Home Theatres
What do I need?
Home Theatre systems can vary from brand to brand, but essentially a system consists of a visual source like a Projector or a LCD / Plasma Panel, and a Surround Receiver running 5 or more speakers.
What’s in a system?
A system consists of a couple of parts
- Visual
- Audio
Visual
You can buy a Projector, which has the advantage of size and picture speed with fast moving images (using a Theatre Projector not a Data Projector).
The main disadvantage is you need a dark room to get the best experience VS a Plasma / LCD Panel which can be used in any light, you just pay extra for a larger size.
Audio
Ideally, you require a good quality Home Theatre Receiver, this is an essential part of the system. The Receiver will establish how easy or confusing the system is to operate and govern the limit of expansion you will have available. All of your source components will plug into the Receiver, it will perform the switching between what you want to watch or listen to and determine the sound quality - it is worth getting the best advice for this piece of the system.
Into the Receiver, you will plug your speakers, which will depend on the look you are trying to achieve in the room. You can choose from the following types:
Floorstand Speakers – Tall, slim, freestanding speakers that generally give the best sound
Bookshelf Speakers – It’s like a Floorstand speaker with the bottom cut off, they are ideal for putting in a cabinet so they are out of sight.
In-Wall / Ceiling Speakers – These are great value for money and being out of sight they will give your room a larger appearance with less clutter, and as the name suggests, they go in the wall or ceiling.
Satellite Speakers – These are the small "cube" speakers, generally found in complete home theatre packages.
Powered Subwoofers – This is the speaker that makes all the Bass, it gives the rumble, and you can feel it in the chest when action starts happening on the screen.
We can talk you through the full advantages and disadvantages of everything mentioned and show you the difference so you can make up your own mind knowing you have made the right choice for years to come.
Options?
Other options are what components you will run, DVD, Blu-ray, Austar, TV (set-top box?) CD Player, Turntable etc, and we also sell learning remotes, to get you to a one remote system, which will be easier to operate and use. We will be happy to talk you through the options available to set you up right.
