First you need to determine which room of your home will house this home theatre system. Note that if you are going for the very large screen like 50 or 60 inches or more, the best viewing is from about 10 to 12 feet away. So putting a screen of this size into a small room is going to disappoint you because the screen will not look sharp or crisp. On the other hand, if you go with a smaller screen like a 36 or 42 inch screen, this would be adequate for a small family room or even a larger bedroom.

You need to decide on what type of display you want. LCD and plasma displays will provide the clearest and sharpest images. DLP and rear projection systems can cost less, but a major disadvantage in these systems is the viewing angle — DLP and rear projection do not provide as clear a picture when viewing the screen from an angle. Again, examine your target room where your system will be located, and determine the typical viewing angle for the viewers which should help you decide the best display technology to use.

Another important component is the receiver. Some receivers for home theatre systems have inputs for your cable TV or satellite dish connection, as well as inputs for a variety of other things, such as your DVD player, your VCR, your surround sound system, and perhaps even a PC input. Some even have a built-in radio, although these are becoming less common. One of the newer additions to receivers is the ability to play XM radio, although XM radio will require a monthly subscription. So with all these choices, you need to evaluate what is important to you, as well as what you will actually USE. There is little sense, for example, in equipping the receiver with XM radio if you will never or rarely use that option.

No home theatre system is complete without a good speaker system. Ideally, the surround sound should be Dolby 7.1 or at least Dolby 5.1. If you are going to spend the money on a great home theatre system, it makes little sense to “cheap out” with the speakers and audio system, since after the picture, the SOUND is the other component that lights up your internal sensory perceptors as you are enjoying your system. You can even go the extra mile with your surround sound system if you want to go whole hog, and use the “bass shaker” attachments that are available with some systems. These gadgets attach to your recliner or sofa, and when a scene comes on with an explosion or car wreck, these gadgets actually SHAKE the recliner or sofa, adding to the realism of the movie.

I suggest you make yourself a list, or maybe even a paper spreadsheet that you take with you when you shop around. Put a column for must-have features, a column for nice-to-have features, and perhaps yet another column for a feature you find that is specific to a particular brand. And definitely SHOP AROUND for your home theatre system! Create a budget for yourself that will NOT be exceeded, regardless of how loudly a particular system is screaming at you to buy it. Watch for systems to go on sale, which they do on a frequent basis, and you can save yourself a wad of cash. If you are buying the components separately, my recommendation would be to buy them all from the same store. That way if there is a problem, you will not have the issue of “finger pointing” from the various stores trying to blame each other.

The smart shopper is the one who gets the quality system and doesn’t pay “sticker price” for it. Be informed, know what you want, be willing to learn if you run across an intelligent salesperson who knows what he is talking about, and stick to your budget. You will be able to enjoy your investment in this superb home theatre system for years to come.

Jon Arnold is a computer engineer with interests in various diverse areas, particularly in display technologies and home theatre systems. He enjoys sharing his knowledge and insights at the several web sites he maintains. For more home theatre/home entertainment information, visit his web site about Home Theatre Systems [http://www.jag-info-resources.com/home-theatre/] at [http://www.jag-info-resources.com/home-theatre/].

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A wireless home theatre system eliminates the need for all of those wires. This means you don’t have to stand there trying to figure out how you are going to conceal every inch of wire around a room. That in itself takes much longer than actually hooking up the speakers to the subwoofer and connecting the subwoofer to your television. You could actually have the entire system hooked up in a matter of minutes. You don’t have to worry about hiding wires behind your baseboards and you do not have to worry about them falling all over the place and being unsightly.

Another great thing about a wireless home theatre system is the fact that you can place your speakers anywhere you need them within range. This means that you can have an optimal surround sound experience, which is an experience you won’t have if you are restricted with wires. Many people are unable to fully enjoy the potential of their system because they can only take them where the wires will let them. Again, this is not the case with wireless systems. Just imagine being able to place your speakers right behind your couch or on each side of the room where you want them. Some individuals cannot place speakers in the proper places because the shape of their family room may not allow it.

Just know that when you invest in wireless home theatre systems, you are not only getting the best possible sound experience, you are getting much more than that. No messy cords, no difficult installations, and no tearing up your baseboards or walls to conceal the wires. That in itself makes it worth the investment.

As for where you can find wireless home theatre systems, you can go on the internet and find great dealers offering these systems for great prices. You don’t have to pay a fortune to have one, so don’t. Compare prices, check reviews, and find the system that is going to fit your home theatre needs. Once you have everything hooked up and ready to go, you’ll be glad you did.

Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about wireless home theatre systems [http://besthometheatresystems.info/wireless-home-theatre-systems], please visit Best Home Theatre Systems [http://besthometheatresystems.info] for current articles and discussions.

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The cost and scope of your home theatre system will depend on several factors, including the size of the room it’s going to sit in, and how much power you actually want for your system. Regardless of what you can accommodate, a home theatre system is comprised of three very basic areas: the television set, your DVD (or blu-ray) player, and the audio system. All three can be argued as more important than the other, but it’s best to view them as integral to each other.

If you already have a television, that’s great. For others it may be time to upgrade to an HD set; you’ll get a much better picture than standard definition and prices are definitely coming down for HDTVs. Size is a big concern, since you’re probably looking for an effect similar to going to the movies – but your main concern should be with getting a widescreen television. Widescreen sets have a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is the standard for most DVD/Blu-Ray discs. HD programming provided from your cable company is also generally in 16:9 ratio, because that ratio looks best in HD. Standard sets have a ratio of 4:3, so look for the ratio on the box. Most HDTVs over 27 inches are widescreen, so you may not even be able to find a 4:3 HDTV.

Picking your disc player is important: are you happy with standard DVDs, or would you prefer Blu-Ray discs? If you’re getting an HDTV, you definitely want to go with Blu-Ray. Most players are backwards compatible with DVDs, meaning they will still play your old movies and sometimes even enhance the quality. To find the right player you’ll need to do some basic research, but a sales associate can sometimes suffice when finding a new player. You definitely won’t get HD quality picture on your HDTV if you get a regular DVD player, so keep that in consideration when shopping around.

Audio is the last huge component to consider when buying home theatre systems. Standard full systems provide you with 5.1 surround sound, and often come with 5-7 speakers. The number of speakers should be determined by how much space you have available. If your TV room is smaller, as little as two speakers will greatly enhance your viewing and listening experience. You can always add more speakers to your system if you move your system to a larger space. In general though, 5 speakers should be sufficient in getting quality audio, and you don’t need to get expensive speakers either. A middle-of-the-road system, as long as it’s treated well and not constantly at full blast, will last you a long time.

Lisa has been a writer all of her life mixing up her writing arsenal with short stories, editorials, and product reviews. You can check out some of her product reviews to find the best deals on the crib bumpers and the diaper changing table.

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Choosing the best home theatre system for you.

Choosing a home theatre system doesn’t have to be hard if you have a clear idea of what result you want. Some factors might include

o    Do you want to invest time in research and putting together components yourself, or do you prefer a ‘one box’ solution which you simply assemble and plug in?

o    What is your budget?

o    What are the constraints of the room you will be using? For example, how big is it? Some systems require a certain size room in order to give best results

o    The last factor is one you need to at least do a little research on. Some screens require a certain viewing distance and the audio requires a certain special displacement for best results. If your room isn’t big enough, you won’t get optimal results. Choose a system that is compatible with the space you have available

Home Theatre Systems in a Box have several things going for them;

o    They are usually affordably priced, being anywhere from about $300 to $2000

o    They are easy to assemble and use

o    They look good

o    Some are even colour coded so hook up is fool proof

On the other side of the coin, they have limitations which include

o    Far from optimal sound. A pre packaged home theatre system doesn’t have the flexibility to change speakers around according to requirement, and generally the quality isn’t as good as stand alone speakers

o    Limitations for add ons. You may find some systems don’t allow you to connect extra devices at a later stage because they simply do not have the sockets. In this sense they tend to be less flexible

If you are going to the bother of buying a home theatre system you at least want it to sound like one, so the argument for investing a little extra time and money becomes stronger.

So what are the best home theatre options?

Out of a box or separate components? It really depends on how far you want to take your search for the perfect home theatre. If you are certain you will not want to add on any extra devices and you are happy with fairly generic sound quality, an out of the box solution is affordable, looks good, and does the job. But if you want to keep your options open in terms of what else you may want to run through it, and sound quality is important to you, you may want to do additional research and buy separate components. At a later stage you can then modify your set up and change components as required. This is a more expensive option and will take a little more time, but you may be glad you considered it.

Nigel Price is from Australian Online retailer Big Brown Box which stocks a wide range of Home theatre systems, LCD TVs Appliances, Whitegoods, Computers, Exercise equipment and cameras.

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There is some debate on whether one should use home theatre projectors or TV based screens when it comes to home sound systems. Some purists argue that home theatre projectors are the closest things to a movie theatre. Others say that when it comes to HDTV, TV based screens such as plasmas, LCDS, and LEDs have better resolution. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of home theatre projectors compared to LCDs, LEDs and Plasmas:

o Projectors are light and inexpensive. Projectors are portable and they can be easily placed in any part of the room. They are significantly cheaper than LCD’s and the like. These days however, there are LCD’s that start for less than 500 dollars and if the price differences between a projector and an LCD or LED start getting lower, there may be a shift to LEDs, LCDs and Plasma Television Screens

o Projectors are adjustable. The viewing size of your screen can also be adjusted with a projector. You can have a viewing room of a whole white wall with your projector. Some projectors have their guides on how to optimally use them

o Lifespan. Projectors use lamps and bulbs that do have a lifespan between 2000 to 8000 hours. Some more inexpensive projectors have a bulb lifespan between 1000 to 3000 hours. This is a major consideration especially if one is a frequent viewer

o Visibility. Some projectors need low ambient lighting levels when viewing. This means that during the day time, perhaps the viewing quality of a projector needs some adjustment in contrast as compared to LCDs, LEDs and Plasmas

Whatever the case may be, whether one chooses projectors or plasmas, there are other considerations in your home theatre system. After choosing your viewing vehicle, the next choice would be your sounds. This again involves the size of your viewing room. Some people prefer a 2.1 set up most especially if the sound system is perhaps in their bedroom or in a small private study room. Most opt for the 5.1 set up especially if it is a multi-utility area like the living room or the den.

There are lots of resources for you to check about which technology is suited to your needs. The Internet is full of information that can help you get started in your home theatre system.

Do you want to experience fantastic movie experience at home? I found a great resource if you want to buy home theatre system’s best that was helpful for both my movie experience and my budget! Have complete access to home theatre projectors, speakers, and designs now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Magill

Many people think that setting up your own movie system is expensive and only rich people can afford it. But that’s not true at all. Let’s have a closer look at two types of home theatre systems. This will help you to make a decision on which is best fro you.

A typical system has only 3 basic components.

1) Television to view the movies

2) DVD player to run the DVD/VCD

3) Speakers to create a good real theatre like effect.

When it comes to locating these three in a home there are two straightforward options available.

1) Locate them in a separate room

2) Locate them in an existing room with other things occupied

If you go with the first option then one great recommendation is that you hire a home theatre designer to do the job for you. This will ensure that you get the best possible design ideas to generate that dramatic effect.

A professional designer will help you on every aspect of the design process, including design ideas to which electronic equipment to buy (or not to buy). A professional designer will also help you on certain interior design aspects such as flooring patterns, acoustic treatments using acoustic panels on interior walls, placements of speakers, TV unit etc for better viewing, seating arrangements and their design. So it becomes a fairly good experience and you get the best quality theatre, the way you want it to be.

However if you are tight on budget, then you can always convert a space in an existing room into a mini home theatre. Living room or a family room is good choice for this. In such type of setup you do however have certain limitations such as placement of speakers to create a “surround sound effect”. This will have some limitation because design wise the living room is a part of the entire home plan and has it’s own functional demands.

For a mini theatre a TV with 27-inch screen, a DVD player and at least 3 speakers is fair enough for creating a good effect. Now in most cases you probably already own the TV and DVD player, so the only thing that remains is a nice speaker system that is compatible with the output of your TV and DVD player is necessary. Always remember that when you buy speakers make it a point to test the speakers in your home. Ask the store owner to play the speakers in your home because sometimes some speakers only sound good at the store but when you play then in your home, you may get a different effect because of the surrounding furniture pieces in the living or family room. There is an acoustic component attached to this whole experience, which must be taken into consideration.

All in all home theatres are easy to set up when you know how are you willing to spend and what kind of effect you are looking for. Many options are available today in the market. A little research can easily save you time and money when it comes to home theatre design ideas.

Want to read the best selling home theatre reviews and ratings? Visit http://www.hometheatrereviews.net to grab the insider secrets to selecting the best home theatre system of your dreams. Read real reviews by real people and save money.

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If you are thinking of buying a home theatre system, then becoming a subscriber of a home theatre magazine is a great idea. These have a lot to read and gain from user’s point of view. There are many advantages of reading these magazines. Here are some of them.

1) You will get expert articles and tutorials that can be very useful to learn more about home theatre equipments tips and tricks for improving performance. These article also give advice on which models to select and which to avoid.

2) You will get to read reviews by real customers. Such reviews are very useful if you are planning to buy a new or trying to replace your old system with a new one. Such reviews normally talk about performance or even bad service of the company so that you can save your time.

3) One of the best sections that can save your lot of time is comparison pages, where various systems are compared according to prices, weight, dimensions, colors available, output parameters, audio/video qualities and their units, accessories etc. This is a great way to go for the right model you are looking for

4) Industry news and introduction to upcoming and new models available in the market can read directly in the magazines.

5) Another great benefit of such publications is that you may find discount coupons from sponsored manufacturers. Sometime these are printed coupons, which you must cut out and carry to the mentioned store to get nice discounts on not only complete systems but their accessories too. This is a great way to save money in holiday seasons. It can also be helpful if you want to buy any accessories as gifts.

6) Are you an expert in home theatre systems? Then you can even earn money from such magazines. Many magazine editors are constantly looking for new articles and informative articles so that they can keep their customers happy. If you happen to know any knowledge about home theatres then it can be great opportunity to write for them.

Copyright Shrinivas Vaidya

Want to read the best selling home theatre reviews and ratings? Visit http://www.hometheatrereviews.net to grab the insider secrets to selecting the best home theatre system of your dreams. Read real reviews by real people and save money.

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I recently finished an exhaustive month of doing intensive research on what kind of big screen TV or home theatre system to purchase. I mean, it is time. The tube TV is just not cutting it anymore, especially with a large room where TV is typically watched. I learned a lot in the process – not all from talking with sales people, but in writing down things the sales people told me, then verifying those facts. The interesting thing is that many times those “facts” were incorrect, and it made me wonder how many other people were basing a purchase decision on the “facts”.

For me, the first cut came in considering plasma versus LCD. With projection TV’s and even with the DLP technology which appears to deliver an outstanding picture, there were two things that made me eliminate these options in the first cut:

1. The size of the TV. With projection TV’s, and also with DLP TV’s (although to a slightly lesser extent), size is a consideration. Plan on the unit sticking out from the wall at least 18 to 24 inches, perhaps even more, which severely cuts down the overall size of the room you will be using to watch TV. Plasma and LCD TV’s, by contrast, are about 4 to 5 inches thick, and wall mounts can optionally be purchased to actually mount the screen on the wall.

2. The viewing angle. With projection TV, and again to a slightly lesser extent but still present in DLP technology, the clarity of the picture starts to decrease dramatically when you start moving away from viewing the screen head-on. If the room you are going to use to do your TV watching can accommodate this, it may not be as big of a negative point for you, but for me, this was huge.

So my choices are narrowed down to plasma or LCD. Looking at all the choices available in plasma and LCD however, I did not feel that my choices were all that narrow, so I needed more criteria to further narrow my choices.

First cut, let’s consider plasma versus LCD and define the technology we want to shop for. I was able to relatively quickly choose LCD over plasma for multiple reasons. With today’s technology, plasma screens will typically reach “half life” within about 5 years. That is the point where the screen brightness is about half of what it was when it was new. By contrast, LCD life expectancy is about twice that, so this was a definite factor.

Your criteria may vary for other reasons though. For example, today’s consumer LCD TV’s max out at around 46 inches. This was fine for me, since a larger TV would almost overwhelm the room I will be using, but with LCD, be aware that you are not going to get the 50 or 60 inch units that are available in the plasma lineup.

Although I live pretty much at sea level, also note that if I ever anticipate moving to a high altitude area, most plasma manufacturers will not warranty plasma units at more than about 5000 feet above sea level. Really! This has to do with the way the air movements happen to create the picture, and this cannot be done as effectively at higher altitudes. This is not a factor for LCD technology.

Next is the resolution. I recommend a resolution of at least 1366 by 768 pixels. That is even more than today’s cable companies broadcast at, but should keep you in line with the broadcast technology over the next few years. Even the movies you rent at Blockbuster are not going to show up in higher resolution than that. There are some top end units (Samsung and Sony, as well as others) that have 1920 by 1024 resolution, but the reality of it is that you will end up paying a premium for that higher resolution, and the ONLY way you will ever be able to use it is connecting your computer to your TV. That resolution will NOT be used for DVD movies or broadcast, or even HDTV broadcast, it is simply not there. So in essence, you are going to be paying for bragging rights, and those are some pretty expensive bragging rights.

Get something that is at least 1080i and 720p. The “i” indicates “interlaced” and the “p” indicates “progressive” scan. While cable TV broadcasts may do 720p, some units can interpolate that to 1080i. Again, you will pay a premium if you opt for a unit that can do 1080p, and again, that is for bragging rights only. Even a video professional with a microscope would be hard-pressed to differentiate between 1080i and 1080p with today’s movies or cable TV broadcasts.

Considering all the criteria above, this should narrow your choices to less than a half dozen units. So your last step is to search online for reviews. See what other customers think of the unit and read their online comments. While I am not necessarily a big fan of paying for a specific brand name for the sake of it being a brand name, there is also some wisdom associated with that.

Lastly, as opposed to many other things, I would recommend the store’s extended warranty. If you elect to go with just the manufacturer’s warranty, note that you will need to keep the original box that it came in, and will need to ship the unit to the manufacturer in case of a problem. That means being without the unit for a minimum of two weeks or more. The in-store warranty from Sears, Best Buy, Circuit City, etc, are usually ONSITE warranties, and typically cover almost any problem, not just something that may be termed a “manufacturing defect”. This is probably going to add about $12 to $15 per month to the price for a 3 year or 5 year warranty, but when you are spending this kind of money for a consumer electronics device, I believe it makes sense, especially when you consider that if the backlight needs replacing or the unit needs recharging, the parts and labor involved in performing that work if not under warranty are likely to exceed the cost of simply replacing the entire unit.

Jon is a computer engineer who maintains many websites to pass along his knowledge and findings. You can read more about Big Screen TV and Home Theatre Systems at his web site at http://jag-info-resources.com/home-theatre/

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Home theatre systems have come a long way from the days of placing two huge speakers on either side of your television and listening to records while watching Saturday Night Fever on your VCR and television. These days there are as many ways to design a home theatre system as there are customers to buy them.

“The basics of the home entertainment system haven’t changed much in the last 15 years or so. What have changed are people’s tastes and priorities,” explains Adam Bowden of Bose Home Theatre. “Fifteen to 20 years ago a home entertainment system meant music. People would spend hours in stores and bring in a variety of music and listen to the various speakers before selecting a unit to buy. Today a home entertainment system is a visual experience focused on movies, and people make decisions based on aesthetics, under the assumption (and rightly so) that the sound will be exceptional. They will purchase a home theatre system that is visually appealing and assume that the sound will be appealing as well.”

“Prices are falling on flat panel televisions and the quality is going up so more people are incorporating bigger flat panels and surround sound into their home theatre system design,” says Joe Strang, President of Show Case Home Theatres in Alberta. “The other big thing is the all-in-one touch pad controls.”

The price of a home theatre system depends on how seriously you take your entertainment needs. According to Strang, you can buy a “big box” system for $5,000. But to really get the whole experience, he recommends having a custom system installed.

“You have to start with speakers, remote control, and flat panel all installed and you can do that for about $9, 000,” he says.

But if money’s no object then there’s no end of fun to be had. “We’ve done media rooms that are $500,000 for one room. For that you get projectors that have better than movie theatre quality, sound so good that when someone’s whispering on screen it feels like they’re whispering in your ear.”

Some homeowners go for the total theatre experience and have custom theatre seating installed in their media rooms, with one-touch remote controls in the arm of each chair, massage units and heated seats.

“We’ve even put motion in the seats so that when there’s motion in the movie you feel it in your seat,” he says. “And I don’t mean it just vibrates…it actually moves.”

Other options for your home theatre system include custom draperies, acoustic paint, and sound-proofing. This may seem like overkill but Strang says that most homes over $700,000 now come with a media room or dedicated home theatre room.

“I find that we usually install home theatre systems that are about 10 per cent of the value of the home, not just in the home theatre room but throughout the house, multi-room sound, lighting, automation and such. So for a $1.5 million home, you’re looking at $150,000 worth of home entertainment equipment.”

Amy Bostock is the Editor of newinhomes.com. This site boasts one of the most power and easy-to-use real estate search engines in Ontario and also houses an extensive library of articles covering everything you need to know about home ownership.

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