I have full-up 7.1 Surroundsound setup and it sounds fantastic! BUT. I'm looking for a solution to casual TV viewing that does not include firing up the A/V receiver everytime I watch TV but improves on the standard Audio of the LCD TV. Everything I've found so far is either overkill(includes DVD, Subwoofer, etc), or cannot connect to 2 seperate sources. Currently have BOSE VCS-10 Center Channel speaker right beneath the TV and the ideal solution would be a soundbar that could act as a Center Channel Speaker when the A/V receiver is on -or- as a powered soundbar (stereo only) when the receiver is off. I would replace the VCS-10 if I could find a 'powered stereo speaker set/bar w/multiple RCA inputs (+ optical) that could also substitute for a center speaker in a 5.1/7.1 configuration.
Nuck, just thought to simplify for news or other shows not broadcasting in 5.1, Dolby, etc. Turning on a 900 watt amp is a bit too much just to watch the news don't you think?
I have a poor sounding LCD TV as well (2 of 'em actually) and I just live with it. For special games or a movie I fire up the HT otherwise whaddaya expect from these TV's eh. If you have a headphone jack on the set you could go with powered speakers like the Audioengine A2 or A5's otherwise you may be screwed like the rest of us.
Gary- Nuck and Art both make great points. In my theater I leave my AVR on all the time and watch everything on it. I let the AVR do all the decoding except for some Blu Ray audio formats. I play games, watch TV, watch dvd's, watch blu ray. An AVR is made to be used as a full out audio control center for everything. No harm in using as such. OR, like Art said, get some powered speakers, or wireless headphones. Still, I would just hook up the sat/cable box to the AVR using an Optical/Coax cable and sit back and let the AVR play the audio it is given. Cheers Gary.
I never watch TV without the system on, not even when watching 'anything'. Not using the system when you have one available is a waste of resources and not 'green'.
Hahhaha funny! I'm not exactly 'green' minded as much as I am lazy. Maybe what I'm really looking for is 'One Button On' functionality. Transparent operation, not just one remote, one button. There are other members of the household that can't be bothered with operating an AVR. In fact I'd rather they not bother -my- stuff anyway. I guess I may have acheived that 'one button functionality' with an AVR & TV from the same manufacturer...
Logitech Harmony remote should do the trick Gary. You want to watch TV? Press the WATCH TV Button, you want to switch over to watch a DVD, then you simply hit the WATCH DVD button. Easy as 123.
