Home Cinema System advice

[Squid_uk]

Hey guys!

I was looking for some advice on a sound system as I dont have a clue what to look for.

My budget I £200-£300, I would like to use it with my Sony Bravia KDL40s5500u 1080p LCD TV and my PS3.

Is there anything you guys could recommend? I would like to stick with sony but if there is something out there that will do the same and stay in budget then please tell me!

[yoda313]

First things first do you need hdmi? If so do you need 3d hdmi? If so it must be hdmi 1.4 certified for FULL 1080P hd in 3d. Otherwise it'll be limited to 1080i.

I haven't shopped in a long time for a new receiver but I love my sony 5.1 amp that is still kicking.

I'd strongly suggest getting as many inputs as possible regardless of what model/design you get. Especially be aware of how many fiber optic inputs it has. The more the better.

[Squid_uk]

Yes I suppose I would need HDMI as I use it for my PS3.

[yoda313]

Then another consideration is 5.1 vs 7.1/7.2. If you don't think you want to mess with 7 speakers plus a sub you can stick with 5.1. Not all bluray movies do 7.1. Not even all the newest ones do 7.1. So it would knock down the price a bit more if you do 5.1.

Though be sure you get true hd audio and dts master hd audio at least. Those are the hd audio codecs for bluray.

I would guess you'd be looking at a minimum of 250.00-300.00 USD starter range for hdmi with 5.1 and hd audio. Might budget a bit higher if you want more features like ipod docking and things like that.

[Squid_uk]

I agree Yoda313 I would be after 5.1 mainly because of the cost but now you have informed me that no blu-ray features 7.1 it would be a waste of money! I'm actually not fussed about docking station etc, just really want to enjoy my Blu-ray and games in surround sound.

Is there any systems that you would recommend?

[yoda313]

but now you have informed me that no blu-ray features 7.1 it would be a waste of money

I didn't say that. I just said that Many to Most of the new movies still don't include 7.1 yet. However some do. For instance the remastered Star Trek movies are in 7.1 (1-10 not 11 if I remember correctly).

I can't name a specific system as I haven't dived that deeply into true research as my system still works and I don't have a real reason to upgrade yet.

If you are comfortable with Sony set a budget and browse their website.

[Squid_uk]

I did have a look on the sony site but when reading some of the reviews on amazon people were complaing that they had no optical or HDMI inputs. This was the system I was looking at not sure if I will be getting the most of my PS3 (games and blu-ray). What do you think?

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/hcs-surround-kit---dvd-player/dav-dz330

[Squid_uk]

I've been looking at some of the Onkyo systems avalible in the UK and i'm thinking that these could be what im looking for if they are in my budget

This one in particular

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Onkyo-HT-S5305B-Receiver-Speaker-Package/dp/tech-data/B003H9NH.../ref=de_a_smtd

[RabidDog]

Sony?
Home Cinema ??
£300 budgt???
I suspect you'll be sorely constrained for choice.
I would put my vote in for onkyo tho...I have a vintage (6+yrs) onkyo stereo and its been excellent quality and value (DAB however is still S**T),
Any movie that includes 7,1 will include 5.1 but the reverse is not true.