Affordable Blu-Ray Home Cinema System

On December 30, 2009 in Development, New Technology, Tutorials.
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You may have read that I recently installed a complete new system in my family house lounge? Well here is the kit I used:

  • Samsung 46″ 5 Series LCD (Comet – £599)
  • SkyHD+ box (Sky – £30)
  • PS3 Slimline 120GB (Asda – £180)
  • HDMI 10.2Gbps Monster Cable x2 (Amazon – £100)
  • Logitech Z5500 5.1 THX (Amazon – £298)

    • This setup falls in at £1207, with a budget of £1250 leaving a little room for extra remotes (for example the PS3 remote / Keyboard) and optical cables.

    It seems expensive until you consider what you get for the money: The Samsung 5 series has been reduced from £999 to £599 in the Christmas sale in Comet, and for that you get a HD ready TV with a huge screen, beautiful looks and built in Free view. It also has plenty of functionality and tons of additional features, not to mention the superb picture quality. The speakers have been reduced from £500 to £298, and trust me when I say that they pack a powerful punch! I have had the older Z5400 setup in my room for a number of years and they are more than adequate to wake up the neighbours!

    Now to my main point: A 5.1 blu-ray home cinema system will set you back at least £500 for a decent setup, which will only allow one input (if that) and will be used for one and only function. Using a PS3 and Z5500′s (for a total of £480/£500) you will get a top of the range Bluray player, as well as all the additional functionality that a PS3 brings (BBC iPlayer, Internet Browser, Gaming, Internet access etc) as well as having a brilliantly powerful 5.1 system which can take up to 6 inputs (including your TV, Sky box, PS3, PC, Laptop and room for one more too!).

    The cables make this system what it is, and are expensive. But when your spending this sort of money on a Home Cinema System it’s worth the extra few pounds to get the best cables around! You’ll be surprised at the difference it makes!

    More to come soon!

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    Movement to High Definition!

    On December 30, 2009 in Development, New Technology.
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    I’ve often slated SkyHD about how it’s not ‘true’ high definition. However, with the approach of the new year this seems like a good time to make amends. More to the point, Sky have offered a free SkyHD+ box, with 50% off the installation fee (I should think so too – I routed the additional wires from the LNB dish to the box itself with the Sky+ box last year!!).

    Anyway, I’ve had a PS3 connected to a Samsung 5 Series for a while now, but to be honest I was never particularly impressed. The HD seemed a little grainy in places, but I put it down to the TV. However, I’ve recently brought a full new setup for my lounge (including new LED TV, 5.1 speakers and PS3 for Blu-ray). Along with it I brought a 10.2Gbps HDMI monster cable. After an afternoon setting it all up, I must say that the resulting pictures are amazing. It does go to show that a signal is only as strong as its weakest cable. The HD picture from the PS3 is amazing! I’ve already ordered another monster cable (8.4Gbps) for my setup.

    I can’t wait to get the SkyHD box in place so I can connect some more monster cables to it and see if it really is as brilliant as it’s acclaimed! Check back soon for more, or read my post about the best, and most affordable blu-ray home cinema system here!

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    Top 5 Gadgets over the last 10 years!

    On November 9, 2009 in iPhone, New Technology.
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    Over the last 10 years the gadget industry has taken off – Here are my take on the top 5 ideas since the year 2000, which once seemed so far away, and now seems so long ago!

    5) The Flash Drive – The small portable devices carry all the music, video and data you can manage, and with recent developments the capacity has increased significantly resulting in portable hard-drives! Gone are the days of hunting for a power supply to power the little beasts, simply plug your HDD into a USB 2.0 and off you go. There are now capacities of up to 1Tb! Moved on a bit from the days of Floppies and Jazz disks!

    4) Sony’s PlayStation 3 - This console set the standards, and set them high! I used to be a 360 lad myself, but when I got my hands on the PS3 there was no turning back! It’s so much more powerful, with its multiple core-2-duo processors; making load times, physics handling and rendering so much smoother than its rivals. It’s a true home entertainment system, with a compatible internet-browser, built in Wi-Fi and BluRay player (see 3) – all for a superb price!

    3) BluRay – The war is over, BluRay is victorious! The introduction of HD media over the past year brings a new dimension to viewing. 1080p is so much clearer, and it is noticeable, especially when gaming! Note though that some providers, although claiming to be at the top of HD broadcasting, still output less than 720i, which frankly doesn’t make that much of a superior experience. BlueRay is at the for-front of its game, and hopefully will continue to develop in the coming years, which broadcasters try and catch up!

    2) Sky+ – Recording made simple! This is a gadget, which I think many people take for granted – And that’s why it’s so brilliant! Incorporating a HDD into TV viewing made it possible to record and pause live TV. More so, with downloadable content on the anytime player films, documentaries and everything else is available at the touch of a button. The Sky+ boxes currently have a USB port on the front, which will hopefully allow even more new features and functionality in the next few years! Keep up the good work sky!

    1) iPhone – The iPhone revolutionised the phone market! It’s definitely the gadget of the decade! Incorporating Internet browsing, Wi-Fi, Video streaming, Email, Music and much much more it’s baffling to think why anyone would buy anything else! Apart from the dominating hand of Apple (price fixing and control over the App store) the iPhone set the standard for any other phone, or in fact gadget. Few gadgets have managed to match the popularity of the iPhone, and no other phone comes close, even 3 years on! Can’t wait for apple’s next Keynotes’ seminar later next year!

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