Home Theater Systems

Until recently, people could ‘feel’ the picture only in a cinema, with its large screen and speaker system. No longer – with the coming of the home theater system, you only have to go as far as your living room, for the experience.

Every component of a home theater system – the DVD player, the display, the surround sound speakers that deliver Dolby sound – is designed to turn your room into a movie hall.

Surround sound is incomplete without 5 to 7 speakers and a subwoofer delivering deep, strong bass, as a supplementary accessory. It’s possible that you don’t have a large living room, or a lot of money to spend on a home theater system. Then, you could immediately invest in a few speakers that deliver high-quality performance, and postpone buying a subwoofer and additional speakers till later. The built in speakers of a TV set cannot match the sound delivered by a couple of quality external speakers.

Bass waves have a tendency to bounce; this could result in better resonance in some rooms than in others. You can reduce this problem a bit if you refrain from placing the speakers in corners, and also by reducing the volume of the subwoofer. However, a permanent solution lies in using an equalized receiver.

Clap your hands, in the room, in which your home theater system sits. Do you hear a slap echo? You can solve this problem by using a thick padded rug to carpet the floor between where you sit, and the speakers. Shelves and other absorptive objects should be removed from the room; this will reduce reflections of sound off the side-walls.

If your screen size is 30″ or more, a DVD with a HDTV model will deliver enhanced picture quality. HDTVs come with different picture resolutions; yet, the display resolution won’t matter unless you have a very large screen, or watch from very close proximity.

By: Richard Runion