Critique my Future Set-Up

[Gruce]

I will be getting a new set up on payday to replace what I have at the moment (just a 28inch LCD) I was wondering what you guys think about it and if you could advise me. I have a budget of about ?700 for now but will buy the TV on 9 months intrest free finance.

TV: Samsung LE40M87 - 40 Inch 1080p LCD - I was originally looking at the 46 inch model but in my room I think this would be a little OTT and the 40 would still be more than enough, also I can't justify an extra ?460 for an extra 6 inches. (LINK)

5.1 Surround Sound: Pioneer HTPGS1 Xbox 360 Surround Sound System - heard its ment to be very good for the money, will be my first surround sound system so don't know what to expect. Need small rear speakers to go above door frame at back of room. (LINK)

Upscaling DVD Player: Haven;t really got a clue about this one, my Dad has one he got for ?30 off eBay from some brand I've never heard of, it seems alright but I have nothing to comare it to, was looking at this one but not sure if a better one exists. It needs to be multi region.

Will also be getting an Xbox 36 HD-DVD Drive and thats everything, an ideas guys, much appreciated.

[teddymeow]

If you've got a 360 and are getting the HD-DVD drive do you really need an upscaling player? I thought the 360 had been able to upscale DVDs to 1080i/p for a while now.

[Ouenben]

yep through VGA and HDMI

[sj33]

If you've got a 360 and are getting the HD-DVD drive do you really need an upscaling player? I thought the 360 had been able to upscale DVDs to 1080i/p for a while now.

He says it needs to be region free though, which the 360 is not.

[Gruce]

Jake speaks the truth, I need a method of playing region 1/3 DVDs which the 360 won't do, thus I need a DVD player.

Any input lads?

[Jei]

I've got a Philips 5960 that upscales through HDMI, Div X and multiregion through a simple on time handset code.

Cheapy cheap from Empire Direct at the moment too..

http://empiredirect.co.uk/content/pr...nd~philips.htm

[Hohum]

http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/product.aspx?code=DVS-LYNX

Now, I'm not sure about this particular version, but I bought a 'Phoenix' model under this brand not so long ago from overclockers... and it's definitely multi region for dvds. This lynx version seems to have a different remote and front facia for the unit itself, but lists the same feature set. So, I'd assume it's multi region aswell, but that's just a guess (odds are fairly good that it is too though I would have thought).

[themanwithapc]

TV: The Samsung is a decent model but I think it's been out a while, so have a look at the Sony, Toshiba, Sharp and Panasonic range of 40" 1080P models too. For the best advice, have a look at avforums. I was just browsing yesterday and seemed to come to the conclusion that the latest Sony and Sharp 1080P models are very highly rated. Make sure that you aren't being denied a better set for just a few quid more. Ideally, demo the TVs at a showroom near you with your own material.

5.1 surround: I've heard good things about the Pioneer and it's sound quality, so it should be OK especially for someone getting their first surround sound system.

Upscaling DVD player: I'm sure you can get cheap upscaling players but their quality is likely to vary. Out of curiousity is there any way to connect a PC to your TV? A lot of 1080P TVs accept 1:1 over VGA and it is likely to cost the price of a VGA cable. Other than that, I'd recommend Oppo. (LINK)

[Gruce]

The links look good to DVD Players but will need to dig a little deeper to find out what a more expensive player can justify. I wasn't looking to spend as much as the Oppo costs to be frank.

I will investigate other screens on the market, the Samsung is ment to be very good from what I have heard, on par with the Song W Series. Then again these sets arn't the latest. The newer Samsung includes a USB port (I think) and an upconvertor to 100Hz.

Thanks for the ideas so far.

[Lyris]

If you're not willing to spend about 130-150 pounds on a progressive scan/upscaling DVD player, then there's really no point in buying one at all unless all you plan to watch is NTSC movies. The cheaper ones don't do a better job than the TV's own internal processing and don't lock onto the PAL 2:2 cadence properly, so in other words, movement looks jaggy when it shouldn't - just like it probably would if you connected directly to the TV.

OppoShop (the European Oppo branch) have sent me their latest player (the DV-980H) and they're in the process of implementing the bug fixes and corrections I mentioned to them. I'll keep you posted on how that works out - if they can fix the last few issues then it'll be a total must have. It should come in at around £130.

[Gruce]

Ah might look into an Oppo then see how much money I have left over. Does the TV look good, I know you're a Sony man Lyris but any feedback. Might opt for an Oppo I think now.

[Lyris]

I've not used the Samsung LE40M87 but have only good things to say about Samsung's SPVA panels. A smart choice in my opinion, I wouldn't buy any other type of LCD panel (just watch out for Clouds).

Also, if for whatever reason that doesn't work out, I have a Sony KDL-40W2000 which I'm very happy with. You can get them online for about £800 now.

[Pezley]

instead of the 40m go for the 40f8 range, its the only lcd that i would ever choose over a plasma.has 100hz which can be turned off on whenever, and produces the most lively pic ive seen even over a pio lx508

[Gruce]

Is the F86 the newest model of the Samsungs? The 40 inch costs about ?250 more than the M87, I don't know loads about TV's I must admit but is this 100Hz Up-Conversion worth the extra ?250?

I am only drawn to F86 and the Sony W2000, I think I will opt for the newer Samsung since I'd rather have the newest model I can afford. What do you think, sorry about all the questions, when I buy something big I always obsess.

[EvilBoris]

My Toshiba was one of the first to have proper 100hz, and it makes the world of difference to everyday viewing. It really does smooth out the juddering, watching the credits on a film really shows the judder, turn it on and it has gone.