voice channel

[groundie]

folks
i do not yet have a home theater system, just a dvd player connected directly to the Sony TV.
i have couple of questions regarding the audibility of voice when playing a dvd:
1) is there a dedicated voice channel, e.g., center?
2) often the music overwhems the voice and sometimes i can hardly hear the actors speaking. is there anything i can do besides getting a full-blown ht system?

thanks for any guidance

[dieselpower1966]

Hi Groundie
I'm not sure which sony you have, however it should have a sound menu in it. you should have a so called surround sound option in there. try that

[groundie]

i have one of XBR45 models and yes, i have selected the Surround option. the voice problem is not with normal tv programs but only with movies on dvd. i have read elsewhere that surround system puts the voice into the center channel. do you know if this is true? if so, perhaps that is my problem; i.e., i do not have a center speaker!

[salvasol]

groundie wrote:

i have one of XBR45 models and yes, i have selected the Surround option. the voice problem is not with normal tv programs but only with movies on dvd. i have read elsewhere that surround system puts the voice into the center channel. do you know if this is true? if so, perhaps that is my problem; i.e., i do not have a center speaker!

have you checked the set up on your DVD??? ... there should be an option too to set up the audio
It doesn't matter that you don't have a center channel, are you using HDMI to connect your DVD with the TV??? ... Check all setting on DVD and TV.

Do this happens will all movies or just some???

[groundie]

i'm afraid my tv setup is somewhat old, no HDMI, no 5.1 receiver, etc.
it is basically Sony xbr45 hooked directly to a low-cost dvd player.
on most movie dvds, voice or dialog is not clear; on few, it is really bad!

i'm considering a real HT system;
should i go for a receiver or a processor/amp combo?
what processors (besides Emotiva) are reasonable contenders?

[dieselpower1966]

first off, what is your budget for a receiver?
then you'll need a budget for the speakers
unless you're going for one of the complete home theater in a box which is a waste of money.
what kind of video connections do you have on your t.v.?
how large is the room?

Dieselpower1966

[groundie]

well, here's what i'm shooting for roughly:
receiver/processor/amp $1500
lcd tv $1500
speakers (i have a pair of old b&w's for fronts) $1000
dvd player $500

i know there are tons of all-in-one receivers but i have seen only a handful of av preamps or processors.
besides Emotiva, what other processors are there <$1000?

featurewise, are there specifics i should watch out for?

[dieselpower1966]

I've heard good things about the Emotiva, there is also Outlaw Audio with seperates, B & K, Sunfire, etc. the B&K and Sunfire will probably cost around $1500 for the processor without a good amp. There is an area on Hometheatershack where people sell their used stuff if that's an option. I haven't looked into LCD lately because I own a JVC HD Dila set 61", which I like very much. since you have B&W speakers, I'd imagine that you'd stay with them, a good choice btw.
by DVD are you looking at plain dvd, bluray or hd-dvd? if all you need is a plain dvd for now, I would go with the Oppo player, hands down it is the best player available. they do plan on making a blu-ray late this year. everything that you purchase should have HDMI connections. btw, if you have a sony ps it is supposed to be the best blu ray player available right now.
hope this helped,
you could check out some excellent sites for more info. such as
hometheatermag.com
avrev.com
soundandvision.com
audioholics.com

good luck
Dieselpower1966

[groundie]

thanks a bunch for your comments and advice!
since i'm not in desperate mode,
i will be taking the time to evaluate and mull things over.