Home cinema virgin

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My wife and I have finally decided to go down the home cinema route. We intend to buy a new DVD player, AV receiver and speakers now and then upgrade our TV in the next year or 2. Due to cost we can't do it all now. My TV is a Panasonic TX-32PM11F which has 2 scart inputs and obviously is not HD. The room the equipment will be used in is a long rectangular room with dining table in one end and tv in other end. Because of this we will be sitting across from the tv on the short side of the rectangle at a distance of 3.5m.

So what to buy to future proof myself?

As per the Whathifi awards, I'm looking at getting a Sony PS3 with an Onkyo TX-SR605 and the Tannoy Mercury F1 speakers.

Because of the odd shaped room, how will this sound? How many others of you have a similar shaped room? Do I need these speakers if I'm only 3.5m away? If not then what speakers should I purchase?

Should I get the PS3? I like the idea that it can be used as a PVR and can play avi files but having read the blu-ray betamax thread???? With the PVR feature, does this mean I wire it up to my sky box or will it be a standalone freeview box?

I apologise for asking so many questions on my first post.

Looking forward to your replies.

Brendan

 

[Anonymous]

Alrighty then, I have done a room similar to what you are describing. As long as you can get the rear speakers behind the sofa, firing forward, I found that worked best. But, it all comes down to personal taste, so, the best advice would be to experiment. The Tannoy's should be able to fill the space perfectly, and the lack of a physsical back wall shouldn't bother them. As for the PS3, I have one myself, and I can say nothing but good things about it. The PVR ass-on has not been releeased as yet, to my knowledge, but Im pretty sure its just like a freeview USB unit. So, it will receive broadcasts in its own right. Good Luck.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply Richard.

Now for another question....

I presently live just outside of Amsterdam and I watch skyfreeview via a skybox registered to my inlaws UK address. (probably shouldn't admit this on a public forum). I wired up the dish, LNB and receiver myself although there are a few sky installers over here, obviously not official. So, does anyone know if I would just plug the lead from the satellite dish into the PS3 add on thingamajig? Does freeview work like this or is it a different signal? Or would I just wire up the skybox to the PS3 somehow? I still wish to watch UK telly here in The Netherlands.

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Replies are what I'm here for. And as for your next question, I dont have a clue, I'm sorry to say. The main reason for this is I haven't seen the PVR add-on hardware. But, if, and this is a big IF, it works how I think it might, the only connections on it will probably be a aerial coax input to pick up airbourne DVB-T. If you are lucky, they may include more connections on it, like AV inputs of somekind, to give you the ability to use it like a DVD recorder, except saving to the PS3s HDD obviously.