"whosbest54" wrote in message
...
In article , says...
I have a Yamaha receiver that regularly annoys me. It doesn't do any input
conversion, so if I want to run either component, S-video, or digital
sound
(like AC3) I'll have to run everything that way, and of course my gear
doesn't support all that. I also can't replace all my gear, as some of it,
especially the Laserdisc player, aren't made anymore.
Volume is a problem with some of the components. My Boston Acoustics
speakers require a higher input power rating than I consider a comfortable
listening level. I discovered the problem wasn't a blown driver when I
hooked up my laptop to the receiver and dropped its volume and cranked up
the power amp. I need more wattage and the ability to lower independent
volumes for each component.
And I'd like to go Blue Ray so I can start taking advantage of the Blue
Ray
discs with descriptive video on them. I already have a computer in there,
(to play my ripped CD's and downloaded files, as it was easier to just rip
everything and then access it through the computers instead of trying to
find something on a shelf) and with Jaws it'll be fully accessible,
assuming
I find the right applications. Plus I could take advantage of Amazon Prime
and Netflix content, which will have to have descriptive video fairly soon
as an option.
So here's what I'm thinking. I want to get rid of the receiver, pick up a
few power amps to feed the Boston Acoustics speakers, Grab three more
speakers for a 7.1 setup, and then set up the Stereo Computer (A dual core
Dell) as the nexus of my home stereo system.
The Dell has PCI Express slots. I'll swap out the internal DVD-R drive for
a
Blue Ray drive. I'll need inputs for a VCR, (until I get all my VHS tapes
converted -- I have some rare things there that will need custom
conversion,
and I have a friend who's good at this) and the AC3 and video inputs from
the Laserdisc player. A turntable and cassette deck are always nice but
not
mandatory. I'll also want to put a tuner card in the computer in case I
decide to get cable again.
So this is 2-4 inputs, One of which (the VCR, just in case) also needs an
output, and a 7.1 PCI Express card out. I'll need at least two video
inputs
in for the Laserdisc player and the VCR, and AC3 in there somewhere, again
for the Laserdisc player. Four inputs could mean an 8 port audio
interface,
and I'd also need an output card that will support 7.1.
Then I'll need to source some way to get HDMI video into a regular
composite
TV signal for now until I get one of my two projection units troubleshot
and
hung.
After that it's a matter of locating seven channels of power
amplification,
some way to use a remote with the computer, and some applications that I
can
control all of this. I'll probably use IBlink or Winamp for radio
stations,
too.
So:
Anyone know of any good PCI Express 7.1 cards for a reasonable price?
24/96
or better would be a plus.
Anyone know of anything that will let you control a computer with a
remote?
Anyone got any good suggestions on multi-channel power amps at a
reasonable
price? I don't need pro-audio stuff for this, and the room is about
fourteen
feet wide and eighteen feet long for the living room portion of it.
What PCI Express interfaces are good enough to do home audio at a
reasonable
price with at least 8 inputs?
How can I get at least two composite video inputs into the computer? What
about an AC3 input?
How about something that will output video? I probably need only one
additional video output for the VCR.
Anyone have any suggestions for control software for home audio systems? I
want this to be user friendly enough that a roommate or visitor doesn't
need
a thirty minute teaching session to be able to do something to watch a
movie
or listen to music. And being able to control the additional outputs would
also be nice, as my plans are to eventually wire the whole house for
sound,
so I can do a stereo feed to the rest of the house for music in the
bedrooms, kitchen, game room Zen room, and back patio. But the software
also
has to use standard navigation commands so I can navigate without a mouse.
General suggestions on this procedure and all will also be appreciated.
I'm
not in a hurry right now -- I'm in the initial stages of all of this, so
there's a lot of thinking that will happen long before any real serious
purchasing happens. And suggestions of who I might contact for more
information would also be nice.
Thanks for any assistance y'all can provide.
I'm fairly knowledgeable of PCs and home theater (HT) and I don't think
your
plan is very practical. It might be possible to make it work, but by the
time you find everything you need and get software that does it all to
work
the way you want, you may be out a lot of time and money that would be
better
put into a more standard HT setup.
The 2 most significant gaps in the info you provided a
What inputs does your TV have?
What outputs does your PC have?
Once I have that info, I might provide more recommendations, but for
starters, assuming your TV has HDMI inputs:
- Get a decent 7.1 A/V receiver with enough power for your speakers as
proposed that converts all video to HDMI and does HDMI switching. It will
need the necessary audio inputs for all your components as well. Most
decent
A/V receivers will meet your needs, including multi-room audio.
- If your PC has only VGA video and a 2 channel analog output, then you
could
hook the vid out to the TV if it has a RGB/VGA input and the analog audio
to
the new receiver.
A plus would be an HDMI output from the PC you could hook up directly to
the
receiver. It might be worth getting the hardware to do that on the PC,
but
it really depends on what you want to use the PC for. If you are serious
about internet sources being your main form of entertainment, then
consider
it. A new PC with a Blu-Ray drive and HDMI output might not be
tremendously
more expensive than adding the hardware for HDMI and Blu-Ray to your
existing
machine. If your TV only has a HDMI input and no RGB/VGA, then you may
have
to go the HDMI route.
I have a PC with a digital coax audio and VGA out. My LG flat screen
plasma
has a RGB/VGA input and the audio goes to my receiver. I've had great
results with internet sources.
A generic tuner card would work for over the air, but many cable companies
are beginning to encrypt everything and if your cable provider is doing
the same, then you'd need their tuner box or perhaps something CableCard
ready.
The current TV has Composite video, coax, and left and right audio, and
that's it. It's an old CRT TV, probably 28 inches in the screen or so. The
future projection unit is a 3M unit with component and composite video and
VGA in -- it's a pull from a local university.
The computer has the basic array of computer I/O for audio (Mic in, Line In,
Line/speaker out) and HDMI video.
I know a lot about audio engineering for the professional and
semi-professional side of things, and it'd be a lot easier to get an 8
channel stereo mixer and use sends to feed the center, side, and rear
speakers with a crossover from the entire deal for the subwoofer, but that's
a lot more than I'd want in a living room because it would leave anyone
besides me in the dust without a long discussion about how it all worked.
The overriding concern about this and using the computer is one of
accessibility -- my blindness is almost total now after a hypertensive event
right at ten years ago, so something where I can use a screen reader on the
computer would be the main goal. Plus I have a lot of CDs ripped, over 500,
and I'm contemplating the purchase of the complete Mozart set at some point
not too far in the future, which will be an immediate jump of another 170
discs. Having the ability to build playlists and run everything from the
computer is a good thing. And as you mentioned, computers are getting
cheaper all the time, so I can replace it when it gives up for a lot less
money than replacing a stereo component, and since PCI Express seems to be
the popular standard right now going with either that or Thunderbolt seems
to be a good plan for keeping the hardware usable for a good while.