Home Theater, The First Steps To Take

OK so you've been thinking about getting into the whole home theater thing for some time now. Am I right?

You're thinking to yourself "Man where the heck do I start" .

Well don't feel overwhelmed because with all the choices available to you and I the consumer it is very easy to walk into an electronics store and do one of two things

1. Get so excited about all the bells and whistles and unlimited amount of goddies you could have and end up going way over your budget or
2. Get so overwhelmed and confused with all the information the information you simply turn around and leave the store never to return.

Those are 2 of the many things that happen to all of us when we are not prepared.

But the good news is you will be prepared because I'm gonna give you a few pointers on some absolute essentials that you need if you want to recreate the whole movie theater thing in your home.

No, no, no you don't have to spend a fortune to have that great theater sound. You can if you want but today is not the day to talk about that.

So here we go

1. TV-This is pretty much a given I know but just in case you don't have one a TV is definitely a good place to start and there are many options out there. Options like LCD, Plasma, DLP in various sizes the choice is yours.
2. Projcetor Screen-Now this to is a great option instead of a TV and I want to point out that you can get just as good a resolution on one of these as you can on a TV. But remember if you choose this route your home theater/living room needs to be resonably dark if not totally. So if it isn't stick with a TV. OK?
3. Speakers - You will need a set with a minimum of five speakers. Front left and right, rear left and right surround a center channel speaker and to complete the pakage you need a subwoofer. Now I hear you say but thats six speakers. Yes you are very observant today but in actual fact what I have described is a 5.1 speaker set up as it is known in the home theater world.
4. Amplifier/Receiver - this will ensure that the audio signal from your movie soundtrack will be processed and sent to it's correct location (speaker) giving you the viewer the desired experience.
5. DVD Player - This is a no brainer isn't it? But if you what to experience your movie in high definition then a Blu-ray Disc player may be a better option for you.
6. Cables - The days of cables being supplied are gone or should I say good quality cables. There are many options available to you here such as S-Video, Component and HDMI. All have similar applications and most components on the market today will accomodate them all. If I can say one thing it would be to not cheap out on your AV Cables especially if you have just purchased some great components.

Thats pretty much it in a nutshell for home theater basics however there are a couple of things I would like to touch on before I sign off here.

If your not too worried about having the latest and greatest or maybe you don't have a lot of free space then maybe a HTIB (home theater in a box) could be a good option for you.

What is a HTIB I hear you ask?

A HTIB generally somes with a 5.1 speaker set up (thats 5 speakers and a subwoofer), a combination DVD player and Amplifier as well as all of the necesarry cables and sometime speaker mounts are included but it;s very rare.

Just remember though that a HTIB definitely does not come with a TV. Another point is that most of the major brand name companys do manufacture some good HTIB's so you should have no trouble finding something to fit your taste and budget.

Extra Goodies

• TV Stands - Some great options to hold your TV as well as all of your components. These help to keep thing organised and uncluttered.
• Entertainment Centers - These are basically a bigger version of a TV stand but a little larger and also serves as a book shelf extra storage for books and movies as well as keeping many things out of sight helping you avoid clutter.
• Home Theater Seating - Now this is one of my favorites and there are too many options for me to try to explain it all here but you should definitely look into what many home theater furniture manufacturers have to offer. You will be pleasantly surprised some companies worth looking at include Palliser, Bass, Berkline all have some great choices when it comes to loungers and if you are a real enthusiast theater style seats may be what your looking for also.

Final Word

Now before I go I want to p[oint out that now you are a little better informed than you were before right.

You can find all of these products online and at highly discounted rates compared to some of the big box stores but go to the stores to see what you like and then buy it online.

What a no brainer.