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| Component | 42% | 36 votes | Total: 86 votes | |
| In a box | 58% | 50 votes |
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Add to FavoritesThe word home-theater is a term that has come to describe the existence of a TV screen placed within an array of speakers that surrounds the viewer to create a movie experience as close to the original movie sound track as possible.
There was a day, not long ago, when the largest television set available was a 35 inch Mitsubishi standard tube. With a devise known as a surround-sound processor, it became easy to place a center speaker under or above the screen, a left and right speaker about six feet out from the center, and in line with the TV, a self-powered subwoofer placed anywhere in the room,(the subwoofer puts out a low base, non-directional sound), and two rear speakers, spread about six feet from the center line and positioned just above and behind the optimal viewing seat, which could be between six and ten feet directly in front of the television. The processors have a self-tuning function that guides you through the proper volume settings for each speaker.
The system was only as good as the source media, but if the VHS tape or DVD was digitally encoded with the original Dolby digital soundtrack, the effect was astounding and the viewing experience fantastic. Many a family turned down the lights, popped the popcorn, and watched a movie as if they were in seventh heaven.
Not much has changed. And then again, a lot has changed. But the concept remains the same. Sure, TV sets have become larger; the aspect ratio,(16 x 9), which is the shape of the screen, is now matched to the aspect ratio of the original movie, which means we no longer see the advisory about the movie being reformatted for television, (sometimes a very important part of the picture would be cut off completely), and the increased number of pixels, or the advent of high definition, has made the experience of home theater so good it is unnecessary for some people, with the full-blown high-tech setup, to get in their cars and make the trip to the theater.
One of the major improvements, besides the miracle of LCD and plasma monitors, has been in speaker technology. Speakers have become much smaller, yet have maintained their robust sound quality.
A good suggestion for a beginner, with a limited budget, is to go to Radio Shack or one of the other electronic stores and buy a very basic surround-sound processor, five medium quality speakers that will be no bigger than 8 inches high, and a self powered subwoofer. Also, purchase a heavy gauge speaker wire for the longer runs. You can set the system up using an inexpensive DVD player and whatever TV, or flat screen TV, you want. (32 inch LCD monitors are plummeting in price)
The alternative is the packaged kits, but you may pay more for less when you go that route.
Of course, the audio geniuses at Bose, and I mean that in a very complimentary way, have come up with a miniature system that sounds as good, or better, than any system out there. But they are more expensive in comparison. It wouldn't hurt to visit the Bose store for a demonstration. Depending on your budget, space constraints, and other audio concerns, it may be just the thing.
One final piece of equipment that is making the film viewing experience much more dynamic is the introduction of the mini lap top. From that computer devise, you can download just about any film imaginable and feed it right through your surround-sound home theater system and TV monitor.
Why bother going to the movies? Besides the fact that it is good for you to get out of the house now and then, some movies are still better on the big screen, but also because George Lucas and his team at Industrial Light and Magic are perfecting 3D. It will be an experience way beyond what you have come to think as cheep parlor trickery and plastic glasses. Can't wait!
Industrial Light and magic http://starwars.wiki a.com/wiki/Industria l_Light_%26_Magic
Bose http://www.bose.com/ controller?url=/shop _online/home_theater /index.jsp
Radio Shack http://support.radio shack.com/support_tu torials/audio_video/ hometh-1.htm
Denon surround sound processors
Learn more about this author, Jeffrey B. Allen.
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In a box
The keyword here, I believe, is "Beginner". A beginner may not know what he/she needs to provide the end result they're looking for. I just purchased a flat-screen TV for my home. We live in a very small but comfy space, so buying a set over 26 inches was not in the cards. And we're on a captive cable system so we don't know if or when we're getting a high definition (HD) image. When we bought this unit, we purchased it at Wal-Mart, so of course the employee didn't know much more than we did about it. For example: There's a bunch of different inputs for this thing.
We have a basic 75 ohm cable input of course, and that the one we're using right now. The 75 coax is supposed to be able to deliver HD when the cable does. So why do we need to have HDMI inputs? Or why do we have standard RCA plug video and audio inputs? What the heck is S-Video? Did you know that component plugs are the same kind of plug as composite plugs? Would a beginner know the difference? We'll learn, of course, that all these are for different devices to be plugged in. Let's see. A HD-DVD player or a Blu-Ray? What's the diff, besides dollars?
There is one thing all these things have in common. Resolution. How many pixels per inch is resolution in digital-speak. In analog TV resolution is measured in lines. The more pixels or lines per unit, the better the picture. In digital, they talk about scans instead of lines. It's all very confusing.
So on an elementary basis, the bigger then number, the better the picture. The "later" the letter, the better the pic. 1080p is tops, 720i is not. As Jessica Simpson (dressed as Daisy Duke) said in a TV commercial, ". . . it has . . . 1080 ah. Ah don' know what that is, but ah want it."
The "i" or the "p" stands for the way the picture is presented in the screen. When the letter is "i", that means that every other line that the screen is getting is laid down in one instant, and the next instant, the other half is sent. this cycle occurs in a 30th of a second. Really fast. When the letter is a "p", it means that ALL lines are laid down at the same time. This means that the picture is much improved for anything that moves around quickly on the screen.
According to what I've read, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are the only components that can deliver 1080p. It will undoubtedly be available off cable or satellite sometime in the not-too-distant future, but right now, you're stuck with 1080i or 720p.
Earlier, we asked, "A HD-DVD player or a Blu-Ray?" Do you remember the food fight that VHS and Betamax had back in the early days of videos? VHS eventually won that battle, but not because of quality. It was because of manufacturing costs; and who was backing what. Sony was Betamax, and Panasonic was VHS. Now we're having the same food fight. HD-DVD disks are easier to manufacture, but the pic quality isn't as good as Blu-Ray Disks. The potential of HD-DVD is far less than that of Blu-Ray.
Our beginner is faced with all this information coming at him.her from a hundred different directions. If he/she has the room, it would be far easier to get a in-the-box home entertainment package. Just take it home, plug it in, attach the antenna coax, grab a drink and watch the sweat drip off some ice-skater's forehead. The most difficult part of the installation should be taking the box and packing out to the garbage.
Learn more about this author, Richard Pahl.
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