Your "Home Theater System"

[Tim_J 1561]

what do u all use to watch your movies and shows?

streaming services vs blu-rays? your computer vs blu-ray stand alone players plugged into a tv (what dimensions?)? stereo or 5.1?

recommendations on region-free blu-ray players are welcome! also, what to have in mind when buying one... i'm leaned to say they're all the same but they're prices can go from 200 to 2000 so what am i missing?

Edited September 24, 2019 by Tim_J

[Joyrex 1388]

Current setup:

Sharp AQUOS Q+ 70" HDTV (Not 4K, but can take 4K content)

Denon AVRX2000 receiver, currently using a 5.1 setup

Apple TV 4K

2TB NAS (need to upgrade, running out of space) streaming media via iTunes

Looking to do:

75" TCL 8 Series 4K UHD TV (October-March timeframe)

Go to 7.1 or possibly 7.1.2 setup for speakers (putting new in-ceiling speakers now; 1/5 of the way done)

Synology NAS (8TB+) Streaming via NAS to Apple TV using Synology App

I honestly don't want to buy physical media (especially for movies I know I will watch once, maybe twice and never again and collecting doesn't interest me anymore), so not much help there, but I am intrigued at how much better potentially the picture quality would be with UHD BDs

[BCM 766]

LG SK85 4K Nanocell 55" LED TV

LG SK8 Dolby Atmos Soundbar + Subwoofer

 

Hardly ever watch normal TV these days, heavily use streaming services. Have accounts with Netflix, Amazon Prime, NowTV and Google Play. Also lots of YouTube content.

 

 

 

[IDEM 921]

Either Blu-ray --> PS 4 or streaming via Apple TV then --> Denon AVR-3311 --> Panasonic TX-58AXW804 TV and Elac 5.1 system.

[Joyrex 1388]

8 hours ago, BCM said:

LG SK85 4K Nanocell 55" LED TV

LG SK8 Dolby Atmos Soundbar + Subwoofer

 

Hardly ever watch normal TV these days, heavily use streaming services. Have accounts with Netflix, Amazon Prime, NowTV and Google Play. Also lots of YouTube content.

 

 

 

Yeah, I haven't had cable TV for years now - I actually prefer OTA TV as the signal is somewhat less compressed than what cable TV delivers.

[dingformung 2629]

cormputar & lerptup <-- I watch

¡streaming only!

[Silent Member 1267]

Attic mancave has Benq w5700 4k dlp projector, 92inch alr screen, vevo 4k media player (streams downloads from an old zyxel Nas), Xbox one X (for gaming and Netflix 4k HDR stuff+Blu-ray if I ever buy any), PS4 (for gaming and SDR Netflix stuff), Yamaha 7.1 amp + Energy speaker setup, no Atmos, I don't really care about that stuff, lossless 7.1 surround is plenty good enough for me.

Living room has a Samsung 49q6fn, cheap android box running Kodi, Chromecast and creative t4 speakers stuck inside a broken 50s radio cabinet which doubles as a TV stand. I don't really watch movies on the telly, but I've been known to hbo and Netflix binge.

I also have a cheap Motorola phone with a crapped out screen that I stare at all the time.

Edited September 24, 2019 by Gocab

[KovalainenFanBoy 247]

video is pc -> monitor -> eyes

audio is pc -> speakers -> ears

[Joyrex 1388]

8 minutes ago, Gocab said:

Attic mancave has Benq w5700 4k dlp projector, 92inch alr screen, vevo 4k media player (streams downloads from an old zyxel Nas), Xbox one X (for gaming and Netflix 4k HDR stuff+Blu-ray if I ever buy any), PS4 (for gaming and SDR Netflix stuff), Yamaha 7.1 amp + Energy speaker setup, no Atmos, I don't really care about that stuff, lossless 7.1 surround is plenty good enough for me.

Living room has a Samsung 49q6fn, cheap android box running Kodi, Chromecast and creative t4 speakers stuck inside a broken 50s radio cabinet which doubles as a TV stand. I don't really watch movies on the telly, but I've been known to hbo and Netflix binge.

I also have a cheap Motorola phone with a crapped out screen that I stare at all the time.

Out of curiosity - is your 7.1 setup (speaker-wise) in the ceiling, ear-level, or a combination?

[dr lopez 978]

LG 55" 4K HDR OLED (god this thing is a beaut)

Apple TV 4K for all streaming shit

Synology 3TB NAS with all my DVDs ripped so I can stream through Apple TV

PS4 for GTA / Red Dead / Rocket League

Oppo 4K HDR Blu-Ray for nice 4K Blurays like Blade Runner etc (amazing player, fantastic for CDs, SACDs, DVD-As, can play anything and does so very well)

Marantz 1506 5.2 Surround / 4K HDR AV receiver

Klipsch Cornwall III floorspeaker clones done in a 2-way configuration, stereo (love my two beautiful sons)

Nakamichi BX-125 Tape Deck

Technics 1200 with a red ortofon and a ROLLS phono preamp (shit preamp but w/e)

Generally I'm very happy with this setup but I wish I had a 5.1 set up so I could play my multichannel vespertine and sit on my couch and get more emotional than normal
 

[dr lopez 978]

I will also add that streaming, either in 1080p or 4K is noticeably shittier than any bluray or 4K UHD bluray disc played through my oppo. I have great internet so the speed of the stream isnt an issue, it's just not the same image/sound quality. I'm actually fairly annoyed that netflix or SOMEONE doesnt do a 4K blurays in the mail system. I would do that because the quality is so much better. but so far playing UHD or dolby vision approved blurays through the oppo and onto the oled is incredible. exquisite blacks. lol

[Silent Member 1267]

12 minutes ago, Joyrex said:

Out of curiosity - is your 7.1 setup (speaker-wise) in the ceiling, ear-level, or a combination?

I have most of them at ear level, back rears are higher up, but not quite ceiling.

[zkom 1343]

Currently: Lenovo U31-70 laptop and Marshall Mode in-ear plugs and free movies from youtube..

I used to have a 5.2 surround etc but I realized I didn't really watch movies that require that kind of setup. I mean the last two movies I've watched were the Seventh Seal and a campy B-movie called the Evil Brain from Outer Space. Was fun for horror games though.

[auxien 2193]

why the fuck is home theater system in quotation marks

[Tim_J 1561]

9 minutes ago, auxien said:

why the fuck is home theater system in quotation marks

 

because of examples like this one:

1 hour ago, KovalainenFanBoy said:

video is pc -> monitor -> eyes

audio is pc -> speakers -> ears

 

[Amen Warrior 331]

Can someone who knows more than me let me know who's winning the contest so far?

[markedone 521]

mines a tad lo-fi but works perfectly for me.  i got a cheap 720p chinese projector a while back.  when i bought it, the fan was a jet engine but luckily found a guide online on how to downclock the bulb voltage and fan speeds which worked perfectly. connected to a desktop which has the media, and store it all in a rolling cart so it stashes away.

audio runs via a bluetooth receiver into the setup i use for everything, pioneer sa5800 receiver into used-to-be pioneer speakers re housed in custom mdf boxes.  because its cheaper to ship just the electronic parts than a whole speaker when you move to a new country..

Edited September 24, 2019 by markedone

[Tim_J 1561]

1 hour ago, dr lopez said:

I will also add that streaming, either in 1080p or 4K is noticeably shittier than any bluray or 4K UHD bluray disc played through my oppo. I have great internet so the speed of the stream isnt an issue, it's just not the same image/sound quality. I'm actually fairly annoyed that netflix or SOMEONE doesnt do a 4K blurays in the mail system. I would do that because the quality is so much better. but so far playing UHD or dolby vision approved blurays through the oppo and onto the oled is incredible. exquisite blacks. lol

 

 

jump into the discussion:

On 9/20/2019 at 12:05 PM, caze said:

as long as you're getting the highest possible output from netflix or whatever, i.e. you have decent bandwidth internet, I doubt you'd be able to notice any difference. it's true the bitrate of HD and 4k content on streaming services is lower than on blurays (e.g. ~20-30Mbps vs ~80-100Mbps for 4k), both are compressed quite a lot (uncompressed 4k video is measured in 10s of Gbps), but it's probably not going to make any noticable difference given average screen sizes and viewing distances (tbh it's pretty hard to tell the difference between 4k and HD in most situations already).

https://forum.watmm.com/topic/97686-your-latest-blu-raydvd-purchases/?do=findComment&comment=2743393

Edited September 24, 2019 by Tim_J

[auxien 2193]

2 hours ago, Amen Warrior said:

Can someone who knows more than me let me know who's winning the contest so far?

the richest whitest one i'm sure

 

so probably Rubin

[Lada Laika 938]

I just use my computer monitor and bookshelf speakers because I’m a pleb

[chenGOD 1200]

my fucking old Macbook Air with failing battery (it goes down even when it's plugged in, and doesn't work at all when not plugged in) and a pair of sony earbuds.

some dank darks.

[colunga 106]

once i moved in w the gf I finally got a real television for our livingroom. a 55inch Roku TV. and a Sony soundbar w subwoofer... the soundbar is okay. I never had a cable subscription or streaming service subscription and survived on a growing personal pirated TV + film library from 2010-2018.  so we still have that set up using Plex, but she had Netflix + Amazon Prime, which we share now. Its been pretty wild for me to get to know these services and how they work, in some ways I like it better than piracy, in others i dont.

[Joyrex 1388]

3 hours ago, chenGOD said:

my fucking old Macbook Air with failing battery (it goes down even when it's plugged in, and doesn't work at all when not plugged in) and a pair of sony earbuds.

some dank darks.

I have a 2011 Macbook Pro that the battery puffed up a few years ago - I took the battery out and leave it plugged in all the time. The failing battery is probably why it keep shutting down despite being plugged in.

[goDel 1221]

I basically use my laptop or imac. With a classic stereo setup.

The experiences I have with those more than two channels/speakers setups is that its mostly rubbish. Ignoring the speakers with a separate bass unit. More about those 5.1 stereo things. It just sounds tacky to my ears. I prefer a good stereo setup, instead of the "lets put that helicopter sound in the behind speakers to create a sense of space". To me, thats similar to watching movies with bad CGI. Just use two good speakers. Or three if you want to distinguish between highs and lows. That's it. You're not at IMAX.

[Joyrex 1388]

8 hours ago, goDel said:

I basically use my laptop or imac. With a classic stereo setup.

The experiences I have with those more than two channels/speakers setups is that its mostly rubbish. Ignoring the speakers with a separate bass unit. More about those 5.1 stereo things. It just sounds tacky to my ears. I prefer a good stereo setup, instead of the "lets put that helicopter sound in the behind speakers to create a sense of space". To me, thats similar to watching movies with bad CGI. Just use two good speakers. Or three if you want to distinguish between highs and lows. That's it. You're not at IMAX.

I would argue then you haven't heard a decent surround sound setup.