Hi fellow s2kers,

I'm buying a new home and getting a $2000 GC to Best Buy as part of the deal.

I want to get an HD LCD TV, mount it above the fireplace, get appropriate receivers, setup the right satellite service, get a good DVD player, and make sure all the wires are hidden. Unfortunately, I know NOTHING about most of this stuff and need to pay someone for consulting + install.

Does anyone have any recommendations for someone they trust with this stuff? I'll be buying most of the hardware from BB with the GC, so they won't be able to sell me that.

Thanks for any help!

 

mounting above the fireplace is the most difficult install and will cost a lot, not to mention hiding the wires will cost extra as well. for 2g's you will probably be stuck with a 720p high def tv as opposed to a 1080p depending on what size you want. the cheapest 1080p tv we have at work is a 37 inch sharp and it is 1699.

what size were you looking for? i do this all day lol

 

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the response!

I'm ok with a 720p right now, I figure I'll be replacing it in a few years anyway, when HD-DVD or Blu-Ray replaced DVD.

I was hoping to get a 42" LCD (or Plasma, I don't know the difference too well).

What makes the fireplace installation so difficult? Is it the flume? I've hung pictures over fireplaces before, but I imagine doing a TV mount is much more difficult.

I don't need the wires hidden, so no cutting into the wall (I think). I'm happy with neatly organized.

Do you do consulting/install work on something like this? I wouldn't mind paying for some help on doing this properly.

 

give me a call. Im in raleigh we can go to BB and take a look sometime, free of charge.

Dave

2708038

 

Do you work at BB?

Also, for the theater room - http://www.apple.com/appletv/

Forget high-def DVDs, the future is in direct downloads and on-demand over a network.

 

yeah don't pay anybody there is plenty of information to be had for free.

i work at sears in electronics. all you gotta do is find somebody that can explain the difference in what you can buy and why. i could but it'd be a lot to type out haha

 

Personally, I don't think 1080 is worth it anyway. You can get 720 now and for its cost, the quality you get is great. 720 now, or pie-in-the-sky 1080 someday...

When you start thinking about your room, remember to consider your seating. You need the screen size to compliment your distance between the couch and wall, or its like sitting in the very front or very back of a movie theater.

Same goes for surround sound - walls, surfaces (brick chimney? carpet? hard wood?) sloping ceilings, etc will determine speaker placement and how much power you need.

Are the electronics mainly for movies and tv, or will you be playing stereo/surround music too?

Do you have a floor plan of your room yet?

 

Think wireless!!

 

Thanks for all the responses!

I want to hook up MythTV to it eventually for the direct downloads. (Computers I understand)

I do have a floorplan right now, the house is actually complete.

It'll be used for movies/tv and for video games. I'm not concerned about sound quality, mainly that I can hook up my DVR and DVD player, hide wires as good as possible, and making sure it's securely mounted.

 

MythTV rocks. Can you post a pic of your floor plan?