What is Home Theater?
You have heard all about it, and just don't know what it is. This is intended for those who are not familiar with this recent "new found fad" that people call Home Theatre. For those of you who have your basic TV still watching with that stock mono speaker you could be in for a suprise. You can give yourself the home theatre experience for very affordable rates now.
You have several options out there. There is the most recent "theatre-in-a-box" packages that most generally produce mediocre sound (which I HIGHLY do not recommend), or you can choose the healthier choice of a custom a la carte system.
Whatever you choice may be (this document talks about the later of the two) remember this little phrase that might take you a long ways concerning hi-fi electronics. You get what you pay for... In a home theatre there are three basics structures that every system must have to be complete:
sound system, video system, and your different sources of video.Depending on your own personal likes, you might spend much more in one area than the other. Most systems tend to weigh a little heavier on the pocketbook in this department. The sound system requires several parts to it, the audio video receiver and the speakers themselves (at least five speakers). If you choose to go the right way, you will purchase a system that will in a sense be able to control your whole audio / video system. To be able to experience true surround sound, several options can be taken depending on the budget. The most common, Dolby Pro Logic (five channel system), AC-3 or Dolby 5.1 (Dolby's most recent upgrade to its Pro Logic system), and finally THX (Lucas arts version of the ultimate home theatre experience). There are other sounds formats available such as DTS, but for the most part, home theatre's consist of the first three listed.
Low-end receivers generally start at about $200 working all of the way up the pole to thousands for high-end ones. The more you spend, the more you are getting. Options you should pay interest to are number of audio and video inputs, how customizable the sound frequencies are, and how much power it outputs. There are even more options where getting into receivers than what you might originally think of. For your high-end systems, most systems have what are called separates
. Separates are when you have an amplifier and then have a receiver and/or tuner as a separate component.Mentioned above was THX, Lucas Films interpretation of theatre sound. This is a very popular logo that most will found while shopping. Lucas Films has their own set of standards that requires a few extra circuits to be in place on components before even getting considered to be THX-Certified. Don't be fooled though, just because the makers of Star Wars have this great prestige, it doesn't mean that it is always the best sound.
The other option for higher-end sound is AC-3, Dolby's new Surround System. One improvement of AC-3 over Dolby Pro Logic is the separating of sounds between the front-left, centre, and front-right speaker. The filtering systems have improved greatly, making it a much more definable sound format. Another plus for AC-3 is the addition of a separate channel for sub-woofers (bass). What many call the biggest improvement is the ability to produce stereo sound from the rear surrounds rather than the previous mono. To attain AC-3 sound one must have an AC-3 receiver, an input that can handle AC-3 (laserdisc player), and inputs for the source. Currently laserdiscs are the only option for AC-3, but most likely soon to change.
Speaking of sound, speakers are needed
. Some consider the most vital part to the whole entity, although some argue ( you can only have the quality of sound that your lowest-end product is able to produce). At least five speakers are needed: Front-left, centre, front-right, two rear surrounds. With the addition of one more, you will get a much more enjoyable experience, the sub-woofer. All speakers are important and none should be pushed aside in quality, so balance out your budget to get the highest attainable speakers for your money.Next to the sources of what you will be watching (or listening to). The nations most popular choice in the average American home is the VCR
. Although this is true, not any old VCR will work though. A Hi-Fi VCR is required. The difference between the two is that a Hi-Fi will separate the right and left channels sound and output it into your receiver in the way that it needs to output surround sound. A cheap Hi-Fi VCR is attainable for approximately $200 although more is required if you want a quality VCR.There are higher video inputs out there. The laserdisc has grown in popularity over the last 10 years greatly.
Being the standard for Hi-Fi video, one should consider such a product. Lower-end laserdisc start at about $300.Again, a higher level yet of video. These ever so growing DBS mini satellites. After the initial equipment cost of approximately $650 to $800, your monthly bills are about the same as cable, with the exception that you get 200 channels instead of 55 or 60. Picture and sound quality on these digital satellites have an outstanding quality that your basic cable service cannot come close to match (at least until we are ALL using fibre optics).
Remember though, the picture quality is only as good as your display can produce. As starters, most home theatres start with a simple 27" t.v. then expanding all of the way to the 25 feet diagonal screens with line quads on them. There are several option of displays that you can get. The most common, Direct-View (which you probably already own), Rear-Projection, and Front-Projection.
Direct-View television provide the sharpest and most clear picture. The larger they get though, the more the picture quality diminishes for the most part. Available in sizes up to 40 inches. Advantage: Picture Quality Disadvantage: lack of size.
Rear-Projection sets have the division of the three main colours: red, blue, and green. These use separate picture tubes for each colour. Mirrors are used to reflect colours from bottom to back of screen, then to the front of television for your viewing pleasure. Rear projections generally require a larger room for viewing because you most usually sit at least 10-15 feet away. Advantage: Larger picture Disadvantage: bulky size, viewing can be crippled by surroundings easily..
For very large screens, the best alternative is the front-projection. Ranging in sizes from 5' to 25'. Similarly, like the rear-projection sets, they use the different tubes, but are projected on the screen from the front rather than from the rear. Advantage: Very Large Screen Disadvantage: MUST have very dark room.
As you can see there are very many choices in creating your
own custom theatre for your home. If you are on a budget, you can have a system
for under $5000, but for the few who have that unlimited budget, you can easily
spend $500,000 on the ultimate dream theater that will make your movie
experience one that everyone from miles will flock to see.