If you have never purchased a home theater system or if it has at least been a while since you went shopping for one, it is time to brush up on the basics. This is a large purchase and it is one that you do not want to take lightly. The last thing you want to do is to spend a thousand dollars on a system, only to find that your family can’t enjoy it because of its poor quality or because it lacks certain features.
The HTIB, Home Theater in a Box, is a big seller, but it is not the best option for everyone. With most systems, you should have no problem getting Dolby Digital surround sound support, tuners for AM/FM and a few speakers for 5.1 surround sound setup. There are even systems that have a USB port or even an iPod dock so that you can use your iPod or other portable music players with the system. Now your favorite tunes can radiate throughout the room through a surround sound system
When you are shopping for your home theater system, make sure that you are getting something with a front panel that has the controls and the displays clearly labeled. This will save you a lot of confusion later on. It is also very important to make sure that your home theater system is going to be able to support all of the various gadgets and equipment that you will want to run through it. You also need enough speakers. The average set up comes with five to seven speakers which is generally sufficient.
Popular Brands
You might be interested in knowing which are the most popular popular brands of home entertainment system. After all, if they are more popular than other brands or systems, there must be a reason for it. Generally speaking, when you go for the more popular brands, you will end up with a product that you will love and can count on to last for many years to come.
Some of the most popular brands are Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and Philips. Even though these are among the best known, they are not the only brands out there that you should consider. The more you look at, the better deal you are going to find. Bose is another well-known brand and so are Yamaha, Sharp. and Coby. If you are still looking for more options, you also have LG and Audiovox.
Warranty
Make sure that whatever brand you buy that you get a good warranty. Generally, products that come with a very short and limited warranty do so for good reason: they know their products are going to fail quickly. Companies that can offer you a long term warranty are able to do this because they have faith in their products. If they thought that their systems would break down all the time, they would not offer this sort of warranty. This is just something that you should consider.
By: Adam Curry
Posts Tagged ‘Dolby Digital’
Buying a Home Theater – Things to Think About
April 15th, 2010Surround Sound Format Basics For Home Theater Systems – Dolby Labs Vs Digital Theater
February 4th, 2010
Sound systems are a very important component of any home theater – but they are one piece that is often disregarded. Great sound makes all the difference if you are trying to achieve the complete cinematic experience at home.
Great sound for Simple television and DVD enhances the occasion, but with rotten sound – you don’t get that feeling as you would as if you are there in the movie theater itself, you know that almost hypnotic experience the thrills and spills, as you could at the cinema.
Whether you choose to buy or upgrade your home theater aim to buy the very best speakers you can afford and not only will you be reward with quality sound, you will not have to replace them in years to come.
Surround Sound Sources
But If you are want great sound then consider the format that your home theater should have. Home theaters are enhanced by surround sound and there are two major companies to select from: Dolby Labs., and Digital Theater Systems (DTS).
Dolby labs are the creators of Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic while DTS are the providers of the configuration known as Digital Theater Sounds Format.
The range of options provided by both companies is enormous, and trying to select from the two can be dizzy at best.
DTS provides a sound that is clearer and sharper because they use an encoding technology uses more compression than the encoding Dolby uses.
However the market prefers Dolby and is therefore more commonly available on DVD’s and television.
Surround Sound Formats
Surround sound accurately means being encircled by sound in an attempt to imitate life.
And there variations from which to choose from.
5.1 which points out a system using five speakers and 1 subwoofer in order to deliver the sound, also referred as Dolby Digital.
6.1 (THX) the center speaker is located in the center, behind the listener in order to add yet another layer to the sound.
7.1 Surround is the newest version and includes yet another speaker in order to create a more authentic sound.
The supplementary speakers in your surround sound system should provide a more realistic sound quality and you should find yourself right in the middle of the movie action. – as though you are really in the film itself!
Whatever format you go for you will need an A/V receiver
As the central source of power of the home theater system, which is in charge for controlling, surround sound, decoding, signal processing, amplifying as well as being an AM/FM radio tuner. Suitably most A/V receivers will support Dolby and DTS.
As ever the choice of A/V receiver is over whelming, as the variety is vast, and would tempt one to go for the very easy option of purchasing the cheapest one available.
Acquiring a receiver, which costs less than $400, is said to be of poor quality, while a safe choice for excellent quality receiver that won’t break the bank.
Summary
Surround sound enhances the entertainment, you want to invest in a home theater or are thinking of upgrading and you want a great home theater experience then you have to have great sound.
Do your homework on systems available and remember good quality speakers are essential for carrying out the sound, then plan to make a considerable outlay.
Decide what format you want to the receiver to support and how many speakers need to be setup.
By: Robert Cacciatore
Posted in Articles
Tags: Center Speaker Cinematic Experience Creators Digital Logic Dolby Digital Dolby Labs Dolby Pro Logic Dts Dolby Dts Sound Home Theater Systems Home Theaters Hypnotic Experience Listener Movie Theater Quality Sound Rotten Sound Sound Sources Subwoofer Thrills And Spills Variations
Building A Home Theater System – On A Budget
December 26th, 2009
TV, we just love it – we’re TV junkies. We Americans spend more time in front of the television – we are addicted to entertainment. And if we make a good investment in our home theaters we will become even more addicted to our TV screens because the sound quality and picture will be immense.
Home theaters are all the rage, so popular in fact, that there is terrific competition out there. Which has led to new technology being introduced and prices ever decreasing. This is excellent news but most consumers have budgets that cannot meet the costs of upgrading continually and waiting is a idea for yesterdays technology and save bundle in the long run.
Its true to say that technology is ever evolving, its not being developing terribly fast, and if you want great quality and exciting bargain prices you’ll be amazed what you can find on places like Ebay and your local paper. If you have some sort of budget constraint you will find excellent alternative out there for second hand home theater components. While true buying second user goods will not come with have any warranty, some people do not like to purchase used goods for this reason alone. It’s understandable, and this one option is not the only one.
You could build your home theater – one component at a time. You can save big and be surprised how you can end up with a higher spec system to those you find in at the moment.
We would love to have Bose speakers or Dolby Digital Surround sound, but the fact remains these makes can really stretch our already overstretched budgets and this limitation forces us to turn down such gorgeous equipment. The key is to take your time, go down the electronics store, compare each system to your liking and what you find disagreeable, this way you will be informed and up-to-date end user.
Next get on the Internet, compare the prices you found in the electronics store with what you find online.Most likely you will find the Internet to be more agreeable on price. But watch out! Is the retailer a reputable one?
Go back to the electronics store with your online information printed, see if they will match or better the price.They may not better the price, but they might throw some freebie like a DVD player, that could bridge the pricing gap.
Conclusion
Receiving the most excellent home theater system need not break the bank, keep your options open and you do this by doing your research, not only will you be knowledgeable amassed, knowing the really prices of things compared to their value.
Most of the time the cost of things is really down to the name, taking a chance on other brands can get you equivalent equipment at a more sensible price. Just do your research first and find out as much about the company.
Its your money, you worked hard for it, expect the best.
By: Robert Cacciatore
Posted in Articles
Tags: All The Rage Americans Spend More Time Bargain Prices Bose Speakers Budget Constraint Budgets Building A Home Building A Home Theater Dolby Digital Ebay Home Theater Components Home Theater System Home Theaters Liking New Technology Sound Quality Terrific Competition Tv Junkies Tv Screens Warranty
