The Essential Elements of a Home Theatre System

Getting Started: The Room, The Picture Display & Audio Reproduction
A home theatre system is an exciting entertainment option that can provide you with a totally immersive viewing and listening experience. Your home theatre system can be something as simple as a 34-inch TV with a home theatre-in-a-box system, or a sophisticated custom-built system with video projector, in-wall speakers and all the bells and whistles. However, there's a lot to be considered in-between.
Before you delve into all that may be required to get you up and running with your own home theatre experience it is wise to consider your budget (particularly if you're not the only person involved in the decission making process) so that everyone knows what to expect. It's extremely easy to get carried away with it all and before you know it you've blown the budget and you haven't bought anything to sit on to enjoy it all.
After detemining your budget here are the things you'll need to consider for a well-balanced Home Theatre:
1. The Room:
The first place to look at is the room you're planning to set up your home theatre system in. The size of the room will determine the size and type of video display device (TV or projector) that would be best to use. However, whether your room is large or small, additional questions need to be considered, such as:
How much natural light is present and what direction does it come from? This will affect where you place the screen.
Does the room have carpet or other floor coverings? This will affect the acoustics of the room.
What type of wall construction do you have? Different walls and finishes will also produce different acoustic results.
Will you be placing your home theatre system components in free space, or will you be housing your components in a cabinet or closet and installing your speakers in the wall or ceiling?
Where will you be sitting in relation to the screen image?
Before embarking on buying your actual home theatre system components, especially for a medium-to-high end system, it might be a good idea to consult with a home theatre installer to come onsite and assess your room and address the above questions. The installer can make useful suggestions on components or installation concepts that will work best in your room environment, keeping in mind your own specific home theatre system budget.
2. The Video Display Device:
This is the first actual component to consider for your home theatre system. After all, the idea of home theatre is to bring the movie theatre experience home. The most important element of this experience is the visual experience of viewing a large image on a screen. This is where you have a choice of:
A large screen (35 or 36-inch) traditional CRT-based television (New units are no longer available as CRT televisions have been phased out - but you may be able to find a used one).
A Rear-projection Television
A Flat Panel LCD or Plasma Television.
A Video Projector/Screen Combination.
The actual size of the room will help determine the size of screen that can be accommodated. From there, you need to decide what type of video display device would be most appropriate.
In addition, at this point in time, with the increase in the amount of available HDTV programming sources, as well as HD source components, consider a fully-integrated HDTV (ATSC tuner built-in), HD-compatible Television (requires an external ATSC tuner), or a Video projector, instead of a traditional analog television. HDTVs, HD-compatible Televisions, and video projectors will deliver the most from new HD sources, but will also work with your older analog components, such as a VCR.
3. Audio Reproduction - Home Theatre Receiver or Preamp/Amp Combination:
The next essential element of the movie theatre experience is sound. The way this is implemented in a home theatre system is with either an AV receiver or Preamplifier/Amplifier combination.
An AV Receiver usually combines the functions of three components:
A. A radio tuner for AM/FM and, in some cases, HD (High Definition Radio), Internet Radio, or XM and/or Sirius Satellite Radio.
B. A Preamplifier that switches and controls which audio and video source is selected (such as a DVD player, VCR, CD player, etc...) and processes the incoming stereo or surround sound signals and distributes them to the correct amplifier channels and the subwoofer output. The preamp in an AV receiver can also route video signals coming from source components (such as a DVD player) and direct the video signal to the television.
C. A built-in Multi-channel amplifier (5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 channels) that sends the surround sound signals and power to the speaker system.
A Home Theatre, AV, Surround Sound Receiver or Separate Preamp and Amplifier
The Home Theatre, AV, Surround Sound receiver is the heart of a home theatre system and provides most, if not all, the inputs and outputs that you connect everything, including your television, into. A Receiver provides an easy and cost-effective way of centralizing your home theatre system.
However, in many higher-end home theatre system installations, the functions of a Receiver are often provided by separate components: Preamp/Processor, Tuner, and either a single multi-channel amplifier or even separate amplifiers for each channel. Such a setup provides more flexibility in switching out and/or upgrading the separate aspects of the home theatre system as well as isolating any interference that's caused by having all these functions combined in a signal chassis and sharing the same power supply. For the average consumer, however, a good Receiver will function just fine.
4. Speakers:
The next components to consider for your home theatre system are the speakers. Just as the size and type of room dictates the type of video display device you need, the same factors also affect the speakers you need for your home theatre. Two key points to remember:
A. Before you buy - listen to several types of speaker setups.
B. Consider buying the same brand and related model speakers for your home theatre. This will insure that you'll have a better acoustical match between both the speakers and the room.
5. A Subwoofer:
The advent of home theatre has introduced the Subwoofer to many homes. A subwoofer is a specialized speaker that only reproduces the extreme low frequencies present in movies or music. There are several types of subwoofers you can use in a home theatre system, and, once again, the size and type of room, and issues such as whether the room is carpeted or not will help you determine which subwoofer is right for you. Once again, you need to perform listening tests.
6. Source Components:
At a minimum, you need some type of DVD or Blu-ray player for your home theatre system. Two things to consider in a DVD player: Progressive Scan and Upscaling capability. This will insure you get the best possible image from your DVDs, especially if you're viewing them on an HDTV.
Since all DVD players can play CDs, you many not need a CD player. However, having a separate CD-only player in a home theatre system is quite common, especially if it's a high-end unit providing better CD audio performance.
Also, if you decide to get a Blu-ray Disc player to access true high definition source content, instead, or in addition to, a DVD player, you can also use it to play standard DVDs and, in most cases, audio CDs as well.
In addition, you may also want to include a DVD recorder or DVD recorder/VCR combination in lieu of your old VCR. However, you can still use your old VCR (especially if it is a HiFi Stereo unit) with your home theatre system.
Also, you need to decide how you're going to receive your primary television programming: Antenna, Cable, or Satellite.
7. Surge Protector:
Surge protectors are the unsung heroes of a home theatre system. Although they're not foolproof, providing your system with some sort of surge protection is a good idea. You never know when you might have a sudden power outage, or even a brown out that may affect your system.
8. Connection Cables and Speaker Wire:
You can't have a home theatre system unless everything is connected; whether you buy basic connection cables and speaker wire or the really high-end stuff. The main things to consider is to use the right type, right length, and to connect everything correctly. Some connections are color coded - make sure the colors on the cable ends match the connections on your components - this makes life a lot easier.
In terms of speaker cable, the gauge of the cable can be a factor, depending on the distance the speakers are from the amplifier or AV receiver. Usually 16 or 14 gauge speaker wire will do the job. 18 gauge is very thin and shouldn't be used for long distances.
9. Universal Remote Control:
Surprisingly the most confusing part of a home theatre system isn't the many components and connections, but actually managing and controlling it all. Each component in a home theatre system comes with its own remote, leading to a collection that can number half-a-dozen or more. One solution is to opt for a sophisticated, but easy to use, universal remote that can control most of the functions of each of your components. After the initial hurdle of programming the remote for your system, this device will enable everyone in the family to use the home theatre system without frustration or destroying your settings.
10. Furniture:
So you have a fancy home theatre system, now you need some comfortable furniture that will make you want to spend time in your home theatre and enjoy yourself. Your furniture can be the traditional sofa and chair variety, or you can opt for specialized home theatre furniture that include features such as recliners, built-in cup holders and extra-overstuffed padding.
Final Take
There you have it, the basic elements of a well-balanced home theatre system. There's no home theatre system that's exactly like another, everyone has different rooms, budgets, brand preferences, and decorative tastes when it comes to home theatre. The key thing is to keep the basic elements of a well-balanced home theatre in mind, while assembling it according to your own needs and tastes.
Although putting together a basic home theatre system is not as complicated as it seems on the surface and may be a nice weekend project for most people, if you're installing a high-end custom home theatre, it would be wise to enlist the aide of a professional home theatre installer.