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Home Theatre
Home theatre is the new technology which has a potential to destroy the cinema market. Effectively, with home theatre you bring cinema sound into your house. This means that any DVD which supports the system can provide the highest quality of movie experience.
Now, you can have your own cinema without costly tickets, annoying people and irritating adverts. So, what is the home theatre? In its basic form it consists of:
- Some sort of display (CRT, plasma TV or projector)
- DVD player (preferably HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, LaserDisc etc.)
- A decoder / amplifier which sends decoded data to speakers
- 2 front channel speakers
- 1 centre channels speaker
- 2 surround channels (rear) speakers
- 1 subwoofer (known as .1 channel) for low frequency sounds
Thus 5 independent channels (speakers) with one subwoofer form what is known as 5.1 component of home theatre. More advanced option: 6.1 and 7.1 also exists but are very expensive. Some examples of affordable home theatres are presented below.
Samsung HTBD1250 Blue Ray DVD Home Theatre
Excellent choice for those who also own Samsung Plasma TV. Samsung Plasma TV can be controlled from the same remote as that used by the Samsung home theatre. This 5.1 channel home theatre has:
- Strong 1000W of output power
- Wireless LAN capabilities
- Wireless rear speakers
- PC streaming features
- BD Live profile
- Blue Ray technology.
For the price tag of $780 it is a great value for money. Wireless speakers are very handy and the Blue Ray technology will ensure a great viewing experience.
JVC TH-G61 DVD/iPod 5.1 channel Digital-Home Theatre
This is a 5.1 channel DVD Digital Cinema System. It has:
- Dolby Digital/DTS/Dolby Pro Logic II Decoders
- 1000W output power
- Plays DVD, MP3, JPG
- HDMI with 1080p Up-Conversion
- USB Host
- Karaoke Mic Inputs, Digital Echo, Fanfare and Scoring
- FM/AM Tuner
For the price of $570 it is a great buy. However, it is not a Blue Ray and does not use wireless rear speakers. Please note, that DVDs which support Blue Ray will not work with this home theatre.
Sony DAVTZ200 5.1 DVD Home Theatre System
This is a very affordable 5.1 channel home theatre. It has:
- 500W output power
- USB movie playback
- USB Record and Play
- S-Master digital amplifier
- HDMI Output (allows upscale to 1080p for DVD)
This is essentially $370 home theatre. It has low output power, no Blue Ray and the wiring for rear speakers is essential. This equipment is not recommended unless it is used for educational purposes or moderate entertainment. Low price is attractive for those users who don't often upgrade their entertainment equipment.
Sony BDVE800W BLU-RAY DAV Home Theatre Systems
This is the top of the range 5.1 channel equipment. The cost of $1230 for this home theatre provides:
- All wireless speakers
- Blue Ray technology
- Crystal clear cinematic audio
- Inbuilt Dolby Digital Decoder
- Inbuilt DTS Decoder
- Virtual 7.1ch Surround System
Generally, BDVE800W offers 200W less output power than the similar Samsung HTBD1250. However, better sound clarity will make this home theatre ideal for classical music enthusiasts. Nevertheless, for everyday Blue Ray watching HTBD1250 is a better value for money. It moderately matches features of Sony but saves almost $550.