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Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

King Hotpants posted:

DLP rianbows

gaming lag on flatscreens
Both of those can be huge issues. I had a set that was completely worthless for gaming due to lag on non progressive input. I also am ultra sensitive to rainbows, and while they don't give me migraines like some people I know it completely ruins the experience for me. Playing an FPS on a single chip wheel driven DLP set drives me up the wall.

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Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

Grumbletron 4000 posted:

I dont want to poo poo up the thread with this, but unless I'm mistaken, HDTV = a wide screen. Whats the model # on that thing? If I'm wrong and thats an HD I'll buy you a cookie.

They made 4:3 hd CRT's. They have an option to compress the guns so that they project only in a 16:9 format allowing for utilization of the full HD resolution on 16:9 content. They were great for people that wanted an HD set, but had 90% of their material in a 4:3 format.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

illcendiary posted:

Goddamn adults with your salaries that let you buy this stuff. One day I'll be able to :argh:

Save up, I haven't posted my setup yet but I live in the dorms and still have a fun little center. It took me years of buying and saving as a student but I have it now.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

TehKrond posted:

As a college student with a bunch of parts that could possibly make up a a/v setup, it's moreabout the having a nice/usable space and a huge TV than anything else. All I need is one mic, one room, one 5,000 tv...

my entire room pretty much revolves around my setup. I have a 76 inch screen and an HD projector. A friend described it as "it's like I am being hosed by the movie" which is true.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

Keep in mind this is my dorm room, so I am working with what I can in a 10'x13' room.

-Draper High Contrast grey 73" manual pulldown- hard to mount a motor drive in a dorm or apartment.
-Sanyo z5
-Panasonic SA-XR57
-Toshiba 24" CRT, model I forget, Does vertical compression(yay anamorphic on an SD set) Plan on replacing it later this year with a 26" HD LCD.
-Pair of JBL bookshelf speakers, model escapes me. Decent speakers. They will make great channels when I get more space and replace them with towers.
-PS2
-Xbox
-Xbox360
-Gamecube
-Cheapo component Switch running to an Inday signal repeater. Good for up to 300ft!
-My mediaPC, aka big black box on top. DVR, jukebox, retro gaming? Hell yes.

The screen isn't actually that high up. The distortion of the camera lens and the format make it look that way. I built the furniture as an attractive stopgap while I get something more permanent. The blue is a fabric panel. I couldn't paint so I worked around it. Overall I like the setup, and it never fails to impress on some level.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

King Hotpants posted:

Not only is the setup pretty incredible for a dorm room, but you picked a hell of a projector. I love that thing. :D Sanyo really hit it out of the park this year, I think. Is it working out well for you?

It is a great projector. I actually upgraded this year with a bit of luck from my z3(I managed to sell it for the cost of my z5). I originally got it because of its flexibility. I preferred that years panasonic in the price range, but I loved how flexible the z3 was. The z3 was a nice machine, but the z5 is just so much nicer. Better blacks, better contrast, less screendoor, better color. Really, it is just a great upgrade. I get rainbows like mad so DLP was never an option, and the z5 is about on par visually with the baseline DLP options.

About the only downside was it had slightly less horizontal lens shift which meant I had to adjust my setup, and it is bigger. However it also runs much cooler and much quieter. The automatic lens cover was a surprise too.

Really I like it a lot. For small apartment living it is just great. The JBL's have just enough range in the low end to not feel too flat, but they never disturb the neighbors. I have heard better speakers, but for the price and use they are perfect. When the time comes getting a pair of tower fronts and moving them to the back will serve me perfectly. They are decent fronts as far as shelves go, and will be overkill for surrounds. The projector is nice because its easy to move and flexible in its placement.

I miss my apartment setup to be honest. This has some of the features, but not all of them. I also have a couple of 6 foot memory foam fill beanbag couches in storage (great for theater flopping,casual and fun) and IR controlled accent lighting(you can kind of see it in the speaker stand and wall light, but I have a better setup at home.

I need to replace the component switch, if only because it was an ugly stopgap solution.

Getting a gray screen was also the best thing I ever did. At this size with the lumen output I have the whites are still bright, but it really helps if I want some ambient light on, and in the dark things pop so much more.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

King Hotpants posted:

Primo, if you get the chance, I'd love to see what it'd look like with a piece of white posterboard next to it, like a side-by-side shot.

I know that taking a picture of a projected image doesn't really tell us poo poo, but it'd be educational to hear your observations. I'm always looking to help people who want a projector but can't quite afford a good screen.

I'll keep rolling with Stewart though :D

You can get a low end gray draper luma for under 200. As long as your pushing over 1000 lumens and are under 100inches it keeps strong.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

King Hotpants posted:

Sonny, back in my day, we were lucky to get 300 ANSI out of a good HT projector, and we appreciated every drat lumen, too.

I AM OLDER THAN YOU

So why don't you go play with your HTiB AND and your 2002 30 inch plasma!

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

King Hotpants posted:

30 inch plasmas are for sissies. Projectors on 100" screens are where it's at. ;)

I prefer using the porn DPI measurement when trying to determine screen size (dicks per inch).

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

JBark posted:

Just finished this setup about a month ago, finally got the go ahead to order the chairs (click for huge):



Specs:
Denon 3803
Xbox 360
Some cheapo Phillips upconverting DVD player
Fluance SX-HTB+, plus 2 extra surround speakers
PartsExpress 12" Dayton Sub
Sanyo Z4
Screen is just Kilz primer on the wall and a fabric wrapped frame on top

You should really paint either the screens wall or the entire room in a darker tone. It will seriously help make your movies pop if you dump the white.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

Omegaslast posted:

I thought it was a panasonic plasma but now that you mention it it looks like one of the older gen samsung DLPs... i dont really know since i just grabbed it off the orb audio website. If it is a recessed DLP then im surprised their house hasnt burned down.

That is a DLP for sure,I have owned that very tv. Most likely, if it is like many inmount setups I have seen, the back opens into an audio closet probable accessed from an adjoining hall.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

wolrah posted:

Very lucky. I'm not extremely sensitive to rainbows, but I could easily see them if I looked for them on my X1 thanks to the slow color wheel. It never bothered me during movies (not even Sin City) but definitely showed when testing it.

I had to completely swear off DLP after playing Halo2 on one. I don't even like the game that much, but since you have to focus on the cros hair(bright spot) half the game is nothing but blurring rainbows for me.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

aaronp posted:

Because on digital 5.1 (and up) audio, the majority of the dialog goes through the center channel?

Which is very useful when it comes to dealing with levels. The big thing I miss from moving from my 5.1 setup to a stereo setup is being able to just turn up the center channels volume on quiet dialog tracks.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

Dogcow posted:

True, I didn't think of that. However in the larger 'surround sound' sense it's not doing much at all and if you want to control levels there are far less expensive and simpler ways to do so, like having a graphic equalizer.

I know, but having a center channel is nice since you can just completely isolate 95% of the dialog in a film.

I am moving in a week an pretty excited to get setup in a real space. opportunity to buy a couple of couches and get my IR lighting back in place.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006
Nice use of those LED counter lights for ambient lighting! I use a pair of Halogens mounted in my speaker stands connected to an IR controlled dimmer. Works great. I really wish someone made some color cycling LED bars for use as AV ambient lighting.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

McCracAttack posted:



I need to throw something colorful in there.

I would recommend stretching a large canvas, something that can frame your setup, and painting some flat colors in layers. A darker, cooler value, a more middling value and a more saturated value. Be really loose with the brush and leave a lot of stroke marks, don't worry about perfect coverage. If you do it right you should get a splash of color with some depth thanks to the subtle texture, but it will fit in with the simplicity of what you have.

Same idea but in a triptych setup would be very nice too, and probably break up the wall better.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

Eponymous Synonym posted:

Would it be Kosher to post just an audio system...?

I am small and stupid and lazy, I apologize.

A number of people have posted what are more or less just audio systems so why not. Awesome speakers impress me more than TV's anyways.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

dum2007 posted:



I know people bag on ikea, but I have that same cheap rear end couch and I love it. I moved, suddenly needed a new, cheap couch, and it fit the bill perfectly. Considering a similar, minimalist couch was going for 1200 I think I made the right decision.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

dum2007 posted:

Yep. While it's not as long as I'd like, which makes it uncomfortable to sleep on, it definitely does the job. It's just the right height from the ground to slouch into. I can toss the cover in the washing machine or get a new one if there's a spill.

Also, there's a black/black Poang barely shown in that picture. That chair is gods gift to man.

I find it surprisingly comfortable too, and the design makes it easy to upholster like a normal couch if wanted. I am actually picking up some new feed because I hate the silver ones, and grabbing some cheap upholstery to use for the middle section. Surprising comfy for a 250 dollar love seat.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

Corbet posted:

I hate to sound like some type of elitist snob but 106" Projection and no HD-DVD or Blu-Ray? :cry:

Because unless you want to lock into the HD-dvd camp a blueray player is almost half the price of the projector itself for a limited library. I have hundreds of DVD's, a projector, and I dont see myself going with HD-DVD or Blueray until their libraries stop sucking or the players drop in price.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

Thoogsby posted:

Not trying to sound smug but I'm very curious as to what you would need 1500 gigs of space for. Christ that's a lot.

Great looking setup too.

If you want a diskless setup then it is pretty easy to have those DVD images start taking up a ton of space. I could easily fill 1.5tb with dvd images. For HD media 1.5 is peanuts.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

DoktorLoken posted:

I managed to score an old display model Sony KDL32S2010 for $200 today along with a nice tech craft stand for $39 (also display).

My new setup is as follows:

Paradigm Atom monitors (current version)
Onkyo TX-SR504 receiver
Sony KDL32S2010, 32" LCD

Any recommendations on a cheap DVD player? Should I worry about upscaling or let the TV do the scaling?

200 off the tv or 200 for it? I mean, I thought I got a wicked deal on my KDL-v32Xbr2 for 750 but drat.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

DoktorLoken posted:

$200 for the TV. It was a display model that we had forgotten about in the store so it kept taking automatic markdowns for a year until we found it. Last week I found an open box 3rd gen 8GB Nano for $79.99 at Best Buy. I must have good karma or something.

Since you have an XBR2 (Same model year as the 2010 I believe), what are the differences it between it and the S2010?

As far as I know the xbr2 is the "premium" series so it has a better contrast ratio, color and a few minor things. This year they have the same equivalents plus a low end model, and while I can see how mine is "better" I don't think most people would notice. Considering the price difference it was only worth it because of the discount.

For what I spent on it I have no real complaints.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006
You have some nice equipment but for the love of god get an interior designer.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

Mike Hock posted:

Trust me, I really don't care. I understand that not everyone is going to like a certain look and some people might say oh, you're a black guy why do you have all this Asian stuff instead of some African art or something but I made my choice. I was going go with the African theme but I've always had an affinity for Asian stuff and I just dig the vibe when I walk into the house. It has a real calming effect on me.

There have been some kickass setups posted here with that clean post-modern look and some of them have looked really nice. Others just look too cold and barren to me, especially some of that Ikea stuff. I was raised by my grandmother so I guess that explains my love for the frilly poo poo. Plus the ones on the side tables hide my surround speakers since I can see them through the glass table and I didn't really like that.

Thanks for the links, I'll definitely check them out.

I wasn't even really thinking the stuff. You could take all of that stuff and arrange it in a less tacky way. 3 big things I can think off just strait off to make the room more presentable are painting the walls because the room is to light, dumping all this black and white modern stuff that looks tacky as hell, and rearranging the furniture to actually give the room movement.

Seriously the asian thing isn't the issue, the fact that it all looks like it came from the dollar bin of the asian flea market is. The eclectic look only works with nice pieces. Why buy a house if you aren't going to actually take the time to make it look decent. You don't have to live in an ikea catalog, and I would prefer if less people did, but this is an affront to interior design.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006
Proof that if you work yourself to death you can still afford nice things while in college.



I have been putting off taking photos because I have been waiting weeks for my shelves and lamps to be delivered, but I am tired of waiting and decided to just post the AV part.

Media PC running media portal on my Sony KDL-V32xbr2

Panasonic SA-XR57 Driving my JBL E30's which probably won't win any awards but have served me well, and will eventually be my rear surrounds when I get a larger apt.

Some Samsung up converting Player that I completely forget the model number.

Of course the 360 and a ps2

Not pictured: MY inday component amp that is splitting the signal between the set and my not pictured Sanyo Z5 which is ceiling mounted(don't tell my landlord!). The screen is a pull down high contrast gray dalite placed above the picture frames. Makes fighting games fun as hell, and with a bit of work 4 v 4 halo2 in the same room makes for a good time.

All furniture was built and finished by myself and my father, and I like to think it looks pretty decent. Aluminum legs are courtesy Ikea. I would like to thank Ikea for saving me 50 dollars, the cost of similar legs from a furniture parts wholesaler. Pictures still need colored matting but I hate cutting them.

lovely cable management is because I just reorganized, and when I added the 360 I ended up 1 component input short. I am waiting for my matrix switch and cables before I bother cleaning it up.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

Overture posted:

As much as I'd love a table from Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel, I simply don't have the money to spend after purchasing the HDTV. I'm also in the middle of moving into a new apartment, so other furniture is coming first.

Anyone have any recommendations for someone with a $200 budget? Should I just go to Ikea and call it a day?

One of the reasons I wanted to start working on a kick rear end home theater is so I always have something I can upgrade and work on, I don't need the best of everything right now. That said, I don't want to set my $1,500 LCD on a TV stand that is going to fall apart.

This might sound crazy but walmart. At least over here they have a couple of very solid HDTV stands for around 150 that don't look half bad especially when you look at the cost of regular ones.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

gret posted:

That's very nice! Do you also have a low-profile couch? The TV seems to be sitting a bit low.

The bottom of the tv is about 14.5 inches off the ground. I keep it a bit low because the projector screen is right above it, since it is a secondary set the height isn't that big of a deal. It takes a slight adjustment but it isn't fatiguing like having a tv set too high, and it is great for when you have a bunch of people over sitting on the floor gaming.

The couch is fairly low to the ground too.

Juriko fucked around with this message at 08:14 on Jan 29, 2008

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

mo- posted:

What is that keyboard and where can I get it?

Apples bluetooth wireless keyboard. Get it online or at an apple sales place.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

The Dave posted:

I have to say, am I the only one who thinks that in a scenario like this wall mounting just looks worse? You have a stand right there underneath it, you might as well make the TV eye level and get rid of that bad looking huge chord that hangs down the wall.

I think wall mounts, in general, look bad. They obviously have applications, and can look slick, but most people end up with a tv mounted near a boxy stand which looks silly and looks bad. Those stands with an arm that you mount on are pretty slick though.

I think you need slim component shelves that can float below the set, inset shelves near the tv or a component closet for it to actually look good.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

Martytoof posted:

For what it's worth, your handmade AV furniture looks as good as or better than any other setup I have ever seen. I would easily pay through the nose for furniture that looks like that. I'm actually looking for something similar.

Thanks a a lot. I actually study painting right now in college, and do design work and programming at the college too, so I like to think I have some eye for these things. The actually construction of it is really simple to the point that if you didn't mind wasting a lot of board you could get the things ripped for you at the store with no hassle and just assemble them. As it is the entire thing was done with a chop saw and a skill saw. The finishing is only so-so but most people don't notice. I was getting ready to move so We moved it before the clear-coat fully set which cause mottling. I also should have spent way more time sanding it.

Eventually I would like to redo them and actually spend more than a day on the construction. They look good enough as is, but could be dynamite with real craftsmanship. I am getting the matching shelves in tomorrow which I am excited about.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

the letter b posted:


Good idea - for some reason I didn't even think about painting it. Good idea about the rug, too - I think I'd like something small for under the table but that's about all. I really like my floors and don't particularly want to cover them up a great deal.

It is more about visually breaking up the space. By getting a rug for the area between the couch and the TV that space will feel more uniform and solid. The trick is getting a color and shade that enhances the look of the surrounding hardwoods.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

sexellent posted:

Phillyt- you don't have to wait that long, I'm only 24. You can do it!

Omegaslast- The russound volume control is an analog multi-switch, the control will change when the full house automation goes in. For now I leave all the volume controls turned down and only turn up the rooms I want sound in.

.Nathan. The whole main board and a few minor parts were replaced by Samsung along with a firmware update. I watch glorious blue ray all day long without stuttering or TBE. Why the "Nope..."?

You can't when you are single in an area were a small condo is 350,000+. The rent on my studio is more than the mortgage of some of my family members per month, and I don't even have a nice apartment.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

therapy posted:

You think Seattle's bad, move to the Bay Area. A two bedroom condo in a safe (not necessarily nice - just safe) neighborhood is $450,000 at least.

Want to buy a house? $600,000 for a safe neighborhood for a 1000-1200 square foot house that's 40 years old.

Seattle is getting there if you don't want to live in the "greater seattle area". Fix'em ups right next to the high school near here are going fro 500,000.

That 350,000 dollar condo is a studio, I mean, I recognize the bay area is even more ridiculous as is a lot of California but it still hurts. As of last year we were considered the most overvalued city when it comes to cost of living which stings.

Basically we are all hosed. Luckily I don't mind small living spaces and renting so I can put up with it for now!

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

sigma 6 posted:

How are you guys running your cables between your projector and your reciever?
Which format is best for this?
HDMI? Component? VGA?

Component is a lot of cables to run very far.
HDMI is expensive and for some reason randomly stops working with my Vista install.
VGA is a much thicker cable and isn't ideal for HD. Not to mention the signal degrades a lot after a few feet.
RCA doesn't work with HD.

I live an an apartment so I can't do much to hide cables, so I run them under my rug in a trap. I use component because I have a Inday signal splitting amp. No visible degradation, and it can output to my primary set and the projector which is sweet at parties, and makes it so I don't have to switch between the two all the time. Inday now sells a signal splitting component matrix switch with amping that looks like it would be awesome for most people with just 3-4 components to worry about.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

Agedashi Tofu posted:

Apparently I was having lighting issues when I went to take these, because they look terrible. I was, of course, too lazy to go back downstairs and take new pictures once I noticed this - mainly because I'm sick of my 2nd hand craigslist furniture and will hopefully be posting my new and improved set up sometime next month after I've done some shopping.

Actually I must say that the craigslist furniture is not bad looking at all. I mean, maybe it is horrible in person or something but as it is I think it looks fine. It works with the space. If anything I would work on hemming the curtains and spicing up the windows and walls.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

Agedashi Tofu posted:

Like most assemble yourself furniture, it has gotten a bit wobbly over time and I have to tighten down the screws and such around once a month. They do look nice though and I don't plan to replace them if I can get new furniture that matches them alright.

If you don't intend to take them back apart just get some thread-lock or even superglue. Most assemble yourself furniture can be built rock solid as long as you actually use some glue were there is glue on real furniture. In reality it is the glue that holds together any woodworking project, or weld in case of metal. Even the cheapest ikea table can be made rock solid with some woodglue.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

Twlight posted:

If I we're to put two Ikea lack tv stands next to each other, how would I best secure them so when I put my tv in the center there isn't any shifting?

If you are talking about two of these http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00105323 I would most likely use wood glue on all the joints, set them up next to one another, clamp them, drill 4 holes through the two sides that are butting up against each other, and then attach them with some bolts, washers and wing nuts. This will allow the two units to be rock solid, but you can unbolt them when you move so you don't have this 100+ inch monster to move.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

Dunderhead posted:

I got the shelving unit at Target, and I think it was around $70 (here in St. Louis) a few months ago. The wood is pretty sturdy, and I knew it was a good product when I picked up the box at the store and felt how heavy it was; I think I spotted the same shelf in another goon's setup pic.

Weight isn't much of a sign of quality. Compressed board weighs way more then plain wood. A veneered particle board will weigh more than solid wood because it is far more dense.

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Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

TenementFunster posted:

yes i've checked all the usual places and nothing is grabbing me thus far

Look everywhere. Hell even walmart and target carry simple black audio piers.

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