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Home Theater

Home theater audio system is gaining popularity all over. The interpretation of music has changed nowadays. People just don't want to hear the songs; they want to hear it clearly and too with special added effects. Everything changed with the introduction of the Dolby sound system in the 70's and ever since the way music was heard, changed. Now everyone wants to have their own home theater audio system. People want their audio systems to be trendy and in sync with the latest sound system. The home theaters have further added to its popularity. The popularity of these home theater audio systems is growing day by day and it's bound to grow even more in the coming future. This is one thing which the music lovers just can't miss.

Choose the best quality

A product is defined by its quality. So you must make sure that you get the best quality, never compromise on that. However you also need to keep a check on your budget. The general perception is that more the price, the better the product. This is actually true because quality products are usually priced high. However this is not always true. A highly priced product may not be of good quality. It thus becomes important to check the product's quality before buying it. For this you can request the working staff to give you a demo of the product. You can hear the sound of the audio system in listening rooms. This is important to make sure that you are buying what you actually wanted. You may end up with something bad if you don't listen to the audio system before buying it.

The size of the room determines the number of speakers

How does one decide as to which home theater audio system is best for them? One must buy the audio system according to the size of the room. The system must not be too big or too small for the room. It should just be perfect. If the room is big, six speakers are enough. In addition to the center speaker, there will be two front and rear side speakers. Addition of a subwoofer will make the total count six. The sound of the audio system can be further enhanced by making the subwoofer face the wall. This way, the whole wall will function as a subwoofer and the sound quality will be greatly increased. To get the maximum out of your home theater audio system, cover it up with a woven basket. This will increase its sound. For more info see on Home Theater Speaker System.

In case of a small room, three speakers are sufficient. In addition to a subwoofer there should be two rear speakers. A small room doesn't need too many speakers for it will take unnecessary space and will not serve any purpose. So be very careful while buying your audio system. It must fit your room perfectly.

Many home theater audio systems are available in the market. Bose home theater is one such popular system though there are many others. You should choose the one which suits you the best. Go for the best available option which is within your budget. You should choose it carefully so that you can enjoy this experience forever.

home theater surround sound

Major movie houses, theatres, home entertainment environments, gaming, arcade and other public and in-house presentation areas today use surround sound systems for enhanced audio entertainment. Surround sound is basically when you increase the dimension of your sound (or sound waves), sort of like on the Twilight Zone. In other words you take the standard one dimensional audio production, referred to as mono / Left-Right, and turn it into multiple dimensions; two or three.

Sound Systems

To create surround sound, you can go any one of several different directions. The simplest and probably the oldest way, would be to set up a bunch of speakers surrounding the audience, so that the sound comes in to the listeners from all over, from the different directions.

A different method is to combine the use of headphones with localized audio production with psychoacoustics. The result is a simulated three-dimensional effect.

And another way to create surround sound is with ambisonics where you reconstruct the sound at a central point. However, you get a gradual decline in quality as you move outward.

Still another way is to use wave field synthesis (WFS), with multiple loudspeakers and a computer aid.

Popular today are everyday devices like stereo, PC soundcards, some camcorders and AV receivers. These feature digital signal or audio processors that create surround sound via stereo sources, or have add-ons, as in some camcorder cases.

Formats

Just as nothing stays the same, ditto with sound formats. Top ones have included
discrete 5.1 Surround sound format with DVD-Audio, also known as DVD-A and SACD which stands for Super Audio CD. Moving on you have ambisonics, quadraphonic then Dolby 5.1 Surround sound. And later are: DTS, DVD-Video or DVD-V and the latest MP3 Surround.


Surround Sound Specs

3.0 Surround (matrixed):
3 audio channels: 2 for speakers front – left, right; 1 rear

4.0 Surround (matrixed Quadraphonic):
4 audio channels: 2 for speakers front – left, right; 2 rear

4.1 Surround (matrixed Prologic):
4 audio channels: 3 for speakers front – left, center, right; 1 rear (.1 = subwoofer)

5.1 Surround (matrixed Prologic II):
5 audio channels: 3 for speakers front – left, center, right; 2 at rear or side (.1 = subwoofer)

5.1 Surround (discrete Dolby Digital, DTS):
5 digital audio channels: 3 for speakers front – left, center, right; 2 at rear or side (.1 = subwoofer)

6.1 Surround (discrete Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES):
6 digital audio channels: 3 for speakers front – left, center, right; 3 for the rear / side (.1 = subwoofer)

7.1 Surround (discrete SDDS):
7 digital audio channels: left, right, center, left surround, right surround, left rear, right rear positions (.1 = subwoofer)

Blu-ray and SOUND SYSTEM

hd dvd home theater

One of the most important advances in home theater has come in sound technology, which now bring the feel of cinema sound into your living room. There are four technologies to choose from - surround sound, Dolby Prologic®, Dolby Digital®, and THX®.

Surround Sound

The first big breakthrough in home theater was the evolution of surround sound, which was first introduced in 1982 by Dolby Surround®. Dolby Surround works by decoding the surround channel so that it's played back like it was recorded in the movie sound studio.

Dolby Pro Logic®

The next step in home theater sound technology came in 1987 with the advancement of surround sound with Dolby Pro Logic, which is able to decode an active center channel to its own speaker. This allowed for clearer dialogue and for the left and right front speakers to be spaced farther apart to give a richer distribution of sound.

In simple terms this technology decodes and converts two channel stereo audio from your VCR, DVD or TV into four channels of audio (by going to your surround speakers) - giving your current system the quality it needs for a true home theater experience.

Dolby Digital®

The newest surround sound technology from Dolby is Dolby Digital®, which provides six discrete channels of full range sound: front center, front left, front right, rear left, rear right, and the bass or subwoofer. Dolby Digital technology also allows for more decoding options, so that program material recorded in Dolby Digital can be played as mono, stereo, Dolby Surround or Pro Logic, or to the full 6 channel capacity.

While Dolby Digital offers a better separation of channels and the addition of individual channels for both surround speakers than its predecessor Dolby Pro Logic, you still need a Dolby Pro Logic decoder because of the amount of material that still uses the traditional two channel stereo sound (and only a Dolby Prologic can break those two channels into four for a fuller surround sound). Luckily you won’t need two separate decoders because Dolby Digital has a Pro Logic decoder built right in. If you’re planning on buying a Digital Versatile Discs (DVD) or High Definition Television (HDTV) than you’ll want to go Dolby Digital - it’s as close as you’ll get to the sound and feel of movie theater without having to leave your sofa.

THX®

While THX sounds like it is a brand name, it is actually a licensing technology for home theater equipment, which is used to ensure the highest standards for the best reproduction of theater-type sound. Dolby and THX often work together to create a high quality home theater experience. In short, THX has become the five star standard for acoustics and speaker placement and certifies the equipment that is most capable of playing the best sound.

Thanks to a THX patent, sound which was originally created for the movie screen is now suited for a smaller and closer environment - your home theater. Be sure that your home equipment is certified THX otherwise you’re not getting the real thing.

While it comes with a high price tag, the advantages of a THX audio system over standard surround systems are clearer dialogue, easy bass reproduction (great for action movies with lots of explosions), enveloping surround sound and wide frequency and ranges.

home theater decor

At first it seems like much fun having the cash to indulge and immerse yourself in high-definition video and surround sound, and then you realise there's more decision to be made than just placing a sleek TV panel and a bunch of speakers in the living room. Investing in a home theater system practically takes some planning in order to get the aesthetics right and make yourself comfortable with all the equipment around.

1. Most readers won't expect this, but first of all, you do need to get your immediate family's agreement to have a home theater right in their midst. Decide whether it's OK to install the system in the living room, or have a separate room dedicated for a most complete TV watching experience while disturbances to other members are minimized.

2. There are 2 main types of flat, high-definition TV: plasma and LCD. Plasma is made for larger size and is closer to 5 figures in pricing than LCD, which can cost as cheaply as less than a thousand. Plasma is the main choice for a TV in a home theater context since LCD TVs have a size limitation.

3. How could you do without a video source? That's the DVD player. Unless you are a discerning aficionado, you'll be spoilt for choice as more advanced technology and decreasing cost continue to impact the market. Almost all come with Dolby® Digital Surround sound (EX 6.1). Watch out for the blu-ray DVD and their players in the coming years.

4. As major TV and radio broadcasts are expected to 'port' into the digital format in the future, the broadcasted material will be encoded with surround sound instructions. A receiver takes advantage by accessing and decoding these instructions to give you superb sounds. Surround sound currently comes in the multi-channel formats of Dolby® Digital EX 6.1 or THX Surround EX™ 6.1, DTS, AC-3, etc.

Receivers can connect to most types of players and handle their respective media, including VCR or HiFi and the latest ones are designed to be forward-compatible with future standards and formats. Also, some DVD players have built-in receiver capabilities, and this is great for those looking to do more with less.

5. Speakers usually come in sets of 5: 3 in the front (left, right, center) and 2 at the back (left, right). Check with your dealer that the right speaker is placed for the right position because spoken dialogue and sound effects are handled differently. Note that "surround sound" means separate speakers can play different sounds at the same time. The subwoofer is a different animal as it's in charge of processing low frequency sounds which gives you "deep boom-boom bass". It adds an unexpected dimension to a movie which you would not have 'heard' otherwise.

6. Get the right cables; that means good quality ones. Having the latest equipment is pointless if lousy cables are used for connection as they naturally degrade whatever electrical signals that come through them.

7. Check how you can make your home theater lightning-proof or safe against power surges. You can safeguard your equipment once you take certain precautions. Ask for professional advice.

These are just general guidelines for you to refer, but you can take it from here to build your further interest in home theater equipment or home electronics. If possible, ask for a test at your dealership to get yourself familiarized with the quality you desire. Ask your dealer to help define a proper checklist of things you are looking for to gain clarity. The more ticks you can make on paper, the clearer your mind gets.