The Great Indoors

Posted: 09 November 2009 by Metricon Homes

Tags: electrical, entertainment

Home theatre systems can be a lot of fun but they can also be quite complex things and most cost a reasonable amount of money, so it's in your best interest to buy the right product from the start.

Getting the purchase right involves thinking about a few important issues though.

Firstly, you must think about the room you want to place the system into. This is because its size, shape and construction all influence how well the system is going to work - if at all. The other thing you must think about is what level of performance you want. Some folks will be happy as long as they can make out the dialogue on their favourite DVDs, while others will want better than commercial cinema performance.

While TV has been a dominant force in most homes for decades, recent developments have seen domestic cinema technology pander to our desires with the introduction of large screens with High Definition, digital TV, and surround sound. Of course things are never as simple as they seem and determining that you would like a widescreen is just the beginning. HD (High Definition) with its higher resolution images is a must as more and more programs are being broadcast in HD format. There are several different HD formats available though so it is important to speak to a specialist when selecting your system.

Screen size can be determined by your room size with the recommended method being to multiply the screen size by 3.3 to determine the minimum distance from the screen for seating. Picture quality is affected by signal fed into the display device, obviously the higher the quality of engineering the better your signal.

There are three types of large screen - Plasma, LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and DLP (Digital Light Processing).

Plasma
Plasmas offer a wider viewing angle than LCD & DLP. Plasmas also offer excellent contrast between the shadows and highlights with faithful colour reproduction and not to mention they have a wide selection of screen size range. The down side is they have a shorter lifespan, however newer quality brands should give approx 10years or more; and the other issue is if you play a lot of electronic games or watch channels which have a station watermark, you may get burn in where a static image is permanently burnt into your screen.

LCD
LCD TVs usually have a higher resolution as they generally have a higher number of pixels. They also use less power, and are lighter in weight which allows for easier mounting. With some models there is some loss of brightness and colour definition and it is important to check the model's refresh rate with your specialist to ensure picture stability.

DLP
DLP TVs offer the opportunity to have a home theatre when you don't have room for front projection. You get a great bright, even image with strong blacks and viewing is available from any angle. Lighting conditions are not a problem, the cost is economical and apart from lamp replacement - approximately every 5 years, they are long lasting.

Projection
Of course if you want the real home theatre experience then a projector and screen with surround sound is the go. There are a whole range of options here - it requires a number of considerations so, without question, call in an expert. The most important part of any good system is the audio/video receiver. This component incorporates at least five amplifiers and must have sufficient inputs and outputs for all your gear and enough in the event that you decide to add in more components at a later date.

Surround Sound
Surround sound is 50% of the experience! A real home theatre system has a minimum of six speakers. The regular left and right speakers normally part of stereo reproduction, a matching centre speaker for dialogue and on-screen action, two surround speakers for ambience and special effects and a powerful subwoofer for reproducing bass. There are many packaged systems available however best quality is obtained from the selection of separate components and again - call in an expert.

Acoustics and Installation
Whether you have an existing room you intend for your home theatre, or are extending and incorporating a new one, acoustics and sound containment are also important considerations.

Almost without exception home theatre packages sacrifice quality, limit expandability and often compatibility as well. If you have invested in a quality home theatre package then your next problem is installation of all the components, and there is a whole new world here to get the best out of your system. Often asking an expert is not only more cost efficient in the long run but will ensure that you get the best system to suit your budget.