Giving the gift of Home Theater - How to select the perfect Home Theater System

How to give the gift of Home Theater
By: Vincent M.

The digital revolution of home electronics is upon us, and with the country's television over-the-air broadcasts going digital early next year, it has never been a better time to put in place the perfect Home Theater; a home theater system that can take advantage of Digital's rich and vivid combination of digital audio and video.

Which Home Theater system is right for you and your needs?  Only you can answer that question, but we can help you make a more informed buying decision.  Get ready to get smart on home theater products!      

What Is a Home Theater?

Generally speaking, a home theater system is a combination of A/V electronics components designed to recreate the visual and sound experience of watching a movie in a theater.  When you watch a movie or television program on a digital home theater system you are more involved in the experience than when you watch programming on an ordinary television.

On a fundamental level, a digital home theater system consists of a wide-screen digital standard definition (SD) or HD television, HD receiver, multi-speaker surround-sound system, and 1080p HD (Blu-ray) DVD player.  The right combination of components can turn your ordinary analog experience into a digital A/V feast for the eyes and ears.

Things to consider when shopping for a home theater system:

Selecting a Television for a Home Theater

The largest and most visible variable in any home theater system is the television, be it a large-screen, direct-view (cathode ray tube) television, a front or rear projection television, or a wide screen HDTV, all of which have different price-points depending on size and screen resolution.   With the coming move to an all digital broadcasting format next year, direct-view televisions will fast become obsolete and in truth they are well on their way.  Yes, you will be able to purchase a decoder that will allow you to view digital content on a direct-view television, but you will not be able to take full advantage of digital content offered by cable and satellite providers; nor will you be able to fully appreciate digital DVDs.  The largest direct-view television screen you can purchase today measures 40" diagonally, though you might be more content with a 27" model like the Sansui 27" CRT w/Digital Tuner.

• Front & Rear Panel Televisions: Front and rear projection televisions were all the rage, and indeed they were the only option for the last decade or so, if you wanted a large screen size. Gone is the cathode ray tube in the projection screen. There are a number of different types of rear-projection televisions; they include: Digital Light Processing (DLP), which uses one or three digital micro-mirror devices (DMDs) to create all of the pixels that make up the image. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), which directs light through liquid crystals and magnifies it for projection. Liquid Crystal on Silicon, which is like a cross between DLP and LCD.

If you're in the market for a rear-projection television, factors to consider are screen size, resolution and quality. Even a top-of-the-line picture can look unclean on a bad projection screen, so be sure to pay attention to screen material. Better light-and-dark contrast can be had from darker screens, which makes them a better choice, and screens made with anti-glare material should be considered if your new purchase is going to be in a room where natural light is a factor.  Screen sizes up to 53" are common in rear-projection televisions.

Need a much larger screen size?  Consider a front-projection television where screen sizes up to 200" are not uncommon.  This is due to the fact that the components do not have to be packaged together and really you are limited only by the size of the wall or screen onto which you want to project the image, and how far you place the projector from the screen.

The downside of front-projection televisions is that they only work optimally in a darkened room just like a traditional movie theater projection setup.  As a result front-projection sets should really be confined to a separate specially designed home theater area, rather than a family or living room.  Since front projector sets are specifically designed for viewing movies, they usually don't have a built-in analog or digital television tuner, which of course prevents them from receiving television signals themselves, so a separate tuner is needed.  Front-projection systems use the same types of technology as rear-projection TVs.  Projectors designed specifically for home theater use can be quite expensive, like the Casio Super Slim Data Projector (1299.99).

• Flat Panel Screens: Flat panel screens are growing increasingly popular not only because of the versatility, but also because of their thin, lightweight size, superior resolution, sharpness, brightness, and improved darkness. Also, because they are not susceptible to glare, they can be placed in any room of the house.
  
  The two primary types of flat-panel televisions are plasma and LCD. Plasma televisions create pictures with an array of cells that are a lot like fluorescent lamps. Flat-panel LCDs are similar to the screen of a laptop and desktop computer flat-screen displays.
  
  Plasma and LCD displays have great picture quality, and used to suffer from a lack of good black levels, but the latest generation of LCDs has really improved in this area. And while plasma screen are limited to 55", LCDs have now reached more than 60" (Samsung PN63B550 63 inch Plasma HDTV - $3299.99). And while this type of television used to be rather expensive, as the sets have increased in popularity, the prices have dropped markedly to below 300.00; Sylvania 19 in. (Diagonal) Class 720p LCD HD Television ENERGY STAR® - $219.99

Like direct-view televisions, plasma displays are susceptible to burn-in, wherein an image left on the screen for too long is burned into the screen; conversely LCDs do not suffer from this malady. 

• Analog TV (SDTV) vs. Digital TV (DTV) vs. High Definition TV (HDTV): Over the past decade or so, digital television (DTV), whose video signal consists of bits of data, that is, sets of 1s and 0s, has taken its place alongside analog television. The advantage of sending information digitally is that it cannot degrade, so the signal will be exactly the same after transmission as it was before. Because of this stability, digital signals translate visual information much, much more exactly than analog signals, thereby allowing digital signals to carry much more detail than analog signals. But as I mentioned at the outset digital signals will replace analog at the beginning of next year, not only because of the better quality signal, but because digital signals can obtain much higher resolutions that analog which is limited to 480 horizontal scan lines of picture information.

It is important to note that general U.S. broadcasting is in transition to DTV (780p), not to HDTV (1080i & 1080p), which offers the highest quality of DTV. During and after the transition to DTV, broadcasters will transmit signals in SDTV, DTV, and HDTV; indeed many broadcast and cable stations are already offering HDTV channels for those who can take advantage of them.  Any new television set you buy, be it direct-view, plasma, LCD, etc.,  will be able to read a DTV signal, but unless it's an HDTV set receiving an HDTV signal, you will not be able to take advantage of the higher 1080p /1080i resolution(s).

HDTV comes with a high price tag when compared to a SDTV or DTV set, however the picture and sound quality might be worth it to you.  However, take heart, prices are dropping and you can expect to shell out anywhere from $900 to $5,000 for a high quality HDTV LCD or plasma television, and $7,000 to $16,000 for an HDTV front-projection set.

Selecting DVD Players, DVR's and Cable Boxes for a home theater

Most store-bought DVDs are formatted with more than one surround-sound format they allow the picture to be presented in its original aspect ratio; e.g. you can view many DVDs in the same widescreen format they were presented in at the movie theater. On the other hand, DVDs onto which television shows are placed use a full-screen presentation to mimic the format in which they were first broadcast.

Unlike the now vintage VCR, older DVD players lack the ability to record programming. Their advantage was-and is-a much higher-quality playback.   However, several DVD recorders are being marketed, but of course, they cost more than their standard brethren.

An alternative to DVD recorders is the increasingly popular Digital Video Recorder (DVR), you know TiVo.  Unlike VCRs, DVRs programming digitally on an internal hard drive and then play it back, allowing you to pause, fast forward, or reverse said programming at will, just like a VCR.  An added bonus: the ability to pause live programming and resume at will. Most DVRs can store up to an hour of programming on the fly allowing you to pause a given program for long stretches of time.

DVRs are usually all-in-one boxes; that is they provide programming and recorder via cable outlet or satellite dish. You also have to connect the unit to a phone line in order to order pay-per-view programming and or to make a daily call to update its programming information.  This is especially true of satellite providers.  DVRs are a great option for people who want to record and watch a lot of shows, and the introduction of HD DVRs has sweetened the pot.  Space can become an issue, because HD programming takes up roughly twice that space as its analog counterpart, but most top-of-the line DVRs allow you to attach an external hard drive for additional storage.  Speaking from experience, this option works rather well.

In the world of DVD players, Blu-ray has won the High Definition-DVD war. Blu-ray won in part because the format holds more data than HD-DVD.  But Blue-ray players are still very expensive.  A viable alternative is an up-conversion DVD player that converts a DTV format to full 1080p HDTV output via a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable. The HDMI cable, which carries both digital audio and video, can then be input directly into a corresponding HDMI port on an HDYV or A/V receiver.     

Home Theater Sound Basics

Surround-sound is the primary component in a home theater, particularly a home theater that sets it apart from an ordinary (analog) television setup.  A proper surround-sound system requires two to three speakers in front of the listening area and two to three speakers to the sides, or behind the listening area; that listening area being placed in the center of the speaker arrangement. The audio signal is divided into multiple channels; e.g. 5-1, so that different audio information emanates out of the various speakers, the loudest of which comes from the front speakers. 

When noise is made on the on the left side of the screen, you hear it more from a speaker or speakers on the left of the screen; the reverse is true for sound on the right side of the screen.  The center speaker is normally placed above the television screen and anchors the sound coming from the left and right; it typically plays all of the dialogue and front sound effects.  The rear speakers are used to fill in various background noises; e.g. street noises, rushing water, crowds, etc.  A passive sub-woofer can and usually does complete the surround-sound equation.

Dividing all of this sound up is the job of the audio/video receiver; it acts as the heart of a home theater system. Most of us find surround systems complicated, so we opt for an all in one unit called a Theater-in-a-Box, which in the end can prove more cost effective for those on a budget.  However, if you want to build your own sound system, I do have some tips for you too!

Selecting the A/V Receiver for a Home Theater

The A/V receiver in a home theater system serves the same purpose as the receiver in any stereo system: various input devices CD player, VCR, satellite dish, cable box, or DVD player, feed their signals into it. A home theater A/V receiver is actually a combination of several different sub-components.  The A/V receiver in turn interprets and amplifies those signals and then sends the audio to surround-sound speakers and the video to your television.

The most important feature of an A/V receiver is the Surround Sound Format it supports

Currently, two companies act as the main sources for home theater surround-sound formats: the very familiar Dolby Laboratories and Digital Theater Systems. Dolby Laboratories formats include various versions of Dolby Digital® and Dolby Pro Logic®, while Digital Theater Systems is responsible for creating a range of DTS Digital Theater Sound formats.  Both companies serve up a rather diverse array of sound options.

When you are ready to choose an A/V/ receiver, there are two factors to keep in mind: 1. whether you want DTS support (Dolby Digital is pretty much a given), and; 2. how many speakers you want to use for your surround-sound setup. Named for the number of available audio channels, 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 surround-sound is the most commonly offered.  The ".1" indicates a channel for a passive or active (powered) subwoofer. These are the typical speaker setups and formats that will support them:

• 5.1 (5 speakers + subwoofer): setup includes left, center and right front speakers. The configuration also includes left and right surround speakers. Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS 5.1 will all support this format.
• 6.1 (6 speakers + subwoofer): setup includes all of the speakers from 5.1 surround and adds a rear channel. Dolby Digital EX uses this format, splitting the one additional channel into left and right rear speakers. DTS-ES, on the other hand, uses a rear center speaker.
• 7.1 (7 speakers + subwoofer): setup separates out the rear channel in two and ports the signal to two speakers. This surround-sound system utilizes Dolby Pro Logic IIx.

Selecting Stereo Speakers for a home theater

If the A/V receiver is the heart of a given home theater system, the speakers are the soul.  Speakers vary widely in style, performance, and price. No matter what speaker system appeals to you aesthetically, whether buying for a home theater, or your stereo system, you must, must, must listen to the speakers in the store in order to gauge the sound.  Sure, the sound will not be exactly as it would be in your home, but chain electronics stores and specialty electronics stores have gone to great lengths to set their speakers up in a way that closely mimics the typical living room.     

The number of speakers you will need for your home theater system depends on channels you want for your surround-sound setup.  No matter the number, you will end up with several identical, standard speakers (in order to ensure rich sound from all sides and the rear) and an optional subwoofer in order to reproduce those rich bass sounds.  The number of channels you choose will be largely informed by your budget, but bear in mind that you can use your television's built-in speaker as the central front unit. To get theater-quality effects, you should get three identical, full-size front speakers, and identically sized side and rear speakers.

Some high-end surround-sound home theater systems employ skinny floor-standing front speakers that offer rich treble and mid-range sounds, while the center speaker is geared towards faithfully reproducing the sound of the human voice.  Many home theater systems use more compact, generally less-expensive speakers for the two rear surround channels. These will usually perform adequately and is often the preferred solution if your television room is space challenged.  A more diffused sound; that is sound that is generated in multiple directions can be reproduced by these smaller bipole and dipole speakers and some people actually prefer them for that reason.  

To make it easier and less expensive, to assemble a home theater surround-sound system, many manufacturers have put together home theater speaker packages, putting front, side, rear, and subwoofer speakers together in a set. These packages of course vary in price and more importantly quality, so again visit the electronics store and listen before you buy.

Putting the home theater together

Once you have purchased all the necessary components, A/V receiver, DVD Player, speakers, etc., it's time to set up the theater room or space.  When setting up the home theater room, there are several factors to keep in mind. First and foremost, consider the architecture of the room; ideally you want an enclosed, rectangular room, with a fair amount of space and limited outside light.  A closed room offers much better acoustics than an open one, which does not offer the ideal acoustics.  You may even go so far as to hang curtains on the walls if you are building a top-of-the-line theater; the soft surface cuts down on disruptive echoes.

Getting the surround-sound system can be a bit more challenging. You should place all three front speakers up so that they are evenly spaced, and ideally all at about the same height. Also, make sure they are level, or as near to level with the television screen so that the sound seems to be coming from the set. The whole idea of surround-sound is the make the speakers disappear and the sound appears to come from all around you.

With that in mind, you have a couple of different options for arranging the rear speakers. This is where the digital sound comes into play.  Dolby Pro Logic systems should have the rear speakers (should be mounted at the same height) behind the listener, while Dolby Digital is designed for speakers positioned to either side of the listener. Since not all listeners will be in the center of the room, spacing the speakers around the room is crucial.  You should find the central listening position and space the speakers co-equal to that point.  Such a set-up will allow you to pay attention to other seats in the room as well.

Placement of the subwoofer matters far less since low (bass) frequencies aren't directional like the higher frequencies emitted by treble and mid-range (front & center) speakers, so this speaker, which is usually nothing more than a box, can really go anywhere in the room.  Low frequencies can and do reflect however, so for the best effect, you should put the subwoofer on the floor or against a wall; this will facilitate the movement of the bass throughout the room.

Ultimately, the best home theater setup depends completely on your budget, tastes, and desires. For those individuals where money is an object manufacturers have cleverly packaged an A/V receiver, DVD player and speakers together in a "home-theater-in-a-box" set; all you need do is add a television.  For a more robust acoustic and video experience, you may want to buy separate components and piece together a reasonably priced home theater system.

For those without a budget, so-to-speak, who want a large screen and crushing audio, you might want bring in a home theater expert to consult, and a contractor to build you an acoustically pleasing home theater room complete with high-end electronics.

My Product Recommendations for the home theater buyer   

There are several principal manufacturers of audio and visual electronic equipment; Sony is probably the most well know and popular.  They manufacture all of the components of the typical home theater system. 

Televisions

• Plasma, Large Format: The Samsung PN63B550 63 inch Plasma HDTV ($3299.99) comes highly recommended from the viewing public. This large screen unit features 1080p full HD Motion performance with FilterBright anti-glare technology. This plasma is also ENERGY STAR compliant.
• Plasma, Wide-Screen: The Panasonic 46 Inch Viera G10 Series 1080p Plasma HDTV ($1699.00) is a great wide-screen television. It offers over 2,000,000:1 High Contrast as well as a THX Certified Display. The set also includes 3 HDMI inputs, a PC input, VIERA Image Viewer and a Game Mode function.
• LCD, Large Format: The Sony Bravia® 52 in. (Diagonal) Class 1080p 120 Hz LCD HD Television ENERGY STAR® ($2099.99) has the real estate to turn your ordinary family or theater room into something very special indeed. The 94lbs. flat panel television features full 16:9 aspect ratio HD 1080/24p resolution, BRAVIA EngineTM, 10-bit processor, (4) HDMI inputs, and full digital tuner. Video inputs include: 1080p/1080i/720p/480i/480p, as well as along with composite video, as well as analog and digital audio outputs.
• LCD, Wide-Screen: You cannot go wrong with the Sony KDL-40Z4100/B 40" BRAVIA Z-Series Flat-Panel HDTV LCD Television with Enha ($1,899.99). The slim, handsome design makes the television suitable for wall mounting, but it is still packed with features galore. Fitted with the renowned BRAVIA graphics engine, the KDL-40Z4100 gives you 40" of screen space, with a full 1920x1080 pixel resolution. The 48 lbs. set is also features (4) HDMI inputs along with composite video, as well as analog and digital audio outputs.

Theater-in-a-Box

• Money is no object...for those who demand the best I have one brand to recommend: Samsung, More specifically the Samsung 5.1 Channel Blu-ray DiscTM 1080p Upconverting Home Theater System ($449.99), which will expand your entertainment choices like never before. Along with the Blu-ray Disc hi-def functionality, you can stream Netflix and Pandora music, or use the iPod dock with video, audio and iPhone support. The WiFi ready and PC Connected/Streaming features lets you wirelessly view pictures, listen to music and more from virtually any PC in the house directly on your Home Theater System.
• Money is a bit of an object but functionality is just as important...Next up: LG Network Blu-ray DiscTM 5.1 Channel Home Theater System w/1000W Output Power ($379.99). This sweet little system includes a 5.1-channel surround sound with full HD 1080p. You also get NetCast Entertainment Access so you can also get Netflix and Pandora. There's also a Direct iPod Dock to connect, charge and control your iPod or iPhone, as well as a USB 2.0 Media Host to access music and slideshows from your digital library.
• Money is an object, but so is functionality and performance...there are number of home theater units available at the sub-$300.00 price range, including the Panasonic 1000W DVD Home Theater System with 1080p Up-Conversion (229.95); in addition to the A/V receiver, the unit includes an 1080 up-conversion DVD player, Dolby Digital, Integrated iPod dock, VIERA Link and HDMI output.

A/V Receivers

• This Sony is for you! There is a reason all of the components in my home theater system are Sony; they just work and work well. And best of all, they offer fantastic performance like the Sony BRAVIA® Wireless Link Module ($499.99). Consisting of two units, a receiver and transmitter, this module delivers wireless uncompressed HD transmission of you're a/V devices. The transmitter supports up to five source devices (four HDMI inputs and one component video input)
• Another good choice is the Sony 7.1 Channel Audio/Video Receiver, Blu-ray Compatible ($299.99). The STR-DH700 7.1 Channel A/V Receiver delivers the Full HD 1080 experience to your home theater system. It features six HD inputs, including three HDMI inputs with Active Intelligence. This receiver is also compatible with 24p True Cinema video signals and decodes uncompressed audio making it compatible with Blu-ray Disc, PlayStation 3 and other HD sources. You can also share songs wirelessly throughout your home with the option S-Air transmitter and AirStation client.
• My final recommendation is the Sherwood 2.1 Channel Virtual Surround Stereo Receiver ($129.99). With 5.1 analog input and subwoofer output, Sherwood's RX-4503 2.1 Virtual Surround Receiver also accepts audio from Blu-ray Disc and DVD players. You can also stream MP3 files from your PC or cell phone directly to the receiver.

Home Theater Speakers 

• Money is no object... try the Pure Acoustics 250 Watt Floor-Standing Loudspeaker (Pair) (Bordeaux) ($724.99). These floor-standing mid-wattage speakers with tweeter, mid-range, and woofer drivers would make the perfect front speakers in any well-appointed surround-sound system.
• Money is a bit of an object but functionality is just as important...check out the BIC America 8'' 175-Watt In-Wall 2-Way Speakers With Mid/High Frequency Horns ($374.99). These speakers have 6 ¼'' mid/high frequency horns with neodymium magnets and injection molded woofers to make your listening experience a great one.

To Sum it all Up... Putting together the perfect Home theater system can be challenging, but also fun!  Knowledge goes a long, long way, so educate yourself before you buy your first component.  The home theater area can be a complicated beast to tackle because with the introduction of HD the jungle is ever changing.  And you can spend as little as $500.00 for a basic system to well over $15,000 for a home theater system with heart, soul and killer tunes. 

I hope this guide has helped you start your search, but by no means should it end here...

Vincent M. is an Information Technology Professional who has a keen interest in all things electronic. He has written over 1,500 consumer reviews on a broad spectrum of products, and he is a member of the Viewpoints Publisher's Circle.  Vincent is a husband, father, grandfather and lives west of Chicago.