Home Theater Systems Buying Guide

What is a Home Theater System?

A home theater system is a grouping of video and audio components designed to give you the ultimate movie and TV watching experience in your home. A home theater system consists of these components:

Television (TV)
The TV is the heart of every home entertainment system. If you're on a budget and already have a TV with good input and output capabilities, you don't have to buy a new one. If you're starting from scratch or want to upgrade your current TV, be sure to visit our Televisions Buying Guide for advice on which TV set will work best for you.

Control Center
This is the system hub, usually referred to as a "receiver", where you plug in all of your other home theater system components. In high-end home theaters a separate receiver and amplifier are often used to produce a more powerful, clear sound. In many of the HTIB packages the receiver and the amplifier have been combined into one unit. Sometimes the receiver/amplifier unit also has one of the main speakers built in as well.

Speakers
Speakers are what a home theater system is all about. Hear all of the subtle sounds in a movie - every creak in the floorboard or instrument in the orchestra - with multiple-speaker surround sound. Home theater systems generally consist of five to seven smaller speakers, called "satellites", and a larger speaker for the bass, called a "subwoofer". There are three major types of speaker components you'll encounter when shopping for satellite speakers: woofers (bass), mid-range speakers, and tweeters (treble). Many speakers are combinations of these three types and offer richer sound quality than speakers with only one type.

How to choose your perfect Home Theater System?

There are three major factors to consider when choosing a home theater system: your budget, what you'll be using it for, and the size and shape of the room you'll be putting it in.

What's your budget?
You can build a home theater system for less than you might expect. If your budget is tight, consider an entry-level HTIB for around $300. At this price, you can expect the sound quality to be better than that of your TV but don't expect an awe-inspiring entertainment experience. You can purchase a very good-quality HTIB for under $1,000, but for the very best in home theater you should build a component system yourself, which could cost between $1,000 and $5,000.

Keep in mind that if you're considering an HTIB, it probably won't let you add more components in the future. If you plan to add to your home theater system over time, you'll probably want to start with a separate component system. Also, be aware that because an HTIB system often includes a DVD and receiver in a single unit, repairs may be more costly. If the DVD player in your HTIB system breaks, the whole unit will need to be fixed or replaced.

What will be using your home theater system for?
There are two major reasons to own a home theater system: to create an ideal movie and TV watching experience, or to create a rich listening environment for music. There are different recommended speaker configurations for each type of system so while you're shopping for your home theater system consider what you'll be using it for most.

What size and shape is your room?
This factor is especially important, as two of the three available surround-sound configurations (6.1 & 7.1) require you to place speakers behind the viewing area. If your viewing room is small or your sofa sits against the wall, you'll need a 5.1 system.

The size of your room also determines the amount of power or watts your home theater system should have. The power rating determines how loudly the speakers can play. Look for a system of at least 50 watts per channel for a small room (under 1,500 cubic feet); 70-100 watts per channel for a medium-sized room (1,500 to 2,500 cubic feet); and at least 100 watts or more for a large room (over 2,500 cubic feet).

Keep track of your component inputs & outputs
Inputs and outputs are where you plug in the cables for your different components. They're usually on the back, but sometimes on the front, of your TV, DVD player, cable box, etc. The three major types of input/output ports are s-video, composite video (single coaxial cable), and component video (three coaxial cables).

As you shop for receivers, make sure they have enough inputs for your video game system, VCR or DVD player and anything else you'll want to connect.

TV & Movie Watcher

You may have heard of many of the surround-sound technologies available today, but the names can be confusing. To help you get a handle on what they mean, here is a description of the various speaker configurations and their corresponding technologies.

Stereo Configuration
Traditional television and radio broadcasts, and even some films, are encoded as two-channel stereo, which means they allow for sound to come from only the left and right channels. Because the sound is being compressed down to just these two channels, the listening experience is dulled. Surround sound seeks to restore as much of the original depth as possible to a recording.

Surround Sound Speaker Configuration
Currently, there are three types of surround sound speaker configurations: 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1. The first number (5, 6, or 7) refers to the number of audio channels available and, therefore, also to the number of speakers in the system. The second number (.1) refers to the single subwoofer.

With this in mind, it's easy to determine the type of configuration you might want.

5.1 Configuration
5.1 is the current standard and is recommended for all entry-level and most mid-level systems.
Pros: 5.1 allows you to have surround sound even if you don't have room to put speakers behind your chair or sofa.
Cons: 5.1 systems are difficult to upgrade to 6.1 or 7.1 systems if you want to add more speakers in the future.

6.1 Configuration
This is the same as the 5.1 configuration with an additional center speaker behind the chair or sofa.
Pros: 6.1 facilitates a more immersive surround sound experience than 5.1.
Cons: 6.1 is a little more expensive, most DVDs don't support it yet, and it requires a larger room than 5.1.

7.1 Configuration
7.1 is a misleading name because there is no encoding technology today that actually produces seven channels of sound. These high-end systems exist because the encoding technology specifications (Dolby and DTS) recommend two rear speakers for the ultimate in surround sound experience.
Pros: 7.1 is the cutting edge of surround sound technology and will produce the most authentically immersive listening experience.
Cons: You'll be paying a lot more for a configuration that isn't widely supported yet.

Surround Sound Formats
There are two main competing surround sound technologies: Dolby Digital and Digital Theater Systems (DTS). Each technology comes in different versions, depending on the number of audio channels. Here is a table that lists configurations for each technology and their benefits.

	Dolby	DTS
5.1	Dolby Digital Most widely used configuration Standard format for DVDs Standard for digital television broadcasting (high-definition TV or "HDTV"). Offers all of the sound quality needed for a great home theater.	DTS 5.1 Standard in movie theaters Arguably superior sound quality Note: Most receivers have both technologies so, if it's important to you, look for one with both Dolby Digital and DTS encoding.
6.1	Dolby Digital EX Consumer version of the movie theater THX experience Extends the 5.1 configuration with a sixth rear-center speaker.	DTS-ES True surround sound because it has a dedicated audio channel for the sixth speaker.
7.1	Dolby Pro Logic IIx Extracts up to 7.1 unique audio channels

THX
THX is not a competing technology. It is a set of rigid manufacturing and processing standards defined by the THX Corporation. THX certification is licensed exclusively to equipment meeting quality-assurance, power, frequency response, and distortion tolerance standards. THX certification is nice to have, but not absolutely necessary to create a great-sounding home theater.

Music Listener

If you're tired of listening to music in two-channel stereo and you're shopping for the best surround sound system, keep in mind that these technologies work differently from TV watching technologies and they require different speaker configurations. Here's a breakdown of what's available.

DVD-Audio
DVD Audio discs can be played on any standard DVD player.

Pros: Optical-disc format DVDs have approximately seven times the storage space of CDs. They can store more data, which makes the quality of their recordings richer. Even two-channel stereo DVD recordings are better sounding than the same recordings on CD. DVD-Audio also allows for additional content to be included on the disc, like lyrics sheets, still images, and full-motion video.
Cons: Availability of DVD Audio discs is limited. Also, typical DVD players rarely have the same music playback quality of a good hi fi stereo CD player. So, while the DVD Audio disc may sound better than a regular CD, the player may not be up to the challenge.

Super Audio CD (SACD)
This format requires a specific SACD-compatible player, either as a stand-alone SACD player or as a DVD-player with an SACD decoder.

Pros: SACD provides a cleaner signal path, higher frequency bandwidth and broader decibel range for incredible audio quality.
Cons: Availability of SACD discs is limited.

Hybrid Systems

If you're an audiophile who's having trouble deciding between a home theater system for music or movies, there are new technologies available for you called "hybrid matrix-surround".

Dolby ProLogic II
Released in 2002, Dolby ProLogic II is a replacement technology for Dolby ProLogic. ProLogic II is a 5.1 surround sound technology that provides enhanced music listening through a receiver meant for movie-watching. All Dolby ProLogic II receivers have a "Movie Mode" for movies, look for the ones with an additional "Music Mode" for listening to music.

Dolby ProLogic IIx
Dolby ProLogic IIx, an upgrade for Dolby ProLogic II, is the first technology to market that can produce 7.1 surround sound. In addition to ProLogic II's movie and music modes, ProLogic IIx provides a dedicated "Video Game Mode" for total game immersion 5.1 surround sound.

DTS Neo:6
DTS Neo:6 adds a sixth channel to a 5.1 encoded movie or CD, providing 6.1 surround sound. Similar to the 5.1 solution, DTS Neo:6 is arguably the superior technology but most DVDs are encoded in Dolby Digital. DTS Neo:6 is a nice extra, but not a necessary component of a good home theater system.

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