[jon911]

Hi - I'm new to this forum and not too experienced in the world of home enternainment systems therefore I'd be grateful if some of the experts (or anyone for that matter!)out there could comment on what I'm planning.

I'm currently fitting out the family room with a home system my budget is 10-12k (including fiitting). I want a discrete system (NO big speakers) and want it to cover music, TV and home theatre.

I've yet to audition any of this gear so its just a starting point based on magazine reviews and my local retailer.

First of all I've decided for both a projector and a plasma TV as I see these as complementary. When I've seen projectors used I think the results are peerless but for everyday TV use not that practical. My provisional choices are

Plasma TV - Hitachi 42PD7200
Projector - Infocus SP5700 + 7" screen

The A/V receiver I've picked out is the Denon AVR3805
paired with a Denon DVD2910

Speakers are worrying me a bit but I'm considering the Monitor Audio Gold in-ceiling speakers. Does anyone have direct experience of these ? Also could anyone recommend a good sub to complement.

I also plan to run a pair of satellite speakers to another room (choice KEF CI200QR in wall ???).

I also want to have a media PC for a variety of purposes
- freeview reception + PVR
- recordable DVD
- music server MP3's etc
- photo slide shows etc
- internet access (movie downloads etc).

There doesen't seem to be a tremendous choice in this sector yet but one that has caught my eye is the Evesham e-box. Does anyone have experience of this or Media Centre PC's in general ?

Finally something like a Philips SBRCRU950 learning remote plus a Speakercraft IR kit to control it all

Sorry for the long post

Interconnect etc will have to be the subject of another post !

All comments favourable or not welcome

[clockworks999]

If you are spending that amount of money in one go, it might be a good idea to pay a specialist to design and install your system. It may cost a bit, but could save some expensive mistakes.

Find a good A/V dealer in your area, and get them to do a home survey.

I wouldn't bother with a dedicated media PC. Use a normal PC as a server (put it in a spare room or cupboard), add some network cables around the house, and use a network MP3 or media device.

Standalone DVD recorders are better than PC-based "solutions".
Downloaded movies will look rubbish on a projector. Rent the DVDs instead.
Sky+ is the best PVR solution.