You’ve decided you want a home theater. You’re tired of your small tv screen and standard speakers. You want to increase your viewing pleasure. You want a more intense sensory experience. You want to make television-watching an event to share with your family and friends.
What do you need to create a home theater?
Sound
The sound in a movie theater is enormously different from the sound on an ordinary television. In a movie theater, there are three speakers behind the screen and several more above or behind the seating area. Different sounds are transmitted through different speakers at different times. As the viewer watches a racecar roar across the screen, he hears the sound approach through speakers on one side, cross behind center of the screen, and leave through speakers on the other side. The sound of the film envelops the viewer, immersing him in the experience.
This is very different from the flat, single-point sound that is emitted from the standard television speaker. To have movie theater sound at home, you will have to establish a system of speakers that work together and equipment that will split the sound between them.
You can invest anything from a few hundred to many thousands of dollars in the sound system for your home theater. At a bare minimum, you will need four speakers to set around the room. An adequate system requires three speakers for the front of the room and two or three speakers at the side and back of the space. The front center speaker is the ‘anchor’ that plays the dialog for the action you see taking place right in front of you. The speakers at left and right front give sound for the actions taking place to the left and right of the screen. The speakers in the seating area provide all the background noise of the movie. They also work with the front speakers to give a sense of movement – the feeling that something is approaching you and rushing on past you.
The sound can be handled in analog or digital formats by the proper speakers. There are many options – and a wide range of prices.
Receiver
The audio/video receiver is the device that splits the sound into its separate components and projects each part from the proper speaker at the proper time. It receives signals from input devices like a DVD player or a satellite dish. It then interprets and amplifies those signals and sends them to output devices like your television and sound system. There are several components to a receiver, but they can be purchased as a packaged set. They are often sold together with speakers and called a home theater system.
Screen
At a movie theater, the sheer size of the screen dominates viewers. It pulls the viewer in, making him part of the action. He is, at least for a while, a part of the film’s world. This sense of involvement is also partly caused by the high quality of the moving image in movie theaters. The picture if very sharp and clear, far more than is possible on a television screen, and movement appears more fluid.
Most of us are experienced with a traditional direct-view television. It has a cathode ray tube (CRT), with a scanning electron gun that paints the picture on a phosphor-coated screen and a tuner that picks up broadcast signals. These televisions are limited in size because of the technology involved. The biggest direct-view television screen these days measures 40 inches across diagonally. You may find this adequate for your personal home theater, especially if the screen is flat. The more the screen is curved, the more distorted the picture will be. You’ll see more glare from other light sources. A perfectly flat screen will usually give you the best picture.
You may prefer high-definition television (HDTV) for better resolution. A standard television has a set number of vertical lines of resolution – the number of horizontal lines in one screen – no matter how big or small the screen is. High-definition television has more vertical lines of resolution, so you’ll have a sharper picture.
More expensive options include rear-projection television, front-projection television, liquid crystal display systems, digital light processing technology, and plasma screens.
Choose the sound system, the screen, and receiver you prefer – and enjoy the luxury of your own home theater!!
