Deciding to buy a home theater system can be exciting, but just as suddenly it can become stressful as you realize you don’t know a whole lot about what it is you actually need. Read on for some home theater advice to help you make the right choice.
Before you rush out to buy a theater system you need to sit down with your family and make sure everyone is in agreeance. Then you should decide which room you are going to install it in – the living room, family room, or maybe you are going to build a new media room. You want to create a space for maximum enjoyment for those who are watching TV or movies, while being minimally invasive to others in the house.
There are two different types of high definition flat screens that you can choose from. They are the LCD and the plasma. The plasma screen is the most popular choice in media rooms because for the most part the picture image is superior. However, the decision is entirely yours. The best way to decide is to learn the pros and cons that each has to offer.
You will need to decide on the type of DVD player you are going to use. A blu ray DVD is going to give you the best picture, and most will be Dolby ® Digital. You might also be getting your video feed from online such as Netflix.
TV broadcasts and radio broadcasts are slowly making their way over to the digital format, which allow for the encoding of surround sound instructions. Currently surround sound is delivered in multi-channel formats of THX Surround EX(TM) 6.1, DTS, Dolby® Digital EX 6.1, AC-3, etc.
You will need to decide on your speakers, which generally com in sets of five with three in the front for the left right and center, and then two in the back for the left and right. This is what creates the surround sound. Spoken word and sound are delivered differently, which is why it is important to have your speakers placed correctly. Surround sound means that each speaker is capable of delivering different sounds all at the same time. It is what gives you that theater type experience.
The subwoofer is in addition to the five speakers. It is what provides the low frequency sounds, or the deep bass. It can add another entire dimension to your movie experience, picking up sounds that you might not otherwise hear.
Getting quality cables is as important as getting good speakers. A common mistake is to buy good speakers and then cheap out on the cables. When cheap cables are used, the digital signal degrades as it is carried from the television to the speaker through the cable. While you certainly don’t have to have the best cables, it is important to at least choose a middle price point. In fact, it is worth your time to compare cables online so that you understand what the actual differences are and can make the right choice for your budget and your needs.
When it comes time to plug it all, we’d like to share is to invest in a quality surge protection power bar so that all of your electronics are protected against power surges, which actually do occur regularly.
One last piece of theater advice – enjoy! Having a media room can bring you hours of entertainment so be sure to make the most of it.