Hi. Was wondering if I can get some advice on setting up my LR for a new system. I am a beginner so forgive my ignorance. My house is being completely rebuilt and I would like to have all of the wiring installed inside the walls. The LR is small (12 x 15). I need all new components (TV,Receiver,speakers). I plan on purchasing a 37" LCD HD flatpanel and mounting it on the wall. Need help with:
What type of wires (other than cable are needed) to hook up tv to receiver (through the wall)? what type of speaker wire to use with ceiling speaker (monster, 16gauge)? Can I get away with just a center channel and two ceiling speakers or do I need a subwoofer for audio and watching movies?
Chris, you definately will miss out the the experience if you try to go without a subwoofer. You may want to consider something in the rear for surround. But that depends on the result you want from your system. An alternate to the ceiling speakers would be a satellite setup, which you can get some great deals on, and the speakers are already adjusted to work together with the sub.
As for the speaker wires, 16 guage would certainly be enough for a room that size. I use 14 guage all around for a room that is about 15 x 23.
Keep checking your post because there are some great guys here who have a ton of knowledge (much more than I).
It is not a standard yet. Some cable boxes don't even come with one. With Comcast for instance you get a DVI port which is compatible, but only if you order the package with the HD channels in it. Most of the lower end DVD's don't have it, although I am begining to see it in more and more of them.
When purchasing the TV, make sure it has 2 HDMI ports that way you don't have to worry about connecting both your DVD and Cable box at the same time. (which means you may want to run 2 cables to where you TV will ultimately end up)