Your Home Entertainment Center

[Huntn]

I have a 2 year old Visio 65” 4k TV, purchased for $850, a real bargain, with an outstanding picture. The most expensive TV we ever purchased was about $2400, the 65” large projection TV that was part of a component with rollers back when HD was first a thing. I was walking into Costco the other day and you can buy a $3000 TV if you want. I never imagined 80” wall TVs and I am waiting for the modular screens where you build the TV to any size you like, turning it into a wall TV. 🙂

You can pay $5k for a TV if you want:

ProjectorScreen.com

The authority on all things projection

www.projectorscreen.com

This says modular, but you can’t build the size:

Samsung Unveils “The Wall,” the World’s First Modular MicroLED 146-inch Display

The 146-inch modular display featuring self-emitting MicroLED technology will be one of many display innovations presented at this year’s 2018 First Look event

news.samsung.com

 

[MissNomer]

I have a 2 year old Visio 65” 4k TV, purchased for $850, a real bargain, with an outstanding picture. The most expensive TV we ever purchased was about $2400, the large projection TV that was part of a component with rollers. I was walking into Costco the other day and you can buy a $3000 TV if you want. I never imagined 80” wall TVs and I am waiting for the modular screens where you build the TV to any size you like, turning it into a wall TV. 🙂

You can pay $5k for a TV if you want:

ProjectorScreen.com

The authority on all things projection

www.projectorscreen.com

This says modular, but you can’t build the size:

Samsung Unveils “The Wall,” the World’s First Modular MicroLED 146-inch Display

The 146-inch modular display featuring self-emitting MicroLED technology will be one of many display innovations presented at this year’s 2018 First Look event

news.samsung.com

An Optima HD projector on a 98” screen backed up by a Sony STR-DN1070 Receiver with 25 year old B&W 600 Series Fronts, same age B&W CC6 center and Bose surrounds and a Rel Strada Sub (also 25 years old!) - dedicated home theatre in the basement.

 

[tobefirst]

An Optima HD projector on a 98” screen backed up by a Sony STR-DN1070 Receiver with 25 year old B&W 600 Series Fronts, same age B&W CC6 center and Bose surrounds and a Rel Strada Sub (also 25 years old!) - dedicated home theatre in the basement.

We are getting bids to have our basement finished right now with the goal of hanging a projector down there. Hoping we can afford it.

 

[Ulenspiegel]

I have a Sony TV set and a Pioneer system (Blu-Ray, DVD players, amplifier, speakers etc.). And a dedicated mediabox.
In my bedroom a JVC TV set, Sony Blue-ray player and a dedicated mediabox.

 

[Thomas Veil]

I’ve got an old 55” TV which is showing its age. It’s losing its ability to smooth color gradations and fade-ins and fade-puts. Still, I’m one of those guys who’ll hold onto something until it literally dies.

(The TV’s also a JVC—not a name you see much anymore.)

I’ve got that matched to a Visio sound bar and subwoofer and a one year old Sony Blu-ray player.

Not exactly a home theater, but it does the job.

 

[Herdfan]

I jumped into HD hard back in the early 2000's. I told my wife it was house jewelry. LOL

My first HDTV was a Hitachi 55" rear projection I bought in 2003. Moved into current house in 2005 and as part of the deal, they had to leave their 50" Panasonic plasma. Now for a 720p TV, it had the best picture of any of them. Even better than the 70" Sony SRDX 1080p I picked up in 2007 on clearance. And that was a great TV as well.

But my current viewing apparatus is a cheap Epson projector on a 110" screen. And by cheap, like $600 in 2014. When my daughter entered HS, we took her playroom and I build a home theater. Figured it would be a place for all the kids to hang out where we would know where they were and what they were doing. It was a 24x20 room, but I had to shrink it some because for audio you don't want a room to be a multiple. So I build a closet along one side making it 21x20. The rear row has 4 theater chairs 14" above the floor, the front row has a nice comfy couch. An old fashioned popcorn maker sits on a counter in the back. Under the counter is all the equipment.

The audio is driven by a Denon X6200 into some old Polk speakers that I basically stole from Circuit City as they were going out of business. I added the upper front speakers in 2017 giving me 9.1 sound. The crown jewel is a 2X12" sub driven by a 625W amp. It can flat shake the house if you are watching something like Das Boot.

If we were staying, I would upgrade to a 4K projector, but at this point I just want the Epson to last. I think the theater will sell the house. We plan on having a movie playing during showings. 🙂

And the room served its purpose. On any weekend night, there were multiple kids in there watching movies. Now it is kind of sad when it is just the two of us.

In the new house, we will have my mom's Sony 80" 4K. She kept buying bigger so she could see with her macular degeneration. She had a 70" before that, which is now in the offspring's apartment.

Sources are DirecTV, Apple TV, Oppo BR player, Hitachi HD-DVD player and yes, a VCR. All controlled by a URC MX-880 remote.

Lot's of small Samsung's around the house like in the kitchen, my office, guest room etc.

 

[Herdfan]

An Optima HD projector on a 98” screen backed up by a Sony STR-DN1070 Receiver with 25 year old B&W 600 Series Fronts, same age B&W CC6 center and Bose surrounds and a Rel Strada Sub (also 25 years old!) - dedicated home theatre in the basement.

Very nice speakers.

I wish I had the ears to tell subtle differences, but I don't. Especially when it is movies and not music. Did listen to some Vienna Acoustics playing a live version of Seven Bridges Road. Sounded really great.

Always wanted some Paradigms. Not really sure why, but like them for some reason.

But, dump the Bose. 😉

 

[Ulenspiegel]

I’ve got an old 55” TV which is showing its age. It’s losing its ability to smooth color gradations and fade-ins and fade-puts. Still, I’m one of those guys who’ll hold onto something until it literally dies.

(The TV’s also a JVC—not a name you see much anymore.)

I’ve got that matched to a Visio sound bar and subwoofer and a one year old Sony Blu-ray player.

Not exactly a home theater, but it does the job.

I love JVC.

My first TV set was a JVC when I was young. It served me without any problems for many-many years. I am biased emotionally.

Thomas, here you go, mate: JVC TVs today. 🙂

 

[Thomas Veil]

Nice! I especially like the narrow black and silver strip at the bottom, since it matches my sound bar almost exactly.

I actually chose a JVC because of my experience with their professional equipment. In a job I had long ago we had JVC editing gear, and it was great. Better than Sony or Panny, IMHO.

Did you get your TV at Costco? That was and is literally the only place I’ve seen them for sale.

 

[Ulenspiegel]

No, in my country they sell it in a number shops.

It is a simple set, but with wonderful colors, easy to operate. As I have a dedicated mediabox I did not need a smart TV.

 

[EricWN]

We have an older LG 47” tv in the living room that refuses to die and a Bose 700 soundbar with matching sun and satellites in white. Connected are an Apple TV, a PS5 and a Switch.

In my office there are two original HomePods running as a pair, a BW P7 Headphone for music listening, a set of AirPods Pro for calls, meetings and bedtime listening and some older Bose wired headset for drumming purposes.

 

[Huntn]

I’ve got an old 55” TV which is showing its age. It’s losing its ability to smooth color gradations and fade-ins and fade-puts. Still, I’m one of those guys who’ll hold onto something until it literally dies.

(The TV’s also a JVC—not a name you see much anymore.)

I’ve got that matched to a Visio sound bar and subwoofer and a one year old Sony Blu-ray player.

Not exactly a home theater, but it does the job.

At Costco recently, they had a 65” major brand for $900, and the picture looked good!

 

[SouprMatt]

I love JVC.

My first TV set was a JVC when I was young. It served me without any problems for many-many years. I am biased emotionally.

Thomas, here you go, mate: JVC TVs today. 🙂

Just FYI - JVC no longer makes TVs. Other companies make TVs and JVC puts their name on them.

If you buy a JVC TV in Europe, it’s probably made in Turkey by this company.

TV - VESTEL

vestelinternational.com

I ran into a similar realization when I thought it would be cool to buy an Android cameraphone made by “Kodak” - it was definitely not made by Kodak. Another company made it, Kodak slapped their name on it. It was junk.

 

[Ulenspiegel]

Yes, Matt. It is like with almost anything in this globalized world.

You buy a "Swiss made" watch, but actually almost all parts are made in China.

I would love to see a "Made in USA" line on the back of my iPhone.

 

[EricWN]

Yes, Matt. It is like with almost anything in this globalized world.

You buy a "Swiss made" watch, but actually almost all parts are made in China.

I would love to see a "Made in USA" line on the back of my iPhone.

Made in USA would be interesting, if a bunch of highly sophisticated robots put the pieces together and if the components were assembled there as well.

 

[Huntn]

Yes, Matt. It is like with almost anything in this globalized world.

You buy a "Swiss made" watch, but actually almost all parts are made in China.

I would love to see a "Made in USA" line on the back of my iPhone.

Me too. We may see a test of the soundness of globalization if and when hostilities break out involving the manufacturing countries our Western capitalists have blessed. 🤔

 

[Thomas Veil]

At Costco recently, they had a 65” major brand for $900, and the picture looked good!

One thing I hate about my house is that the structure of my room is restrictive; the locations of the patio door, fireplace and other accoutrements give me extremely limited options for large TV placement. Mrs. Veil has already nixed one option, so that left me a single corner in which 55" is the biggest I can go.

So I'll just have to go on envying the much larger TVs at other people's houses. 😐

 

[Ulenspiegel]

Just FYI - JVC no longer makes TVs. Other companies make TVs and JVC puts their name on them.

If you buy a JVC TV in Europe, it’s probably made in Turkey by this company.

TV - VESTEL

vestelinternational.com

I ran into a similar realization when I thought it would be cool to buy an Android cameraphone made by “Kodak” - it was definitely not made by Kodak. Another company made it, Kodak slapped their name on it. It was junk.

Well, as I wrote in our globalized world you can never know who really produces the item you buy.

JVC remained Japanese, headquartered in Yokohama. True that it outsourced the European TV production and distribution to Turkish Vestel. If you buy Toshiba, Hitachi or Polaroid in Europe they all will be made by Vestel. The latter by the way is the largest TV producer in Europe with more than 8 million units sold, accounting for a quarter of the European market.

When I bought my Sony TV set, it was the top of the line. It was made in Spain. The Toyota cars at my workplace were produced in Turkey, Mitsubishi in China. Nowdays if you buy an Opel car it is a rebadged Peugeot, Nissan is a rebadged Renault all produced in France and not Germany or Japan.

And we can do nothing about it. I decided not to dwell on this problem at all with some exceptions. I bought a new car that is made in Germany, in Cologne. I bought a new watch (I promise the las one) made in Switzerland 100% and not only 60% as it is required by the Swiss Law enabling using the "Swiss Made" sign and fortunately Montblanc pens are still made in Germany, in Hamburg.

 

[EricWN]

Well, as I wrote in our globalized world you can never know who really produces the item you buy.

JVC remained Japanese, headquartered in Yokohama. True that it outsourced the European TV production and distribution to Turkish Vestel. If you buy Toshiba, Hitachi or Polaroid in Europe they all will be made by Vestel. The latter by the way is the largest TV producer in Europe with more than 8 million units sold, accounting for a quarter of the European market.

When I bought my Sony TV set, it was the top of the line. It was made in Spain. The Toyota cars at my workplace were produced in Turkey, Mitsubishi in China. Nowdays if you buy an Opel car it is a rebadged Peugeot, Nissan is a rebadged Renault all produced in France and not Germany or Japan.

And we can do nothing about it. I decided not to dwell on this problem at all with some exceptions. I bought a new car that is made in Germany, in Cologne. I bought a new watch (I promise the las one) made in Switzerland 100% and not only 60% as it is required by the Swiss Law enabling using the "Swiss Made" sign and fortunately Montblanc pens are still made in Germany, in Hamburg.

A car from my city of choice- is it a Ford?

 

[EricWN]

One thing I hate about my house is that the structure of my room is restrictive; the locations of the patio door, fireplace and other accoutrements give me extremely limited options for large TV placement. Mrs. Veil has already nixed one option, so that left me a single corner in which 55" is the biggest I can go.

So I'll just have to go on envying the much larger TVs at other people's houses. 😐

How about a retractable canvas and a projector?