Your Home Movie Theater Your Home Movie Theater Blog

When it comes to putting money into the development of your home, one of the very worthwhile investments is an ideal home theater system. To ensure crisp sound, great visuals, and an amazing performance, you want the best equipment for your particular space. Not everyone is able to have their home system custom installed. Follow some of these worthwhile tips if you are bringing your stereo equipment home and installing all of the components yourself.

Installation is not as simple as placing the plasma TV and speakers up to the appropriate shelf of your home entertainment stand. For the less than technical, it may take a couple of hours to sort out the appropriate wires and connection cables and layout the correct plan for all of the home theater equipment. Take your time and feel comfortable with the plans. Make sure that the equipment you bought has all of the appropriate parts for solid installation. Taking the time to assess everything will save you stress later on.

Some pieces, such as a projector system, will require calibration and adjustment in addition to mounting. If you are unsure about how best to do this, schedule to work on installing everything in a couple of days so that you won’t be pressured to install equipment incorrectly or to settle for imperfect calibration. Ask your retailer when you purchase a home theater system about any optional or “not included” components that may best go with your home theater design. This will save you from having to make several trips to the store for additional parts.

Most home theaters designs include a television – whether plasma, LCD, projector system, or CRT – some form of speaker package for the audio home theater system element, a DVD player, and a cable box, satellite TV system or other connection system. Depending on how sophisticated you wish your home theater to be, you may include high-end receivers, subwoofers, and universal remote controls. Choose what is right for your household – don’t succumb to hypes or pressure. It is your home atmosphere that matters.

As you are planning your room, decide where the best speaker placement is for the size of your room. If need be, move furniture around for the best sound or buy longer wires to easily connect your components in the way you want. Most manufacturers will recommend placement options for the particular speaker types. Subwoofers can generally be placed to the front and left of the TV. Other speakers should be placed to the right and left of the TV and, depending on how many you have, midway in the room on both the right and left and behind the main viewing area. As you place speakers, stop and play your favorite DVD and see if you are getting the sound you want. Move the speaker if you are not.

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Once the speakers are in place, connect them to the DVD player, cable box and the television, placing each component in the proper place as you get it connected. Play your favorite DVD in as you put on the finishing touches to test the sound quality, connections and the room lighting.

These tips are simple but they could save you a lot of time if you are installing a home theater system on your own.

Ben Anton lives in the Northwest and writes for Ronny’s 5th St. Audio Vision.Ben Anton invites you to find out more about custom home theater system design & installation at our easy to use home theater design & review web site.

So you have questions about connecting a Home Theater System to your Big Screen TV. There are lots of good questions that may be floating around in your head:

What type of audio system is needed? What system will provide the best sound? Can I use my old stereo? What connecting cords are required? How much will it cost?

We’re going to offer you three levels of Home Theater System performance: Beginner, Good and Pro. If you’re on a tight budget, start off on the Beginner level, but please don’t settle for that. A Beginner system doesn’t deliver the full sound quality your TV is capable of producing.

Gradually add pieces until you move your system up to Good or Pro level. A Good system gives you the minimum audio quality needed for High Definition TV broadcasts.

A Pro level system gives you bragging rights for your whole neighborhood!

Beginner Home Theater System ($300 – $500*)

Hook together the following equipment: a Big Screen TV, quality Component and HDMI cords, digital cable, your current VCR, your current DVD player and your home stereo. You’ll need component cords for the VCR and DVD; your cable company should provide a HDMI connection for the cable box.

(If you’re not familiar with some of the terms used above – component, HDMI, digital – Google the “123 Guide To Plasma TV.com”)

Using your existing components will keep the cost down, but will not give you the full Dolby sound your TV is capable of. The stereo sound beats the audio that comes out of most televisions, but don’t settle for this.

Good Home Theater System ($800 – $1000*)

Assemble the following equipment: a Big Screen TV, quality HDMI cords, digital cable, a HDTV DVD player, a TiVo and a Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound amplifier and speakers.

A low cost “Home Theater In A Box” ($200 – $500) is required in this configuration. You’ll can get a Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound amplifier, five speakers and a subwoofer from manufacturers like Sony and Panasonic.

This setup will give you full digital HDTV picture and sound; you’ll enjoy a brilliant image and crystal clear audio. You’ll need a separate HDMI cord for each peripheral.

Pro Home Theater System ($1500 – Up*)

Now we’re ready for a Top Of The Line audio system delivering movie quality sound! Hook up the following: a Big Screen TV, quality HDMI cords, digital cable, a HDTV DVD player, a TiVo, a Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound amplifier and speakers, theater seating, a popcorn maker, professional soundproofing and motorized window blinds.

Hire a cute usher for your home theater and you’re good to go!

A premier Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound Home Theater System can run $800 to $1,500, and some cost much more. What you’ll get is eight channels of crystal-clear, pumping sound from seven speakers and a subwoofer, with sound coming from in front of, on both sides and behind the viewers.

* The estimated prices above do not include the cost of a Big Screen TV.

These three Home Theater setups range from bare bones to luxurious. Pick the one that you can afford and feel comfortable with. Over time, you can upgrade to a better system with more bells and whistles.

Please don’t settle for the Beginner system; it doesn’t produce the sound that your system (and you) deserve. With a little perseverance and planning you and your family will enjoy booming movie sound tracks and digital broadcasts for many years to come!

It’s as easy as 123!

About The Author

Ike Ridley is the avid videophile and self-confessed “Movie Nut” who created the website the 123 Guide To Plasma TV . To visit us, click the links or paste this URL into your web browser:

http://www.123-guide-to-plasma-tv.com/

Ike has moved to the Caribbean where he clicks away on his laptop under a palm tree.

Click Here for more information on Home Theater Systems in the 123 Guide To Plasma TV.com!