HTPC & home theater builder in need of advice.

Alright everyone, I have decided to set up my first "theater", and through the fact that I am moving into a new place and have to buy everything from scratch, I am getting the opportunity to truly design my first experience.

The cable provided by my rental agency is TW digital, channels 1-99. In the future when/if I get the other HD channels I might need something diff, but for now that's all I have and its free, so I kind of wanted to stick with it.

So what kind of tuner, if any, can do chan 1-99 in digital and DVR on my PC? Or am I stuck with getting a DVR box?


My setup GOALS:

#1) To be able to tune to any of the TV channels (via box or PC as per your recommendations) (and if box, the Time Warner one or anything retail you may recommend?)
#2) DVR if possible
#3) Play my PC games / Movies on projector (movies could even be streamed to PS3 and I'm told or PS3 can be hooked into home network I'm told as well?)
#4) Play my PS3 on Projector w/ streaming HD NetFlix / HuluPlus
#5) Have decent sound system that is great bang for the buck (no pun intended) and wont leave me broke. (I currently have 2 good speakers with 2 open copper leads (each) that I put in clamps in the back of my stereo and I don't know how to convert them to a more modern format, but can if told how.)



STEPS taken thus far:

#1) I have just purchased this 106" Gray projection screen.
#2) I have just purchased a PlayStation 3 250 GB
#3) I have purchased 6 PS3 Game titles (Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Little Big Planet, Uncharted, Uncharted 2, Armored Core 4, Armored Core: For Answer) if you wanted to know.
#4) I have a PC with a ton of storage and an ATI 4870
#5) I have SoundBlaser XtremeMusic for audio output.
#6) I have a 25 foot HDMI cable that currently feeds from my 4870 to my regular TV, but carries no Audio as a 4870 cant.
#7) I have a nice HDMI switch I can install to switch signal sources.
#8) I will be purchasing this projector within the next 6 days.


Could someone with more straightforward experience in this than I offer advice on:

#1) What hardware pieces I might be missing?
#2) How could I possibly convert my current stereo speakers? or what new ones to buy?
#3) Do I need a cable box w/DVR from Time Warter, or buy a retail one, or buy a Tuner card for PC that can take a standard coaxil input? (If card, then which tuner card?)
#4) Do you see anything wrong with my current setup?
#5) What cables will I need? RCA type? and from which piece of hardware to which?
#6) And last but not least.. in what order should I hook these up.. which piece of hardware to which?




I thank you kindly for any advice.

Alright, so the choice is clear, the cablebox from TW. The box is not free but I'll live with it, if its such a hassle to get a decent cablecard.

And as for Google.. I wouldn't be here unless I had already looked up the problems.. how do you think I came to purchasing the items on that list?

The setup in my mind will function as such:

#1) I get the audio jacks from Home Depot and convert my stripped cables to left and right channel input.
#2) I hook the speakers up to the projector, hoping the audio transfers through switch. Else I attempt to have the cablebox as also an in-between, between the switch and projector, and hook the speakers to the box.
#3) I hook up the HDMI switch to the projector. (or through cable box HDMI input/output)
#4) I hook up the PC HDMI out, to the HDMI switch.
#5) I hook up the PS3 HDMI out, to the HDMI switch.

And there is a possibility that I will just need to get a stereo receiver so I can input into it from both PC and media center simultaneously.

Tell me if I'm not judging these right but:

The Epson is 50k:1 contrast and 2000 lumens.
The ViewSonic is 13k:1 and 1000 lumens.
The Optima HD20 is 40k:1 and 1700 lumens.

The Epson is deff nice, but its $300 more, and their lamps are $100 more than Optima's as well.

I know at 13k vs. 40k, I'll notice the blacks difference, but 40k vs. 50k, I am not sure.
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Maybe its my television, I have a 37" Olevia from 3 years ago. But it just doesn't carry audio from the DVI-to-HDMI output. I thought it was the card though.



Ok, you and the others have convinced me. I'll get a receiver to function as both an HDMI switch and audio input. If I cant get my 4870 to carry the audio, I'll split the output from my nice headphone amp and carry the signal to the receiver via a regular headphone jack input line they use for ipods.

The speakers I have came off of an old stereo model called the Panasonic AK47, they feel very nice and warm, if a little bassy, but are wooden and in great condition. Its just two speakers, I might need an authentic 5.1 setup eventually though, and advice with that is welcome.

I'm looking to spend hopefully around $100-$250 on a receiver, depending on how nice. And eventually around $400 on a speaker system. Which WILL be in a dedicated theater room (my new living room) BUT, I cannot get the really nice ones because I have a 2nd floor apt and I was warned about noise when I inquired as to the rules about mounting the projector. So, guess I'm looking for the best bang-for-the-buck type.. usually the really nice middle end ones that they wont feel downstairs through my floor.

So, any recommendations on the receiver? Or projector? or speakers?

Receiver budget: $100-$250
Projector budget: $1000
Theater speaker budget: $400
Food budget: $0
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PS: I still do not know how to convert the speakers that have stripped wires that go into clamps into the format that the receiver might take. HOWEVER. Now that receivers are on the table, I've seen ones that have output through those bare cable clamps out there still.

I just wish I knew what the name for the clamps or the right audio jacks I need to turn the wires into is.
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PSS: Thank you for all the help you're giving me guys.

Oh shoot I was wrong, the Optoma is 4k:1 not 40k:1

Is that why the lamps on the nicer ones burn out so much sooner?

You guys are about to cost me an extra $300. The lamp on the Epson lasts 25% longer by their numbers than the Optima one, so in time, the lack of replacement will even out the savings. Is how I'm looking at it.

I still need to know what receiver to get though.

Ok, so I'm buying an Epson 8350 now. Thanks for the advice all.


Now, does anyone have a receiver to recommend in the $100-$250 range?

I saw an opportunity and I took it. I purchased this HTIB, and 100 feet of 16 gauge speaker wire.

For $400 this solves both my receiver & speaker problem. YES, I know, they are not crem de le crem of the speaker world, but little steps...

I also got 2x M->M 15 ft HDMI cables, and 2x M->M 6 ft HDMI cables.

Also I looked into the 4870 and the settings that let you transfer the sound, now, either the current TV I have or the 25ft cable I got were not able to do it. However, both are about to be replaced, and I'm crossing my fingers really really hard that I'll be able to do both audio and video out via DVI-I -> HDMI

I continuously thank you all .. and will be picking up that projector tomorrow.

How did you find that site btw? It didn't show up in google store search or bizrate, amazon, ebay or anything when I tried to google the product. Good price find!

BINGO.

I found and tore apart the ATI 4870 box I put away, and in the deep recesses of the cardboard dungeon they built below where the card lay on, I found their DVI-I -> HDMI adapter!

Wish I knew this puppy was here when I bought that specific DVI -> HDMI cable, it cost me extra!

Thank you all again.

Fortunately, I was smart enough to buy 2x 15 foot M>M HDMI cables this time

FYI, just spoke with Chris at Cleveland Plasma and bought the 8350.

I am in the market for a stand, shelf, or even ceiling mount right now, if you guys can recommend any.

You've been very helpful (if not just extremely costly!)

Thanks for the help, a lot of the steps there I've skipped (like the DVR will just be Time Warner's now). But I think as of today, other than a way to stand or mount the projector, I might be semi-done with building the system.

The only other thing I can think of is white speaker wire to match the walls, should have been what I did.

As for the handle, yea, it was given to me some years ago, in an unpleasant manner at the time, based on my origins from the USSR .. I have adopted it

And I think I was on this forum last, that long ago, because that's when I first joined it to figure out the best course in wide-screen monitors and the best tech. I always love to learn the in-depth details and feel I make wiser decisions off of it.

Like what happened in this thread, where I went from ordering an Optoma HD20 to an Epson 8350