Home theatre systems have come a long way from the days of placing two huge speakers on either side of your television and listening to records while watching Saturday Night Fever on your VCR and television. These days there are as many ways to design a home theatre system as there are customers to buy them.
“The basics of the home entertainment system haven’t changed much in the last 15 years or so. What have changed are people’s tastes and priorities,” explains Adam Bowden of Bose Home Theatre. “Fifteen to 20 years ago a home entertainment system meant music. People would spend hours in stores and bring in a variety of music and listen to the various speakers before selecting a unit to buy. Today a home entertainment system is a visual experience focused on movies, and people make decisions based on aesthetics, under the assumption (and rightly so) that the sound will be exceptional. They will purchase a home theatre system that is visually appealing and assume that the sound will be appealing as well.”
“Prices are falling on flat panel televisions and the quality is going up so more people are incorporating bigger flat panels and surround sound into their home theatre system design,” says Joe Strang, President of Show Case Home Theatres in Alberta. “The other big thing is the all-in-one touch pad controls.”
The price of a home theatre system depends on how seriously you take your entertainment needs. According to Strang, you can buy a “big box” system for $5,000. But to really get the whole experience, he recommends having a custom system installed.
“You have to start with speakers, remote control, and flat panel all installed and you can do that for about $9, 000,” he says.
But if money’s no object then there’s no end of fun to be had. “We’ve done media rooms that are $500,000 for one room. For that you get projectors that have better than movie theatre quality, sound so good that when someone’s whispering on screen it feels like they’re whispering in your ear.”
Some homeowners go for the total theatre experience and have custom theatre seating installed in their media rooms, with one-touch remote controls in the arm of each chair, massage units and heated seats.
“We’ve even put motion in the seats so that when there’s motion in the movie you feel it in your seat,” he says. “And I don’t mean it just vibrates…it actually moves.”
Other options for your home theatre system include custom draperies, acoustic paint, and sound-proofing. This may seem like overkill but Strang says that most homes over $700,000 now come with a media room or dedicated home theatre room.
“I find that we usually install home theatre systems that are about 10 per cent of the value of the home, not just in the home theatre room but throughout the house, multi-room sound, lighting, automation and such. So for a $1.5 million home, you’re looking at $150,000 worth of home entertainment equipment.”
By: Amy Bostock
Posts Tagged ‘Home Theatre Systems’
Lights, Camera, Action – Building the Perfect Home Theatre System
March 8th, 2010Home Theater Solutions
February 6th, 2010
Home Theater – Out of the box
What has made the home theater experience more accessible and affordable for more people in recent years is the emergence of what the industry now calls “cinema in a box”. This is a great option for the home-theater novice, those in apartments or renters as it is most cost effective.
For as little as a few hundred dollars, you can enjoy basic cinema sight and sound. You need to look around for all the latest specials in this area. Just go into your local shop and ask about “cinema in a box”.
For those on a budget this provides an ideal way to create a home theatre from scratch. Instead of having to choose and buy expensive separate components, you get all the equipment you need for one fixed price.
Will the home theater fit in my room?
Where you decide to put the home theatre is just as important as the equipment itself. The position, size of the room, along with how many windows it has, will influence your cinema experience to some extent. Large, uncovered windows and wooden floors will detract from the big screen as it will introduce the unwanted ‘glare’ factor. It would be a great idea to hang heavy curtains to reduce this glare and to lay carpet in the proposed cinema to eliminate noise reflection.
Square rooms are the worst for home cinema because sound waves bounce off the rear wall. So a rectangular or odd-shaped room will be much more suitable when it comes to sound if that is possible.
Several manufacturers now offer a solution to this in their home-theatre systems that will automatically balance the sound between all speakers, making it easier for the home-theatre novice.
So where is home theater headed in the future? Wireless! Actually it is already here so keep your eyes peeled for more news on that!
By: Steve Knowles
XM Radio and Your Home Theater System
January 4th, 2010
An XM Radio-ready home theater system makes it easy to connect an XM Mini Tuner and Home Dock to your audio components. This will allow you to receive XM Satellite Radio reception in the room your main system is in, or throughout your home if you so desire.
XM Radio is a subscription service which allows you to receive over 170 digital radio stations via satellite, no matter where in the United States you are, for an affordable monthly fee. If you have problems with FM radio reception where you live, you should definitely consider adding this option to your home theater system. There is a radio station for everyone in the family to enjoy, and it is an economical way to experience a wide variety of music with very little effort.
The addition of digital radio service is a logical choice for a home theater system. You can use the components you already have in place to enjoy commercial free music, sports, talk shows and news. Many of the home theatre systems available are XM radio ready. Some of them are also capable of recording music from your favorite satellite radio channels.
Detailed instructions are available to enable you to equip your home theater system with satellite radio. Generally, you connect the digital receiver into the line level input of your audio system. Then, connect the power adaptor and home antenna, positioning the antenna in such a way as to maximize the signal strength that will turn your home theater system into a veritable smorgasbord of musical enjoyment.
You owe it to yourself to maximize your investment in a home theater system by including the delights of satellite radio. Ever wonder who was singing a certain song? This information is displayed on an easy-to-read screen on the front of the digital receiver. With satellite radio, you will get music choice and variety, and may even discover new artists who will quickly become your favorites.
The improved sound quality of the digital signal, coupled with the excellence of your home theatre system’s speakers, can make listening to music a truly memorable experience.
By: George Wood
