Page 1 of any suggestions on setup

hi i want to replace my entertainment eqiupment i currently have 32" pillips crt and technics seperates with built in dvd , i want to get a new hdtv min 32"and want to do away with my hifi and get a cinema surround sound should i get an all in one with dvd recorder hard disk and radio tuner , i have been looking at the LG HR902TA all in one at £599 it looks good with 1000 watts should sound good aswell or buy seperate i have a budget of £1000 - £1200 any ideas what to get cheers.

I`m a Panasonic fan, so here`s my suggestion:

Viera 32" HD Ready LCD with Freeview tuner
DVD Player Home Cinema System with HDMI Upscaling

Now I know the second link isn`t a DVD Recorder, but Panasonic do have DVD Recorder Home Cinema Systems on the market. Look out for the Viera link (if buying a Viera TV), HDMI upscaling and Freeview tuner as three main features that you need.

Hopefully that`ll get you looking. I only had a bit of time to spare to bring up those examples.

This item was edited on Friday, 21st September 2007, 09:31

thanks for the reply what is viera link

If you read the product description in this link you will see that it explains it.

Basically you use one remote for both the TV and the DVD if they are both Viera (hence Viera link)

It would help to keep things tidy by the chair, I`m sure!

Having skimmed round their website, I don`t think they have yet brought out any DVD Recorder Home Cinema Systems that incorporate HDMI upscaling and Freeview tuner. You can get the whole lot in a DVD player, and you can get it in a DVD Recorder without the speakers, but not all together.

Good luck. Maybe I`m wrong. You need to look through a few retail websites.

i think the lg hr902ta which i mentioned has everything i need but i have not found to many reviews on this but can get it about £100 cheaper on the net do u think its worth it.

The spec is good. Trouble is I have never spoken to a PROUD owner of an LG DVD Recorder. Until I do, I will steer clear!

The only brands of DVD Recorder that I trust for quality are Panasonic and Pioneer. Sony are probably OK, but I get a nervous twitch whenever that brand is mentioned as I don`t like the way they carry on.

The rest of the kit - speakers etc - will probably last for years, but the average life of a DVD Recorder is not much more than a couple of years if you`re lucky. So getting an all-in-one system that includes a recorder is dodgy. That`s why I would personally stick with Panasonic or Pioneer. Panasonic have the edge because they also produce screens, so you get full compatibility.

But as I have said many times before, I am just one person, and am not "always right".

If you want the LG, go for it, but I strongly recommend you take out an extended gaurantee on it (actually I`d advise that for any brand, when talking about spending a significant amount on a DVD Recorder)

thanks for the replys at least your helping i thought more people would help but hey, been shopping around a guy at an hifi said what you said dont buy an all in one incase one thing goes wrong it all goes wrong so i will get seperates i am still open to any ideas thanks.
should i stay away from LG alltogether and other cheap brands

This item was edited on Saturday, 22nd September 2007, 16:16

Well the more I think about it, the more I would suggest you buy the DVD recorder separately and get a Home Cinema system with amp/decoder that doesn`t include a DVD player.

Then it brings the value of the DVD Recorder down considerably. And then you can look a little more freely at the range available. I would strongly suggest that unless you can afford to replace the DVD Recorder in the next 1-2 years, that you take out an extended warranty on it (not necessarily on the other stuff) as they just don`t seem to be terribly reliable at the moment.

I wouldn`t worry about buying LG if you see a sound system or something - and they make good screens, so you may start looking at those! On the whole, the brand is good - it`s just on DVD Recorders that I don`t think they are up to much as yet.

You are obviously on quite a tight budget, so perhaps a look at the Richer Sounds website might throw up some bargains.

When looking at Home Cinema systems, make sure the subwoofer is active, not passive. (That means it is mains powered rather than just running on the power sent down the speaker cable - makes a big difference!)

And if you want your DVD recorder to playback region 1 discs, buy it pre-chipped or make sure a hack is listed on this site or others like it. They aren`t all hackable, so don`t take it for granted.

thanks again looking at the link you gave looks a good site i didnt think buying a new tv ect would be so hard there is that many to look at thanks

wondering what you think of these two i dont know how you put a direct link on ,LG 37LC46 £499, or LOGIK 37LW427 £558 and has full 1080p thanks