Why Not To Assemble Your Family Home Theatre System

By Jeff DeCleff

If there were a book on how NOT to install a personal home cinema system, I think that I could add a few chapters of my very own. Having decided not to contact my local Electrical Contractor in Swan Hill - it all started off pleasantly. Enviably large flat screen TV? Check. Speakers that would have the neighbors moaning until morning? Check. Enough wires to wrap around the block? Check.

With all my stuff in hand, all that I had to do was actually just ticking the boxes. O.K, I admit that I am no technical nerd or certified sparky, but I'm ok when it comes to reading and following a guide. Fitted out with a heap of instruction guides and a fresh coffee I got to work.

To make a long story short, I failed totally. What occurred between starting on this mission and ultimately giving up is a little bit of a blur, but here goes.

The 1st issue was all that lingo! Somewhere between anamorphic, bridging and matrix, I started to develop a little bit of a brain meltdown. Not to mention the indisputable fact that I could've played Boggle with all of the illegible acronyms like ADSL, THX and DHCP. Wowsers!

Once I wrapped my gray matter around a number of these unknown terms (OK, I admit I Had to use Bing more than a number of times), it was on to making all the various elements come together in one pleasant system. Well, my aspirations of home cinema system glory were pulverised once more when I discovered how non-compatible the numerous hardware can be. It's as if the manufacturers purposely make it baffling purely for their own amusement. The idiot box is off doing its own thing, while the DVD / CD player is going in the alternative direction, and meanwhile the satellite receiver has gone AWOL. Each wants to be in charge of the numerous functions, but the more you try and simplify your options, the further you spin into a deep, dark hole of system overload.

As I sat there besieged by loose wires, random components and a handful of remote controls, I realized that installing a home cinema system isn't a DIY sort of job. I only wish I had come to that conclusion sooner. No matter how much I tell myself I can do things on my own, this is one case where I had to confess defeat and call on somebody to dig me out of this technological hole I had dug myself into. So after hours of trying, a few not-so-nice words, and 1 or 2 cups of coffee I came to one straightforward conclusion: Some things really are better left to the professionals!

About the Author:

When looking for home theatre installation by the execs then check out dLook's range of Electrical Contractors.

How To Install A Home Theater Set-up

By Owen Jones

It is certain that the most important consideration in setting up a home theater set-up is the size of the room where you will set up the home theater set-up. Therefore, the size of the most important part of a home theater set-up, which is the screen, is also dependent on the size of the room. Regardless of the size of the room, the minimum recommended size of the screen is 28 inches.

A flat screen television is also suggested, because it will cut down on reflections and glare. Speakers are also dependent on the size of the room. Clearly, you would require more speakers in a very large room than in a small one.

You might want to put a lot of small speakers in a large room or one large speaker in a small room. The acoustics of the room is an important factor in this. Therefore, I recommend that you either get an expert in or get a wireless sound system that can be built upon.

The average number of speakers in a starter system in an average sized room would be five or six. The more speakers you use, up to a point, the greater the reality, but lots of speakers also means that you do not need thunderous volume too. There are many considerations when it comes to the sound - far more than with the screen.

You will want surround sound, with woofers, sub woofers, treble and bass speakers all with the Dolby control set-up, probably all controlled by a graphic equalizer. All these controls can be confusing, but once you have the sound right, you will know it. It will sound like a full-sized movie theater.

Another important component of your home theater set-up is the DVD player. Your DVD player really must have a progressive scan. This is because a progressive scan produces sharp and flicker-free pictures. However, the progressive scan facility depends on the television unit, because not all television sets support progressive scan signals.

An possible upgrade might be a five-disk carousel DVD player. All of these things also depend on the amount of money you have, of course. However, if money is short, start with the best DVD player you can afford and use a few old speakers and the biggest television set you can get hold of. Later, you can upgrade the television or the speakers.

The furniture is crucial too. You have to feel as if you are undergoing a special experience. The goal is to have reclining seats, but you can start with large bean bags. Add air conditioning and a fridge for cold drinks and a few tables for nuts and candy and you are almost there.

My finishing touches would be old movie posters, photos of movie stars, a collection of autographs would be great, a replica Oscar and any other memorabilia you can think of. Then set all this off with some subtle lighting that you can raise or dim as required.

Sound, camera, action!

About the Author:

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Home Movie Theatre. If you are interested in a Home Audio Theatre, please click through to our blog.

How to Set Up a Home Theater

System

If you love to watch television or movies or even play video games, then you should have a home theater system. In fact, you should probably get one that can rival the loudest air horns on the market for sheer power and outright sound. But how do you go about setting one up? Here are a few simple steps to follow.

1. First, make sure that you have all the parts needed for a nice home theater. Most of these set ups are 5.1 minimum (meaning five speakers and a subwoofer) but some of the more elaborate are 7.1 or more. The basic 5.1 system includes a subwoofer, two forward and two rear speakers as well as a center channel. As long as you have these things, you are ready to get started.

The Three Essential

Accessories of Home Theater

Systems

2. After you get all of the speakers ready, you should do a mock set up of your room to see what works the easiest or best for the room in question. Having a square room is the simplest one to work with, but if your room is a different shape, or your TV is in a corner, then you may have to spend more time trying to figure out the exact set up that gives the best tonality and ease of use.

3. Once you have the speakers set up how you want them, it's time to get out the speaker wire. Depending on how far away your speakers are, it is best to get the thickest gauge that you can. 14 gauge is usually going to work wonders and can be found for cheap on the Internet. Start to run wire to all of your speakers and measure off exact distances.

 It is also a good idea to try and have all the lengths for similar speakers the same. This means that your rear speakers should be the same length and so should your center and front speakers. This will help to give a consistent sound through all of your speakers.

Requirements Of A Good Home Theater

System

4. After that has been done, be sure to hook up your wire to the speakers. If you have newer speakers, it may be beneficial to get some banana clips. These are simple clips that make hooking up the wire to the speakers as easy as plugging them into the back of the speakers.

You can then hook the other wires up just as you did this first one. Make certain that when you are hooking them up that you connect the red and black wires to the correct ports on both the speakers and the receiver. The same should be done with your subwoofer.

5. Then, you can hook the wires up to the back of the receiver. Make sure that you hook up the right to the right and left to left, etc. Once all of the speakers have been set up and hooked up, you can turn on your system. Not everything will be perfect immediately, but you can mess around with the settings on your receiver to figure everything out or move your speakers around until you find the place where they sound correct.

Hooking up a home theater doesn't have to be a huge process. As long as you know which wires go where, you can have a great sounding system in very little time. Just be sure to actually tinker with the settings because those will make the biggest difference to the entire sound system.

Best Home Theater System - A Few Comparisons

Though every company claims that there home theater system is the best, one can find out the truth only after using the product. The following are some of the best home theater systems available in the market are all based on the reviews given by the people who have used it. This is just a random list and it does not come in any particular order or ranking:

1. Onkyo HT-S5100 7.1 Channel Home Theater System:

This system has got a 7.1 channel model with a AV tuner and also an ipod docking station for all those music lovers. It has a HDMI pass-thru which has there inputs and one output that are 1080p compatible. It has got an Audyssey 2EQ for correcting room acoustic problems and for calibrating the speakers.

It has totally got eight speakers of which two is in the front, four of them are satellite speakers, there is one more speaker in the center along with a subwoofer. The total power of the system is 1200 watts. The price is $499.

2. Panasonic SC-PT760:

It is a five disc dvd home theater model and comes with two tall front speakers, a center speaker, two surround speakers and a Kelton subwoofer. It has Dolby digital, Dolby Pro logic and DTS decoders in the audio department. It has an integrated universal dock for ipod and a VIERA link display. The price is $277.

3. Sony Bravia Theater DAV-HDX500:

The home theater model is a 5.1 channel and the total power of the system is thousand watts. The subwoofer has a power of 285 watts. There is a media port and cinema automatic calibration which are both digital. There is also a Dolby Pro Logic II decoding facility which is the best of all its features. The price is $479.

4. Samsung HT-TZ512T:

It is a five disc changer home theater model with the best surround sound system. It has totally four speakers of which two are tallboy speakers and the other two are satellite speakers. The total power of the system is 1200 watts and the audio comes with all the dolby and DTS effects. There is an XM radio and an ipod cradle included too and it is priced at $410.

5. Philips HTS3544 Home theater system:

This model has a total power of 1000 watts and has surround sound with Dolby 5.1. It has a progressive scan player best compatible with DVD, DivX, CD, Mp3, etc. It has an integrated dock connect which is best for charging the ipod and gogear devices. You can also connect it with USB to play your favorite music or see those picture files of yours. And the best thing is its price which is a very meager $149.

6. Panasonic SC-BT100:

This is a home theater model which has a blue ray facilities and the speakers are shielded with magnets. It too has dolby effects in its audio module and totally has five speakers of which two are for the front, two are satellite and one more is for the center. There is also a subwoofer along with it.