Home Theater Questions

I've got an old mini hooked up to my DLP TV just fine with a VGA-DVI. I also have an HD up-conversion DVD player and a nice home theater speaker system.
Would it be dumb to sell my old Mini and DVD player and get a new Mini?
1. Would the picture quality be as good playing a DVD on the new Mini as on the DVD player, or does it not have HD possibilities or even progressive scan?
2. I see the new mini has an optical out, so does that mean the sound quality would be just as good as from my DVD player?
Or am I just better off keeping the DVD player and old mini?
thanks for the advice!

If you can get your DLP TV to accept it's exact native resolution on the DVI input the mini may well look much better than an upconverting DVD player. Yes, it's progressive also. For more info than you can digest easily about Home Theatre PC's and Mac's goto: www.avsforum.com

Similar Messages

  • Home theater question

    Good evening!
    I've posted this question here because I'm not sure where else to put it. It's quite possible the Mac forums isn't even the right spot, but here I am. If a mod feels this needs to be moved, go ahead.
    Anyway, our house has speakers built into the wall in all the different rooms. These wires (the old fashioned speaker wires where you clip the bare wire into the back of your stereo) come out of the wall in a bundle and go to a room selector switch.
    In the past we've had our stereo plugged into this and we used a 400 cd jukebox to play music. However for christmas we received a 2tb external drive and a PS3. We've now got all our music on the external drive. The drive is plugged into our intel Mac. The PS3 wirelessly connects to this and plays our music through our tv (the tv is connected to the PS3 with an hdmi cable but has available rca jacks).
    So the question is, how can we hook this hodge podge setup into our built-in speakers on-the-cheap? (I'm a teacher and my wife is currently unemployed...)
    Thanks so much!

    If the speakers are connected to a receiver, stereo or some type of amp then sure that's pretty easy. You would can setup an air tunes system with a Airport Express (get them from the Apple Refurb store) and stream the music wirelessly from the iMac to the AEX which is wired to the the amp or receiver. Here is a link to the Airport Express so you can get a more clear concept.
    http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/features/airplay.html
    Roger

  • ATV with home theater cable question

    Just bought the ATV, I have HDMI on the TV but not the home theater (Harman Kardon AVR7300 ) but it does have Optical audio jacks.
    My plan was HDMI from ATV to TV & Optical audio from ATV to Home Theater.
    Does this sound complete & correct ?

    Worked fine.Given all the problems I've been reading about<i can't believe how easy it was. Set up was breeze!
    Thanks

  • Question about connect X-Fi Xtreme Music with 5.1 Home Theater (analog inp

    I want to connect my X-Fi to new speaker. (exact model : EACAN A200 5.)
    but it has only 6 analog input ( center,sub,front l/r,rear l/r )
    if i connect it with Creative Home Theater Cable
    ( http://asia.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=3&subcategory=55&product=4309 &nav=0 )
    will it work perfectly? because i think this cable made for 7. speaker, will i miss sound that came from side l/r channels ?
    If i can't use this cable, How can i connect X-fi to a new speaker?
    Message Edited by chunbogbog on 04-09-2008 06:0 AM

    since u are using 5. speaker, you only need to directly connect the cable from ur speaker to the sound card output, no need to use Creative Home Theater Cable.
    and remember to set your sound card to 5. no matter u use what cable, since ur speaker is 5. only...if u play 7. content movie, the side L/R will directly map to the rear speaker, so no "miss sound" issue...understand?

  • Help on purchasing a Home Theater System...

    Hi everyone,
    I just bought a new HDTV and I am now looking into getting a good Home Theater System, since as I'm sure you all know, the speakers on my TV are pretty pathetic.
    But in all honestly, I really don't know much at all about speakers and home theater systems, so that's why I'm here.
    I hear that most home theater systems come with DVD and Bluray players, but I don't need either of those, since my ps3 and 360 give me 2 DVD players and a Bluray player already.
    I am really looking to spend less than 400 bucks, or around that area if possible.
    I also have one question: My HDTV only has 2 HDMI ports and one Component port and since I am using both of those (HDMI is being used for the cable and ps3 and component is used for my 360) I am wondering if there is some other way of connecting the Home Theater System?
    Thanks in advance for all your help.
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    paulmohr wrote:
    Ok after looking at the manual for that reciever this is what I come up with.
    One HDMI cable running from your PS3 to the reciever (BD in would be my choice)
    One HDMI cable running from your Cable box to the receiver (dvd in would by my choice)
    Now for you Xbox 360 you said you have the component cables for it, from what I can tell you can also get an HDMI connector as well. What you choose is up to you but this is how it would work.
    Xbox with component cables:
    Since the receiver doesn't have component swtiching you would have to hook the xbox up to your tv with the component cables ( the way it is now).
    Then run an optical audio cable from the xbox to the receiver SAT optical in.
    If you get the HDMI cable most likely you would just run the HDMI cable from the Xbox to the receiver like the other components. If you went this route I would hook the xbox to the dvd hdmi in and the cable box to the SAT hdmi in though. Honestly it doesn't matter but it just might be less confusing that way.
    Then you would need on optical cable running from the TV out to the TV in on the reciever. If you never watch regular tv you don't need this since the sound will come from your cable box anyway. But if you also have the tv hooked up to an antenna or something this will send the sound to the receiver.
    And one HDMI cable running from the Receiver out to on the HDMI inputs on the tv. This is what will carry all of the signals going into your receiver to your tv.
    And then the speakers connections which should be described in the instructions for the receiver. Just make sure the polarity is right when you connect them.
    This configuration will let you control most or all of the components through the receiver since it switches most of them. Just choose the correct input and the tv will display it.
    Okay, so according to that, I would need 4 HDMI cables to my HDTV, which would be impossible.... Unfortunately, my new HDTV only has 2 HDMI porsts, so is there a way to get around that issue? If I use HDMI for the ps3 and HD cable box, then is there a way to hook everything else up (including the reciever) without HDMI?
    Thanks in advance.

  • Dolby DIGItal HOME THEATER cannot be installed after upgrading to Windows 8.1

    Hi there,
    today i was forced by microsoft to upgrade from windows 8 to windows 8.1 I have problem with installing Dolby Digitial Theater Home app. I unistalled previous conexant drivers (windows 8) and installed new conexant (for windows8.1). I removed dolby. Then i went to C/Drivers/WIN/Audio/DolbyGUI/ there is setup.exe, dolbydigitalplusAA.msi and dolbydigitalplusHT.msi. THe setup.exe doesnt start installation, plusHT(home theater) gives message saying - cannot installed due to an error. However I can install dolby digital advanced audio, but I want my Home Theater back!!!! Can you please help me resolve this matter.... thank you
    I have lenovo edge E531 with 8gb ram, intel core i5-3230M 2.6GHz, GeForce 740M

    hi sotim01,
    Thanks for posting!
    1. Uninstall all components,
            Open Device Manager and Uninstall your Conexant audio under Sound and ganing controllers (make sure to place a check under delete driver software for this device)
    2. Open Control Panel Uninstall a program and highlight the dolby component and an Uninstall button will appear.
    3. Open your C: drive and Delete any folder that says drivers if non then continue with the next step
    4. Download this Driver for installation
            Conexant Audio Driver  
    Install it and continue
    5. Open Drive C: now and you should have the Drivers folder back.
          Open that, Open Connexant Open Dolby Gui,  then you should have Dolbyaa for Advanced audio.
    Restart your PC and there you go!
    Let me know your findings
    Cheers!
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  • Can I connect my iMac's iTunes library via wi-fi to my Blu-Ray player so I can listen to the music on my computer with my home theater system?

    My music library is on my iMac, located in a different room of the house than my home theater system with a decent Denon receiver and good Infinity towers. I have an iPod connector to the Denon which I can use, but the iPod has a limited library of songs, so I would like to somehow access my iMac music library and be able to play it through the home theater system. Hard wiring the components is out of the question due to length of run through several rooms of the house, no basement and cathedral ceilings. I already have my iMac and my Panasonic Blu-Ray player both connected to my wi-fi, and it seems there should be a way to connect both of them using the wi-fi. The blu-ray player is DLNA, but the Mac isn't, so that is out of the question. Is there any other way to get these components to talk to each other over wi-fi?

    There is a DLNA media server called MediaLink that is designed for use with the Play Station 3.  It is not advertised as working with other DLNA clients but it usually will.  I use it to stream audio, video and pictures to a WDTV media player in my bedroom.  Works great, even supports iTunes playlists.  I believe it still has a free trial period so you can see if it works with your player.

  • How do I connect the Apple TV to the home theater if the optical audio port is in use

    I had an airport express connected from the home theater system to the speaker out port on the express through which air play worked just fine. Then the express wouldn't work with my new router so I looked for something to replace it. The new Airport Express was the same price as the Apple TV and so I went with it for the added HDMI from NetFlix benefits. Now I find that the cables I used on the express won't work on the Apple TV. It wants an optical cable but there is only one port on the speakers and it is needed to get the sound from the TV to the speakers. So, is here a work around? An adapter or something? What I really wanted it for more than anything else was to use air play to get my music from the computer to the theater speakers.

    I have a further question about this. It turns out I do have 2 optical audio ports but I was told I wouldn't need it if it was connected via hdmi. I have 4 ports and they are all in use so the question is whether the best solution is to just get an optical audio cable and connect it directly or get an hdmi splitter so I can add in the Apple TV?

  • How to set up connection for directv receiver, TV, and home theater system?

    Can some one please show me the CORRECT way to connect my Directv receiver (it has no HDMI), Panasonic Viera HDTV (has 3 HDMIs) and my Samsung home theater HT-Z510 (has 1 HDMI)? The second question is with the set up that you advise, can I play the TV sound through my home theater speakers? and How do I do that each time I want to listen the TV sound through my home theater speakers? I am new and confused about all this so please provide or explain step by step please. Thanks in advance.

    Making sense of your connections on a message board is never easy. Hopefully you can piece this information together.
    Direct TV box to Panasonic TV using S-video cable....assuming it's standard definition. Component video if the box is HD. Run standard stereo RCA cables to the appropriate input for sound threw the TV speakers.
    Your Panasonic TV will have a set of stereo(left/white,right/red) outputs. Run cable from that output into the same inputs on the Samsung surround unit. Use the sound units effects to acheive simulated surround. This is assuming you have no digital outputs on your box. If you do, you'll be able to get 5.1 when available using a digital connection.
    Good luck.
    Disclosure: Former BBY employee.

  • How much do you care about sound quality in your Home Theater?

    Many people sweat over the smallest details when getting a video device (TV, projector), but do not think much about the integration of a sound system in their room.  Too many people think that a large TV with an off the shelf sound system will make a great home theater system.  Unfortunately, many stores can't even demonstrate the integration of video and audio as evidenced by the huge wall of TVs and a small section devoted to surround sound systems.  How is a consumer to build a home theater if you can't hear and see what is possible.
    So my question is, how much do you care about sound quality and what have you done to get the most out of your system?  For instance: Have you applied sound absorption materials to your walls, have you sweated speaker placement, have you plotted your room's anti-nodes, have you controlled your light levels, have you calibrated your speakers, etc.
    Believe it or not, your room's acoustics and the proper type of audio equipment and speakers play a much LARGER part in your enjoyment of anything that you watch.  You just can't throw some speakers into a room wherever you want and expect to have an engrossing experience.
    The reason I ask is that I don't believe that many people care about sound quality since a large percentage of the population think that portable digital audio players sound fine.  I would like to be proven wrong.  My other goal is to raise everyone's awareness that you need to think about more than just a large TV in order to build your home theater.
    I do not work for Best Buy and am not affiliated with them in any way. I like HT and want to help people improve their HT experience. "There is a LOT more than just having a TV to make a home theater"

    It really depends - I am working since the last 2 years on an very large Applet (~650 classes / 1.5mb classes) which had design-time comptibility with MSJVM and Netscape-1.1.5.
    Now 2 years later the applet is still not finished although I am pretty sure we would already be shipping if only our managers would not had been that stupid to decide 2 years back to support obsolte jvms.
    Since Netscape-4.x is dead and MSJVM useage really decreases dramatically (I guess it won't play a role in 2-3 years) I only can recommend to not target to the msjvm any more.
    its really ugly and its buggy, whereever you look bugs, bugs, bugs.
    lg Clemens

  • Using Mac Mini in my home theater set up...please help...

    I am looking to purchase a mac mini to incorporate it into my home theater. I recently purchased Apple TV, but after doing research...i'm begining to think a mac mini just has several more options (a few $100 more...understood).
    A few questions...
    1 - What specs do i need on my mac mini? Which model..and how much memory?
    2 - Would love to eliminate dvd collection & rip all movies onto an external HD. Anyone know the best program to use to keep the DVD quality (file size is irrelevant to me -- 1TB of drive space)
    3 - is EyeTV the way to go to use the mac as a DVR?
    4 - Would i have HD content and surround sound?
    Thanks.
    iMac   Mac OS X (10.4.8)  

    I've been using a Mini (first a PPC and now and Intel) for this same purpose for over a year now. As a result, the AppleTV didn't really impress me. The AppleTV seems like a good idea if you have a large household with a lot of computers and you want to "stream" all these computers' content to one location. But the Mini can do all that plus it can act as a DVD player, a DVR, and a stand-alone computer in your living room when you can't get off the couch. I highly recommend it.
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    I just started ripping some of my DVDs. HandBreak works wonders (and it's free!)
    With FrontRow and an optical audio cable hooked up to my receiver, I'm able to get 5.1 stereo surround sound. The mini is hooked up to a Samsung LCD HD TV. Looks/sounds amazing.
    I've been considering getting EyeTV as well and ditching TiVo. (But my wife is terribly attached to TiVo, so we'll see who wins that one!) Let us know how it works.
    Oh, one more plus is that I installed Windows on the Mini via BootCamp. So I have a PC in my house if I need it.
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  • Dolby Home Theater V4 changed to Dolby Digital Plus after Realtek Audio Driver update Windows 8.1

    Hi,I'm now using Ideapad Z510. After upgraded to Windows 8.1. I'd went to the Lenovo website searching for new driver update.
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    Then, when I try to reinstall the older version "Realtek Audio Driver 6.0.1.6954" from Lenovo website, the "Dolby Home Theater V4" is running again.
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    Is this an update or what?
    What should I choose?The newer driver (for Windows 8.1) or older driver (for Dolby Home Theater V4)?  Thanks. (confused now) @@

    Hi all
    Could you try out DAA or DHTLightweight from my link and just install the Dolby software without overriding your Realtek Driver? I am not sure whether would it work, but worth a try. I have tried on Y460, W520 and G560 with great experience.
    If the older Dolby software does not work with your existing Realtek driver, you could install the DAA or DHTLightweight with their driver to overwrite and see how it goes.
    Thank You
    Peter
    ThinkPad W520 | ThinkCentre E73 SFF | IdeaPad K1 | IdeaPad Yoga 11s | Miix 2 10" | 3000 Y300 | Yoga Tablet 2 Pro
    Give kudos to reward people for their assistance | Mark thread solved if the solution works | Please do not send me an e-mail regarding technical questions | I am not an Lenovo employee
    =====================================
    Dolby ; IdeaPad Slate Tablet

  • Connecting HDTV/Dig Cable/Wii/Home Theater Receiver

    I have a Samsung 600series HDTV, Yamaha Home Theater Receiver, AT&T Uverse Digital cable box and Nintendo Wii. What is the best way using HDMI and an optical audio cable(s) to route everything through my Receiver? I want to minimize the amount of cables running behind the wall up to my TV.
    Right now I have:
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    - Wii not currently set up b/c I when connected to the Receiver I couldn't find the proper setting to get this to work
    In the current set up, I get full audio out of all 5.1 surround sound speakers with the radio, but when the TV/Cable is on I only get sound from the front L & R. I'm sure it has something to with with my set up because I know all 5 speakers work...
    thanks for your help,
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    We use the second set up. Works just fine for us. Routes everything neatly to the receiver with one easy to conceal hdmi cable to the t.v.
    Crystal
    Superuser
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    While I used to be a Best Buy Employee, I no longer have any affiliation with Best Buy.
    My opinions do not in any way shape or form represent Best Buy's Official decisions.

  • Sony Home Theater STR-DH800

    I have a Sony HD TV and a Sony STR-DH800 home theater AV receiver.  I have a Charter Cable box.  I am running an HDMI cable from cable box straight to TV.  I am also running a Digital Audio cable from cable box to AV receiver.  I am getting sound on regular channels through receiver out of speakers but not on all HD channels.  You can hear the background noise but not people speaking.  Any suggestions.....I think it is a setting in the sony receiver.  Have changed cable boxes with same results.
    Thanks

    Try cable box to the receiver and then from the receiver to the tv, both with hdmi.
    Crystal
    Superuser
    Forum Guidelines | Terms & Conditions | Community Guidelines | What is a Superuser?
    *Remember to mark your questions solved and click the star to give kudos to show your thanks!*
    While I used to be a Best Buy Employee, I no longer have any affiliation with Best Buy.
    My opinions do not in any way shape or form represent Best Buy's Official decisions.

  • LG - 1000W 5.1-Ch. Home Theater System with Upconvert DVD/CD Player

    I have a question about the LG - 1000W 5.1-Ch. Home Theater System with Upconvert DVD/CD Player. Model: LHT854 | SKU: 8713859.
    I plan on purchasing this here soon. i was wondering how long the wires are to the satellite speakers.the front 2 and center will not matter cause they will be right by tv. but the rear speakers i plan on concealing through part of my wall. i need to know how long the wires are so i can make this possible. is there anybody that can help me? its not in the specs

    Unfortunately I do not know for sure but usually they provide anywhere from 25ft or 50 Ft per speaker. My JBL system came with 50ft of wire. You should be able to splice additional cable from the front and center to make them long enough if they are not already or pickup some extra speaker wire.

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