Audio & Home Theatre Buyer's Guide

When it comes to in home entertainment the focal point may be on the television, but there is much more that can bring your home theatre system up to its maximum potential. This is of course your audio additions and just as you are met with an array of options to choose among for a television, your sound options run aplenty.

Getting the TV

Before we do progress into the audio arena, it would be a major oversight to not address the television; the TV is the first thing to get and from there build around it. When you are in the market, here is what you need to consider:

• Available space in your audio and home theatre room

• A plasma screen or an LCD screen

• Your budget restraints

In terms of the amount of room you have in your home you want to be sure not to get a TV that is just too big. What this means is that as the screen sizes get larger you will need to then be sitting further back in order to get the best picture quality. With higher pixel counts and other factors, if you are too close to a screen that is much too large you may be left looking at something resembling a whole lot of high resolution dots. Measure the parameters of your viewing room and then find the correct screen size.

Plasma screens are known to be best if you are going to spend the majority of your time watching live action sports or fast motion videos. These types of TVs are known to be able to give you a crisp, clear image without any blurs which while LCD technology is improving, it is not quite equal to that of a plasma. Additionally, plasmas are the preference if you are going to be purchasing a TV at or above 40 inches large.

LCD screens are going to bring you more vibrant, colour rich pictures and are best viewed in brightly lit rooms. While their screens may be best when smaller, they bring everything to life and if you have a smaller room they may be ideal. Further it is worth noting that these models are much lighter and easily mounted onto the wall of your room.

Whenever you are making big purchases in and around your home, your budget is a factor. Weigh all of your available options and stick to predetermined amounts. It is completely possible to outfit your audio and home theatre system up to amazing standards while still on a budget, you just need to know what factors matter most to you.

Your TV Sound System

What you hear out of that HD TV is going to make all the difference when you want to be right up in the action on the screen. There are a few different sound systems you can choose from.

• Nicam Stereo: this will come from a set of speakers that are already built into the TV model that you buy. You will get a standard, yet still clearly audible, tone but it will all be from a single focal point on your TV. It is possible to always upgrade from here, but you will need sufficient connections to do so.

• Virtual Dolby: the sound will still be coming from speakers that are already built into your TV but working off of progressed technology the sound will be 'thrown' around the room to portray a surround sound. This is done because the speakers are that of a twin set.

• Dolby ProLogic: Instead of one or two speakers this complex will have five components.

• Dolby Digital 5.1: for the best HDTV experience from your TV alone you can go with this option as it will give you six different channels. You will have not only right, rear right, left, rear left, and centre, but also one strictly supplying you the bass. You can use this sound system to play DVDs, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Sky Digital's Sky+ boxes.

• Surround Sound: you can take advantage of HD sound when it is available by incorporating satellite speakers and a sub woofer to maximize your movie and TV watching experience.

Doing More with Your Entertainment Room

You have all of the best in HDTV and sound technology, but there are other avenues to pursue pleasure and that includes gaming options and having other input or output capabilities.

• Many TVs are becoming equipped with multiple ports that allow you to hook up to camcorders, digital cameras, and even a PC.

• Sony Gaming Consoles: Playstation 2, Playstaion 3, PSP slim & lite

• These gaming systems further allow you to play DVDs and have HDMI output for Blu-ray discs.

• They come with a built-in hard drive and able to read extended memory cards as well as Wi-Fi that is also built in.

• Gamers can link up over the internet to play multi-player games and network over the Sony website.

• The Nvidia graphics card is the top of the line to portray the most vivid images on the screen.

• Microsoft Gaming: Xbox 360

• There is the DVD player and HDMI output both built in.

• Internet connection available through a wireless adapter to then play on-line at Xbox Live.

• Dolby 5.1 surround system is used in this device.

• Nintendo Gaming: Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS lite

• Unique system that works off of different controlling methods than other systems.

• Bluetooth capable for up to four players.

• Wi-Fi ready to link into on-line support, communications, or play games; there is also the Ethernet cable to be hooked up to a wireless router.

• Virtual console that lets you download games off of the internet.

• Interactivity with the games is perhaps the biggest draw; Nintendo is putting forth games to get you fit and in shape, play sports, and work off of not only their different controllers but game pads and even iMotion cameras.

Putting it all together

Once you have all of the components of your audio and home theatre system it is up to you to arrange them accordingly. To help with this you can find TV stands that are either floor models or pedestal makes if you do not find a TV to mount directly on the wall. If the latter is your route there are wall brackets for just that; however be sure that the TV is not over a heat source and the wall is strong enough.