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What is Home Theater? So, with all the hype surrounding the audio/video phenomenon, you may find yourself a bit confused. So much technology- HDTV, DVD, DTS, Dolby Digital… Can someone please tell me, "What is a home theater?" In some respects, the answer is as varied as the definition of what is a home. Some homes are small, simple, and comfortable. Others are large, lavish, and expensive. No matter what size or shape, all homes have some elements in common and so do home theaters. Home theaters come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and styles, ranging from surround sound speakers in the family room to a dedicated 10-seat home theater room on the lower level of a home. Each theater is right for each family based on preferences, available space, and budget. Based on these differences, all home theaters have one thing in common: the magic and excitement of the movies in the privacy and comfort of home. The following information explains how home theater components contribute to having a cinema-like experience in your home. Go to Glossary of Terms for detailed explanations of home theater terms. High-Quality Audio/Video Source Movie theater excitement begins with a crisp, larger-than-life image on the screen and a full surround sound, both of which can be achieved in the privacy and comfort of your home theater. While an antenna and a VCR can sometimes deliver acceptable images, they are only two components of a home theater that will help recreate a movie-theater atmosphere. As an alternative to cable, consider a digital satellite system to receive every movie, entertainment, and pay-per-view channel you'd like to view in your home theater. For pre-recorded movies and programs, consider adding a DVD player, and upgrading your VCR to one with Hi-Fi sound and a four-head video system. Using the latest digital technologies, home receivers can recreate movie sound tracks as sound engineers intended. C hoosing the Right Size ScreenWhen you go to the movies, the screen captivates your field of view, which is key to the immersive experience of a theater. If you choose not to fill the front of your home theater with a screen, be sure to select one large enough so that you are not distracted by activities to the left and right of the screen. On the other hand, a screen that is too large for a room will make the scan lines in the picture too visible, and will lessen the effects of a sharp, clean image. Provide for maximum input quality by insisting on S video connections for use where possible. The newest DVD players output their signals in an even higher quality form called Component Video. To get highest quality reproduction, your video display, be it a projector or direct view set, should have component video inputs, as well. Surround Sound Decoding and Adequate Amplifier Power Sound is also a very important part of re-creating the home theater atmosphere. In fact, studies have shown that no matter how sharp and clear the picture is, the addition of a high-quality audio system not only makes programs sound better, but also triggers emotional responses that actually make pictures look better. The best way to achieve this superior sound is to select an A/V receiver or surround processor that can decode the new digital audio systems and is compatible with tens of thousands of existing analog surround titles and television programs. More importantly, surround processors provide six full channels of surround sound: front left, front center, front right, right surround, left surround and low frequency, delivering the highest quality sound. There should also be sufficient power to match the speakers you choose. As important, make certain that there is equal power to all six main channels. High-Quality Connections High-quality connection cables will aid in blocking out unwanted signals. They needn't be the most expensive wires, but affordable interconnects and coaxial lead-in cables that protect the cables' signals from interference such as radio transmissions, cordless and cellular phones, microwave ovens, and near-by broadcast stations. Matched Speakers and Subwoofers Having speakers that are matched at the three front channels (resulting in smooth pans across the front room) is essential to any home theater. If you are happy with your existing front left and front right speakers, look for a new center channel speaker that matches the acoustic characteristics of the others. Surround speakers should also match one another, though they are typically smaller than the front speaker. To complete your speaker system, add a subwoofer, which is a speaker specially designed to reproduce bass, or low- frequency sounds, typically under 120 Hz. Most of the subwoofers available today are powered, or include a built-in amplifier. Odds & Ends To ensure that all the pieces of your new home theater fit together properly and deliver the performance you expect, it is important to do more than just set them down where your old TV and stereo were. Sound equipment requires careful placement, as well. Austin Audio can help you make decisions about components and set up. Thanks to today's technologies, the quality of sound and image in your home theater may be better than that at your local cinema. Creating the ultimate home theater begins with you. Determine your needs, budget, and location, and you're on your way to enjoying movie theater magic in the privacy and comfort of your own home. |
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