Calling All Home Theater Junkies...

[Road Guy]

Ouch, glad you're able to help him out

That scenario describes why I tried to do as much of my own **** as possible, pretty much everyone everywhere is trying to **** you over

 

[knight1fox3]

Nicely done @wilheldp_PE!  Seems like organized crime with the prices they quoted.  Their PC repair "services" are no better either.

 

[mudpuppy]

Those prices are crazy, but hey if people are willing to pay that then more power to them right? That's capitalism.

 

[MetsFan]

Monster HDMI cables are definitely worth the money /sarcarsm

That's crazy...

 

[jeb6294]

It's been pretty well documented that Best Buy's profit margin on cables is beyond enormous.  Most people buy their BS and don't realize that an HDMI cable is digital so it'll either work or it won't and all the gold plated connectors in the world won't make a difference.  The last time I got one from Best Buy was only because the cable I got from Amazon hadn't showed up yet and I really wanted to hook up my new TV.  The HDMI got returned to Best Buy a few days later when the Amazon box showed up.

 

[Supe]

Even Amazon can be overpriced.  Monoprice.com FTW.  I've even got a 30+ footer that feeds my projector in the theater with zero issue from them.

 

[Dleg]

Amazon was pretty good in the past? I recently bought a bunch of 0.5 and 1.0 m HDMI cables to hook up all the kids video game consoles (with cool HDMI converters for the old PS2s and Wiis).  They were super cheap, especially buying a pack of 3. 

 

[knight1fox3]

I usually check Monoprice against Amazon for total cost when buying cables.  Amazon generally wins out simply due to free Prime shipping.

 

[Dleg]

I finally completed the addition of a remote control repeater to my home theater system.  When I moved into my new place, I put the audio cabinet off in a corner, which made it very hard for the remote to work properly.  You'd have to hold the remote off at a weird angle to change the volume, and about 80% of the time the system would not properly power up or down, requiring additional steps.  So I bought one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products-IR-Repeater-extender/dp/B009ZGK6QS/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1475174950&sr=1-3&keywords=remote+repeater

and it is pretty awesome so far.  It seems really well built.  I only have two things connected to it - my preamp/processor and a CD changer.  My TV is wall mounted with a nice wood cabinet underneath it that holds the center speaker, Tivo, and Bluray player. I stuck the repeater's IR receiver to the back wall of that cabinet, and ran it via an extender cable (purchased on Amazon at the same time) to the audio cabinet.  Then I just stuck two of the emitters to the IR sensors on the components, plugged the repeater in, and it worked without any further trouble.  No more holding the remote out and to the side to get it to work!

I also installed the cheap little PlayStation 2 HDMI adapter, but I'm less thrilled about that.  The video quality seems less than I would have expected, and it seems to only work in 4:3 mode (confirmed by other reviews on Amazon).  Still, it does allow me to play PS2 games.  Does anyone know if Sony finally/ever added PS2 backwards compatibility to the PS4?

 

[MetsFan]

11 minutes ago, Dleg said:
I finally completed the addition of a remote control repeater to my home theater system.  When I moved into my new place, I put the audio cabinet off in a corner, which made it very hard for the remote to work properly.  You'd have to hold the remote off at a weird angle to change the volume, and about 80% of the time the system would not properly power up or down, requiring additional steps.  So I bought one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products-IR-Repeater-extender/dp/B009ZGK6QS/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1475174950&sr=1-3&keywords=remote+repeater

and it is pretty awesome so far.  It seems really well built.  I only have two things connected to it - my preamp/processor and a CD changer.  My TV is wall mounted with a nice wood cabinet underneath it that holds the center speaker, Tivo, and Bluray player. I stuck the repeater's IR receiver to the back wall of that cabinet, and ran it via an extender cable (purchased on Amazon at the same time) to the audio cabinet.  Then I just stuck two of the emitters to the IR sensors on the components, plugged the repeater in, and it worked without any further trouble.  No more holding the remote out and to the side to get it to work!

I also installed the cheap little PlayStation 2 HDMI adapter, but I'm less thrilled about that.  The video quality seems less than I would have expected, and it seems to only work in 4:3 mode (confirmed by other reviews on Amazon).  Still, it does allow me to play PS2 games.  Does anyone know if Sony finally/ever added PS2 backwards compatibility to the PS4?


 

Not for the PS4.  I think they have a lot of the games available for digital download if you want to spend the cash.  I would buy some component cables for your PS2 instead.  That's what I use and they work and look great.  

 

[Dleg]

Yeah, I should do that but I don't want to take the TV off the wall again and the cable covers (super easy though).  Just too lazy, but I'll get over it.

 

[knight1fox3]

and a CD changer.  

:lmao:

I also installed the cheap little PlayStation 2 HDMI adapter, but I'm less thrilled about that.  The video quality seems less than I would have expected, and it seems to only work in 4:3 mode (confirmed by other reviews on Amazon).  Still, it does allow me to play PS2 games.  Does anyone know if Sony finally/ever added PS2 backwards compatibility to the PS4?

Why not go with a PS3? The PS3 gen 3 is super compact compared to the other two revisions. Supports 1080p resolution (including 3D). :thumbs:

Yeah, I should do that but I don't want to take the TV off the wall again and the cable covers (super easy though).

Take it off the wall? That's why you use an articulating wall-mount. I'll never use anything else. Super easy to access the TV ports and even adjust the angle if need be based on the audience.

 

[Dleg]

Does PS3 play PS2 games?  I can't remember.  

 

[Dleg]

Oh and **** you.  I have a lot of CDs.

 

[knight1fox3]

Does PS3 play PS2 games?  I can't remember.  

Depends on the version.  http://www.wikihow.com/Play-PS2-Games-on-a-PS3

But you can play any PS2 games you want with a PC emulator. I wouldn't let that bottleneck my high-def viewing experience. :thumbs:

Oh and **** you.  I have a lot of CDs.

LOL.....just messing with you. I've since converted all of my CD library to digital format that's basically accessible from any connected device in my home. Even my high-end home theater system.

 

[kevo_55]

Does PS3 play PS2 games?  I can't remember.  

One the first model that was initially produced.

 

:bawling:

 

[Dleg]

^I think I mentioned before my plans to do the same.  One project that I didn't get around to on my use-it-or-lose-it leave this week was to start that process.  I bought a 4 GB hard drive to connect to my Asus router to turn into an iTunes server for that purpose, but it still sits in the box because, basically, I dread the thought of how much time all of that ripping will take.

 

[Dleg]

One the first model that was initially produced.

 

:bawling:

Yeah, I just did my Googling and saw that.  Too bad.  I'd buy a PS3 or PS4 if it could play the old games.  On the plus side, the PS3 Slim WILL play PS1 games, whic I have a ton of, but I'd rather play my PS2 collection.

 

[knight1fox3]

Yeah, I just did my Googling and saw that.  Too bad.  I'd buy a PS3 or PS4 if it could play the old games.  On the plus side, the PS3 Slim WILL play PS1 games, whic I have a ton of, but I'd rather play my PS2 collection.

So you're not a fan of emulators even though you can you connect a PS2 (via USB) controller to a PC? Unlimited PS2 library man!

TWISTED METAL 2!!!

 

[Dleg]

Yeah, well, what's the easiest and cheapest way to get that in my home theater?  I want to play on the big screen with the serious sound.