Help with Home Theater & Media Player

[coolcatric]

Dear Fellas !

First of all i hope that i am writing my Thread in the right section !

I have 2 question on which i need your support & guidance.

Current Setup -

1. Samsung LED 55" F6400
2. X-box 360

Requirement -

1. Media Player (physical) -

Should support Full 3D ISO movie images (40GB -50GB print, i can do away with Blue Ray Menu). Also should have support for H.265 as i have read this will be the codec in near future. Have checked Ebay for player, many Chinese media players are shown. Not sure on the quality & performance. Can you suggest.

I will connect my HDD to this Media player --> Media player to Amplifier via HDMI --> Amplifier to LED via HDMI

Please suggest a decent (economically priced) media player for my requirement. i can look at option of importing from Ebay.com

2. HTib / 5.1 Home Theater -

I am currently living in Saudi Arabia. Now i need your help on which music system to buy. Main purpose will be movies & gaming through Xbox.

I was looking for something like Bose speakers (series 3) & an Onkyo 600/500 series Amp.

However, a lot of people have told me that Bose charges a very high premium for the name. Hence, we can get similar quality as much lower price.

Please suggest which 5.1 home theater should i buy ?

Thanks in advance for your input guys !

Peace !

 

[bharath_rbk]

For media player check out MiniX Neo X8-H. It is an incredible thing. Know more from below link. Available on e-bay and amazon.

MINIX NEO X8-H - MINIX

 

[coolcatric]

For media player check out MiniX Neo X8-H. It is an incredible thing. Know more from below link. Available on e-bay and amazon.

MINIX NEO X8-H - MINIX

Thanks for the information dude. Few Queries

1. Will this run H.264 & H.265 format ?
2. Will this player upscale the media also ?
3. I see no support for DTS-HD & DTS-HD MA sound formats
4. Hope it runs Full 3D ISO image.

I was looking Ebay for the same, found other options also. Please check below links & suggest.

MX III 4K UHD H.265 Quad Core Android 4.4 KitKat TV Media Box XBMC Bluetooth

Amlogic S802 Quad Core Android 4 4 Rooted TV Box XBMC Fully Loaded H265 MALI450 | eBay


Much thanks !

 

[raghav3276]

Hello,

Its always recommended to go for separates rather than buying a HTiB.

As you are pushing all the heavy weight lifting to the media player, you could go for an entry level avr itself. I suggest you go audition Denon x500, Pioneer vsx 523, and similar ones in that range. I own Harman Kardon avr 70, and quiet satisfied with its performance. Although, if you are planning for a "futureproof" product, I wouldn't recommend it, as it has got very basic set of features. You could browse for high-end versions of H-K and post the reviews.

As far as speakers are concerned, you could try BA XS 5.1. Its small, powerful and reasonable. There are many reviews out there, giving a positive edge for these. Although, I never really got a chance to audition them. I own JBL Cinema 300 and I am quiet impressed with its performance. You could even give them a try. I would recommend you try JBL Cinema 610. If we consider the performance to price ratio, I wouldn't recommend Bose speakers.

Regards,
Raghav

 

[coolcatric]

Hello Raghav,

Thanks for the information. Actually I am going for demo itself.
I agree with you that separate will be better than htib. But on the other hand, confusion also increases in case of separate. And this where I need help.

I need a future proof AVR, my total budget is 40k, can stretch more. Also, I live in Saudi Arabia and prices here are comparatively less than India.

Can you suggest which AVR and speakers to check ?

Thank you !

 

[coolcatric]

Guys I went to do some market research. However, here on Saudi Arabia the options are limited. Have mentioned below my findings. Need your suggestions so that I can close my purchase.

Onkyo tx nr 525 - 30k
Onkyo tx nr 636 - 36k
Onkyo tx nr 737 - 41k

Bose accoustimass 10 (3) - 61.5k
Bose accoustimass 6 (3) - 41.6k

Jamo s 608 hcs - 29.5k
Jamo c 607 - 32k

Onkyo 3700 - 26.8k
Onkyo 5700 - 42.2k
Hts 9400 - 61.5k


Discounts may be given on below price -

Yamaha rxa 830 and 840 - 64000
Rxv - 777 - 57600
Rxv - 677 - 48000
Rxv 577 - 38400

Please suggest as no Polk, denon, jbl speakers available here.

Need to buy at the earliest.

 

[coolcatric]

Really, its so strange to have no replies. Either I am asking the wrong questions or the expertise is no longer there !!

 

[mohit_delhi]

Buddy you need to audition them and hear for yourself

 

[coolcatric]

Buddy you need to audition them and hear for yourself

Buddy I agree with you. But I am confused between Onkyo 636 and 737 & between Bose AM 6 and Jamo S 608.

I will hear them today, but I want suggestions and experience of people here who are the experts in this field. As we all know in showrooms things are made perfect and they sound perfect. Hence the wisdom of members here comes in place.

 

[mohit_delhi]

Buddy I agree with you. But I am confused between Onkyo 636 and 737 & between Bose AM 6 and Jamo S 608.

I will hear them today, but I want suggestions and experience of people here who are the experts in this field. As we all know in showrooms things are made perfect and they sound perfect. Hence the wisdom of members here comes in place.

To get better responses please specify your purpose, what is the ratio of movies to music. And if the set up is for bedroom or living etc.

 

[coolcatric]

Hi Mohit,

The ratio is as below -
1. Movies (DTS, DTS HD and DTS HD ma) - 40%
2. Games (Xbox 360) - 40%
3. Songs (Mainly Bollywood and Instrumental ) - 20%

Room -

Well, its a living room of appx 20x15 ft.

 

[mohit_delhi]

Hi Mohit,

The ratio is as below -
1. Movies (DTS, DTS HD and DTS HD ma) - 40%
2. Games (Xbox 360) - 40%
3. Songs (Mainly Bollywood and Instrumental ) - 20%

Room -

Well, its a living room of appx 20x15 ft.

In terms of your preferences I would say go for yamaha reciever. That too me is the best option. Which model of it would depend on your budget. Higher the better . As for speakers could you check what other options are available in market to go with yamaha reciever. I would suggest to stay away from bose if you are going for separates.

 

[harpreetz]

Hi. Just want to check which receiver and speakers you finally bought..i just got onkyo 636 from bangkok... Need to hunt for speakers now

 

[coolcatric]

Hey Hatpreetz,

I bought Onkyo 737 along with Jamo S 628 (5.0) and an additional sub Jamo 290.

So far satisfied with the performance on both Music and Movies. Though the tower speakers have lot of bass and you can do away with sub if low on budget.

However, if movies are your prime requirement, then sub is recommended.

 

[kestrel5915]

Hey Hatpreetz,

I bought Onkyo 737 along with Jamo S 628 (5.0) and an additional sub Jamo 290.

So far satisfied with the performance on both Music and Movies. Though the tower speakers have lot of bass and you can do away with sub if low on budget.

However, if movies are your prime requirement, then sub is recommended.

Hey mate!
I would like to know about the performance of the Onkyo TX-NR737, especially the room correction ie AccuEQ.
How is the build quality overall and other features?
Are you planning to use any 4K media along with this system?

 

[coolcatric]

Hey mate!
I would like to know about the performance of the Onkyo TX-NR737, especially the room correction ie AccuEQ.
How is the build quality overall and other features?
Are you planning to use any 4K media along with this system?

Well, perfrmace wise I am satisfied with Onkyo. Talking about AccuEq, well it is accurate but I wanted more punch in surround speakers, so post auto calibration I manually increased db in surround speakers.

Feature - To name few
1. Thx certified
2. Atmos ready
3. WiFi
4. Bluetooth
5. USB
6. Multle HDMI inputs (4 x 4k inputs)
7. Upscale to 4k video, though did not try as my led is full HD only.
8. Spotify, dlna etc
9. Ability to control TV from same remote
10. 2 zones can be created
11. All audio formats supported, almost.
12. 7.1

And well, I don't plan to shift to 4k TV at the moment. However, wanted a future proof AVR, so went with it.

 

[kestrel5915]

I think the 4k hdmi input is only one, not 4.
Anyway, congrats on the purchase!
I plan to buy the same avr.

 

[RajithKumar]

Regarding Media player u can check with Westerndigital or Asus O play player which can support DTS HDMA/Dolby True HD 7.1

 

[nikhilstomer]

Hey Hatpreetz,

I bought Onkyo 737 along with Jamo S 628 (5.0) and an additional sub Jamo 290.

So far satisfied with the performance on both Music and Movies. Though the tower speakers have lot of bass and you can do away with sub if low on budget.

However, if movies are your prime requirement, then sub is recommended.

This is the best combo out of all the devices you enlisted. Congrats!

 

[coolcatric]

Thank you Nikhil...