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Home Theater Systems Buyer’s Guide

What Is A Home Theater System?

If you’re the kind of person who likes to enjoy your movies as they were meant to be enjoyed, then a standard HDTV with built in speakers just isn’t going to cut it for you.

Home theater systems provide you with all the key elements that’ll turn your living room into a small cinema. Instead of a standard TV with built in speakers, hooked up to a DVD player, you’ll have good quality speakers that can amplify the sound all around the room.

Home theater systems aren’t just great for watching movies, though: they also provide a new way to listen to your music.

Why Do You Need A Home Theater System?

Ever wondered why movies are so much more impressive when you see them at the theater rather than watch them on a DVD in your own home? Aside from the fact that movie theaters make use of huge screens, it also comes down to the fact that they use speakers that can project sound at all angles around you.

This speaker setup helps to create the feeling of being immersed in the action. You can hear things going on all around you, and truly get lost in the movie experience. You’ll literally hear that gun shot to the left of you, that plane flying over your head, or that gang running towards you. This can make all the difference in the way you feel about the movie.

Surround sound isn’t just limited to Hollywood Blockbusters, either. Modern camcorders now let you record in surround sound, making the experience of watching your home movies even more immersive. Other types of recording, such as live music, can also benefit from this setup.

Home Theater Vs. Do It Yourself Setup

Of course, you don’t need an all-in-one home theater kit in order to get the feeling of being in the middle of the action. You could choose to put together all the elements yourself over time.

The benefit of going the DIY route is that you don’t have to buy every element at the same time. You could buy the DVD player first, for example, and the receiver and front speakers, then add on the rear speakers at a later date. This is useful if you want to get the very best equipment possible but can’t afford to buy it all in one go.

Another advantage of the DIY route is that you can often find better quality speakers. Many all-in-one kits are designed to be affordable, meaning that they use smaller speakers without a subwoofer. This makes them more suitable for smaller rooms. If you’ve got a very big space to fill with sound then the DIY route could be best. For standard living rooms, however, there are always entertainment systems fit for the job.

Unfortunately, however, it can be a lot more confusing to set your home theater elements up yourself when bought separately. With an all-in-one kit the setup process is usually extremely quick: everything is coded, so it’s as simple as connecting all the speakers and pressing play. All-in-one systems also guarantee proper communication between the DVD player and the receiver.

What Comes In A Home Theater Kit?

The basic home theater kit will come with the following items:

Amplifier,
Six speakers or a soundbar,
A radio tuner,
Cables to connect the components.

The radio tuner is often contained within the amplifier, and is called a “receiver” instead. Some systems may have extra components, including:

A Blu-Ray disc player,
A DVD recorder,
A VHS player/ recorder,
A projector,
A TV,
A multi-disc player.

What Equipment Should I Already Own?

Most home theater systems assume that you already own a TV at the very least. Aside from that, everything else is usually taken care of.

The Kind Of TV You Need

It’s important to note that any old TV is not going to cut it with a home theater system. It might work with the connections included, but will it really recreate that theater experience if you’ve got a tiny, low resolution screen? Probably not.

Standard analogue television screens will not produce a good quality image, no matter how good the equipment is that you get with your home theater system. The sound, however, will see a big improvement.

You’re probably better off opting for an HD flat panel screen: LCD, LED or Plasma. Thankfully these screens have drastically come down in price lately (unless you’re looking for built in 3D capability), and the difference in image quality is well worth the extra cost.

When you do buy your TV, make note of the various connectors you see on the back. You’ll need to buy a home theater system that matches.