Home Theater | CX Gang

I originally wanted to to it for my TV but decided the labor involved wasn't worth it for me. Godspeed to you.

e: also, you will have to either recalibrate your colorimeter or replace it every so often as they are sensitive devices and fall out of spec over time; if you just had one tv to calibrate, it would probably be cheaper and get better results to just have it professionally done once a year or so, tbh

By Kibner Go To PostI originally wanted to to it for my TV but decided the labor involved wasn't worth it for me. Godspeed to you.

e: also, you will have to either recalibrate your colorimeter or replace it every so often as they are sensitive devices and fall out of spec over time; if you just had one tv to calibrate, it would probably be cheaper and get better results to just have it professionally done once a year or so, tbh

Saw and thought of this as well. It's really only worth it if the family wants to split and do all their TV's. Otherwise I'll probably just hit up Geek Squad.

Also … Holy shit geek squad is a total racket. People pay $200 a year to have the privilege of discounted services like TV hanging, audio set up, wifi set up and various trouble shootings. I mean … I get that AV set up can be hard (fuck I just had a hard time with getting HDR correct), but holy fuck that shit is a rip off.

Best buy charges (without the discount from a $200 yearly fee):

$130 for TV mounting
$150 for TV connect and set up
$130 for audio set up
$100 FUCKING REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAMMING
$100 for WIFI and Trouble shooting
$250 TV calibration

Yes but imagine how much time Smokey will save paying someone to program his remote

I think my dad would pay to have his harmony remote set up if he didn’t have me as a son. Shits blatantly takin advantage of the boomers

By Fenderputty Go To PostSaw and thought of this as well. It's really only worth it if the family wants to split and do all their TV's. Otherwise I'll probably just hit up Geek Squad.

Also … Holy shit geek squad is a total racket. People pay $200 a year to have the privilege of discounted services like TV hanging, audio set up, wifi set up and various trouble shootings. I mean … I get that AV set up can be hard (fuck I just had a hard time with getting HDR correct), but holy fuck that shit is a rip off.

Best buy charges (without the discount from a $200 yearly fee):

$130 for TV mounting
$150 for TV connect and set up
$130 for audio set up
$100 FUCKING REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAMMING
$100 for WIFI and Trouble shooting
$250 TV calibration

I paid them to mount the TV and route the cables when we moved to our new spot last year. Was fine. My mount was also the type that you can pull the TV from the wall, turn it, tilt, etc. I'd rather them be liable for my $3000+ TV if something went wrong during any of that than me. That other stuff though, nah.

That said I didn't have it remounted when I moved a few months ago. More and more it seems like part of the design for modern big screens is to be on a stand.

Stands make sense from a cleanliness standpoint. Most people aren't planning home theater in their walls. For me, it's all about space and utility. In my current space, there's nowhere to even put a stand and I had walls down. Now my only regret isn't running two extra speaker wires for Atmos.

What did BB do to route your cables? Did they just use that plastic cable raceway and surface mount? Does the mount come with the price? If so it's not as bad as I thought.

By Fenderputty Go To PostStands make sense from a cleanliness standpoint. Most people aren't planning home theater in their walls. For me, it's all about space and utility. In my current space, there's nowhere to even put a stand and I had walls down. Now my only regret isn't running two extra speaker wires for Atmos.

What did BB do to route your cables? Did they just use that plastic cable raceway and surface mount? Does the mount come with the price? If so it's not as bad as I thought.

Mount is separate. I got a mount during a BF sale they had. They can route the cables either way but since it was a apartment I had them go through the raceway I think you're talking about. Also had them connect additional HDMI cables so that I could add devices easily, and not have to re route anything. They do all that for you and tidy it up.

If they route through a wall, do they patch drywall or leave you with holes and strips in your wall? lol

This is the raceway I'm talking about. It's usually paintable so it blends in with the wall

https://www.amazon.com/One-Cord-Channel-Cable-Concealer-Management/dp/B07D8V7RZ1/ref=pd_sbs_23_t_1/142-2995396-1525911?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07D8V7RZ1&pd_rd_r=9e837f8f-0ac9-4365-bb62-80b48a2c976b&pd_rd_w=cuVf8&pd_rd_wg=8hXaP&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=2F075S7ZSS3GADFPQD9Y&psc=1&refRID=2F075S7ZSS3GADFPQD9Y

By Fenderputty Go To PostIf they route through a wall, do they patch drywall or leave you with holes and strips in your wall? lol

This is the raceway I'm talking about. It's usually paintable so it blends in with the wall

https://www.amazon.com/One-Cord-Channel-Cable-Concealer-Management/dp/B07D8V7RZ1/ref=pd_sbs_23_t_1/142-2995396-1525911?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07D8V7RZ1&pd_rd_r=9e837f8f-0ac9-4365-bb62-80b48a2c976b&pd_rd_w=cuVf8&pd_rd_wg=8hXaP&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=2F075S7ZSS3GADFPQD9Y&psc=1&refRID=2F075S7ZSS3GADFPQD9Y

Yeah I had that. Matched my wall color.

Idk on the first question. I never considered it because it was a apartment.

One day I'll be Kibner rich enough to hire Vincent Teoh as my TV calibrator. Can't wait to exchange sexy puns with him over tea.

BTW Fender, if you really want to get into the audio and visual aspects of a movie, check out blu-ray.com. They break it down pretty well. I just watched Far From Home this evening on UHD disc, and they say this about it:

One doesn't need spidey-sense to notice the UHD's improvements over the Blu-ray. Even if the image is not a total overhaul from the 1080p presentation, it offers more refinement to textural stability and overall sharpness and clarity that prove to be critical to the movie's visual well-being. Even as the UHD's 4K image has been sourced from a 2K digital intermediate, the UHD delivers more stable, more inviting, more precisely defined textures which reveal facial features, clothes, and environments with readily evident improvements to definition and crisp, authentic detail, critical considering the spectrum of richly constructed European locales or intricate superhero costumes, even getting down to nitty-gritty details like the visible scarring around Nick Fury's eyepatch which on UHD has a clarity and depth that the Blu-ray cannot match.

The Dolby Vision color spectrum is a revelation. Colors are more deeply and intensely saturated. Brights are crisper, luminance is greatly improved, and so many tonal nuances are captured with much more stability and accuracy. Look at a bright daytime scene in chapter 11 when Peter borrows a random man's cell phone to make a call. The earthy brick street, the multitudes of fruit, and the orange soccer jersey Peter wears all bear witness to the Dolby Vision's vast improvements. Factor in more perfectly refined skin tones and tighter, deeper, more perfect blacks and there's no mistaking the UHD's superiority over the Blur-ay, even as a couple of minor issues appear, such as a hint of aliasing at the 1:16:49 mark.

Spot on imo. Thought it looked really sharp, and the HDR was fantastic.

PS5 needs to come out. My better half didn’t look too pleased at the prospect of spending more money when it’s coming out so soon.

It’s think the biggest improvement from 1080p gen so far for me has been the HDR color. Dolby Vision really is incredible. The step up in resolution is great, but resolution alone seemed incremental when compared to the jump from SD to HD. I remembered staring at that 1080i TV at Best Buy. The deep blacks of OLED combined with the more saturated colors from Dolby vision has finally made the jump comparable IMO. HD to UHD is finally here.

Speaking of color, how many of you run with the Cinema settings? This dude who came to set up my cable a while ago was trying to tell me vivid is the best setting and I’m doing it wrong and I wanted to punch myself.

If you want color accuracy, Cinema settings are usually the best ones to start your calibrations from. I also like to use a Warm color temperature as it gives less eye strain over extended viewing time. Your eyes will adjust to make the colors look right after a few minutes no matter which color temperature you pick, though.

Yeah I’ve been running with Cinema or the like as my base forever. My old panny plasma has a THX setting the cable guy was trying to change.

I tried to use the setting from RTING, but i wasn’t happy with the results. May be my room conditions. I reset to factory.

Not sure where to go. Seems like calibrating Dolby vision isn’t really an exact science due to its dynamic nature

thank god i'm color blind so i don't have to bother with this shit all that much.

I'm not watching that or anything like it for three + years now.

Also .. now that I'm in on the 4K gen, what's up with more content. When the fuck is HBO getting on board? How can they let Netflix and Amazon dominate that market? When the fuck is sports going to catch up. Fuck this 1080i broadcast BS. I want my Lakers in 4K HDR.

Might be getting over a grand tax rebate. Maybe OLED is the way to go.

So the SB was in "4k" and HDR this year on the Fox Sports app. A cool behind the scenes look at how the broadcast comes together.



The video cabling, whew

By Smokey Go To PostSo the SB was in "4k" and HDR this year on the Fox Sports app. A cool behind the scenes look at how the broadcast comes together.

https://youtu.be/SX1vyyZiQ7k

The video cabling, whew

Pretty standard. My last job at the Coliseum we did a bunch of cam lock panel upgrades for the broadcast trucks. Worked closely with a company called "bexel". They do NFL low voltage infrastructure.

FWIW, when I loaded the game up on the FoxNow app, it was 4K, but not HDR.

By Fenderputty Go To PostPretty standard. My last job at the Coliseum we did a bunch of cam lock panel upgrades for the broadcast trucks. Worked closely with a company called "bexel". They do NFL low voltage infrastructure.

FWIW, when I loaded the game up on the FoxNow app, it was 4K, but not HDR.

Looks like you had to use a Firestick 4k to get it in HDR. On Apple TV, it wasn't available for whatever reason.

By Smokey Go To PostLooks like you had to use a Firestick 4k to get it in HDR. On Apple TV, it wasn't available for whatever reason.

Wtf is this bullshit. It still looked way better than a standard broadcast though.

By Fenderputty Go To PostWtf is this bullshit. It still looked way better than a standard broadcast though.

Early days ..

LG GX/CX series reviews seem decent, but not a huge jump over the 9 series.
Will probably pick up the 65C9 at the next sale

Yes we will.

the 77" CX is too expensive and still not as big as i would like it to be, guess i have to wait another year for my 80"+ oled.

Picked up the 65C9. Arriving on Tuesday!

By JesalR Go To PostPicked up the 65C9. Arriving on Tuesday!

Damn, I’m jealous af lol

The C9 was ahead of its time tbh. There's not much that can be done to improve it other than brightness, which is going to require RGB subpixels .

Whats more preferable for speakers, a high end soundbar or a 5.1 set up?

By Daz Go To PostWhats more preferable for speakers, a high end soundbar or a 5.1 set up?

Soundbars are only for when you are on a tight budget or just don't have the space for larger speakers.

By Daz Go To PostWhats more preferable for speakers, a high end soundbar or a 5.1 set up?

Is this even a question? Speakerssssss

I got a soundbar during black friday. it's probably trash and would make kibner cringe, but it's a substantial upgrade over the tv speakers. can't wait to get the space for a proper audio setup.

By Linius Go To PostIs this even a question? Speakerssssss

Space conscious and I dont want wires.

I found really expensive 7.2.1 sound bar, but man.....they pricey af.

Relevant to the thread, watching it now:

By Smokey Go To PostI got a soundbar during black friday. it's probably trash and would make kibner cringe, but it's a substantial upgrade over the tv speakers. can't wait to get the space for a proper audio setup.

Like I said:

By Kibner Go To PostSoundbars are only for when you are on a tight budget or just don't have the space for larger speakers.

By Daz Go To PostSpace conscious and I dont want wires.

I found really expensive 7.2.1 sound bar, but man…..they pricey af.

Just understand that the sound bar bouncing sound waves off walls and ceilings is nowhere near as accurate sounding as discrete speakers. It also depends on your room being a relatively uniform cube. If you have sloped or high ceilings or your side/rear (behind your sitting position) walls are far away from the speakers, the surround effect will be lessened even more.

By Kibner Go To PostJust understand that the sound bar bouncing sound waves off walls and ceilings is nowhere near as accurate sounding as discrete speakers. It also depends on your room being a relatively uniform cube. If you have sloped or high ceilings or your side/rear (behind your sitting position) walls are far away from the speakers, the surround effect will be lessened even more.

Whats a decent 5.1 I can get for a reasonable price?

By Daz Go To PostWhats a decent 5.1 I can get for a reasonable price?

What country are you in? Linius does this for a living in Europe so he may be able to give you great recommendations.

Yeah in the UK I think, and Sevenoaks is a great point to start if you have one near you. They sell all the common brands and have shops where the gear is demonstration ready. Honestly, no matter what you do, just visit at least a decent HiFi shop and have the employee demo you the difference between a few of the more expensive soundbars compared to a speaker set-up. Don't forget, speakers don't have to be big and ugly to still create a more spacious sound than any soundbar can do for you. And if you also listen to a lot of music the benefit of a pair of stereo speakers at the front is also huge. Could very well be that space/looks etc. still make you go for a soundbar, but at least you'd have experienced both ways of doing it. And in my experience most people are completely rethinking their audio plans when they hear the difference between the two for the first time. Cable management will bring you a long way to make things clean.

By Smokey Go To PostI got a soundbar during black friday. it's probably trash and would make kibner cringe, but it's a substantial upgrade over the tv speakers. can't wait to get the space for a proper audio setup.

mans got 20k of electronics at home but buys a soundbar.

Got the TV today, god damn this thing is fucking stunning. Maybe a little big for our space, but I'll get used to it.
It came with two UHD Blu-Rays, but I can't play them with anything cause the PS4 Pro is weirdly behind the time on that.

Need to find the best that Netflix/Amazon/Disney have to offer 4K HDR wise.

Tried Spiderman and Horizon on PS4, they look incredible too.

By Dipro Go To Postmans got 20k of electronics at home but buys a soundbar.

Never ventured into home theater audio. Been fine with headphones for games and TV speakers since...forever. Sound bar works for now.

Won't go all put until I get a house with a dedicated media room

After I finish paying off this car note in four more years, I will think about expanding my home theater system. Right now, it is just a quality 2.1 system which is good enough for me right now.

By Smokey Go To PostWon't go all put until I get a house with a dedicated media room

and i thought you were slaent elite. smh.

lol bet Smokey doesn't even have a yacht.

That's crazy horse

he had his first oyster this year. i would move his slaent elite status to "questionable".