Page 1 of Can anyone recommend a budget "Home Cinema" package (please!)??

Hi - I`m looking to buy a budget (cheap!) Home Cinema package - you know - the players with built in DD5.1, a subwoofer and five satellite speakers.

Can anyone recommend any? I`ve seen ones from the following, all around £200-£350: Lg, Bush, Grundig, Goodmans, Venturer.

The main thing it has to do is be able to play R1 discs with no problems (ie remote hackable!).

Cheers!

Hi,

It might also be worth your while thinking of buying a separate DVD player and speaker/amp system.

I have a combination of the Samsung 511 and the Yamaha TSS-1 amplifier and speaker set-up. The Yamaha system only cost me £150 and does the job fine for me (and is 5.1 and DTS compliant through the decoder in the amp). So, with your budget, that gives you a maximum of £200 to get a good player. The beauty of a set-up like this is that you don`t need to worry about the player having built in decoders and the system is controlled easily through your amp. I would also highly recommend getting something which can produce DTS as the difference between 5.1 and DTS, in my opinion, is highly noticeable.

Just something to think about as an alternative.

This item was edited on Saturday, 16th March 2002, 11:22

Damon - thanks for that! Where could I get that Yamaha sound system you described?

It sounds ideal because I already have a dvd player (lg3200) that hasn`t got a built in 5.1 decoder. I wasn`t aware that you could buy the speakers etc. if your player didn`t have a built in decoder!

Any info would be really appreciated!!

CHEERS!

OR, if you can stretch how about getting the Yamaha RXV520RDS amp (DD, DTS) for £179 (list £350 odd)at http://www.richer.co.uk
and the Yamaha NSP320 speaker set for £136 (list £249) at qed - http://www.qed-uk.com/?i=40QAY0eG8L53&bg=216&bp=p320b&v=8

Sort of like a "boosted" Yammy HTiB (which is the 420 and NSP220) but cheaper!

Hulk,

Well, if you`ve already got the player then you`re made :o)

I got my Yamaha set-up from the local electronics shop in Portsmouth, but you don`t necessarily need to get this one.

The first thing to do is to ensure that your player is capable of producing 5.1 (and ideally DTS) through an appropriate amp. Looking at Techtronics it appears it is, so that`s good news.

Secondly, go shopping for an amp (a lot of amps can be bought as a package with the speakers too). Make sure your amplifier is 5.1 and DTS compliant, and connect the amp to your LG player via the digital output.

The advantage of having a built-in decoder in your player is that you can bypass the amp, but using an amp tends to give better sound quality and it`s better to control.

You should be able to get a pretty good amp and speakers for your budget of £350 (if you`re still going that far). If you just want a basic set-up and nothing fancy which will blow out the walls in your neighbour`s house then you`ll be able to get away with spending a lot less.

In summary, go to your nearest electronic shop, or go to Richersounds on the net, and find an amp which can produce 5.1 and DTS and some speakers. Use these with your LG and you`ve got a nice cinema system and you`ll wonder how you ever lived without it :o)

Feel free to post again if you have any more questions.

This item was edited on Saturday, 16th March 2002, 17:55