| What
do I need for a home theater?
What are the basic home theater components?
Newcomers to the home theater scene often wonder
what exactly are the basic home theater components they need to
bring the cinema experience home. The most basic system consists
of three components. Somewhat in order of importance those three
components are a good, preferably LARGE video display -- you'll
want to complement that with a digital surround sound system --
and you will need a DVD player for a video source Video Display
Your video display can be as basic as a regular
TV (again preferably BIG -- 32" TVs are relatively cheap nowadays).
You may want to opt for an LCD or plasma TV of 42" or larger
-- prices for such units have dropped considerably in price in recent
years -- of course the larger the screen the larger the price tag.
Another option is the DLP, SXRD, LCD or CRT rear-projection
TV. Of those, I recommend the DLP models. DLP and SXRD RPTVs offer
the best combination of image quality and longevity of that image
quality. Both LCD and CRT sets are susceptible to image degradation
through either tube age or image burn-in. The DLP optical engine
has a life cycle of 100,000 hours with no degradation of image quality
which is quite impressive. SXRD offers the most film-like image
with no visible pixels.
For the biggest home theater picture I highly recommend
you invest in a video projector. Video projectors offer the largest
image for the dollar and help achieve the total cinema effect in
your home. A good, basic projector and screen can be found for way
less than the price of a small LCD or plasma and you will have a
LARGE image that you will love.
For more information on video display types refer to the home theater
video display section.
Digital Surround Sound System
As with all home theater gear -- there are also multitudes of available
surround sound systems. The basic home theater components will include
a 5.1 surround sound system with good quality speakers and as full-featured
of a receiver as your budget will allow. There are many "bells
and whistles" available on A/V receivers such as video switching,
6.1 and 7.1 formats and HD up-conversion -- even XM radio and iPod
ready models are available -- however such superfluous frills are
not among the basic home theater components necessary for a starter
home cinema.
For more info on surround sound for home theater
please refer to the section on home theater audio systems.
DVD player
A basic home theater setup will include a DVD player for movie playback.
Again a multitude of brands and models are available. You will want
a progressive scan player with component video output. Beyond that
the choice is yours depending on which features you desire -- such
as multi-disc capability and HD up-conversion. I personally do not
recommend a multi-disc unit as I feel such units are totally unnecessary.
After all you should at least have the energy to get out of your
seat and change movies and the changer is an additional part which
could fail.
If you have an HD set and desire up-conversion
of standard DVDs to high-definition, go ahead and get a Blu-ray
or HD DVD player -- they both upconvert and play HD discs as well.
For more information on DVD players and other video sources for
your home theater refer to the home theater video sources section.
If you are on a modest budget you may want to "kill
two birds with one stone" and consider a home-theater-in-a-box.
An "HTiB" is a basic all-in-one unit which includes a
DVD player, audio amplifier and surround speakers with a powered
sub-woofer. Basic HTiB units are available for a couple of hundred
dollars. As with any HT gear -- be very wary of off brand units.
Stick with respected names such as Sony, RCA, Toshiba and Panasonic
to avoid an unpleasant experience -- also and otherwise known as
home theater sickness.
There's the large nutshell look at basic home theater
components. As with all home theater gear -- the more elaborate
the system the higher the price tag. If possible I suggest you get
as much a system as your budget will allow and then even a bit more
-- you may save money in the long run as you will not outgrow/obsolete
your gear as quickly.
HDMI Formats Explained
There are now a few different HDMI formats that have evolved from
the original High Definition Multimedia Interface.
HDMI is a digital transmission format originally developed to transmit
large amounts of digital audio and video data conveniently over
one cable. It is currently being utilized mainly for HD video, due
to many AV Receivers not being capable of sampling the audio stream.
That will change late this summer when HDMI 1.3 capable receivers
are due to be commercially available from manufacturers.
Home Theater FAQ
In this section you will find answers to your Home Theater FAQ --
or "most frequently asked questions". We get a lot of
questions from new enthusiasts here at Home Theater Systems Advice.
If you have a question feel free to use the Home Theater Systems
contact form. I will reply ASAP and you
just may see your question included on this page.
Basic/General Questions
- What do I need for home theater/what
are the basic home theater components?
- What is the difference in HDMI cable
versions and formats?
- Will I need a digital TV receiver next
year?
Digital Audio
- How many speakers do I need for my home
theater?
- What are the best home theater speakers?
- What is the difference between the different
digital audio formats?
- What is the best subwoofer placement
for my theater room? |
