TowerNetWeb

When most people are looking for a sound system, they usually go directly to the speakers. This is not of necessity wrong, but you must not stop there. The speakers are an important part of a sound system, but they are not the be all and end all.

It also essential to consider the player and the amplifier, because any sound system is only as good as its weakest component. Another important topic is the placement of those speakers. It is just as important to position your speakers correctly as it is not to buy cheap speakers. There are also misconceptions about size. Bigger is not always better.

In the past, it was often the case that bigger meant better, but now often the reverse is often the case. Technological advancement has been concentrated on producing smaller speakers, that will take up less room in our smaller houses and smaller cars. Therefore, the smaller speakers are often the most technologically advanced.

If you are opting for surround sound, which is the best available today, then you will also have to think carefully about placement. That is the positioning of the speakers. In a typical 5.1 surround sound home theater, you will have six speakers: five ordinary speakers and one sub-woofer.

These speakers would be set out one to the far right of the screen and one to the far left of it and one beneath it. The other two speakers would be at the rear of the audience, but not so far apart as the front speakers. The sub-woofer can go in the centre at the front or the back.

For smaller rooms, a 3.1 surround sound system might be sufficient, that is you leave out the rear speakers. For a larger room, you may want either a 6.1 or 7.1 system. The 6.1 has the rear row of speakers corresponding to the front row, while the 7.1 has an extra middle rear speaker.

It is better if you can buy all your speakers at the same time from the same manufacturer. Obviously, they all have to match each other and the amplifier. The output from the amplifier has to match the capabilities of the speakers or you risk blowing them. That is, sending them more power than they can cope with, which causes too much vibration and permanent damage to the speaker’s internal components. Everyone has heard blown speakers, they sound dreadful.

If you can not afford to get all your speakers at the same time, buy a famous brand and a late-ish model, so that you can get more of them when you can afford to. Do not go for end of line speakers, because they are discounted, unless you can buy all the speakers that you will ever need for your system.

Buy your speakers online, if that gets you the best deal, but you really ought to hear speakers like the ones you are buying in action, before you make up your mind. You could also take your Internet price to the local dealers and ask them to match it. They might, you never know and it will save you carriage too.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with home theater speaker placement. If you are interested in a Home Movie Theatre, please click through to our site now.

It all started about nine months ago, when my wife and I decided it would be a good idea to remodel our home. It took a lot of talking about because neither of us really wanted to take the project on as we both have active business lives. However, one Sunday afternoon, I took the bull by the horns and started to strip the paper off the walls and the ceiling in the kitchen. My wife soon joined in.

It took us a month to finish it, because we only had Saturday afternoons and Sunday, but we found that we liked the physical work, we both have desk jobs, and we really enjoyed working and planning together. It was a new but pleasing experience for us.

So, on the day we finished, we cooked a special meal and laid the table by the book. After the meal, we sat down to watch a film on TV. But neither of us had been able to do that for a month and we both felt restless. My wife said something like: ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have another project to do?’ and I think we both had the same thought at the same time.

The spare bedroom! Well, our kids had families of their own now, so we actually had three spare bedrooms. We decided to turn one of them into a home theater. Neither of us particularly liked watching TV, but we both liked films which are normally ruined by too much advertising.

We went up to the smallest room, but it was too small so, like Goldilocks we went to the next, but ended up in the largest room, so that we could entertain friends or family too. Neither of knew what to do next about the home movie centre, but we knew that we could clear the room out and measure it, which is what we did. All the furniture went into the garage until the charity shop could take it away and we went to the Internet to get assistance.

There was tons of guidance on websites and in articles and we soon felt confident enough to take the project on. We transferred the dimensions of the room in scale onto a sheet of paper and drew in where the screen would go and where we would be sitting. The space left between us and the screen would be about 15 feet.

We had read that the best viewing distance is between three times and five times the diameter of the screen, so we could choose a screen between sixty inches and 36 inches. Being in our fifties, we though we would make it easier on our eyes and opted for a forty-eight inch plasma screen.

We ordered that from the Internet. We had also read that the Xbox was a good double as a DVD player and we knew that our grandson was always on about one, so that was next. We were a bit stuck with the speakers, but my brother could help me on that one. We had about a week before our equipment would arrive, so we determined to redecorate in the evenings.

Once complete, we installed all our equipment with my brother’s help and we were off. At first we used a couple of sun loungers as seating, but we fairly soon got two delightfully comfortable reclining chairs and two couches for visitors. We may upgrade those later and put in dimmable lighting too, but for now we are very pleased with our home movie system and so is our grandson.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with Home Theater Screens. If you are interested in a Home Movie Theatre, please click through to our site.

It is sure that the most important consideration in setting up a home theater system is the size of the room where you will set up the home theater system. Therefore, the size of the most important part of a home theater system, which is the television, is also reliant on the size of the room. Regardless of the size of the room, the minimum suggested size of the screen is 28 inches.

A flat screen television is also suggested, because it will cut down on reflections and glare. Speakers are also dependent on the size of the room. Obviously, you would require more speakers in a very large room than in a small one.

You might want to put a lot of small speakers in a large room or one large speaker in a small room. The acoustics of the room is an important issue in this. Therefore, I recommend that you either get an expert in or get a wireless sound set-up that can be built upon.

The average number of speakers in a starter system in an average sized room would be five or six. The more speakers you use, up to a point, the greater the reality, but lots of speakers also means that you do not need loud volume too. There are many considerations when it comes to the sound – far more than with the screen.

You will want surround sound, with woofers, sub woofers, treble and bass speakers all with the Dolby control system, probably all controlled by a graphic equalizer. All these controls can be confusing, but once you have the sound right, you will know it. It will sound like a full-size movie theater.

Another important component of your home theater set-up is the DVD player. Your DVD player really must have a progressive scan. This is because a progressive scan produces sharp and flicker-free pictures. However, the progressive scan facility depends on the television unit, because not all television sets support progressive scan signals.

An possible upgrade might be a five-disk carousel DVD player. All of these things also depend on the amount of money you have, of course. However, if money is short, start with the best DVD player you can afford and use a few old speakers and the biggest television set you can get hold of. Later, you can upgrade the television or the speakers.

The furniture is crucial too. You have to feel as if you are undergoing a special experience. The goal is to have reclining seats, but you can start with large bean bags. Add air conditioning and a fridge for cold drinks and a few tables for nuts and candy and you are almost there.

My concluding touches would be old movie posters, photos of movie stars, a collection of autographs would be great, a replica Oscar and any other memorabilia you can think of. Then set all this off with some subtle lighting that you can raise or dim as required.

Sound, camera, action!

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Home Movie Theatre. If you are interested in a Home Movie Theatre, please click through to our site.

Do you like going to the movie theater and get lost in the realism that their top-quality sound systems create? If you do, then I bet you are also one of those people who hates going there, only to have a potentially fantastic evening ruined by noisy people talking through the movie or letting their cell phones ring.

I used to love the movie theater, but that was in the time when people respected the rights of others to listen to a movie in silence. There were no crying babies, ringing mobile phones or noisy youths in cinemas and if they got in they were soon kicked out if there was any noise.

Nowadays, cinema managers seem to take the easy route of letting these people spoil it for others. As a result, more and more quiet people are staying at home and the cinemas are becoming even noisier. If you are one of the stay-at-homes, but miss the cinema, why not recreate one in your home?

Build yourself a home movie theater with surround sound. You will never regret installing surround sound in your home, because you will be able to play your favourite films, the TV and your music through it. The difference between surround sound and stereo or even quadraphonics is breath-taking.

Different people have different requirements, aspirations, finances and even hearing ability, so it is tricky to recommend a system to a mass audience, but there are strategies for going about the purchase of your own home theater system. A lot of people buy a kit home theater. This is fine, if funds are limited, but you will want to upgrade the screen and the speakers before very long. If you just want to put a home theater in a small spare bedroom and do it quickly and easily, then this approach is for you.

If, however, you want a bit more, then you might prefer to get a bigger screen but make do with the speakers that came with the kit. These can easily be renewed later. If you want to get everything part by part, you will need a screen, speakers and DVD player. If you would like to play games too, replace the DVD player with an Xbox.

But back to the speakers, whether you are renewing or putting your own system together, the strategy I suggest hold true. Write down the dimensions of your room or better still make a little plan of it to scale. Take this around the shops and malls and try to listen to a few set-ups in a room similar to your own. This could be difficult, but you might be fortunate.

Decide whether you need a 3.1; 4.1; 5.1; 6.1 or even 7.1 set of compatible surround sound speakers. Basically, it all depends on the size of your room, but the shop assistant will be able to demonstrate and advise you. As a guideline, a 5.1 surround sound set will be sufficient for most rooms. The figures stand for normal speakers and sub-woofers: ie 5.1 means five normal speakers and one sub-woofer.

The arrangement of the speakers depends on the size and shape of the room and on your personal preference, but the standard layout would be: one speaker the far left and far right of the screen and one beneath it with two more speakers a little apart from each other at the rear of the audience. The sub-woofer can go at the front or the rear.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with wireless home theater systems. If you are interested in a Home Movie Theatre, please click through to our site now.

A home theater takes a sizable investment of money, thought and installation, especially if you have a high quality home theater. Therefore, it is a shame that so may people just connect all the pieces in a room without giving any thought to what else they should be doing to enhance it. Unless you hire a professional consultant, you might not realize the full potential of your home cinema system. However, it is not necessary to hire an adviser, if you just pay attention to a few common blunders made by a lot of home theater owners

The lighting in any cinema is very important, as I am sure you already know. Why is it then that many people do not treat it as important in their own home cinema? You never see external light – sun light – in a professional movie theater and you should not want any in yours either. Hang heavy curtains over every window in the room and let them extend beyond the window by a good margin.

Heavy curtains will not only keep external light out, but they will also dampen street sounds, something else you never hear in a real movie theater. If you have neighbours close by, it will also help to preclude them from being bothered by your loud films or music.

Do not try to save money by buying poor quality speakers. Do not mix and try to match speakers either, unless you are sure you know what you are doing. If you need five speakers and a sub-woofer, but can only afford three and the sub-woofer, buy speakers from a well-known brand that you know you can get hold of again.

Do not buy end of line speakers, as you will find upgrading hard. The best approach for the novice is to get a 5.1 surround sound set of speakers. Then, if at some point in the future you want to upgrade, you can quite easily, either by buying more or exchanging the lot in one go. One thing is for certain, a lot of the magic of going to the theater these days lies in the surround sound and you need to reproduce it at home.

It is not rocket science to put a home theater together whether it comes in kit form or not. However, if you do not feel happy setting it up, you would be better off having it done for you. Clearly, it is up to you how you go about this, but you could ask a relative or friend or neighbour or hire someone from the shop where you bought it. My guess is though that any moderately experienced eighteen year old has already seen one set up before and can do it for you.

Your movie theater, if it came in a kit, will or should have thorough instructions for you to follow. Please read the handbook before you start plugging things into each other. Read the manual and inspect the parts until you are well acquainted with the installation procedure and the recommended positioning of the equipment.

Make sure that the voltage is adjusted correctly before you plug it into the mains. Most equipment is made abroad for sale to many countries, so they often have some sort of selector for the voltage. Get it wrong and you could blow a part of the equipment, probably the amplifier, the DVD player or the screen. that could mean replacement of the module or poor reproduction of sound or picture.

It is not hard to get the installation of your home theater right, but you do have to pay some attention to detail, if you want to get the best out of it.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with home theater speaker placement. If you are interested in a Home Movie Theatre, please click through to our site now.

If you want to get a home theater system, there are a few essential principles that you should keep in mind. However, no matter how much advice you are given, if your level of know-how is insufficient to understand it, it is useless. Therefore, you have to be honest with yourself and admit to yourself how much you know.

Fortunately for most of us, the Baby Boomers are the most electronically wise older generation ever, because many of today’s older generation grew up in the 70’s when everyone had a TV and a stereo.

Music and sound quality is important to Baby Boomers. However, if you were one of those who was not interested in electronics, a home theater kit is probably for you. On the other hand, if you feel able to take on the task, you will be better served by a system that you assemble yourself.

This is not to say that packages are not any good, it is just that there are several variables that must be taken into account before purchasing a home theater system.

Sound or acoustics depends on the dimensions of the room where the home theater system is installed, most of us understand that, but because we are unlikely to want to remodel the room to suit the theater, we have to choose a speaker system to suit the room.

Similarly with the screen. Bigger is not always better. There is a ratio that can be used to help you work out the size of the screen you should be thinking about, but even this proportion depends on individual preference.

The formula says that you should sit 9-15 feet away from a 36 inch screen, but you might have poor eyesight and prefer to have a 48 inch screen. This is where kit fall down.

In general, home theater packages suit regular shaped, smallish rooms. By that, I mean 12 – 20 feet in length and combinations thereof. Then, depending on the room again, you will have to consider the sound system. Stereo is not up to the job, if you want to replicate the sound of a full size movie theater. In order to do that, you will need surround sound with at least three speakers and probably five or more.

All in all, you will get the best system for your home movie theater if you buy the components separately, especially if you have an odd or oblong shaped room or certain personal preferences. However, a standard package delivers a quick and easy, passable solution for many modern, ’standard’ sized rooms.

One last piece of advice though, if you do buy a kit, make sure it is one that you can upgrade, particularly in the sound department. A TV screen is just a matter of a connection and they are all the same, but if your home theater package comes with three or five speakers, maybe you will want to add some more one day. You may also want to think about adding games functionality to your system too.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Home Theater Screens. If you are interested in a Home Movie Theatre, please click through to our site.

Shoppers in this new millennium are much more knowledgeable about electronic goods than people were at any time earlier. The older generation of today grew up in the 1960’s and 1970’s when everyone in the West had a television set and a stereo. Earlier generations were not so lucky for financial and technological reasons. Therefore, most shoppers nowadays have no compunctions about going shopping for complex electronic equipment like a home theater.

It is in the shoppers’ best interest to research and understand about the components that go into making up a good home theater. It is not particularly exacting and many if not all of the elements involved have been around for at least a few years now. Consider what goes into a home theater:

a screen – can be a television screen, a canvas screen for a projector or a modern plasma or LCD screen. Stop thinking about the modern varieties of screen, they are still basically TV screens and they have been around for 80 years or so. Same with a projector.

a player – a DVD player is just an improved CD player and they have been out for 20-30 years. You have probably had one for most of that time. (You can add another dimension to your home theater here by swapping an Xbox for the DVD player, but games machines are not new).

speakers – they are nothing new either. Speakers have been about as long as the television set.

So you see, there is nothing in that package which you should feel awkward about buying. Fair enough, you will be buying state of the art examples of what I listed above, but they are essentially the same. You attach them all together with their special plugs and wires and then plug them into the mains. Switch on and it will work.

So the next issue is: do you buy a package or do you buy the elements and build your own home theater? The answer to that question really depends on your level of competency. A package is easy and may work out less expensive too, but will it have the flexibility that you want? If you have a standard sized and standard shaped room, then I am convinced that you will be able to buy a package that will suit you. If you think that the speakers are sub-requirement, you could always sell them on and upgrade after a while.

if you want to be certain of getting exactly what you need, I think that most people will have to buy the components separately: that is screen, player and speakers.

The size of the screen depends on the size of the room and how close you are sitting to it: a distance of between three times and five times the diagonal of the screen is about correct. However, some people like to be dominated by the screen and others do not want to wear their glasses, so it is up to personal choice.

The DVD player is a matter of personal preference too. They are all much of a muchness, but some people prefer Sanyo while others prefer Philips. If you want gaming functionality too, use an Xbox instead of an regular DVD player.

Most rooms will call for at least a 5.1 surround sound speaker set. These should be acquired as one package to ensure that they are all well-matched. That is five normal speakers and a sub-woofer.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with home theater speaker placement. If you are interested in a Home Movie Theatre, please click through to our site now.