Was just about to buy a nice Philips home surround system but was wondering if it was maybe a better idea to wait and get a blu ray one?

Also if anyone can recommend a good looking surround system which can also be used as a hifi easily please let me know!

thanks

Budget?

Size?

Separates / all in one?

i have not yet seen a blu ray surround system all in one. I have been expecting to see one for some time but so far not. Im sure they are around the corner though. At this point you want blu ray you have to go the separates route.

ps3 could also act as a cheap solution for the time being, if you are so inclined.

i have the ps3 at min and using it to watch blu ray (not much improvement noticed though..) was thinking of the philipshts9800w which im just about to price up in manor or interdiscount - £399 in richer sounds though!

I'd say NO to that device.

1/ Does NOT have HDMI input

2/ Does NOT support HD-Audio formats

Not the best speakers either.

Using you PS3 for Blu Ray movies is a good start. Adding a 'HD' sound system will be the next step.

Not sure what would fit that budget though.

its has hdmi output though? whats the disadvantages?

you should see a good improvement if you are set up correctly and have an eye for detail. are you sure you are using an hdmi cable to your tv, that your tv is hd resolution, and that the output settings in your ps3 settings are correct?

With the Philips unit you are looking at NONE. As this does NOT support HD-Audio formats.

HDMI transmits both Audio and Video.

you could connect the HDMI to your TV (which is HD right?)

Then use the Optical out to the Philips unit (it does support this ? - did not check).

This will give you surround sound, but NOT the HD-Audio sound.

HD Audio can ONLY be tranmitted over HDMI, or the 6+ Audio connections.

Think you need to do some background reading on this. A couple of places to start:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolby_hd

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DTS_HD

http://www.avsforum.com/ - Tons of info and good place to ask questions where people should be able to help you out.

Just checked, this has 'Digital In' via Coaxial cable, so will not work with the PS3.

ta for info - i have ps3 and sky hd (and hd tv obviously) but wanted to run them all through the cinema surround. i bought my tv maybe 18months ago and it only has one hdmi input which is a pain...but i can connect the ps3 to the tv via hd cable and then the tv to the ps3 thus getting the full effect?

do you mean connect ps3 to tv using hdmi and ps3 to an HD supporting amp to get hd surround?.

ermm... i think so yes!

I would recommend looking into the separates route given the 1 HDMI input on your TV and, from what I gather, quality sound is important. There are a number of AV receivers on the market that can take multiple HDMI inputs and have HDMI outputs to send to your TV. The right receiver will also handle HD audio, video upscaling for devices that need it, etc. Onkyo, Sony and Denon are all pretty highly recommended by What Hi-Fi these days.

As always with electronics, your budget will determine your best options.

You mention that you cannot see much difference between DVD and blu ray visual quality. This leads me to suspect that at the least, you may have an eye for detail but are not really a true videophile.

Are you an audiophile? Normal 5.1 surround sound, which you will get with many a cheap setup, is very good in its own right, and the audio of something like a 7.1 setup over a 5.1 setup using true HD or hd dts compared to dolby digital or dts will likely not be that great to you either.

To cut a long story short.... wait until hd surround equipment is more common and therefore accessible and cheaper. Buy a cheaper 5.1 setup... it still sounds great!

krlock3

cheers - had a good look round at the weekend and all responses were highly accurate.........so any suggested systems that i can use to a) look like a hifi b) play the ps3 through?

cheers

There are several 'HD' receivers around, but as mentioned they are not quite at the 'Budget' level.

As your TV only has one HDMI input, then you either need to buy a system that has 2 or more HDMI inputs, then outputs the selected device to your TV and plays the sound in the best possible format (if in your budget, then HD-Audio, otherwise Dolby Digital 5.1).

Alternatively if the sound is NOT very high on your priorities, then just buy a HDMI switch. This will allow you to use the HDMI outputs from your Sky Box and the PS3. Make sure this is version 1.3

If you want to go the great sound route, but don't have the budget for the full solution, you could go for some decent Speakers now with an older Dolby Digital Amp, then upgrade the amp to a HD-Audio one later when they are 'more common'.

I would recommend looking at the speakers from B&W http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/ and if you are interested, I should be able to get you some discount one these and also on the Rotel Amps plus other makes is possible i.e. Onkyo etc...

I've used the PS3 with HDMI into the TV and optical out to an amp, older cheaper solution but sounds okay.

Depends how much you want to spend I would wait for a HD input though

i should really wait......... but very impatient! the system i want i saw in manor for chf 1499 but is in richer sounds for £399....... huge difference!

I was looking for an all inclusive system, but it doesn't seem possible to get a system that's suitable for a PS3. They usually don't have HDMI, and all have DVD players, which you no longer need.

In the end, I got a low end Yamaha system from Media Markt, it was about the cheapest AV receiver I could find with HDMI. I'm still waiting for my speakers to be delivered though, and it's been 3 weeks...

The Onyko TX-SR 605E supports the New 'HD-Audio' formats and is around 1000 chf

We have connections with the Swiss distributer, so might be able to get you a good deal on one of these. Then you'll need some speakers (B&W ).

But I am guessing this is not in your budget?