Home Theater recommendations

[Elie]

Hi all, today I have a 7.1 home theater setup in my living room....
Onkyo receiver
60 inch Sony Bravia TV
7.1 speakers

The problem is technology and standards are rapidly changing, for example... I have DTS HD and Dolby True HD support.
Now the new standards are Dolby Atmos and a new tech called Auro 3D, sigh!

I want to build a new theater in the basement, what do you all recommend?

I have the flexibility to put speakers in the ceiling, and all around for a 13.1 system

Should I also go 4K?

[VJ]

Many AV receivers already support Dolby Atmos; I don't know how fixed the specifications are though, and if there are upcoming additions to the standard. Imagine if you bought a hdmi 1.4 receiver in 2011 to be future-proof, and just two years later hdmi 2.0 pops up with many new features. So future-proofing always carries a risk... On the other hand, Dolby Atmos material is appearing, so that seems to indicate that the standard is quite fixed. I don't know how Auro 3D fits in this though.

4K is I think the way to go, even though source material as still scarce. But many sources (netflix, ...) support 4K. Of course there is discussion on the quality of this 4K due to compression, and while it seems not as good as e.g. a 4K blueray source, it still beats 1080p. My parents have last years top model Samsung (KS9x00, curved), and the image quality is just stunning, even with non-4K material. 4K projectors are still hard to find and expensive; most are not native 4K but use some pixel-shifting technique. While 8K is being tested in some Asian countries (I read that the next Olympics will be broadcast in 8K), but I personally don't think it will get to the customers that fast due to lack of material.

I would for sure make it easy to add more speakers (either prepare cables or use cable gutters) later. My guess is that the speakers will be the things that will outlast the rest of the equipment.
Also don't forget to add network cables (still beats wireless), and multiple (TV, receiver, blueray player, perhaps some decoder box, maybe a pc or so). Even if you would not use the internet function of most devices, it may allow for easy updates and centralized control.
Also think how you will connect it: I noticed when installing at my parents that the concept shifted. It used to be that the receiver is the center point of your setup, however now makes more sense to make the TV the center (and send audio via ARC). At my parents' place, that config allows the TV to control decoder box, blueray and receiver... And surprisingly it works. Depending on where you put the equipment, that may affect which cables you need where.

[Elie]

I fully agree with your statements and thanks for sharing.

I for one, like to buy my content, in fact I have over 200 movies in Blu-Ray with over 10 movies supporting ATMOS. I still believe no matter how good streaming is, it can't beat physical media. Auro, is just another technology where they layer sound to create that ultimate 3D experience. Studio's already signed up to support the format and manufacturer's like Denon and Marantz are supporting it. I guess I'll have to listen to it myself to see if it's worth it.
4K is for sure on my radar. Prices for TV's and players are going down, so I think the investment will be worth it. A ton of content is being released on a daily basis so I think it's the way to go.

with regards to speakers I also agree with you, I will run as many cables as I can in case I need to add another pair at some point.

My current setup is pretty cool in that all my devices turn on with one button. Everything connects to either the receiver or the TV, and they all communicate via HDMI, so if I turn on one device, they all turn on and automatically set the channel based on the device I switch on. They all support volume control as well. I will for sure have this feature in my new setup.

Now I read an interesting tid bit about Dolby Atmos that it likes at least 9 feet of height for the ceiling speakers to make a difference. My basement will be 8 feet the most. I hope I can make it work.

Maybe next year I will begin working on the home theater in the basement, will keep you all posted.

[VJ]

It keeps surprising me how expensive 4K bluray players are... and I suspect it mainly is the small market. 4K TVs are easily sold with the promise of broadcasts; 4K blurays require people to buy (or buy again) movies.

The hdmi control works the same at my parents. The samsung smart remote even uses some IR signals to control the set-top box (I know this because you have to aim the remote to it if you want it to power on). You have to specify in detail which devices you have connected (but it supports a HUGE array of devices, even my parents' 10 year old DVD recorder was in the list) and it just works. Very cool.

O, before you buy a TV, check in detail. LG has a technique they call RGBW, but there is debate on whether it is truly 4K:

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/rgbw-201510084189.htm

The technique is only applied to cheaper panels, but may find its way to third parties. It is something different from the RGBW that LG uses in their OLED screens, where there is no debate. The LCD RGBW replaces a coloured subpixel with a white subpixels, whereas in OLED they add an additional subpixel.
While the LCD-RGBW has some benefits but also drawbacks, the mean thing is that they don't put it in the specifications. So you really need to check online to know which models use it, and you should not trust LG's specification sheet. I learned about this AFTER I bought a cheap LG tv, but luckily I had a model that does not use RGBW. While the LG works fine, I find its user interface quite clumsy, inconsistent and cluttered (to many different menus structures), to that extent the user interface of my parents' Samsung feels much more refined and mature. Of course, if you are using a set top box and/or bluray, than the TV's interface is rarely used.

[Elie]

Thanks VJ, I will stay away from the likes of Samsung and LG and go with Sony. I love my Sony Bravia and will only buy the 4K version even if it cost me an extra few bucks.
My TV and receiver today support ARC (Audio Return Channel) and remote control via HDMI, so I don't have to worry about IR
Didn't know about LCD-RGBW, I'll check i tout online, it will make for a good read I'm sure

Thanks again!

[VJ]

This is a better article on the LCD-RGBW:

http://4k.com/news/lthree-of-lgs-4k-tvs-offer-pseudo-uhd-and-a-raw-deal-for-consumers-uh6400-uh6100-uf6800-16649/

https://www.techhive.com/article/3104880/smart-tv/how-lg-uses-fuzzy-math-to-label-some-of-its-lcd-tvs-as-4k.html