Not sure where to start, but here it goes. I'm planning on installing my first 'home theatre' in my bedroom. I have a sound knowledge base in car audio, but don't know anything about home audio. My current plan at the moment is as follows:
TV - Samsung UA32B6000 (because it is a very thin TV so it should hopefully fit in my wardrobe, I may even decide to go one size larger) DVD/BluRay - My laptop.
As i am new to all of this im unsure of what possibilities there are. i listen to a fair amount of music, but watch a number of movies too, so ideally i'd like a setup which is good for both.
My questions (atm) are, what components do i have to buy in order to create my home theatre? should i go for 5.1, 7.1 or is there another option that is recommended? Am i able to integrate my laptop into the system so that it does more than simply play dvds? What recommendations can you give in regards to the setup?
Finally, i'm a university student so my budget is a little tight, but to give me a rough idea of what there is and the quality i shall get with this budget, ill start off with a budget of $3,000 (this doesn't include the tv). One more thing, my room is fairly small (3x3.8m) and has a bed, desk, bookshelf and a 1 seater sofa all crammed into it.
The 32B6000 is a nice TV but do you really need to spend a $1000 on a 32" TV. 1080P will not be visible on such a small screen, so there is no reason to go there. 1.2 " or 4" it will fit in the same cabinet, I guess I don't like your TV choice. 5.1 is all anybody really needs, 7.1 has its place in large rooms or large budgets. As far as your laptop is concerned, if it has Media Center and a TV card it can be used as a DVR. $3000 is a nice budget for sound and if you get real with your TV choice (LN32B540 $540) you could add anther $500 to that for a total of $3500. So many choices out there in receiver that are good Onkyo, Marantz, Denon, Integra. Same with speakers B&W, PSB, Paradigm,. If you need very small speakers you could look at Energy, Focal, Gallo but stay away from BOSE. I like Denon receivers and Paradigm speakers and you could put together a nice set up with your budget. Check out this web site to get acquainted with some names in the industry. http://www.ultimateavmag.com/buyersguides/speakersystems/
the reason why i (at the moment) have chosen this tv is because there is very little room so the tv needs to be as thin as possible (under 2" if possible) and the samsung LED lcds are the thinnest i can find. ideally, i'd like to cram a 40" tv in there, but i think its slightly too big (might be able to modify the wardrobe a little to fit it in), however a thin 37" should be an ideal size without modifying the wardrobe. would you recommend getting a 1080P TV for the larger sized that i just mentioned, or do you still think that it is not worth it. in saying that, is there anything you could recommend?
as for the laptop, i dont have either but it is easy to get my hands on them.
as for the speakers/receiver ill start to do some research once im done with exams. thanks for the site, im sure i'll get a heap of info from it.
About that wardrobe, it's only 2" thick or there are other things in the wardrobe taking up space. Once you add the stand or the bracket there goes your 2"s . If the TV is the only thing in there get rid of it or cut it down so you can hang the TV on the wall. 1080P only can be appreciated in a TV larger than 60"s or if you sit very close to it. Your eyes do not have the resolution to tell the difference between 720P and 1080P at a distance of 12ft on a screen less than 50"s . Unless you sit 6ft or less from the TV and play high rez games or Blu-ray movies you will not see a big difference in picture resolution. You can buy yourself a nice set of speakers that will go with you as your system grows. The TV will be replaced with something larger some day. Don't waste money on an expensive 32" TV, spend your money on speakers and a good receiver.