Home Theater Systems » Dolby Digital

Buying a Home Theater – Things to Think About

admin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 01:39:30 +0000

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

Surround Sound Format Basics For Home Theater Systems – Dolby Labs Vs Digital Theater

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:22:35 +0000

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

Building A Home Theater System – On A Budget

admin — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 06:10:23 +0000

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

All About Home Theatre Speakers

admin — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:44:34 +0000

A home theater is a combination of two types of media, video and audio. On the video side a home theater usually includes a big screen or a high definition TV set and a DVD or high definition DVD player. On the audio side, this system has a special receiver that has the ability to decode formats like Dolby Digital, and THX, and special speakers each positioned carefully.

If the home theater should have the capability to recreate the magic of movie theater, several speakers are required. In a normal home audio set up we have one receiver and two speakers. But in home theater we shall have more speakers.

The most common configuration for the best home theater is the 5.1 setup with right front channel, left front channel, a center channel, one channel that covers the left surround speakers and the one for left front channel. There is another low frequency channel that supports a sub woofer.

The front left channel speaker is extremely important and works with stereo. Both front left and right channels are sold in pairs and are quite powerful. The sound that comes from these two speakers is even because of the same dynamic range. Like the front left channel, the right channel speaker is able to handle a large range of signals.

The center channel speaker is usually located either underneath or above the television. It consists of one single speaker whose function includes handling mid range sound, and keeping the dialog in front. It is usually rectangular in shape.

The surround sound channel speakers are a set of two speakers situated behind the viewer or attached to brackets on the wall. The purpose of this speaker is to give the viewers a feel of the environment of the video.

The sub woofers can be placed anywhere in the room. A sub woofer can add to the enjoyment more by creating very low frequencies since it plays a major part in explosions, car engine sound, etc.

Now there are four types of home theater speaker systems. Home theater box set is the most common type. It usually includes 5 speakers and a separate sub woofer. This kind of speakers are extremely easy to set up. They are configured similar to each other to make sure that the audio is balanced and clear.

The second type of home theater satellite speakers are generally small sized speakers that are ensured to produce accurate sound. These kinds of speakers are perfect for small rooms. Just like the home theater box they come mostly with DVD players.

Customized home theater speaker is very popular because of the high-end components. These kinds of speakers are quite expensive and you will have to spend thousands for one individual speaker.

Home theater speaker system for computers is one of the emerging areas that is gaining popularity because of the interest in watching movies or downloading videos on computers. The price of these speakers is quite affordable.

By: Victor Epand

Choose The Best Home Theater Sound System

admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:33:11 +0000

Home theater sound system is a very important component of your home theater. However how will you know that which is the best one for you? Two types of surround system are really popular. They are the DTS surround sound or the DTS and Dolby Digital. You can go for either of these depending on your needs. Most people consider DTS surround sound to be superior to Dolby. But ultimately it’s your own choice. So understand what these sound systems basically are and then make the final decision.

Dolby or DTS

Most of the movies in theaters are played in Dolby digital surround sound. Nowadays even DVD’s have this surround sound. It has a low bit rate but if functions effectively at lower levels. So bit rate should not be the only criteria while choosing the sound system. The data rate is higher in DTS and hence it is usually considered superior. DTS is not the usual sound format in DVD’s. Because of high data rate the encoding process requires less compression and thus you get better sound. The disadvantage with DTS is that it uses a lot of disc’s data capacity. Before you buy the sound system, you have to take many things into consideration; data rate is just one of them.

Compression ratios also decided as to which sound system is better. This gives a clear idea about the efficiency of a sound system. Usually, there is too much data in sound formats and thus it requires efficient compressing. The compressing should also be economical. So always look out for the compression ratio. It should be high. Your sound system may have a high data rate, but it won’t be effective if its compression ratio is low.

So which is the better sound format?

Everyone wants their sound system to have great sound quality. However the issue still remains as to which sound format is better? People use different points to debate over this. Some say that DTS is better because of its high data rate but what they do not realize is the fact that it doesn’t utilize data efficiently. The basic thing is that both DTS and Dolby give almost the same results. So you can buy either of them, depending on your requirements. The bottom line is that both are good in their own ways.

Basically, no one can say that DTS has a better sound quality than Dolby and vice versa. Both have their share of merits and demerits. A sound format may sound good in theaters but it may not sound too good at home. However there is no clear cut criterion to decide on this issue. You should decide as per your requirements. You can change the playback to decide on any changes in the sound format. Listen to each sound format carefully and only then make the final choice.

By: David Faulkner