Early adopter needs to upgrade plasma monitor

[admin_exported]

Hi, hoping someone can help.

On converting my garage to a playroom and study 4 years ago, I took the plunge and had some "home cinema" built into the two new rooms.  Current system consists of Hitachi 42" 42PD5300 plasma, without speakers, housed flush into a hole in the wall in the playroom together with a 5 speaker B&W in wall/ceiling system.  The Hitachi monitor is hooked up to an AV3000E TV receiver in the study via a DVI cable buried in the wall and running between the two rooms.  The receiver has a standard TV arial feed (not really used), a Sky+ feed, and a DVD feed from an Arcam DV78 also in the study.  These sources feed an Arcam AVR 200, again in the study, powering the B&W speakers through buried QED cabling throughout.  I'm now looking to upgrade to HD (the Hitachi is not HD ready) but wondering how this can be best achieved given I'm limited by the size of the hole in the wall as to what monitor I can use (monitor needs to be 105 cm by 65 cm max) and that I can't change the DVI cable for HDMI.  Will upgrade the Sky + box to Sky + HD or FreeSat.  I can't switch the DVI cable to HDMI as this is well and truely buried in the wall.  

So what options do I have regards a new monitor?  Will I still need an external receiver?  Will I also need to upgrade my amp to make the most of the new sound formats and the fact the Arcam has no HDMI ins or outs?   Should I even bother given the Hitachi cost me £3300 4 years ago and is probably worth diddly squat now?!?

Appreciate your advice please. 

 

[professorhat]

Well, you can get a DVI to HDMI converter (or HDMI to DVI if necessary) which solves the issue of hooking your DVI lead up to the HDMI socket on a new TV. As for getting one exactly the same size and the sound upgrade, looks like quite a project! Might be best to speak to a local dealer on your options and decide from the sort of prices you are getting back as to whether you want to go down this route.

 

[Cofnchtr]

Hi,

There are a fwe TV's on the market which come within your size constraints.

As 'the prof' sez, buy a convertor to allow connections to be made and Bob's yer proverbial parent's brother.

Dolby Digital is the best you're going to get unless there's a Bluray player or some other means of getting HD content that carries the new sound formats (SKY does DD max - no HD audio).

Are your cables not channelled - by this I mean routed within an enclosure of some description - you could have changed the cables by tying/soldering them together and pulling through the channelling. This would allow upgrade of DVI cable. Either that or get a specialist installer to visit your abode and take the DVI connector off then pull new HDMI cable through in the same way. He can terminate the cables once they're pulled through? You shouldn't need an external TV tuner if you're feeding the monitor a SKY+ or SKY HD feed as this carries all channels anyway. Unless you want to watch something different from what's being shown on the new monitor but if there's a coaxial connection there to feed the new tv with a feed from an external aerial then just connect that up.

Cheers,

Cofnchtr.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks although think I'm still going to have the issue of how I get mutiple feeds (Sky HD and DVD) through the one DVI (with HDMI connectors) lead. ÿThe TV receiver solves that problem today - not aware of any new monitors that come with receivers that can solve this problem in the same way or am I missing something?