Ask Engadget HD: Best home theater setup for gaming?
By Richard Lawler 
posted Oct 7th 2009 2:45PM
posted Oct 7th 2009 2:45PM
"I'm finally ready to build the home theater I've always wanted, and while I'll definitely be watching TV and playing Blu-ray discs as well, it's going to be all about gaming. I've already got a PS3 and Xbox 360 hooked up to an old 20-inch LCD, but I need a real HDTV and surround setup now. I know some games support 7.1, is it worth the extra setup? Also, what HDTV in the $1,000 - $2,000 price range is best for games?"
While 7.1 may not be the immediate move for everyone, we're sure some Killzone 2 players may appreciate the extra speakers. Let Phil know what setup you're running, and if you want to throw in a Xbox Live Gamertag or PSN ID as well we certainly won't be mad at you. [Note: This isn't about which system is the best, we've been there and while we might revisit the question later, fanboys, this is about the surrounding equipment so try and stay on topic, k?
Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
True surround sound systems are overkill if the room you're putting it in is on the smaller side.
If you're sitting more than 10 feet from the screen no need for anything above 720p so you can save some money there.
As for a TV and sound. Pioneer has some of the best built in sound available. Sounds absolutely amazing. They come with sub outputs to fill out the low end. When paired with a good subwoofer it kills any htib. If you have the dough get a Pioneer plasma, hands down the best tv.
If you go with a TV that doesn't have great built in speakers I'd go for a Sony Soundbar. The high end model has a XMB on screen interface for input selection and setup, much easier than reading an amp three line screen from the sofa. Remember the main advantage surround sound has is the .1 not the 7. The surrounding speakers are cool for effects but bass is what's really immersive.
Please never say that again! You must take into account screen size!
Check the Chart Son!
http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html
First of all, the best advice I can give is don't listen to Javier's advice.
Basically, your probably better off going for a 5.1 system. You've stated the price range for your television is between $1,000.00 to $2,000.00.
Now, generally if you only have $1,000.00 to spend on a tv, chances are you won't have $5,000.00 or more to spend on a very high-end sound system. So really, your better off probably going with a 5.1 system and getting a few medium-end speakers plus a receiver. I'd recommend something like the Paradigm Cinema sound-bar series. Perhaps the Cinema 200 x 3(for your front speakers), two lower-cost($120.00 for a pair) for the surround sounds and a $150-$200.00 price range sub. Spend about $500.00 on your reciever and you should be able to get a Pioneer or Yamaha, etc receiver that has TrueHD/7.1 on it and supports all the 5.1 codecs leaving you good for dvds, blu-ray, hdtv, games and upgrading to 7.1 someday in the future when you can afford it by buying two more surround sound speakers.
If you have money left over from your audio budget, put it towards your tv. Generally, your looking now adays for a minimum contrast ration of 100,000:1. If you go less than that, sometimes black's wont appear so black and you start to lose detail in darker scenes of games or movies. 60 fps is fine for gaming. Most consoles only produce about 30 fps as it is and at 640p. So 60 fps is overkill in a way as your screen refresh rate is twice your console. 120hz technology doesn't hurt as its simulates addition smoothness through mathematically generating new frames and inserting them. Honestly, it would help a bit but I'd choose a higher contrast ratio over the 120hz.
Generally, 1080p and 720p for a lot of games look quite similar if your using an xbox 360 and PS3. However, 720p tvs are almost impossible to find as they are so old unless your shopping in the 27-32" market. 720p tvs represent model lines released in around 2005 or so. So when you go 720p, it'll be cheap but the tv will suffer in contrast ratio, color spectrum, almost guaranteed won't come with 120hz feature or 240hz, etc. It sure as heck won't be 3d ready.
So really, your going to end up with a 1080p tv anyway you look at if it you want something anywhere near up to date in terms of model. If your looking at the $1000.00 - $2000.00 range, you'd probably be best screen size wise with aiming for a 46" tv to 42" tv. The only reason why is as tvs increase in size, they become exponentially more expensive. If this range, you might be able to pick up a Samsung Series 6 or 7 LCD which would provide you with a great contrast ratio, nice color reproduction, 1080p, 120hz/240hz(depending on which series).
If you increase your screensize to a 50-60" at that price range, your picture quality will be noticeably worse with less resolution and much less smooth.
@Wes
So these Panasonic TC-P50X1's from 2009 are actually the same stuff they were selling 4 years ago?!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889187104&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Plasma-_-Panasonic-_-89187104
Yeah don't listen to this guy either.
For well under $1000 you can most certainly get a quality HDTV with a 50" screen but 720p resolution. As already noted if you're not sitting 7-8 feet or closer to your 50" screen 1080p makes no difference. A simple calculation for minimum screen size based on resolution is 4 inch for every 1 foot you sit from the screnn for 720p and 5.5 inch for every 1 foot you sit away for 1080p.
Holy crap dude, you should be banned from giving advice on this particular topic. I cringed while reading your comments. SCARY
I mainly use headphones when gaming. Mainly because the sound effects are so loud and annoying to everyone else in the house. And I find I don't miss any minor sound effects with headphones. Like creaking boards of someone sneaking up on me in COD4. Hoozah!!!
But in a room with many people involved in the gaming experience or movie watching, yeah, a sound system rocks.
Hurm - is he looking for a Home Theater (as he stated) OR a set up aimed at gaming? Depending on what that answer is will help determine what he should do. Either way the first question is how large of an area does he have for this set-up? The size of the room/location will determine what size screen he should get, speaker placement etc. The next question is whether it's just for gaming or a Home Theater.
Due to limited budget, Plasma and 5.1 the way to go.
I'd say look at the Panasonic or Samsung lower-end plasma lines which are still very good and the mid-range Onkyo or Denon receivers.
I may be in the minority but I say spend the bucks on a better receiver up front and focus on speakers last even though cheap speakers can ruin audio. But hey you can always upgrade or change those later.
I'd say put as much money up front on the television though and don't skimp on the screen size. It's the biggest regret people have. Choose as big as you know you can get. If your on the fence between 2 sizes always pick the bigger one. Trust me.
I still feel my 58" Plasma is small lol. As for me, I have a variety of television sets. But my main setup is the new 58" Samsung 850 series plasma which is like 1" thick with the Denon AVR-990 receiver.
Wes, I have to disagree with you about you 50-60 inch range. For a price range within $1,000 - $2,000 you can get a great screen, even a 50" Kuro, within the $1,000 - $2,000; and that is at 1080p.My 55" LCD was in the middle of that range and it looks fantastic. It just all depends and it more so depends on your own personal preference.
I personally prefer plasma over LCD for the better blacks and richer colors. Also way less ghosting.
I have created the best Home system over the years with a very deliberate "best bang for my my buck" mentality.
I recommend building your system piece by piece, and getting the best you can reasonably afford at any given time. This will allow you to buy or upgrade individual components as your funds and situation allows. One bit of all encompassing advice, steer clear of anything with the name "Bose" on it.
My current setup:
Receiver: Onkyo SR-805
Speakers (5.1 setup): Front(L/R) Pioneer, (C) Polk, Rear (L/R) JBL (specific model name/numbers allude me at the moment) (Sub) BIC Acoustec H-100
TV: Panasonic TC-P54V10 Plasma (just got this and it is AWESOME)
Consoles: PS3#1(HDMI), PS3#2(HDMI), 360(Component/Digital Optical),
PS2(Component/Digital/Optical), PSP(Component/Analog)
Addtl: Cable Box (HDMI)
All cables IN to Receiver, one HDMI cable OUT to TV.
By no means the best, but I'm very happy with my setup
Sorry in the first line, I didn't mean to say its "The best" I meant "The best I could"
(Sorry to go offtopic.)
You have two PS3's? Please explain. Also, if you have an older 360 with no HDMI (like I do), I heartily recommend picking up a VGA cable for it, instead of component. It's the only way to let older 360s output 1080p all the time (including DVD upscaling, which I'm sure you don't need, with your PS3s in the mix).
Hey TJ,
Yeah 2 PS3's lol. I recently had my PS3 60GB have issues, this was about the time the Slims came out and I pulled the trigger on a slim mainly because I am an impatient bastard and I like some of the added features of the slim (less noise, power consumption, & bit streaming audio). I'm glad I did, since it took me 3 attempts to get a working PS3 returned from Sony, as they send Factory Refurbs and 2 of the 3 I received back were defective.
As for the 360, yup you guessed it, its an older, non-HDMI unit. I though about going with the VGA cable, but in all honesty all I use the 360 for is playing FFXI and even that is infrequent, lol.
I use the Slim PS3 as my main Home Theater media hub and it connected to my computer via LAN. I also have a seperate 1TB HDD that I back up my PS3 & computer too and keep Downloaded Trailers for Game and Movies I like on :D
I completely agree. I started with an Insignia 5.1 receiver a few years ago along with a CRT TV, no center channel, no sub, no surrounds. Just a pair of floorstanding KLHs. Since I was in college, I used my spare money to first bring my system up to a 5.1 by buying the low end pieces I could afford usually a few months apart. Eventually found a good deal on a 32" 720p so I made that switch. Next, I moved and my subwoofer was severely lacking in my larger place so I upgraded that. Somewhere in there I found a good deal on a pioneer receiver so I ditched the insignia. I also switched to lower profile surrounds to accommodate the wife. Then I splurged on a 47" 1080p Samsung and now I'm pretty happy with what I have (although more money will change my happiness with this system)
Anyways, the only problem with this way comes in terms of connectivity. I had everything hooked up how I wanted it until I got my new TV which has optical outs not coaxial. I couldn't plan for this, so my Pioneer's 1 optical input was already being used by my Xbox....guess what I'll be upgrading next (I also need HDMI now...haha)
I can't speak for what led you to those specific purchases, but three different brands of speakers (four if you count the sub) is far from ideal.
Excellent setup, reson8er. I have a very similar setup, but older components (Onkyo TX-DS676 and Panny Plasma TH42P80U or something.
Bottom line - decent receiver, like an Onkyo (excellent price/performance) and Plasma, baby. None of that LCD crap!
Nice setup - similar to mine. Onkyo is the best name in receivers in terms of price:feature ratio.
I have a home theater (Epson 1080ub Projector, 100" screen) setup with a Onkyo 905 with 7.1 Audio with both an 360 and PS3 attached.
I wouldn't change a thing. The PS3 games that do actually use 7.1 are pretty damn cool, but they are few and far between. The couple of BluRay dics's that I've watched that do use 7.1 (Rush hour 3 is one), sound fantastic.
If you are doing 7.1 just for the sake of doing 7.1, I'd save your money.
If you are building a system that you plan to keep for a long time (which we did), I would highly suggest 7.1.
Make sure your room is big enough though otherwise it won't be worth it, ours is setup in a dedicated Theater room (seating coming soon).
Also, make sure that you use a receiver that can pump audio to the back two speakers even if the source media / device does not support it. Call of Duty World at War with this setup on our 360 sounds fantastic with the THX NEO6 processing (enables the back two speakers).
Hope this helps.
I would seriously consider buying a decent set of headphones. I've been gaming with headphones since Halo 2 and I highly recommend it. I currently use the astrogaming A40's, but the turtle beach x41 look like a promising wireless option. The headphones really provide an additional level of immersion and help you hear when the enemy is behind you. If you are buying a receiver, one feature that you should consider is one that has dolby headphone built in. When the need eventually arises for you to game at night with others asleep in the house, you'll be glad you have the option.
^What he said.
When I was shopping for a receiver, I couldn't find one that had HDMI, and Dolby headphone, so I had to go with the ASTRO's.
If your top priority is gaming, I would probably suggest a LED backlit LCD in the 46 inch range for $1000-2000. You'll get a lot of brightness, lower power consumption, and no worry about burn-in. I do most of my gaming on a 1080p projector, but it's honestly not ideal if you plan to spend long sessions in front of the screen, plus you will burn through a bulb in a year if you are an avid gamer, which makes the upkeep pretty expensive.
Plasmas are still the PQ kings, but many people still worry about the burn-in, (though it's not much of an issue these days). Still, the deep blacks are less important in games than movies, so you really need to think about usage plans and screen size before you choose a display technology.
As for as the audio goes, 7.1 seems to be pretty hard to justify from everything I've read, as so little content is available, and the benefits over 5.1 are minimal. I'd suggest spending about $500 on a decent low-mid range Onkyo or Denon receiver with the lossless codecs supported, and then put a good chuck on cash into your speakers and sub. Get some nice fronts and center channel, and if you're budget constrained, go cheap on the surrounds till you can upgrade.
For a sub, HSU research has some nice options that are very affordable for their quality and power.
I've got a 360 hooked up to a Samsung HL 61A750 and an Onkyo TX SR 606 running Energy take 5.1 satellites and matching sub. I believe Samsung discontinued their LED DLP line which is a shame because I still find myself continually blown away by the picture. But if you're going to go with flat panel I'm a big fan of Panasonic's plasma sets. They're reasonably priced especially for the quality. One of my buddies has his 360 hooked up to one of their 720p sets and it looks great.
As for audio, I'm pretty happy with the Onkyo. For the money it does everything it should, it just doesn't blow me away like the tv does. That being said, I think 5.1 surround or better is a necessity for games today. The couldn't imagine playing games like Dead Space or Bioshock without the added elements of surround sound.
TV: Panny Plasma. Int that range, best bang, both for size and PQ.
Audio: I have an Onkyo SR606, running 6.1 surround and it's great. 4 HDMI inputs, so enough for 360, PS3, and two other sources.
HOWEVER, for gaming, I prefer the ASTRO A40 gaming headphones and amp. I get true 5.1 surround using dolby headphone technology, and I am able to hear things that I would usually miss, even on surround speakers. Sound direction is spot on as well. For late-night gamers like myself, it's a must.
@ Steve,
uneven wear is also an old argument as this can happen to plasma, lcd, or crt.
you definitely want to go with a LCD so you dont risk burn in. take a look to see if you can get a LED backlit LCD in that range from samsung.
Burn in? Seriously? You must be a Best Buy employee... GET EDUCATED before making stupid comments like that.
Burn in? Seriously? You must be a Best Buy employee... GET EDUCATED before making stupid comments like that.
Hey Annoying Poster,
I have a newly "broken in" Panasonic Plasma, and I can say without hesitation that Burn-in is a non-issue. YMMV by model and Mfg, but with Pixel Orbiting, Screen wipes, and some applying basic "best practices" you will have no problems, and get a beautiful, natural looking picture for your efforts. Plasmas also have the lowest response times to cut down/eliminate any input delay, which is an inherent issue with lesser model LCD's.
I am a big gamer and play for hours at a time (currently getting my butt handed to me in Demon's Souls, lol) and never have an issue.
For a modern plasma to get burn in, you'll need a match and gasoline.
1) Pour gasoline on TV
2) light match
3) throw match on TV
Watch the burn in settle instantly and permanently damage your television. Rumor has it LCDs are also vulnerable to this burn in.
No burn in but you can still get some uneven wear from leaving black bars on too much of the time.
Sony 1080p 40" LCD TV, Sony 5.1 speakers running off a Sony STR-DA1200ES, and a Sony PS3.
If you see a trend, yes, my dad likes Sony.
And honestly, 5.1 is fine for me. The amp can do 7.1 (or 6.1...I forget), but I've had 5.1 since about 2002 and it works fine for me. :)
check out this guy on amazon: Samsung LN46A950 46 inch Full HD 1080p 120Hz LED LCD HDTV
$1899
the only thing i would agree with in there is the tv, but why buy a sony when you can get a samsung for a lot less (sony uses samsung panels). everything else in that list is a horrible suggestion. sony speakers are garbage, and denon receivers shit all over sony ones. ps3 is meh, just use a media center pc and either use it for games or xbox 360's, allowing you to stream live tv to any other setup in the house.
I have a Logitech Z-5500 surround system that I use for gaming in game room. The sound rivals my larger living room system. It maybe only $300-$350 and 5.1, but it sounds amazing for both PC and console gaming.
I have it displaying on a $700 Optoma 720p projector at 100 inches, and the experience is completely immersive. There are very few games that are actually rendered in 1080p. You can spend $1k and get a 1080p projector if movies are really important (although they look great projected in 720p). You can buy a decent pull down or pull up screen for $200. Costco's got some good deals on projector/screen combos, and you'll have 90 days to try it out.
So for around $1k-$1500 you can have an great gaming system that a group of people can enjoy. I even have a seat and racing wheel/pedal setup. They only drawback is that you'll need a fairly dark room.
+1 on the Z5500. I used it in my college apartment and now in my living room. I have a 1080p Sanyo Z2000 projecting on a 100" screen and used this setup for TV and movies. I recently picked up a 360 and I'll actually get motion sickness after playing FPS games for too long! I am OK in the car and on planes, but I start to feel uneasy during those super shaky movies (and now FPS games). I can play Rock Band for hours with no problem. It is just something to keep in mind if you get a big screen.
I'll agree up to a point. The Z5500 is good stuff, but only when you take into consideration it's price point. If you're willing to pay a little more money, a mid range reciever, surrounds, and sub(s) will DESTROY the Z5500.
That said, I do plan on getting the Z5500. The Z2300 is also a good system, but they both suffer from not having separate midrange/tweets. And the Z2300 (I can't speak for the 5500 on this one) doesn't go low at all.
I asked myself the same question a while back and this is what I came up with:
Monitor: Samsung LN-46A650
Receiver: Sherwood Newcastle R871
Fronts: PSB Image B25
Center: PSB Image C40
Rears: PSB Image B25
Mid's/Rm2: PSB Alpha Mini's
The .1: Currently two bass shakers screwed into my couch.
My recommended .1: A Rel Acoustic T Series
I have one of the LG BD390 players setup for the 5.1/7.1 surround depending, sounds awesome... and blu-ray is most certainly worth the extra coin if you ask me. Especially if you already have the surround and a 1080p television.
Without getting into a "best" argument. It is all a matter of opinion and you should find a speaker setup that matches your preference and your budget. I used a small audio dealer and got to demo a lot of stuff before I choose the PSB line, and ended up buying the entire setup sans tv from him.
That's what I've got. It works great for a small Manhattan apt.... and everyone that has used/played on the system loves it. (Especially the bass shakers!)
For a TV- go big, at least 50". Samsung makes some great LCD panels, but I've big fan of a good Panny plasma.
For Sound- I would say stick to 5.1, especially since you mentioned this is a "smaller" room. No need to spend a bunch of money, but the money you do spend, invest in a decent sub. A lot of the "immersion" experience you desire in good sound comes from a quality sub. I think the set I spec-ed out is nice enough to be a good value HT setup. Hsu Research Subs are considered very high quality.
"Low" End TV (great contrast rate, accurate colors, Panny's THX mode is the best factory preset on any TV): Panasonic TC-P50G10 ($1,150 shipped from buy.com)
High End TV (Best Picture Quality in 2009): Panasonic TC-P50V10 ($2,100 from Best Buy, can be found cheaper online if u search)
High End TV Alternative (Go Bigger with 58 inches): Panasonic TC-P58S1 (T$1,820 shipped from Amazon)
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR606 ($380 shipped from Tiger Direct if ordered through Amazon)
Speakers: Energy Take 5.0 Classic, ($200 Crutchfield)
Sub: Hsu Research STF-2 ($350 Direct)
Biggest bang for the buck is a Mitsubishi DLP TV. I have a 73" unit and they've come out with an 82" one as well.
Mitsy WD-73835
PS3 (HDMI)
PS2 (Component)
Wii (Component)
A2 HDDVD (HDMI)
HDTiVo (HDMI)
Denon 3808 (one HDMI out to TV)
7.1 Aperion Speaker set-up
3 Theater seats (fully recline w/only 6" clearance needed from wall)
10' distance from TV
My Man's Room rocks.
Living Room
Toshiba 62" TV
Wii (Component)
PS3 (HDMI)
A30 HDDVD (HDMI)
HDTiVo (HDMI)
Denon (forgot model number) (one HDMI to TV)
5.1 Bose (forgive me - I bought this before I became enlightened - that's why it's in the Living room :))
Bedroom
Panny 42" Plasma
Panny BD-35 BD player (HDMI)
A30 HDDVD (HDMI)
Comcrap DVR (Component)
Nintendo 64 (yes siree!)
Sony 7.1 Receiver (forgot model) (one HDMI to TV)
5.1 Sony Speakers
yes im gettn a 73inch from mtsu myself yea that 82 is really nice but pockets arent that deep for that one lol
Hurm - I neglected to mention the 3PCs and one laptop in my Man's Room along w/the Harmony One remote and in the Living Room and Bedroom is the Harmony 880. Not to mention the Popcorn A110 also in my Man's Room w/5TB of storage and over 100 BD and HDDVD's ripped....and over 800 DVDs stored on the 6+GB of storage connected to the 3 PCs.
I also neglected the Vizio 32" LCD that's in our guest house..
I can't in good conscience recommend anything but a Panasonic VIERA plasma. There's just nothing like them. LCDs are a joke. As for sound, if you wanna save money you can't go wrong with an Onkyo HTIB.
holy moly,
you da man!'
what a setup
I assume you're being sarcastic. I wasn't aware this was a "my P3N!$ is bigger than yours" competition. He wanted a suggestion for a home theater, so I gave him a budget option. Not everyone is interested in spending $10,000 on a full system. As for his need for a $1000 - $2000 TV, a VIERA is perfect.
The Panasonic S and G Series plasmas are great for gaming. And with a $2000 budget, that will leave you plenty of room for a Home Theater in a Box or Soundbar.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38069904@N05/sets/72157617748063494/
Hardware Summary
------------------------
4x PC's
1x Mac Mini
3x Xbox 360's
1x HDHomeRun
1x iPhone 3Gs
2x 8 port Gig Switches
1x Linksys Router (DD-WRT)
1x DLink DIR-655
1x Cable Modem
1x 47" Philips LCD TV
1x 42" Vizio LCD TV
4x 24" Dell LCD's
1x 120" Carada Screen
1x Optoma HD72 projector
1x Logitech Harmony One Remote
1x Logitech 360 Remote
Software
------------
MediaBrowser
MyChannelLogos
GameEx
Living Room
---------------
Sony XL3 (Win7 RTM x64)
-2x ATI DCT
-1TB Drive (Recording Storage)
-6GB Ram
-BD DRive (Internal Slot-Loading)
47" Philips 120hz LCD
Xbox 360 + HD DVD
Logitech z5500 System
Nintendo Wii
Theatre Room
-----------------
Optoma HD72 Projector
120" Carada Screen
HK AVR 247 Reciever
Infinity 7.1 Speaker system
Xbox 360
Sony PS3
Bass Shakers + Amp
Row of 3 Berkline Recliners (powered)
PlaySeats Evolution (Racing / Flight Sim)
ION Drum Kit
Mame Cab
-------------
Dell Dimension PC (Win 7 RTM x86)
24" Dell LCD
X-arcade Tankstick
Office
-------
3x Dell 24" LCD
Dell Latitude e6500 (Win7 RTM x64)
MAC Mini (PPC)
iMate Momento 10.2" Digital Picture Frame
Garage
---------
Centeral Media Storage (Win7 RTM x64)
-AMD 2800+
-5TB Raid 5
-3ware 9500 8pt
Utility Server (Win7 RTM x86)
-Intel P4 2.8Ghz
-MetaData Mgmt
-Personal Email
That TV looks good above your fireplace, but for a better HDTV experience, the TV should be at eye level.
reson8er this is fa u dawgg peep game yea everybody is sayn what they have in they crib and shit right and thas sound good and all if u have both systems i think u said u did go with a 7.1 the reason why u are future proofing yaself from anything else for the next few years and i mean a very short few years cuz 9.1 and 9.2 are on the way fast just on this site for more on that.....
the reason i say 7.1 cuz dawgg u got the ps3 fa bluray right?--- right and some of those movies 7.1 soundtrack on them u dont wanna half ass ya setup pimpn----since u already cop u a tv u stra on that........and if u got a good pc network everything together so u can stream all ya pics songs and movies if u are into downloading movies make sure everything is running smooth me personally tho i did have a sony 60inch but now it is gone and what is coming is mitsu 73 for me and i have a onkyo myseld um wit the 7.1 package but make sure u get a full hdmi no passthru that was my mistake by not getting one but i am going to upgrade it for a network receiver once again future proofing myself oh yea onkyo bangs out 1200 watts in7.1 fashion hit me up xboxlive hood gangstaz aight dawwgg hope get that fire ass receiver
Hey jesse,
I can indeed go 7.1 if space permitted, but alas it does not. 7.1 is just not as supported as it should be, I have heard 7.1 and it is extremely nice. To me, its all about what works best for you.
Some common sense applies, but basically ask yourself.
1. What do I want to achieve? (in the case of this article a game centric setup)
2. Whats my budget? (usually the #1 motivating factor, but with some planning not as restrictive as it initially appears. Best Buy for example had a 36 month no interest financing plan recently)
3. Do LOTS and LOTS of research. Hit up the various websites, CNET, AV Forums, Consumer Reports, etc. Not just one either, all of them and make notes, cross reference, be patient, and spend your $$ with confidence knowing you put the time in and get what you really want.