• Definition of Home Theater

o Working Definition
 television and video equipment designed to reproduce in the home the experience of being in a movie
theater - http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=home%20theater
o Price
• Components in a Home Theater
o Viewing System
 Standard or High Definition
• HD - A television system that has twice the standard number of scanning lines per frame and
therefore produces pictures with greater detail.
• http://www.sis.com/support/support_dictionary.htm
• 1080p is HD
 Flat-Screen TV
• Plasma
o A flat panel television display type in which plasma gas pixels glow when excited by
electrodes.
 This new technology utilizes a unique display panel that alleviates the need for a
cathode ray type picture tube. At the present time this type of TV is somewhat
expensive. A major benefit of the plasma display is that it has been sized to
accommodate new HDTV 16:9 aspect ratio's and is similar in pixel resolution to
a personal computer monitor, thus allowing drastically improved picture clarity.
o http://www.austinaudio.com/glossary_of_terms.htm
• LCD
o LCDs or Liquid Crystal Displays are designed for front or rear projection in conjunction
with a screen similar to those required for slide or movie presentations. These devices
include a projection lamp, an adjustable focal-length lens, and a special solid state panel
that allow the video image to pass through the lens and illuminate the screen. These
projectors are approximately double the cost of most rear projection sets; however most
units are bright enough to allow for screen sizes in the 80" to 100" diagonal ranges. When
making the choice to utilize any front projection device, it's important to note that a dark
room must be maintained to achieve a proper black level. The screen to projector
relationship is variable within ranges specified by the manufacturer, thus allowing for
flexibility in placement.
o http://www.austinaudio.com/glossary_of_terms.htm
 Projector
o Receiver
 A Home Theater Receiver combines the functions of three components
• A tuner for AM/FM; in some cases, HD (High Definition Radio), XM or Sirius Satellite Radio,
and/or Internet Radio.
• A Preamp that controls which audio/video source is selected (DVD player, VCR, CD player, iPod,
etc...), processes the incoming stereo/surround sound signals, and distributes audio to the channels
and subwoofer output. Video from components (such as a DVD player) are routed to a TV.
• A built-in Multi-channel amplifier (5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 channels) that sends the surround sound signals
and power to the speakers.
• http://hometheater.about.com/od/audiocomponents/bb/bybaavreceiver.htm#
 Today’s home entertainment systems are likely to include a variety of sources and formats and, to make the
most of them, they need to work together.
• http://manuals.harman.com/HK/Product%20Information/SEPT2007BROCHUREPRINTFRIEND
LY.pdf
 Harmon Kardon AVR 147, AVR 347, AVR 745
o Central Media Storage Device (optional)
 Essentially a large hard drive that you can store all media on and retrieve from anywhere in the house if
your home is wired for it.
 Advantage is you don’t have to find DVDs you want to watch, etc, it’s all in 1 place.
o DVD Player
 A hardware product that decodes and plays DVD-Video media stored on an optical disc.
• http://developer.apple.com/documentation/GraphicsImaging/Conceptual/DVDPlaybackGuide/dvd
guide_glossary/chapter_4_section_1.html
  Regular DVD Player or now Blu-Ray Player
 Connected as an input to Receiver
• HDMI or Component Cables & Optical Audio Cable
 The disc is similar in shape and size to an audio Compact Disc and contains a vast amount of information
on a single disc. When used for motion pictures, the disc often contains an entire movie in several
languages and several screen "aspect ratios". DVDs contain digitally encoded information that requires a
special player to decode. Major benefits of DVDs include superior audio/video performance, instant access
to "chapters" within the movie, and an increasingly vast library of titles.
• http://www.austinaudio.com/glossary_of_terms.htm
o Television Signal
 Should be HDTV for best picture quality
• Can be obtained by satellite (Dish Network, DirectTV) or local cable provider
• High Definition Television is the latest broadcast standard for delivery of digital information over
the airwaves to your home. Designed to display an image on a 16:9 screen, this new process
achieves a quantum leap in video clarity and realism. Utilizing the Dolby Digital surround sound
encoding process, HDTV delivers full-range digital audio to the consumer as well.
o http://www.austinaudio.com/glossary_of_terms.htm
• Increasing number of channels available in HD
o Speakers
 Surround Sound Setup
• 5.1, 5.2, up to 7.2
o The first number refers to the number of mid and high range speakers
o The “.#” refers to the number of low range speakers, or subwoofers
 LCR (Left, Center, Right loudspeakers)
• Every home theater system requires a left, center, and right loudspeaker. These are sometimes
referred to as LCRs. The left and right speakers are situated at the far left and right of the
projection screen (or beside the TV or rear projection set), while the center channel speaker is
situated in the center of the screen (or on top of the TV or rear projection set). Although it is now
possible for movie producers to pan audio effects, music, and dialogue to any of the speakers
independently, the left and right speakers normally play back effects and music, while the center
channel's purpose is primarily dialogue. With Dolby Digital playback systems it is also important
that each of the three front speakers are identical models or share the same tonal response.
• http://www.austinaudio.com/glossary_of_terms.htm
 Rear (Satellite) Speakers
• Rear speakers in a home theater surround system are normally located behind the listener and are
designed to create the illusion that you are acoustically in the middle of the action that is present
on your video screen. The placement of these speakers is critical for achieving proper balance and
seamless transitions between front and back "panning" of sounds. In most systems only two
speakers are required; however, with Dolby Digital surround sound formats the frequency
response and tonal quality of the rear speakers should match that of the LCR speakers in your
system.
• http://www.austinaudio.com/glossary_of_terms.htm
 Subwoofer (Sub)
• Sub-woofers are special loudspeakers that reproduce audio frequencies that are usually below 120
Hertz. Approximately 80% of the power required to reproduce sounds like explosions are in the
frequency bands below 120 Hz. By utilizing a dedicated sub-woofer you are able to increase the
performance of your audio system in several ways. Since many sub-woofers include an integral
power amplifier, and allow you to remove the low frequency content from the left and right
speakers, the A/V receiver or amplification system will now have more power available for the left
and right speakers. Sub-woofers are available in many woofer sizes and power ranges and should
be selected according to your room size and sound pressure level (SPL) requirements.
o Seating
 Large over-stuffed leather is very common
 High end is going towards custom movie chairs/seating now.
 Comfort is of utmost importance
• If you’re not comfortable, you’re not having any fun.
• Wiring That Should be done in Pre-Construction
o Should be done pre-construction if possible
  Cheaper than after-the-fact, and easier
o All cables/wires in walls this way
 Looks better than laying along baseboard
o Want at least 1 2-pair(4 wire) speaker cable run to each speaker location
 Cat-5 as well for future expansion
o 3 Coaxial and 1 HDMI hookup to each monitor/projector/TV location from receiver
 Both coax and HDMI so if you go with either component or HDMI cable mediums
o Cat-5/3 Coax/HDMI to any other media storage centers in house to receiver location
 Media on PC, hard drives in house, other video players in house, etc.
 Central media storage is becoming popular
• Mistakes to avoid
o Choose your home theater room wisely. Ideally, choose a room that has no windows for two reasons. First, and the
most obvious, is light control. Even with heavy drapes or light-blocking window treatments, it's inevitable that you'll
have to deal with some light penetrating your theater sanctuary. Second, it reduces noise. Pick the room with the
fewest windows, or consider converting your basement.
o Sample the speakers before you buy them. This sounds like a no-brainer, but too often customers rush into buying
the first set of speakers they see. Without the best sound quality you can afford, your home theater won't be worth
much. After spending so much money on all that equipment, you don't want to find yourself watching a program
with tinny sound. Take DVDs and CDs with you to the store and take your time listening to all of your options. If
you go to more than one store, take the same audio and visual aids with you for a fair comparison.
o Spend the extra money for expert installation. It's not the time to become thrifty and do it yourself. If you don't have
experience with electronics, pay the installation team the store recommends so that your new home theater can
provide maximum enjoyment.
o Read the instruction manuals. If you insist on installing your home theater components on your own, take the time to
review all the instruction manuals provided. You may think you can put it all together yourself based on common
sense, but you'll undoubtedly miss something. There will also be features you can't take advantage of because you
don't know about them.
o Resist the size temptation. One of the most common mistakes customers make is to buy the biggest television,
thinking it will provide the most enjoyment. Not so. Follow guidelines regarding the ratio of the size of the
television to the size of the room. You don't want to find yourself sitting on top of a 60" wide-screen TV and not able
to see the picture clearly.