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Home Entertainment Center
Home Entertainment Center
I remember that it seemed like only a few years ago that watching movies at home
was second choice only to flossing or a root canal. The quality was poor, the
sound was scratchy, and there was not even a close comparison to watching the
same flick at the movie theatres. But today, home entertainment centers have
come a very long way.
In fact, with today's home entertainment centers, watching a DVD at home with
your surround sound system is a very enjoyable experience, and with your
microwave popcorn only steps away and NOT costing you $8 a bag, that makes it
even more enjoyable. Plus you don't have to put up with other customers making
noise or somebody's kids running down the aisles during the movie -- it's just
you and whoever you decide to invite over to watch the movie with you and your
family. Today's home entertainment systems are every bit as good in quality and
sound as the movie theatres, plus they are getting better and even cheaper as
technology continues to advance.
Although you could invest literally tens of thousands of dollars into a home
entertainment system, excellent systems can be had for a fraction of that. (See
the portion of this site that discusses purchasing a home entertainment center).
The primary components you will have consist of the screen or the display, the
audio system and speakers, and of course the source of the video signal, which
could be your cable TV system, your satellite TV system, or your DVD player or
VCR player. With some of the more advanced systems today, it could also be your
PC through wireless streaming audio and video, but that is an entirely separate
discussion.
The video display or the screen is going to be the biggest investment. You could
go with a television tube system, although those top out at around 36 inches,
maybe 40 inches with some of the top manufacturers. You also have the option of
an LCD screen or a plasma screen for your home entertainment center. Both of
these technologies consist of screens that can be as little as 4 inches thick,
and could be mounted securely on the wall, thereby possibly freeing up some
floor space in your target installation room. There is also DLP (Digital Light
Processing) technology, which is cheaper than LCD or plasma but can still
provide a sharp picture on a big screen. "Big Screen" usually starts about the
40 or 42 inch level, and can go up to 60 or even 100 inch displays. Of these
technologies, the one that provides the sharpest and crispest display with
excellent color tones, in my opinion, is the LCD technology. Keep on top of the
trends though, because technology is a fast-moving target.
No home entertainment center is going to be complete with a good surround sound
system with amplifer. At a bare minimum, this should be Dolby 5.1 or even Dolby
7.1, and should consist of 2 (preferably 4) speakers for the high ranges, 1 or 2
midrange speakers, and a good bass sub-woofer.
When all these components are connected, you almost cannot help but enjoy your
investment immensely, and you will enjoy it even more knowing that you made
informed buying decisions.
Source: Free Articles
About the Author
Jon Arnold is an author and computer engineer who maintains various web sites on
a variety of topics. More info on this topic can be found at his Home Theatre
web site at http://jag-info-resources.com/home-theatre/
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