Select A Home Theater
With so many home theaters being on the market nowadays, it is becoming more and more difficult to select the one that’s right for you. The following points should be taken into consideration when you want to buy a home theater:
Most of the all in one systems are more basic than the multi component systems. Usually both DTS and Dolby Digital decoders are included for handling the surround sound of DVD’s. The controls for the system should be easy to understand and preferably it has a front panel where all functions are labeled and grouped. A display on the front is easy, but it also should provide onscreen display (on the television) for controlling the receiver.
20 or more presets are generally available on the receiver to store your favorite FM or AM radio stations. A sleep timer (switching on or off at a preset time) is standard on most of the systems. If there is a remote control availabe. make sure that it is clearly labeled and easy to use. Always check if a universal remote is available, or can be used, so that all devices can be controlled by the same remote.
If video signals are switched through the receiver, you definitely need a component video or HDMI output you can connect to the TV, so you can enjoy the highest picture quality. S video output can also be used but is of slightly less quality. RF connection (antenna) or composite video connection have the lowest picture quality.
Both the component video and HDMI let you pipe the signals from an external device through the system. So this can be used for a digital camcorder or maybe a mp3 player. If you make regular use of such devices, select a home theater system which has front panel inputs.
If multiple devices are to be connected to the system, a switched AC outlet makes it possible to plug in every device to the home theater and this way every component can be switched on or off with one button.
Even the cheapest home theaters are equipped with DSP (for digital-signal processor) modes. This is the use of digital circuitry to duplicate the sound quality of, for example, a stadium. If there is a bass boost option available, it can be used to amplify the deeper sounds. And if you really want control over the bass tones, consider a system where the subwoofer is powered by itself. Usually those components offer more control than the unpowered subwoofers.
If you want a DVD player with lots of features, you need to get a stand alone player. The integrated DVD players that are available for some home theater systems, tend to have fewer options. Features like track repeat or the ability to program tracks are often not available on the all in one systems.