Surround sound set up

Santrypad

Hi, Id like some advice on a few things and would appreciate anything said

Firstly...is there much of an obvious differnce between HDMI and blueray?

Im want to set up a home cinema set up but am stuck at a few options, we have a wall mounted plasma and ideally what id like is two standing speakers beside the couch opposite it but the choice is proving harder than just picking one,im also open to a soundbar just under tv but whixh would be better? a couple of questions might make it easier for me to decide.

If the extra speakers are used are these used instead of or as well as the tv speakers?

If the normal NTL is on the tv does the sound still come through the extra speakers or is this just for the dvd?

Ive also seen just 5.1 kits or surround speakers but howdo these work also.....do you just plug them into the tv or do they have to be hooked up through a dvd player?

Basically Im just looking for some extra speakers around the tv ie wall mounted/soundbar/free standing etc but not sure what I need to do this ie a complete system or just buy speakers etc?

Im not to technical on this and dont wanna buy anything online then find out I need this or that or these only work with this or that etc.

Any advice please?

Santrypad

This is what I mean a bit...can i just plug say the likes of these in and position them around or do they need an amp or player or anything.

As i said im not to techinal

http://cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=110433584554&Category=72406&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D2

Santrypad

Also on a separate but related note, thats my bedroom set up...its a technics hi fi and samsung 42 hd crt....can i just connect the two so the sound from the tv comes out through the stereo speakers?

The Ritz

It's difficult to know where to begin to answer your questions !

First out, the difference between HDMI and Bluray.... They are different things - HDMI is a type of cable used to pass digital sound and video, bluray is a high definition type of dvd. You would use a HDMI cable to connect an upscalilng dvd player or a Sky HD box or a bluray player or a set top box for receiving tv signals to your tv.

The speakers in your ebay link would need an amplifier of some kind to work.


In general terms, a home cinema set up consist of either an all-in-one system which has a dvd or bluray player and amplifier combined to which you connect your speakers, (soundbar systems are one variety of this) or a "separates" system which has a dvd player or a bluray player, a separate AV amplifier and separate speakers. In an optimal set up, a bluray player and a set-top-box (sky or NTL) would be connected to the AV amplifier (also known as a receiver) by HDMI and then the Amp is connected to the TV with a HDMI cable. The digital sound signal is processed by the AV Amplifier and the digital Video signal is "passed through" to the TV. There are lots of other technical details but that's a basic explanation for you.



As to some of your other questions:

If the extra speakers are used are these used instead of or as well as the tv speakers?

The speakers in a home cinema system are usually used instead of the speakers in the tv system.


If the normal NTL is on the tv does the sound still come through the extra speakers or is this just for the dvd?

You can route the sound from the TV back through most all-in-one systems so that the sound comes through the additional speakers - see also the explanation given above for further details.



Ive also seen just 5.1 kits or surround speakers but howdo these work also.....do you just plug them into the tv or do they have to be hooked up through a dvd player?

If the kit has a separate amplifier and speakers, then you need to route your dvd players audio signal through it and send the video to the tv, id it's an all-in-one then you just route the video signal to the tv - it really depends on the system you choose.


Basically Im just looking for some extra speakers around the tv ie wall mounted/soundbar/free standing etc but not sure what I need to do this ie a complete system or just buy speakers etc?

You need amplification and speakers of some kind at the minimum.

Im not to technical on this and dont wanna buy anything online then find out I need this or that or these only work with this or that etc.


I reckon you'd be best advised to look for an all-in-one system, this is the least challenging and most straightforward solution. Try asking in The Philips Shop at the end of Georges St, Alliance Electric just a bit up Georges Street, Peats located in a few places around the city, main store in Parnell Street, DID Electric in a few locations, Powercity anywhere you like. Lots of choices and in the circumstances you describe here I think you're better off dealing with someone in a shop face to face than getting stuff online.

As to the question about your bedroom system, if the TV as an audio-out connectors, and the system in the photograph has an Auxilliary-audio-in facility then you could route the tv sound through the system, but you;d need someone to check them out or look up the manuals if you still have them and to be honest, I doubt that it would make a significant diference other than having the sound louder perhaps, but it's up to your own preference o=if you want to hook them together.

Ritz.

Santrypad

Hi Ritz and thanks for your reply.

Yeah I think your right,I really dont know enough about them at this stage to start experimenting just yet.

I think what Ill do is as you said just by the complete system and run two of the speakers behind the couch......that much I can do without advice ha and it was my original plan anyway till I started seeing diffirent things.

Thanks for the reply anyway...appreciated.

kuro_man

look on adverts.ie for a dvd 5.1 system; you should be able to pick up a decent one (sony, pioneer) for less the €100 - not nearly as good as a full blown seperate system but much cheaper and a good place to start.