Television
There are two things to pay attention to when buying a television: shape and size. To watch movies in their original wide screen format, you'll need a TV with a rectangularly shaped 16:9 aspect ratio rather than the traditional, square shaped 4:3. When it comes to size go for the largest screen you can afford (27 inches is probably the bare minimum). For optimal viewing, the distance between the viewer and the screen should equal about three times the screen size. For example a 40-inch TV is best viewed from a distance of 10 feet (120 inches). Before buying your TV it is best to figure out where you're going to place the television and calculate the screen size accordingly.
Cathode-ray tube
While traditional tube televisions have some of the sharpest pictures and lowest price tags ($500-$2500), the downside is they aren't available in large sizes - 40 inches is the maximum. If you favor a tube TV, than look for a flat-screen CRT, because they don't have the distortion that effects the curved edges of older models, and most can display the widescreen formats of DVDs.
Projection TV - Front or Rear
In contrast to conventional TVs, projection TVs form a small image on a device inside the projector, either a CRT or LCD, and then shine that image onto a large screen located elsewhere. There are two types of projecting TVs - rear or reflective projection and front or transmissive projection. On a rear projection, the screen is located within the TV box itself. In this type, light reflects off the projection display panel and is then projected onto the screen. A front projection has a separate screen (which allows for greater size) and send the picture across the room to a screen, much like a traditional movie projector. Both systems have four basic parts -a projector, screen (separate or built-in), control panel (separate or built-in) and a sound system (separate or built-in). Most rear projection TVs for home theater systems tend to look like very large-screen (up to 80-inches) conventional televisions. Each one is basically a large box that contains all of the above parts, while front projection TVs are spread out across your room in four components. Cost for either system starts around $1500 and escalate to well over $50,000 (for a front projection TV).
Plasma/LCD
Both Plasma and LCD TV are both represent two of the best new television technologies on the market and offer excellent picture quality. Right now, Plasma TVs offer the advantage of larger screen sizes, lower costs, better viewing angles, and superior image refresh rates, which make them a great choice for home theater. While LCD TV is rapidly improving, manufacturers still need to overcome its weaknesses - ghosting trails on fast moving images, small screen size and cost. The pros of LCD are no burn-in risk, longer life span, low weight and low power consumption.
HDTV (High Definition Television)
High-definition television is a type of digital signal that carries a more detailed image and is encoded with surround sound information. All of the above televisions are available in HDTV, but some models may require a separate HDTV decoding tuner. Because they have a high screen resolution you can view these TVs from a much closer distance than a TV that doesn't have high-definition. This is definitely the wave of the future, since the FCC recently decided that all television programming must be broadcast in digital format by 2006.
Screen
It's not something you may think about, but your television screen is your view into your home theater. Manufacturers use different screen materials, but most use a matte-finished screen or acetate sheets with complex technologies for improving brightness and clarity. Finding out what kind of screen the television you're thinking of buying has will clear up a lot issues before you bring it home.
Receivers
In most cases the receiver is the brain in most home theater systems. It is the central core where all the audio comes together. Basically, the receiver decodes signals from the inputs (DVD player, satellite dish, cable television) and routes them to the proper outputs (television and speakers). A good receiver has inputs and outputs, a built-in timer, surround sound capabilities, built-in amplifiers and equalizers. Prices range from $1000 to $5000. It's important that your receiver has at least 100 continuous watts per channel and has enough outputs to connect to all your speakers.
Amplifiers
While most receivers come with a pre-amp to equalize the audio signal and a power amp to boost it, these components can also be purchased separately. Stand-alone power amps give you the ability to more easily fine-tune and upgrade individual speakers and will enable you to generate superior sound, especially at high volumes, but the extra cost can add up ($1,000 to $10,000 per unit).
Controller
If you're going for a state-of-the-art home theater system, then a controller will replace the receiver. The biggest difference between a controller and receiver is that the controller controls both the audio and video. If you're using a controller you'll need a separate tuner for radio stations.
CD Player
If you plan on listening to your favorite music then you'll need a good quality CD player. You can choose from a one piece or two piece player where the unit that houses and spins the discs is separate from the DAP (Digital Audio Processor) where the all the information from your disc is electronically processed. You'll get more use out of your system if you separate the components since the DAP can be used to work with other components in your home system because it has several input/output jacks.
DVD Player
Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs) are one of the most popular elements of a home theater system, because they are a multimedia platform for movies, music and computers. Some of the advantages to DVD is that the picture quality is better and many DVDs have Dolby Digital or DTS sound, which is very close to the sound you experience in a movie theater. Many DVD movies have an on-screen index, where you can select what part of the movie you want to view without rewinding or fast-forwarding it. Many high-end players are compatible with audio CDs and come with two viewing options for letterbox format (which fits wide-screen TVs and the standard size format.
VCR
While DVDs are fast becoming the preferred player, VCRs still remain popular because of its recordability. The disadvantages of the VCR include tape wear and damage and they don't have widescreen or surround sound capability.
DVR (Digital Video Recorder)
DVR is short for personal video recorder, a generic term for a device that is similar to a VCR but records television data in digital format as opposed to the VCR's analog format. DVRs encode video data in MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 formats and store the data in a hard drive. DVRs have all of the same functionality of VCRs (recording, playback, fast forwarding, rewinding, pausing) plus the ability to instantly jump to any part of the program without having to rewind or fast forward the data stream.
A DVR is essentially made up of two elements: the device that stores its hardware elements, such as the hard disk drive, power supply and buses, and the software in the form of a subscription service that provides programming information. There are three predominant DVR types on the market: TiVo, ReplayTV and UltimateTV, with TiVo being the current market leader.
The benefits of DVRs: The digital storage of television signals opens up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to playback and viewing. For one, a DVR is tapeless. With a VCR, the device itself is only a recording tool and the blank cassette is the media. In a DVR, media and tool are one and the same, which is a big plus if you never seem to be able to find a blank tape when it comes time to record a favorite show. The only drawback is that you can't add more storage space, because the media is hard-wired into the unit. Getting more recording with a VCR is easy - you just buy another box of blank tapes, but getting more recording time on a DVR involves buying a new unit.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of DVRs is the unprecedented control over playback. With a VCR, you have to wait for a program to finish recording before you can start watching it. Since there's no tape to rewind, digital recording doesn't have this limitation. A show that started recording 10 minutes ago can be viewed at any time, even while it is still taping.
DSS RECEIVER
This is not like the satellite dish of yesterday. Besides being a lot smaller (about the size of a large pizza) Digital Satellite Systems (DSS) are more technically advanced. They receive digital satellite signals that carry superior image capabilities similar to a laserdisc player with CD quality sound.
They're easy to setup and tune in and can handle high definition television and six-channel surround sound. Monthly service plans cost about the same as standard cable service.
Speakers
Since sound attributes to half of the home theater experience, it's a good idea to get the best speakers you can afford. Like amplifiers, speakers should be able to reproduce a large frequency range clearly without distortion.
No two speakers sound alike so selecting them is often a matter of personal listening preference. A home theater should have an array of six speakers or more to properly create sound. These will include left, right, and center speakers across the front; a couple of surrounds and a subwoofer or bass unit to create the low, loud, feel-it-in-your-stomach sounds.
Cables and Interconnects
They may seem relatively unimportant compared to the rest of the equipment, but cables and interconnects can make a difference between a good sounding system and a great sounding system. This is true on any size system from the low end to the highest quality. The signals between components and speakers need to flow unrestricted or the output will suffer. Cables should be a heavy gauge and the connectors should be gold plated. Price can range from $15 cents a foot to over a $1000.
If aesthetics are a big concern for you, they you'll want to consider flat speaker wire, which is as thin as a credit card, flexible enough to turn corners, and ready to be mounted on walls and ceiling. You can even hide them completely by wallpapering or painting over them.
Remote Control
Most electronic equipment has a remote control, so to avoid clutter and confusion it is best to purchase a universal remote control to run your home theater. Universal remotes come pre-programmed to control hundreds of devices from a variety of manufacturers so setup is a snap. No matter which remote you choose, you should look for one that has an illuminated keypad or backlit screen so you can operate it with ease in low-light situations. If you're planning on putting your components in a closed cabinet or set in a wall unit you'll want a remote that's radio frequency-capable, because its radio waves can travel through walls, doors and floors without having to point it at the components.
All-in-one systems
If you don't want to be bothered with the hassle of picking out separate components you can pick up a home-theater-in-a-box, which can cost between $300 to $3000. You'll get almost everything you need for a basic setup - an integrated receiver/DVD player, a complete set of speakers including a subwoofer and even the wires to connect everything. These systems are very easy to install but be warned - most of them can't be upgraded or integrated with another system - so if you decide you want a better DVD player down the road, you might have to ditch the whole system and start over.
About the Author
The House Designers has handpicked the most popular home designs from our collections to offer you the best floor plans in America. We also offer you the ability to contact the designer of your home directly to help you in any way possible with making one of the biggest decisions of your life.
