Thread: High Definition HTPC with Blu-Ray

thats nice. But i called up a guy in blore for the price, he said its 13k. Can u plz send the source. If its 6k, i m getting it!

k i just chked
Its $250 !!!
link:
[ Hardware.Info ] - LG GGWH20L [GGW-H20L]


cheapest one on newegg is $199.
So, all those guys who wanted to buy 1, have to w8 more.

But, u can get BLuray roms for as low as $85 (Rs 4080).

Originally Posted by Gary4gar

^^^
Wrong!
Blue-ray drives are already retailing around 6k, i saw one in croma
for playing blue-ray you can get a PS3, which comes around 30k. or better use a HTPC.


ANd blank BR disc comes around Rs.200 per disc

Blank discs are Rs750 in Bangalore. Where do u stay man, all stuff is so cheap. Now no more shopping for me in Singapore !

Let me put a full stop on the argument.

• People are calling Blu-ray experience. This term is wrong. The correct term is True (or full) High Definition experience.
• You can have a blu-ray drive on your laptop and even an HD monitor. That does not mean you are getting true HD experience. Yes, I mean it.
• For a true HD experience, you need the following:
  
  • HD source (this may be Blu-ray or (the now defunct) HD-DVD
  • HDMI or DVI connection - component or composite will not do.
  • A TV or minitor whose native resolution is 1920x1080 with progressive scan having HDMI or DVI input
  • Dolby TruHD or DTS HD decoder
  • A 7.1 channel surround sound system with at least 75W per channel
  • A linear amplifier
  • Optional - THX certification

So unless your PC has that all this, I am afraid that you are deluding yourself. On a PC, check the software player. Older versions of PowerDVD/WinDVD etc. were not capable of HD. They will downscale the HD signal to SD and then send it to your monitor. So this is also an important factor.

Finally to enjoy the HD quality video, you should have a TV/monitor that is at least 40" in width.

just adding in, the only sound card that supports TRUE HD audio is the asus xonar 7.1 which costs $230.

PS : 75W per channel it a lot bro !!!!

Only when the amp/speaker is rated at (min) 75W RMS per channel, will you get good sound.

I have seen the All-in-One HT boxes from Sony/Samsung, etc. They are quite dull.

dude thats like 500 RMS = 10000 PMPO system, phew, but, that has nothing to do with the quality right ?? I mean its just a rated value, quality is.........

Originally Posted by rajan1311

dude thats like 500 RMS = 10000 PMPO system, phew, but, that has nothing to do with the quality right ?? I mean its just a rated value, quality is.........

Come and check my 5.1 system and then judge for yourself. Not bragging but simply stating the obvious.

My (Onkyo) amp is rated as - front left + right : 100W RMS, center/LS/RS: 65W RMS. Subwoofer is not counted. This makes 395W total.

All that power is equally useless unless there are good matching speakers to compliment it.

And PMPO is bull ****. It is like dynamic contrast ratio. There is no authentic and scientific way of measuring PMPO.

suggest some good speakers that give u good audio with minimal cost. Also, do u get a 'hiss' when at high volume in quiet moments of a movie ?? Any way to remove it ??(sry off topic)

Every BD movie will be encoded with the following sound tracks:

- Dolby Digital (traditional 5.1 surround sound)
- Dolby Digital EX (7.1 surround sound with compression)
- Dolby TruHD (7.1 surround sound without any loss)
- Optionally you may get equivalent DTS tracks also

You can get extremely good surround sound with 5.1 also. The 7.1 surround, as you know has added two extra surround channels on the side walls. 7.1 will sound even better thats all. But the difference will be 25% at most.

Originally Posted by ag_prasun

i was just asking!! cos i dont even have a 5.1 !!
making do with just a 2.1 for now...

What exactly do you mean by 2.1?

Originally Posted by just4kix

What exactly do you mean by 2.1?

2 speakers and a sub woofer .... 2.1

Originally Posted by Gary4gar

Okay, then Please enquire about price of LG GGWH20L burner.

you will get your answer

I was nt able to find this particular product in 2 of the shops i checked .

i think ......

Originally Posted by Gary4gar

Okay, then Please enquire about price of LG GGWH20L burner.

you will get your answer

Hi ... what price are u quoting ?? The US retail price in dollars converted to rupees ?

Be aware that most new techs are not manufactured in India and have to be imported ...so there is an import duty at play here .... it will cost rs6k in the US but it ll cost more in India .....

Take for example the ATI HD4850 card ... the difference in price is almost rs 3000 for a card that costs around rs10,000 ! ... Price varies according to models

But if its from a shop in india ... please post the name of the shop ! and site address if it has one ....

its def good news if its that cheap

^dude read my post(post no: 60)
It costs $250 in the US so its a lot more here. I guess he was confused.

Originally Posted by ShAdOwCoN

I was nt able to find this particular product in 2 of the shops i checked .

i think ......



Hi ... what price are u quoting ?? The US retail price in dollars converted to rupees ?

Be aware that most new techs are not manufactured in India and have to be imported ...so there is an import duty at play here .... it will cost rs6k in the US but it ll cost more in India .....

Take for example the ATI HD4850 card ... the difference in price is almost rs 3000 for a card that costs around rs10,000 ! ... Price varies according to models

But if its from a shop in india ... please post the name of the shop ! and site address if it has one ....

its def good news if its that cheap

I have seen this some other forum. and people have actually got this around 6k
Possible Hot Deal - LG GGWH20L - Page 6 - Storage Solutions - TechEnclave

so, i am not confused

Originally Posted by ShAdOwCoN

2 speakers and a sub woofer .... 2.1

Oh! I guessed that as much. What I meant was "WTF is 2.1?" (it is not HT at all).

OK. A quiz but no prizes for guessing:

A HT systems consists of following main channels:

a) Front: Left + Right
b) Center
c) Side Surround: Left + Right
d) Rear Surround: Left + Right
e) Sub woofer

Which is the most important channel? And why? If you know the answer, you will understand my question:

What exactly do you mean by 2.1?

Originally Posted by just4kix

Oh! I guessed that as much. What I meant was "WTF is 2.1?" (it is not HT at all).

OK. A quiz but no prizes for guessing:

A HT systems consists of following main channels:

a) Front: Left + Right
b) Center
c) Side Surround: Left + Right
d) Rear Surround: Left + Right
e) Sub woofer

Which is the most important channel? And why? If you know the answer, you will understand my question:

I'd go for Center for movies and Fronts for music

-F

Originally Posted by just4kix

Oh! I guessed that as much. What I meant was "WTF is 2.1?" (it is not HT at all).

OK. A quiz but no prizes for guessing:

A HT systems consists of following main channels:

a) Front: Left + Right
b) Center
c) Side Surround: Left + Right
d) Rear Surround: Left + Right
e) Sub woofer

Which is the most important channel? And why? If you know the answer, you will understand my question:

IMO all are equally IMP.
Mess any1 and it will rune the balance.

The other day i had chked out some bose 2.1 speakers with virtual surround and i must say, They were better than any 5.1 i had ever seen !!!!I DUNNO HOW THEY DID IT, BUT IT SOUNDED LIKE 5.1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!(I COULD GET EFFECTS AT THE BAK OF MY HEAD)

Originally Posted by rajan1311

IMO all are equally IMP.
Mess any1 and it will rune the balance.

The other day i had chked out some bose 2.1 speakers with virtual surround and i must say, They were better than any 5.1 i had ever seen !!!!I DUNNO HOW THEY DID IT, BUT IT SOUNDED LIKE 5.1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!(I COULD GET EFFECTS AT THE BAK OF MY HEAD)

Not entirely correct on the quiz answer. In an HT, the center channel is most important. 90% of the time, this is the active channel.

Bose has developed a proprietory technology that creates virtual surround (or simulated surround). This technology can convert any audio source (even mono) into surround sound.

hey do u think its worth buying that ?? Its 14k. My budget for a 5.1 was abt 12k.Would u suggest i go 4 that (bose)?

creative and philips both have 5.1 home theatre system for around 8k only.i have seen them at stores and they sound perfect.

lol that was my opinion too b4 i heard the BOSE system. Yes they cost a lot more, but the sound is truly amazing.

saw the blu ray working yesterday... it was truely awesome!!

is it worth to buy a full hd tv just for watcing bluray??
most indian channels do not telecast in hd.so whats the point..
they dont even telecast in 16:9..

Yes i was gonna ask the same. True HD TV's cost a hell lot more, would it be worth the cost ????

I had gone to the Sony show room today, their Full HD series strts with 63K for a 32" . But i m guessing other Brands are cheaper ??

Their Bluray players were so bulky and hot, EXPENSIVE, i felt that every thing in that room was not worth it. All that for a movie...... can go to gold class for every movie and still end up saving !!

Originally Posted by ag_prasun

creative and philips both have 5.1 home theatre system for around 8k only.i have seen them at stores and they sound perfect.

If I may refer to Mahabharata - Karna often boasted of being equal to Arjun. But Arjun was Arjun after all. Same is true here - Creative/Philips/Antec Lansing/Logitech make extremely good PC speakers and are definitely worth buying - but they simply cannot equate to Bose.

Originally Posted by ag_prasun

is it worth to buy a full hd tv just for watcing bluray??
most indian channels do not telecast in hd.so whats the point..
they dont even telecast in 16:9..

Originally Posted by rajan1311

Yes i was gonna ask the same. True HD TV's cost a hell lot more, would it be worth the cost ????

True to an extent. My advice is - do not buy LCD or Plasma TV right now - no use currently unless you have BD source. But if you have made up your mind then buy True/Full HD TV only and be future ready. HD is here to stay and a new format is not going to appear for at least 5/6 years unless everybody dumps HD.

Originally Posted by rajan1311

I had gone to the Sony show room today, their Full HD series strts with 63K for a 32" . But i m guessing other Brands are cheaper ??

Their Bluray players were so bulky and hot, EXPENSIVE, i felt that every thing in that room was not worth it. All that for a movie...... can go to gold class for every movie and still end up saving !!

Sony is selling outdated products in India. The new BD players are much more sleek and less expensive (in US). BD players worth less than $200 have appeared in the market and Sony's own sell for $250~$300. In India, Sony is selling BD players (two models) for Rs. 30K and Rs. 60K. Not worth at all.

You can go Gold class but having your own HD Home Theater is something at a different stratosphere. As the classic tag line says - There are some things that are beyond money.

Have u hear abt LED displays ??
I think its a different thing.
LCD are to be replaced as the emit very harmful gases. Chk these out:
Freescale and Samsung to Collaborate on LED Display Technology - X-bit labs


Hands-on with Samsung LED and LCD displays - Home Video News - Digital Trends


They are INSANELY expensive. They did show one of these on NDTv.

@J4K 1 more question,
Even good comp speakers have an output of 300W RMS (max i have seen) .
But even low end Home theaters are equipped with speakers that are 400W RMS (in mid range 20K sony u get 1000W RMS ones too) .
So, can u plz tell what is the real significance of the RMS rating is ??? And for an HTPC build what speakers shall i go 4 ?? I was gonna get Altec lansing FX5051. Its only 89W RMS. Will it be enough for a modest theater or is it totally insufficient ?

@rajan3111, The first thing you must do is chuck all power ratings out of the window, i.e., do not go by RMS values along (PMPO should not be believed at all).

First determine the size of the room and speaker placements.
If you are going to place all speakers round the HTPC and sit at a distance of 3 ft., then you do not need a high powered sound system. Such a system will be detrimental instead.

On the other hand, if speaker are going to be placed at four corners of the room and picture displayed on a largish TV, your sitting position at least 10 ft away, then you do need a powerful amp. If the room is 12x10, a rating of 55W RMS per channel will do. You could go higher also. My own HT room is 15x10 and I think I already mentioned the rating of my amp/spk earlier.

My suggestion is - do not go for something in between. If you are a little tight on the budget and if you are going to watch movies on PC alone, and you will be sole audience, then a small system is sufficient.

I will also advise against buying an all-in-one system like those advertised by Sony, Philips, Samsung, etc. Too many compromises are made in such a system to keep the price down. The worst compromise is on the speakers. They tend to make the speakers output more bass. The amp is also non-linear and THD is high while SNR is low.

Plan and wait like 5+ years, the way I did (read my guide - not bragging but simply stating the satisfaction of the whole experience).