Who knows anything about Home Cinema kits?

Yeah, it looks like it has all the inputs you'd want. The one limitation is that it doesn't support the lossless audio formats found on Blu-Ray, but it doesn't seem like that's an issue for you. I'd shop around though, price seems a tad high for what it is and the usual suspects will all have an entry-level offering which might provide more features (e.g Richer Sounds up in Belfast have this for roughly the same: http://richersounds.ie/asp/product.asp?ObjectID=938&Mode=0&CategoryID=3&sub=26&productid=1225).
 
Gareth Flynn said:
Yeah, it looks like it has all the inputs you'd want. The one limitation is that it doesn't support the lossless audio formats found on Blu-Ray, but it doesn't seem like that's an issue for you. I'd shop around though, price seems a tad high for what it is and the usual suspects will all have an entry-level offering which might provide more features (e.g Richer Sounds up in Belfast have this for roughly the same: http://richersounds.ie/asp/product.asp?ObjectID=938&Mode=0&CategoryID=3&sub=26&productid=1225).
Click to expand...

yes..always use Richer Sounds..way better than Currys etc..in another league
 
I can't help with your question, but pixmania are crap, don't buy from them, its not worth the small saving for the hassle you will get if you need a repair.
 
I'm not going tp pretend to be an expert into such things, or an audiophile, but just to make a couple of points.

My set up is PS3, Logitech z906 speakers, and a wireless adapter.

http://www.logitech.com/en-gb/speakers-audio/home-pc-speakers/devices/speaker-system-Z906

I sort of fell into this as there was a 40% off everything promotion on the Logitech site and I thought I might as well get something half decent.

The wireless adapter is a gem, it turns a shitty old phone\ipad into a booming audio system.

A PS3 beats the pants off a blu-ray player.

I have the five speakers lined up in a row under the TV, with the sub -woofer hidden behind the tv. This arrangement is aesthetically as questionable as it is audiothetically (new word but you know what I mean). I am not going to redecorate the room to hide wires, or leave wires trailing around skirting boards and up walls. The sound is a massive improvement on what I had, and is as good as I'd hoped for, but is not taking full capability of the setup. If you are not going to build a decoration cost into your budget, get a good home theatre soundbar which is designed for my setup. Or go for something like the Monitor Audio range that is in your face and not meant to be hidden.

Make sure you have every type of input. I use 2 optical inputs for the UPC media box and PS3, and 3.5mm for the wireless adapter. I have no real need at the moment for a hdmi input, which is just as well, as the system doesn't have one, I suspect I may regret not having one in the future. Make sure whatever you get covers everything you'll ever need.

Also be careful about declared aggregate power outputs - a lot of these things have a huge power output going to the sub-woofer which adds nothing to the quality of sound other than rattling the house at a tense moment during a film. The logitech system sub-woofer is 165 Watts, I imagine that LG system you listed is probably 300/400 watts. I find I need to tone down the 165. If you let the LG system run uncontained, it might be prudent to have a structural engineer check the house foundations. Having said that, it looks a better buy than I got.

BTW I bough an LG TV on Amazon a while back. I emailed the LG support crowd in Ireland and they will support the TV directly without having to send it back to Amazon if there is a problem. Not quite as good as a bricks and mortar store here but worth noting.
 
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I have little interest in the Blu ray side of things as anything i watch tends to be downloaded.

Ipod connectivity will be a must

Is there any advantage to having a soundbar over the tradional setup?
 
If you get an expensive sound bar, it will simulate the surround sound for you, and I suppose will do a better job depending on how much you spend. When you get a 5.1 or 7.1 system you will have to adjust the sound yourself depending on the shape of the room and where you put the speakers. This is easy if you sit on a sofa in the centre of a perfectly square room, but rarely the case. There is a Bose lifestyle system, which is the best I've looked up, which would give you an idea of what can be done, but it costs a couple of grand. Maybe check that up as a marker and work backwards.
 
That little wireless adapter is a beaut if you want iPod connectivity. It will connect to anything with Bluetooth and the sound quality is excellent. You will get that or similar for under €30. The PS3 player is a home network media player, blu-ray, Netflix (and with a little dns imagination, BBC iplayer, Hula, Lovefilm, etc) as well as being a games console. Cheapest available isn't much more expensive than a standard media player, or blu-ray).
 
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Does most of the stuff you download even have a surround sound track? I only really download the odd TV show, but they only ever have a stereo track when I do.
 
Most of the hd stuff on Netflix is 5.1 surround, and the games stuff. For Normal stereo the system will simulate it, quite well. If it broadcasts in true Dolby 2.1 (I'm getting over my head here),e.g most BBC hd content, it broadcasts 2.1 and three speakers stay mute.
 
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2.1 tracks are almost non-existent. >99.9% of the time you need a 5.1 track to get a dedicated subwoofer channel. But this is all getting a bit esoteric now :)

Back to the fundamentals - what media are you going to play through it, and what audio tracks do they have, e.g.:

Downloads - does the stuff you regularly download come with a 5.1 surround track, or is it stereo (2.0) only?

Cable - can you get 5.1 sound from your box?

iPod - presumably it's all stereo music?

IMO, its not worth the expense and space to have a surround system if you're only going to use some sort of simulated surround sound. Invest in a good pair of stereo speakers, which can always form part of a surround system later and which you'll probably never have to upgrade unless they break, and find a cheap but decent stereo amp that everything you've got will plug into.
 
If your going to line the speakers in a row under the tv, you certainly aren't getting a surround sound experience. The sub-woofer is a big addition though, more for films than music for me, but that's probably because my capacity to appreciate new music died somewhere around 1996. Newer stuff with the heavier beats were probably written to take advantage of the sub-woofer.
 
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