu ray player...
I would skip the ps3....

You will most likely need a new subwoofer with your bose system, I know my father in law did... We hooked his bose cubes to the avr, then the new subwoofer up to the avr and got rid of his old subwoofer and bose receiver/dvd player... He kept his cubes because he liked how they looked, they sound OK for surround, but you can tell when muisc is played in a movie or a lot of content is on at once, they fall apart... just too much missing, his sub is crossed at 180 and they come in at 250 or something like that.... Just not ideal for sound quality, but it sounds 100% better than the bose sub and bse receiver ever did.... Some people said you need bass blockers or the cubes will fail, but he has had his for a while and all is well...

 

[Grador]

I think the PS3 does fairly well for streaming and blu-ray playing. PS3 gets a bit annoying on streaming because it insists that you install any updates before it allows you to continue. I timed the last one, took me 10 min from the time i started updating till i was actually able to watch my show.

If you go for a TV with smart features in lieu of an external streaming device you'll want a receiver that supports ARC over HDMI so that you can get the audio from TV back to the receiver. It does not look like the Denon IMC linked you to supports ARC, but otherwise it's a nice choice.

As for 60hz vs more, I agree that the motion smoothing looks very unnatural, but you can ALWAYS turn it off. At this point only the lowest end TVs are 60 hz, so I wouldn't limit your choice just based off the unnatural smoothing. [And it really does always look awful, no matter what TV you get turn off motion smoothing]

 

[ImcLoud]

I think the PS3 does fairly well for streaming and blu-ray playing. PS3 gets a bit annoying on streaming because it insists that you install any updates before it allows you to continue. I timed the last one, took me 10 min from the time i started updating till i was actually able to watch my show.

If you go for a TV with smart features in lieu of an external streaming device you'll want a receiver that supports ARC over HDMI so that you can get the audio from TV back to the receiver. It does not look like the Denon IMC linked you to supports ARC, but otherwise it's a nice choice.

As for 60hz vs more, I agree that the motion smoothing looks very unnatural, but you can ALWAYS turn it off. At this point only the lowest end TVs are 60 hz, so I wouldn't limit your choice just based off the unnatural smoothing. [And it really does always look awful, no matter what TV you get turn off motion smoothing]

good catch Grador, I missed that, I thought it did support it, I just set up my mothers 1713 and it supports audio return and the 1913 is a line up on it so I thought it would for sure, and the picture of the back of the unit says arc on the monitor hdmi? If it indeed does not I apologize for the mix up... I thought the bad picture had to do with the 120hz and up tvs that is where I notice it, I didn't know it effected the 60hz and cheaper tvs too, I really can not stand it... I turned my mothers new 240hz tv smoothing off and it still is kind of there... I still think it looks un natural..

 

[Grador]

I was wrong, it does support ARC. The picture issue is one with the 120 and 240 hz TVs, I I was just saying you don't need to avoid that feature as it can be turned off. It's pretty ubiquitous at the moment. There are no 60hz TVs that I think are any good at the moment.

 

[BMXTRIX]

What do you currently have for your audio components? If you have a couple of digital audio optical/coaxial inputs, then you may be just fine for audio considering the speakers which are in use. A photo or two, or link to photos of what you have may be beneficial.

For a TV, you really want the biggest thing which fits in what you have. If your 32" tube TV is not a 16:9 model, but a 4:3 model, then you really need to go to at least a 40" display. If you've been completely happy with the size of your 32" TV, then the TV has a 19" tall image. The only way to not have a SMALLER image is to have at least a 39" 16:9 display which also has a 19" tall image.

But, with HD programming, you should be considering a 50"-60" display from a 10' viewing distance. Since the likely won't fit, you really need to look at the largest display which fits into your WAF demanded cabinet. Reality is, the cabinet should go, or be modified, to allow for the fact that we don't live in a world from 14 years ago. I get it though, WAF is WAF.

So, measure a couple dozen times, give us a real height/width to work from, then recommendations can be made.

The Denon linked above is a very fine example which should work nicely, and I agree with others that unless you intend to game, then skip the PS3 in favor of a lesser expensive, well performing model.

If you want further/faster/easier streaming options, then consider getting a Roku player which is designed to stream content.

Also, may be worth considering getting a wire to the TV location for Internet if at all possible. If you own the home, then this type of upgrade just makes sense for the long term.

 

[DeepSeaDan]

What do you currently have for your audio components? If you have a couple of digital audio optical/coaxial inputs, then you may be just fine for audio considering the speakers which are in use. A photo or two, or link to photos of what you have may be beneficial.

For a TV, you really want the biggest thing which fits in what you have. If your 32" tube TV is not a 16:9 model, but a 4:3 model, then you really need to go to at least a 40" display. If you've been completely happy with the size of your 32" TV, then the TV has a 19" tall image. The only way to not have a SMALLER image is to have at least a 39" 16:9 display which also has a 19" tall image.

But, with HD programming, you should be considering a 50"-60" display from a 10' viewing distance. Since the likely won't fit, you really need to look at the largest display which fits into your WAF demanded cabinet. Reality is, the cabinet should go, or be modified, to allow for the fact that we don't live in a world from 14 years ago. I get it though, WAF is WAF.

So, measure a couple dozen times, give us a real height/width to work from, then recommendations can be made.

The Denon linked above is a very fine example which should work nicely, and I agree with others that unless you intend to game, then skip the PS3 in favor of a lesser expensive, well performing model.

If you want further/faster/easier streaming options, then consider getting a Roku player which is designed to stream content.

Also, may be worth considering getting a wire to the TV location for Internet if at all possible. If you own the home, then this type of upgrade just makes sense for the long term.

I have a Sony STR DE-435 AV receiver ( 14 yrs. old ), a Sony 5-disc cd changer, a ( GASP! ) VCR! and a cable box.

The TV cabinet area measures 37" w x 31" h.

I see that the Denon model recommended is discontinued, & products still available are factory-refurbished - is this a problem? They list the "400" as the replacement model, perhaps I should consider new instead?

What Roku model would you suggest?

DSD

 

[ImcLoud]

First with the refurb denon, I have bought a few and love them, they are a great value and come direct from denon, denons cs is first rate in my dealings with them.... Compare the 400 and you dont get much more for much more money,,, avrs are outdated yearly, lol, So why buy the newest one that is going to be on sale in a few months, just get the sale one as long as it offers what you need... plus now they had a year to work out all the bugs...

As far as the tv goes, a 40" will fit but with ease {check before buying though} and I dont know of any 42's that are under 38"'s so it may be a 40 is your best bet as I had a feeling would be... it makes a good replacement for a 36 crt.. But I agree with BMX, 50,55, 60 would be better ....

 

[BMXTRIX]

Your holdup on the TV is the height of the cabinet. Fortunately, your width is just enough for a 40" display with a thin bezel around the display. For example, the Samsung UN40F5000AF is about a $500 LED/LCD display with a 40" diagonal and an actual width of 36.5". Height, with the base, is only 24.1". So, height is truly not an issue at all. I don't believe anything larger has any chance of fitting into the space.

Specs - LED TV UN40F5000AF | Samsung TVs

The A/V receiver you have now is certainly well past its prime and should be upgraded. I think there have been a number of excellent recommendations already. HDMI has not seen the new era of 4K product come out yet, and you aren't likely to need that path for many more years, so any A/V receiver from the last few years is likely perfectly sufficient. Also, I would expect that any receiver will work with your existing speakers just fine since you do have a standard 5.1 connection setup on your current A/V receiver.

Your current model (I believe)...

 

[DeepSeaDan]

Hey IMC, the "Accessories4Less" outfit will not ship to Canada - DRAT! Looks like I'll have to shell out 600.00 @ Best Buy for the E-400...

Regards,
DSD

 

[DeepSeaDan]

Thanks BMXTRIX. I've got plenty of height in the cabinet, so no issue there. It looks like I'm going to go with the suggestions offered - the 40" Samsung Smart TV, the Denon E-400 & the Sony 3D Smart / Wi-Fi player.

All in the missusses cabinet...let there be peace on earth!

Thanks again to you, IMC & Grador - I've always had terrific help from the folks here @ Audioholics!

Regards,
DSD

 

[ImcLoud]

Hey IMC, the "Accessories4Less" outfit will not ship to Canada - DRAT! Looks like I'll have to shell out 600.00 @ Best Buy for the E-400...

Regards,
DSD

Dan before you do that check for sales else where, best buy had some pioneer elites on sale for $679 in my area, they had a whole stack of them, it was the lower model but still an impressive unit.. there are other places that do ship to canada that have good deals.. how about amazon Amazon.com: Yamaha RX-V673 7.2-Channel Network AV Receiver: Televisions & Video