Home Theatre Equipment

Buying home theatre equipment is definitely an area in which you can use a little guidance, and it's best not to leave it up to the people who work at the store you've wandered into to see about getting a new TV as an impulse purchase. Unbiased reviews can be a big help, but they're also not the final word in home theatre equipment. If you are going to make a significant investment in a home theatre system, you simply must take the time to view and listen to a number of components to find out what you like best, and then do some quick research to verify that these are products that are reputable and durable.

Buying Home Theatre Equipment

Chances are, you're either going to buy a small, affordable home theatre system, or else you're going to start with a couple of more expensive pieces and then upgrade the rest of your system slowly over time. Considering that for many audio and videophiles, an ideal home theatre system could easily cost as much as a car, it's obvious why most people can't get their dream system all at once. But the main pieces you'll need to consider are a television, DVD player, receiver, and speakers. You'll also need a number of accessories, and you'll probably want to think about the potential to add additional components in the future.

The basic choices you'll have to make about a television are: the aspect ratio, HD compatibility, the type of display (plasma, rear projection, or CRT), and the size. Each of these factors is of different significance to different people, depending on space, budget, and particular entertainment passion. With a receiver, your main considerations will be the number of channels and the channel format.

Currently, the most popular format is Dolby Digital Surround Sound 5.1, which allows you to have six speakers establishing a rich, enveloping sound field. DTS, however, is slowly growing in popularity. This is the surround sound format used in movie theaters, and so far, most home DVDs are encoded for Dolby, and not DTS. If you're looking toward the future, however, a receiver with DTS capability will put you on the vanguard of new sound technology. Then, you just have to get the speakers which sound best with your receiver, the cables to carry the pure sound, and a physical set-up that fits in your space and keeps your home theatre equipment safe.