Audio and Video concerns

[brashquido]

Hi All,

I'm in the UK for about 9 months and am looking to set myself up with a cheap home theatre system. I'm looking at getting a standard 26~28" CRT 16:9 TV with a shuttle PC to play DVD's, play/burn music and capture video from my Sony HC1 HD camcorder. For audio I'll be looking at getting something like a basic set of Logitech 5.1 speakers with no inbuilt decoding of DD or DTS, so the decoding will have to be done in the PC. My questions are;

What is the best budget sound card to get to do good DD and DTS decoding?

As I'm getting a CRT TV it won't have a DVI interface, and it possibly won't even have an S-Video interface. Can I get an S-Video to SCART converter?

If so, how good is the display on a 16:9 CRT TV from the S-Video output of a mid range video card? It's been quite a few years since I've done it this way, and I can remember that the display on my old 4:3 CRT TV was not great . There seemed to be all sorts of issues with scan rates and correct resolution output. What are they like these days, particularly on a 16:9 format TV?

[[GPO]Solitaire]

Most good quality CRT-TV's DO have S-Video inputs. S-Video to Scart converters are cheep and avalible at any electrical shop.

Output should be ok for movies and TV viewing, only issues i had when displaying on a CRT TV was the windows desktop was always fuzzy looking and not sharp.

[brashquido]

I suppose that is the catch isn't it, I won't necessarily be getting good quality set. I only have a budget of about £300 for everything .

I can remember image sharpness being an issue on my old CRT too. I managed to get Video quite watchable, but it was never even close to being a monitor due to the dot pitch.

Any ideas where to look for TV's? I've been looking on Ebay, but most sellers won't deliver CRT's due to the weight.

Also, any ideas on sound cards?

Thanks for the help

[Westy5]

Originally Posted by [GPO]Solitaire

Output should be ok for movies and TV viewing, only issues i had when displaying on a CRT TV was the windows desktop was always fuzzy looking and not sharp.

What he said!

[nicky munchkin]

You can get a converter with VGA/DVI/Sound on one side to Scart on the other.

[BadNoddy]

do you have a link for such item? ^^^^

[six5tring]

Think he's referring to scan convertors. - six

ps. mid/high end convertors are not cheap!

[Fireblade]

Welcome to the forums

Originally Posted by brashquido

Any ideas where to look for TV's?

Just walk into any local Currys, Dixons etc once you arrive/settle in, and see what they've got in your price range.

Also, any ideas on sound cards?

Despite their often awful software... Creative X-Fi cards - and even the older Audigy range, are [still] very popular.
Given your requirements... I'd suggest the X-Fi Music might be your best choice? It's both mid-range, and mid-price.

Alternatives to consider include Terratec (I recently bought an Aureon 7.1 for my son for just £30!) and M-Audio.
You'll just have to check their respective websites, for specific models which include everything you're wanting


[edit] BTW... I can heartily recommend the Logitech X-530's as budget 5.1 speakers. I bought a set for my son last year, and they're surpisingly good for all they cost [/edit]

[Archaon]

Wouldn't something like this be easier, and not much more expensive, than a 26" CRT? Last time I looked I think decent widescreen CRTs were still selling for around £200.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B..._rd_i=14210121

As for sound, with a cheap set of Logitechs you're better off keeping your money IMO. Most motherboards have 5.1 sound built in.

[brashquido]

Yep, just decided to bite the bullet and get a 26" LCD. Now I just need a PC decent enough to drive it