Home TV and audio....

[Dennis Peacock]

Here's my situation....
I have a nice relatively new TV...maybe a 40"..??
I have a BlueRay/DVD player that is also audio and is a smart device.
We watch NetFlix instead of cable.
The Samsung BlueRay/DVD smart device has been problematic since shortly after purchase.
We never watch BlueRay movies.
I want to keep my current TV.
I would like to replace the rest with a Roku 3 for my NetFlix and such as well as purchase a much less expensive DVD player and have some kind of home audio that the Roku and DVD player will work with.

I need this to be cheap and I say this because I know that many of you don't mind spend some serious coin for your home entertainment. For us, home entertainment is way down the list of requirements for our home.

Knowing all this and my budget is only a few hundred dollars....what is your advice?

[Sean Troy]

Here's my situation....
I have a nice relatively new TV...maybe a 40"..??
I have a BlueRay/DVD player that is also audio and is a smart device.
We watch NetFlix instead of cable.
The Samsung BlueRay/DVD smart device has been problematic since shortly after purchase.
We never watch BlueRay movies.
I want to keep my current TV.
I would like to replace the rest with a Roku 3 for my NetFlix and such as well as purchase a much less expensive DVD player and have some kind of home audio that the Roku and DVD player will work with.

I need this to be cheap and I say this because I know that many of you don't mind spend some serious coin for your home entertainment. For us, home entertainment is way down the list of requirements for our home.

Knowing all this and my budget is only a few hundred dollars....what is your advice?
You could get a DVD/Blue ray player that would have both Netflix and Hulu Plus that would cover most of your needs and a Sound Bar for audio. keeps you in your price range.

[Dennis Peacock]

Ah.!!! Good idea..!!!

[Jim Matthews]

We bought a cheapo Sony BluRay player that streams Netflix.

If you've got an XBox, you can use it for the same purpose.
You subscribe to XBox Live, and have access to lots of apps.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-BDP-BX38-Blu-ray-Player-Internet/dp/B004YQZKBU
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/partners/netflix

These services are dependent on your cable bandwidth, for quality.

[Andrew Fleck]

The Roku 3 uses a hdmi port to connect to your device. Like you we also stream Netflix instead of buying cable. We got the Roku 3 so we had a more reliable player. The WIFI Bluray player we had was always freezing up while streaming. The Roku has solved that problem so far. We have only had it a few weeks.

If you have a modern stereo receiver you can plug both the Roku and a DVD player into it. This will allow you to hear the sound through your stereo system and see the picture on your TV.

[Stephen Cherry]

I've had a sony blueray for a few years and mostly use it on Netflix. It was cheap (maybe 100 spacebucks) and has never frozen up, or acted up in any way.

[Matt Meiser]

We have a Sony Blu-Ray player too. I don't know that I'd buy a standard DVD player any more at this point.

[Jim O'Dell]

Dennis, does your TV have HDMI inputs? If so, what I do is hook my laptop HDMI out to the TV. I actually run mine through a home theater receiver first, but you can hook directly to the TV. You can access TV shows online, as well as Netflix, Hulu etc. If you like old TV shows you can find them as well online. I really enjoy the old JAG TV shows. I've watched all 10 seasons 3 times over the last 2+ years. All without commercials! Most current TV shows you can catch the day after they air, but they usually have commercials. Just a thought! And if you need the audio part of the system, there are full home theater 5.1 systems (less the TV) for 2-300 dollars. I get ads for them in my email all the time. Not great quality systems, but they are name brands like Sony. I'll try to find an example and add in here in a bit. Jim.

Try these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117438&nm_mc=EMC-EXPRESS122113&cm_mmc=EMC-EXPRESS122113-_-EMC-122113-Index-_-HomeTheaterinaBox-_-82117438-L03B

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0W3-0005-00008

this is the starting page for a search on these systems at NewEgg. Note: not all of these entries have the receivers included, just the speakers. But there are a lot of possibilities.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=home+theater+system&N=100006922&isNodeId=1

and this is the starting page for systems on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_p_76_0?rh=n%3A172282%2Ck%3Ahome+theater+ systems%2Cp_76%3A1249137011&keywords=home+theater+systems&ie=UTF8&qid=1387732782&rnid=1249135011

I like this one, but I've owned Yamaha audio for 34 years.:rolleyes:
http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YHT-497-5-1-Channel-Theater-System/dp/B007PU2Y4S/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1387732926&sr=1-1&keywords=home+theater+systems

Lots of possibilities. Keep in mind, Amazon now charges tax. New Egg does not. Both offer free shipping on many of their items. Hope this helps.

[Brian Elfert]

Lots of possibilities. Keep in mind, Amazon now charges tax. New Egg does not. Both offer free shipping on many of their items. Hope this helps.

Amazon only collects tax on behalf of your state. Amazon does not collect tax for all states, yet. Your state is charging you the tax, not Amazon. In most states one must pay use tax to the state in lieu of sales tax. (Yes, I know hardly anyone ever pays the use tax they owe.)

Back to the OP's question, if you're not an audiophile there are any number of home theater receivers for $200 or less that sound better than TV speakers. I have an older JVC model I paid about $130 for, but I can't recommend anything current as mine is nearly a decade old.

[Jim O'Dell]

Yes, I should have said collects tax. And I wasn't thinking about it being limited to certain states, but I guess it is. I try to buy from NewEgg these days as I guess they don't have a presence in the state of Texas. Amazon had stated they would leave Texas if they had to start charging sales tax, I guess Texas called their bluff. Anyway, it's something to think about, depending on where you are located. I also get products from NewEgg in about half the time. YMMV. Thanks for the correction Brian! Jim.