Is the home theater craze over or what?

So D->A, A->D, DSP, D->A. Possibly suboptimal.

Quite advanced, actually.

I used to get hung up on stuff like that but then came to understand in such matters the whole can be more than its parts.

Or, put another way, the benefits of DSP, despite additional conversion, can outweigh not using it
 
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When I was living by myself it was not unusual to watch just the TV for some programs. It was sort of a PITA to turn on the stuff in a separates system (pre/pro, four separate 2-ch amps, three powered subs, etc.) just to watch 1/2hr of news or whatever.

Now though, in my current living arrangement, if the TV is on the surround sound is on. It's a much smaller/simpler system (but still a full surround system, not sound bar). Having it all on remote control with Echo Dot voice command makes it even easier. Just say "Alexa, watch a movie" and everything fires up all proper. All I have to do is put in the DVD or Blu-ray and push play.

Sounds very nice indeed.
 
I've been so happy with my setup for so long, I'm totally out of the loop on where the display technology is going. I have a 55 inch LCD from Samsung that simply refuses to die and a 100'' screen that drops down in front of it (thank you tigerdirect for cheap Chinese electric screens) which my really old Panasonic projector uses. When I initially installed the projector, I used a trick I saw at he TV station where I worked and diverted a small A/C vent from the central A/C to blow cold air into the chassis whenever I was running it and it seems to have worked! I have years of superbowls, concerts and movies on the original lamp and it FRUSTRATINGLY keeps going! It's only a 720p capable unit and it's starting to show its age but until it explodes, I ain't touching it.

My 36" tube tv wouldn't die and when I purchased it I told myself "Keeping it until it dies....I don't care!". Well? Took 3 guys to haul that thing off to my son's house and I said "At least I don't have to lift this thing again."
Well (?)......Good ol' Dad was the one who ended up hauling it to recycling (by himself) after rolling the thing on to an appliance dolly and then rolling it off that down a bank into the back of my truck! As tech changes, so does the meaning of the thought of ".....keeping it 'til it dies." (I've found.) Hell and lol anyways.
 
As tech changes, so does the meaning of the thought of ".....keeping it 'til it dies." (I've found.) Hell and lol anyways.

Well yeah, i suppose eventually the picture will become a distraction because of either degradation of the electronics or the contrast to a new TV. I think that the trend towards very affordable (in relative terms) huge 70+ inch LED and OLED screens that eliminate the need to run all those ****ing cables from the equipment rack all the way to the back of the room where the projector resides (which wasn't as big of a PITA as running the speaker cables INSIDE the walls) will make the projectors go away except in the biggest and swankiest of six figure HT rooms.
 
And there are some real deals out there on AVR's.
You don't need HDMI if the AVR and DVD player has coaxial input/output.
Just use one good digital cable such as this Kimber D-60 for the DVD player to the receiver and that's all that you need for great sound and picture.
View attachment 911651

No sorry that's just not true. It will give you OK sound but really you need HDMI to make the most of it.

Not for the core Dolby Digital and or DTS codecs that have been around for 20 years or so. But, if you want the lossless/high res soundtracks (e.g. Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD-Master) then you need either HDMI or a player with multichannel analog outputs and built-in lossless decoders.

Yep, this. And don't forget about multichannel PCM which is used from time to time and (as far as I know) is a no go on toslink or coax.

I ran non-HDMI receivers for a long time after HDMI became standard, but I just can't justify buying a non-HDMI receiver these days. They aren't expensive and get you lots of other very useful features like automatic room correction, and built in music streaming. And you may find yourself needing the HDMI switching capability since most TV's max out at 3 HDMI inputs but these days it's pretty easy to need more than that.

I recently (mostly) replaced a very nice semi-vintage 2.1 channel system with a modern HDMI receiver based 5.1 system and I'm loving it. No way in hell I'm going back. So no HT is not dead.
 
No sorry that's just not true. It will give you OK sound but really you need HDMI to make the most of it.
.

Well that's a matter of of opinion.

I ran component for video and coaxial digital from DVD, CD player to receiver. Pre outs from receiver to separate Anthem power amp and it sounded very good for HT and music listening.

I know technology has changed and so get the HDMI, no big deal but you don't absoulitely need it to have very good quality.

Coaxial can transfer all of the signal including 1080p but the signal is scrambled and needs decoding now.

My point was that you can still get great deals on older equipment that doesn't have HDMI and have very good results.
 
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Well that's a matter of of opinion.

I ran component for video and coaxial digital from DVD, CD player to receiver. Pre outs from receiver to separate Anthem power amp and it sounded very good for HT and music listening.

I know technology has changed and so get the HDMI, no big deal but you don't absoulitely need it to have very good quality.

Coaxial can transfer all of the signal including 1080p but the signal is scrambled and needs decoding now.

My point was that you can still get great deals on older equipment that doesn't have HDMI and have very good results.

I don't think you can honestly say it's just a matter of opinion. You will not get the most out of the current media without HDMI. That's just how it is. Heck, you can't even get video players with component outputs anymore, and haven't been able to for several years now.

Coaxial cannot transfer 1080P. I'm not sure what you mean by that statement. Coaxial is audio, 1080P is video.

It is true that you can get great deals on non-HDMI equipment. Absolutely. But there are good reasons for that. First of all, that stuff is all getting older, and starting to develop problems often due to heat exacerbated by the cramped internal layout. Even without HDMI they are so complicated that servicing them (given their value) is generally not an option. And as stated before you lose a lot of functionality without 1080P.

I thought I had good sound when I was running Coax to a DD/DTS receiver, but the switch to HDMI was a very big improvement. And I'm not a golden ear who can notice changes easily. I hated putting my old Sony DA4ES out to pasture in favor of a new Yamaha receiver. The build qualities are not remotely comparable. You basically can't get a receiver like my 4ES at any price these days. But soundwise it was a very clear step up.
 
I don't think you can honestly say it's just a matter of opinion. You will not get the most out of the current media without HDMI. That's just how it is. Heck, you can't even get video players with component outputs anymore, and haven't been able to for several years now.

Coaxial cannot transfer 1080P. I'm not sure what you mean by that statement. Coaxial is audio, 1080P is video.

It is true that you can get great deals on non-HDMI equipment. Absolutely. But there are good reasons for that. First of all, that stuff is all getting older, and starting to develop problems often due to heat exacerbated by the cramped internal layout. Even without HDMI they are so complicated that servicing them (given their value) is generally not an option. And as stated before you lose a lot of functionality without 1080P.

I thought I had good sound when I was running Coax to a DD/DTS receiver, but the switch to HDMI was a very big improvement. And I'm not a golden ear who can notice changes easily. I hated putting my old Sony DA4ES out to pasture in favor of a new Yamaha receiver. The build qualities are not remotely comparable. You basically can't get a receiver like my 4ES at any price these days. But soundwise it was a very clear step up.
Agreed. The fact is that digital coax/SPDIF simply can't carry anything other than vanilla DD/DTS or PCM stereo. There's a huge jump in sound quality just by changing to a lossless codec (think standard def vs. high def or MP3 vs. CD).
 
I'm just saying that you can still have a very nice system with older equipment that doesn't have HDMI so what's wrong with that statement?

Yes 1080p will transmit through coaxial cable.
You receive your 1080i broadcast through coaxial cable.
1080i has the same amount of pixels
as 1080p.
 
I'm just saying that you can still have a very nice system with older equipment that doesn't have HDMI so what's wrong with that statement?

Yes 1080p will transmit through coaxial cable.
You receive your 1080i broadcast through coaxial cable.
1080i has the same amount of pixels
as 1080p.
I think there was some confusion.

Digital coaxial =/= coaxial cable. Different types of cables, unfortunately confusingly named.
 
Agreed. The fact is that digital coax/SPDIF simply can't carry anything other than vanilla DD/DTS or PCM stereo. There's a huge jump in sound quality just by changing to a lossless codec (think standard def vs. high def or MP3 vs. CD).

People will put up with all sorts of audio indignities and consider it "good". Believe it or not, there are still people who listen to records.
 
I'm just saying that you can still have a very nice system with older equipment that doesn't have HDMI so what's wrong with that statement?

Yes 1080p will transmit through coaxial cable.
You receive your 1080i broadcast through coaxial cable.
1080i has the same amount of pixels
as 1080p.

Debating the bandwidth of a connection is rather immaterial if the media and hardware preclude the conveyance thereof through the connection.

IOW, it's a moot point if coaxial cables, e.g. component video, have the bandwidth capability to convey 1080p if the transmission thereof by analog connection is not supported by hardware or because of copy protection/content restriction.
 
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I think there was some confusion.

Digital coaxial =/= coaxial cable. Different types of cables, unfortunately confusingly named.

Coaxial = Coaxial, some are better at transferring at 75 ohms than others.

Coaxial is fine with DTS, Dolby 5.1-7.1

Coaxial does not support DVD-A, SACD, DTS-HD master audio or Dolby True HD and HDMI is best for those.

I agree.

Okay, have a nice evening!
 
Agreed. The fact is that digital coax/SPDIF simply can't carry anything other than vanilla DD/DTS or PCM stereo. There's a huge jump in sound quality just by changing to a lossless codec (think standard def vs. high def or MP3 vs. CD).

Personally, I don't perceive that big of a difference in the lossless codecs. Problem is, it's damn hard to say if a difference is due to lossless or because it's a different mix.

IMO, Dolby Digital/discrete surround is a bigger step up over Dolby Pro Logic than, say, Dolby TrueHD is over Dolby Digital.

As well, while still lossy, DD audio from BD is typically at a higher bitrate than DD audio from DVD so that alone is at least a technical improvement even without going full lossless.
 
What's the best actual projector on the market these days? I've seen them used at business forums and think it's a very interesting bit of kit. I used to love the 8mm projector when I was a kid. The idea of projecting a movie from a laptop is very compelling. You can use any white wall available to get the biggest screen you want, as long as the sun has gone down. But the projected image has to be good and bright. Is this an affordable home theatre option?
 
What's the best actual projector on the market these days? I've seen them used at business forums and think it's a very interesting bit of kit. I used to love the 8mm projector when I was a kid. The idea of projecting a movie from a laptop is very compelling. You can use any white wall available to get the biggest screen you want, as long as the sun has gone down. But the projected image has to be good and bright. Is this an affordable home theatre option?

You could probably look for a used digital projector to see if this is where you want to go. They have come a long way. A really good projector designed for home theaters are quite expensive. On the other hand, those designed as data projectors can be a decent,lower cost option. They all use a bulb as their light source and will need to be replaced at some time.

Projecting on a white wall is doable, but it won't be the brightest. Some people have made their own screen with paint that has some reflective properties. Keep in mind that a lower resolution source will not look all that great when blown up to 100" or more.

If you are curious and want to get into projectors, you could try going to the AVS Forum site and there's a ton of info about projectors.

The last projector I looked at was a JVC D-ILA and it looked quite good.
 
I'm just saying that you can still have a very nice system with older equipment that doesn't have HDMI so what's wrong with that statement?

Yes 1080p will transmit through coaxial cable.
You receive your 1080i broadcast through coaxial cable.
1080i has the same amount of pixels
as 1080p.

Debating the bandwidth of a connection is rather immaterial if the media and hardware preclude the conveyance thereof through the connection.

IOW, it's a moot point if coaxial cables, e.g. component video, have the bandwidth capability to convey 1080p if the transmission thereof by analog connection is not supported by hardware or because of copy protection/content restriction.

Personally, I don't perceive that big of a difference in the lossless codecs. Problem is, it's damn hard to say if a difference is due to lossless or because it's a different mix.

IMO, Dolby Digital/discrete surround is a bigger step up over Dolby Pro Logic than, say, Dolby TrueHD is over Dolby Digital.

As well, while still lossy, DD audio from BD is typically at a higher bitrate than DD audio from DVD so that alone is at least a technical improvement even without going full lossless.

This is a hobby where people routinely go to great lengths for very incremental gains in sound quality. It seems silly to me to put lots of effort into your speakers, amps, perhaps room treatments, etc, but then purposely hamstring yourself by using a source material that isn't the best option.
 
That is your opinion and you are welcome to it. The room is always in play as it affects sound the most. Room treatments are a requirement for good sound.

Myself, I realize that I have hamstrung myself with older tech. It happens. If I have a chance the next HT receiver I will buy will be an Anthem. They seem to get great reviews and are built like tanks.

Bingo - for most of us, there are significant budget constraints - thus, vintage AV gear enters into it ...
finding the way to do good HT with hand picked older gear is important ...
 
Bingo - for most of us, there are significant budget constraints - thus, vintage AV gear enters into it ...
finding the way to do good HT with hand picked older gear is important ...

Totally agree. MY Pioneer Elite I have was TOTL when it was made. It sounds amazing and does everything I need BUT I now have 4K LCD and would like to feed that from a receiver - one place to control it all. Maybe I should just use this....

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Yes but you don't need to spend a lot of money to get good results. Last year's mid range Denon or Yamaha models are very fully featured and can be had for $300-350.

As far as expensive stuff like the Anthems - I'm skeptical, to be honest. When I think of "built like a tank" I think of my old 45 pound Sony. But I guess the days of 40+ pound receivers are gone.
 
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