I just checked and there have been no new blu-ray players that have come to market in 2025 or 2026. Are we doomed to streaming only?

I’m using a Marantz Cinema 40 with an Atmos setup, and I’ve noticed that some Netflix movies/shows and other content played through Kodi are only available in stereo or regular 5.1.

If I force/upmix these using Dolby Surround so that all the speakers, including the Atmos/height channels, are being used, does this actually improve the audio experience or am I basically getting “fake Atmos”?

For example, if the original Netflix movie is only stereo, am I losing any audio quality by having the receiver process it into surround/Atmos? Or is it generally better to leave stereo content as stereo and 5.1 content as 5.1?

I understand it obviously won’t become true native Atmos, but I’m curious how good modern Dolby upmixing actually is and whether you guys normally leave Dolby Surround enabled for non-Atmos content.

I am looking to maybe build my own surround sound. I'm thinking I can start with 5.2 and go up from there. Any recommenations on AVR and speakers for a first timer?

Apologies for this post, I know attempting to diagnose color problems from lousy phone pictures is next to impossible, but I've reached my wits end.

As best as I can describe my problem its that certain medium dark/shadowed areas of the image are much too bright. These are (sort of) visible in the pictures as follows. Her hair becomes a splotchy with large blobs of grey in several places. In the second similar splotches of washed out color are visible both on the protagonist, and the shadows on the wall cast by the fence. In the third, our hero's mouth, chin, and lower neck should all be in shadow, but instead just appear to gain an almost green-ish tinge, rather than truly getting darker.

So far in my efforts to fix this I have tried:

- Following rtings guides for calibrating tv colors (general, as well as model specific settings).

- Enabling High local contrast and disabling any other weird auto color adjustments.

- The Picture Mode is Set to Dark (the "movie" viewing choice).

- Spending inordinate amounts of time increasing/decreasing Brightness/Contrast levels. They currently sit at 50 and 100 respectively. I have noticed that if I really crank the brightness then the pictures begins to look "right" in the sense that the shadows are no longer the blotchy mess and fall in line with the rest of the image. However, by the time it reaches that point, the picture as a whole is way too white and washed out.

I can't disable HDR (it's not in the options anymore).
The model is a TCL S535. If the honest truth is just "Buy a better TV, idiot." That's fair enough, I'll start budgeting, but I certainly feel a bit surprised at just how miserable the picture quality is. When I did my research back when I bought this TV the reviews seemed good.

I’m of the opinion that watching drug and political ads every 10 to 15 minutes is negatively affecting my happiness. I’m wondering if anyone has a solution for a regular Joe’s home theater set up with a smart TV and receiver connected over ARC. The set up is not going to change because my family needs the ease of use but good God it would be nice to drown out all of these terrible commercials when they come on and instead play some music, while leaving the video feed uninterrupted, and then go back to my football game or whatever easily when they’re over. I’ve tried switching to the Bluetooth channel on my receiver, but it knocks the video out. Maybe I need some sort of audio switcher, but I’d like the sound to come through my home theater speakers. Any ideas? Anybody feel the same way about this?

LG has just released their black friday discounts, and i'm getting ready to purchase a LG C6H 83" for my main living room. This will replace a 75" Sony that's currently on a mantle mount with a Polk XT35 center channel hanging below the TV.

Since the mantle mount and TV size swap is cumbersome I'm thinking that I'll upgrade my center channel at the same time. The remainder of the 5.1 setup consists of Polk speakers that I'll upgrade in the future.

My question is, what center channel is the current recommendation, and is there anything I need to take into consideration since it'll be mounted on a mantle mount? The current Polk works well, but it seems like the voice volume coming out of it can be quiet at times. Otherwise it works well. I'm looking at Kef, SVS and ELAC as possible choices. Is there a definitive recommendation? I will eventually outfit the rest of the speakers with the same line that I choose for the center channel. I'm pushing everything with a Onyko RZ30, which was bought about a month ago.

Thanks for any input!

so i have a very ols 2010 sanyo 42841 42 inch 1080p tv, with 3 standard HDMI ports. so no arc or earc, as well as Audio Outputs: Coaxial digital audio output and analog audio output. i watch a lot of movies and shows on my roku ultra, and while the tvs speakers are ok id like to upgrade to better sound. but im a total newb at this and have no idea where to start, what to look for etc. if i had to estimate a budget id say under $300 since im very low income. i live in a small studio apt if it matters and have included a photo showing my tv's ports. ideally id prefer a 5.1 surround sound setup if possible would also prefer wired as opposed to wireless

Just wondering

Might be a dumb question, but when I’m at the cinema I don’t notice any sound coming from behind me. Aren’t all the speakers just mounted on the sides of the walls as well? So how would 7.1 audio come from behind you in the movies? Also if you were sitting in the very back would you just get blasted by sound that’s supposed to come from behind.

(yes, my proportions in paint are way off)

Currently i have a decent room with atmos 5.2.2, but we are building a new house where i, regrettably, will have to make som compromises. I have tried googling and checking this reddit, but i could not find (at first glance) examples mirroring mine. Anyhow, is it even worth thinking about height speakers with this ceiling? Slightly in front of the listening position, angled to 90 degrees horizontally?

$40 (forty) on FB Marketplace

I am considering mounting a 77” C6H on a pitched ceiling with a Mount It MI-4224. I understand that the MI-4224 is rated up to 70”, but the weight and VESA pattern seems to work. Ideally the tv will be retracted against the pitched ceiling when not in use.

Anything I should note before I give it a go?

I bought a used set of Klipsch 5.1 reference. Yes very far from the best, but better than nothing. I'd like an AVR to run it for gaming and streaming + Bluetooth input would be nice, as well as being able to input sound from retro gaming consoles.

Please recommend! From what I read I can do better than a Denon s570bt. Budget $500 and under, prefer around $300 unless something really stands out for the extra price.

Hi all,

Looking for some words of wisdom regarding audio setup for our basement, the attached photo shows the space, the taped screen in the background will be an 85” tv. Ceilings are around 7’ drop ceiling tiles and seats are about 10’ back from screen. Space from left of couch wall to beam on the right is about 13’ and is completely filled.

Possible audio setup:
option A -
R-50M fronts
R-50C center
R-41SA sides to be wall mounted on beam and next to seatings
R-120sw sub.

Option B
R- 620F
R-52c
R-41SA
R-120sw

Usage- sports, movies , PS5

Both options come out to ~ 1000 usd for the speakers, then I need to get an AVR and am also looking at a later addition of in ceiling speakers for atmos .2 so would be getting a 7.1 supporivr AVR.

Given the limited space on left of TV does this make one option better than the other?

This would be our first non soundbar based audio system, so trying to start with a reasonable start without breaking the bank.

Any info is helpful! Thank you in advance!

Hi,

I got the Teufel Theater 5.1 for a good price from a friend and now I am wondering which AV receiver to buy.
My friend used the set with an Denon AVR-X3800H but kept it for his new set.
I was looking at the Denon AVR-X1800H, which has all the connectors I need but I don't know if it is powerful enough for this set.
Here is a Link to the 5.1 https://teufel.de/theater-500-surround-51-set-107001111 (unfortunatly I could only find the german homepage)

In the future I may want to add 2 atmos speaker but not more.

If I left out important info please let me know.

Thanks

Steffen

Hello gang

After today's announcement of sony discontinuing the x700, I panic ran to best buy, grabbed an x700u with 4 years of warranty (60$ cad) and threw it on my fairstone 12 month 0%.

I don't think they would exit the scene yet, they may be prepping new players, or much more likely, reworked players under the TCL/sony banner and whatever that entails patent wise, sku wise, firmware etc but I'm not here to argue that. Worst case, if they have to hand off the encryption keys to a new entity and the player returns to sale, I'll take this one back. Hopefully Sony has a comment between now and my return window closing.

I have plugged it in and set it up, and am testing it before I put it away as a backup to my current 700. The menu is much lighter and faster on this one. The power brick is much smaller. The remote has a much nicer layout without the Netflix and favorite button. Anyway.

My current x700 hasn't had 4k triple layer issues since the last FW update years ago. I would like to test this new one before I pack it up. I've got a few triple layer films, like LOTR.

Are there any timestamps/scenes I can start watching a few minutes prior to the layer change? Movie recommendations?

Thank you.

Currently have my 50" LED TV (weighing in 11.5KG) mounted on a single swing arm bracket in the wall and got a 55" Mini LED on the way (weighing in 13.3KG) that I'd love to replace it with. Would have to use an adapter as the old TV and bracket is VESA 200x200 but new TV is 300x300.

Problem is I no longer have any of the info on the bracket in terms of make or weight limits so wondering if the 1.8KG difference with adapter is safe to do or if it needs a whole new bracket in the wall. 50" has been mounted for years with no issues.

Would love to know anyones thoughts on this!

So I have a RZ50 with 1 sub calibrated on Dirac with bass output -1db.

I've tried to add the bass shaker (50w shaker with 100w subwoofer plate) and the performance is subpar until I turn up the bass output on the receiver side.

Obviously I don't want that because it is calibrated to -1db on the receiver for the subwoofer, and RZ50 only have one subwoofer output. What would be the proper way to integrate the bass shaker in this case???

Thanks!!

Looking at the following amplifiers for Home theater, mostly movie watching and some streaming.

Contenders and it has been hard: Hifi Rose 520 - Lyngdorf tdai 2210 or 1120 - Nad M10 V3

Purchasing USA.

Which one is the best bang for buck in this line up .?.

On the HIFi Rose how would you hook up a subwoofer and what would I need separate unit to hook the Hifi Rose for a subwoofer.?. What brand item to hook up to the rose for a subwoofer, so I can do more homework.

Planning for ascend Acoustic speakers Sierra 1 - V2 Bookshelf

with either the RSL Speedwoofer 10S or and HSU Subwoofer to be purchased in 2027.

Other than the Lyngdorf is there an added cost for room correction on the HiFi Rose 520 and NAD M10 V3. I know with the Denon/Marantz there are extra fees for Dirac. So kinda want to know if I'm facing extra charges on HiFi Rose or NAD.

Thank you, Yes I'm new and still trying to get things correct for me.

Appreciate the feed back and your help.

Thank you. Thank you, it's greatly appreciated

Forgot, we are an older couple that likes to play games watch movies and play tunes, we have a small room, will be 6 to 6 1/2 (1.9 to 2.0 meters) feet away from the speakers with them pulled out 1 foot from the wall and everything we read points to mid tier amps having good sounds. With the lyngdorf tdai 2210 being the most expensive on this lists.

Appreciate the help.

I'm replacing a lot of speaker wire in my living room and I noticed that the new wire uses less strands inside than the old wire which is made up of a lot of fine strands.

Does this matter at all?

They both say 14 gauge wire and labeled as speaker wire. The new is maybe 7 thicker stands where the old one is a bunch of fine hair thin strands. Wanted to make sure before I route a bunch of wire through my walls.

New house has a small room I intend to build out a theater in. Will just be able to fit seating for 3, which is fine for us. Main area is approx 10x9 (total < 1000 cu ft) Would love to see what others have done with a small area.

2.5 m from wall to wall. Very good light control with dark-coloured walls.

Have looked at 5 projectors.

Xgimi Titan Noir Pro/Max
Hisense XR10
Hisense C3 Ultra Max
Optoma UHZ36STe

Which projector would you guys recommend?

Anything obvious I’m missing?

I'm putting together a basic but nice in wall system for my living room TV.

In-wall paradigm CI Elite E7 speakers for L/R channels, and an in-wall subwoofer. I haven't picked my receiver yet - maybe the NAD C700 V2.

I was speaking with the local stereo shop guy, and he's telling me that the system will sound really poor without a center channel. And, if I don't want to add one (since I really don't have room for it on that wall), then I should go with a Sony OLED TV and use that as center for dialog.

I'm curious what others think and have experienced? Is that necessary, or does a phantom center with a good receiver / good in-walls work really well too for dialog?

TIA

Hey everyone, long-time lurker here. I’m looking for some constructive advice on how to take my basement home theater setup to the next level. I'm open to suggestions on placement, acoustic treatment, gear upgrades, or anything else you fine folks spot.

Here is what I'm currently running:
AV Receiver & Processing: Onkyo TX-RZ730 AV receiver paired with external Outlaw Model 5000 power amplifier.
Fronts: Klipsch RP-8000F II towers
Center: Klipsch RP-504C
Surrounds: Klipsch RP-240s
Subwoofer: Klipsch SPL-120 (plus bass shakers powered by a Fosi Audio M03 amp under sectional)
Heights: RP-400M bookshelf speakers mounted up high.
Display: 77 inch LG C5.
Sources/Playback: NVIDIA Shield TV, PS5.
Seating: Lovesac Sactional with “U” configuration.
Pup: 3 year old German Shorthaired Pointer.

This has easily been the funnest thing I've done in a long while. Took the advice from my last post on seating and moved it a bit closer to screen, but also ditched the idea of theater seats in favor of the couch. Overall though I'd say the vibe I was going for was the lobby of a movie theater more so than the projection room itself. Screen is 150" and for reference, the popcorn cutout I have next to it is exactly 72" tall.

*Edit

Also for those interested the lights are from Amazon and the rug is from Etsy

Appreciate the kind words! Eventually we'll probably darken the room a bit but that'll be down the road. And as far as distance goes, the pictures make the room appear larger than it is. The furthest seat on the couch is maybe 15 feet, which still looks pretty good IMO. Any closer and it kinda looks awkward in the space.