Home Theater Basic Overview
I have noticed in my experience that there is a general unfamiliarity with the main ideas that make up a home theater experience. The average home owner is likely to be uneducated on the topic (and that’s ok) however they are then subject to the adolescent attempts of big box home theater salesman or the frequent smooth talking technical jargon-expertise of the home theater specialist salesman. I wish neither of these fates upon you. You will spend more than you need to spend and not have any more understanding than you began with. Therefore I just want to write a quick primer on the major components of a 21st century home theater system so you may be a bit more informed, educated , savvy , and less likely to get robbed by the man. I am no expert, just someone who likes to read, research and think before I purchase nearly anything that’s over $50. So here’s my two cents.
There are a number of components to a theater system which you need to be familiar with.
These first two categories are necessary for any experience. You must have a source and a display unit. Most homes in America have these two and nothing more in their homes.
Display Unit – this device where you see the movie, the presentation, the action. It visualizes the information that it receives from its source.
- Projector / Screen http://www.ewholesaleoutlet.com/product_info.php?products_id=3210
- TV (DLP, Plasma, or LCD)http://www.ewholesaleoutlet.com/product_info.php?products_id=3054
Source Unit – this device creates the data that is to be displayed on the display unit (TV or Projector).
- Cable Box
- Satellite Box (Direct TV or Dish Network and others)
- DVD player
- Blu-Ray Player http://www.ewholesaleoutlet.com/product_info.php?products_id=13746&osCsid=7133ff5a3a7bb79595df39828e0aad09
- PC
- Gaming System (PS3, XBOX, Wii, etc)
Here begins the components necessary that will change an average den TV into a larger than life engaging home theater experience.
Audio Processing – these components help process and amplify the audio from the one (or usually many) sources.
- Receiver
- Amplifer
- Compressor
- Equalizer
- Pre-Amplifier
Sound Production – these components actually broadcast the sound which issued initially from the source unit (DVD / Cable / etc) and then is processed through the Receiver/Amplifier and ultimately is turned into real sound through a speaker.
- Speakers (come in all shapes / sizes)
- Subwoofer
Interconnect – a number of cables are needed to make all these pieces connect together. It can get confusing here, but that’s ok, there’s plenty of help online.
- Video Cables (HDMI, Component, Composite, S-Video, DVI)
- Audio Cables (HDMI, Digital Audio, Analog Audio, Speaker Cable)
Power Supply – Much has been made of power supply lately. In most modern home situations, it is not as much needed to spend hundreds on a power center. Most standard voltage flow in a newer home is fairly clean to begin with. Standard type power supplies with noise filtration will do fine. Spend that extra cost elsewhere where it will make more difference.
- Power Supply / Power Strip
Chad Sepulveda