Home Theater Buying Guide

Class is in session. Learn how to put together that home theater you have been craving.

Home Theater is, in its most basic terms, a dedicated space in which to enjoy audio and video. From there, the definition becomes far more personal, so to help you make the right choices, you need to ask three questions:

“What do you want?”

What are you planning to watch in your home theater? Lost? Sports? The latest feature films? And do you intend to watch any of the above in standard quality (the easier, more affordable choice) or in high-definition, the latest technology which delivers sharper pictures and enhanced sound? 

Either way, you will need a display, a standard or high-definition television: a source component, such as a DVD player, Blu-ray player, or digital video recorder (DVR) such as TiVo; and a sound system, which can include an audio/video receiver connected to multiple loudspeakers. Once you figure out what precisely you intend to achieve in your home theater, you’re ready to do inventory.

“What do you have?”

Home-Theater-In-a-Box

First, let’s just assume that at the very least you have a large enough TV and you are pleased with its performance. Thanks to the triumph of DVD in the late ’90s, the home-theater-in-a-box or "HTiB" category of products has evolved quickly to become a viable alternative to individually purchased A/V elements, for a painless "Just Add TV" approach. A complete HTiB bundle arrives with a "DVD receiver" unit, featuring the necessary sound decoding/amplification combined with the DVD player inside a single, rather heavy chassis, along with five loudspeakers for left and right front, left and right surround/rear, a dedicated center channel plus a subwoofer, along with all necessary cabling. These "5.1 channels" work together to recreate a true theater-style sonic experience in the home, only on a smaller scale. Audio-only HTiB solutions are also available, without DVD, and almost all HTiBs offer inputs for connecting multiple source components. You can view many home theater reviews here.

Speakers

If you already have speakers, how many? Dolby Digital is the audio standard for DVD, requiring the five speakers plus sub mentioned above to properly reproduce the soundtracks of most modern films. If you already have two speakers, it isn’t necessarily as easy as adding three more. Dolby Digital requires full-range speakers, that is the ability to reproduce the highs, lows, and midrange of all five channels. The best surround speakers also dissipate the sound for a more realistic rear soundstage, versus pinpoint placement, which can be distracting. Under normal use the front speakers handle most of the load, so you will need robust left and right mains, plus a center channel with exceptional clarity to render the dialogue. Centers are ideally horizontal and tend to be placed directly above or below the screen. Check out our speaker reviews here.

Receiver

What’s currently driving your speakers? If you own a receiver, is it stereo (two-channel) or multichannel? And does it offer the latest audio decoding formats? The soundtrack data on the disc needs to be decoded, and that decoded signal must then to be amplified for your speakers. In addition to Dolby Digital, does it offer DTS, the outstanding rival multichannel format? And how much power is at your sound system’s disposal? Your sound system (the receiver/amplifier plus the subwoofer, if it’s self-powered) should be capable of delivering at least 450 watts total system power for a small-to-medium-sized room. If you live in an apartment with grumpy neighbors, you might want to keep it at modest levels, and certainly don’t max out the sub, which can actually move enough air to blow out your birthday candles. Or just invite your neighbors over for a screening in your new home theater and they will likely become your best friends. View our receiver reviews section here.

TV

Now, if you are in the market for a new TV as well, keep in mind that American television is changing over from analog to digital, and in less than a year ATSC will officially be the new standard, so be sure that your new TV contains an ATSC digital tuner. All new HDTVs have it, and with HDTVs less expensive than ever and of superior design, savvy consumers will make the extra investment and stave off obsolescence by making their next purchase an HDTV. You’ll gain widescreen display, best for movies and an increasing number of television shows (the black bars you see on the top and bottom of many programs will go away) as well as outstanding picture quality and the latest inputs. Size matters in more ways than one, as you need the right size screen for your room. The popular 42-inch widescreen TV for example has an ideal viewing distance of about five to ten feet. Too close reveals imperfections in the image, while too far minimizes the impact. About 1.5-times the diagonal measure of the screen is the minimum distance for the viewer, and three times is the maximum. So measure not just the space in your shelving unit but also the layout of your room before you go shopping. View our TV reviews.

DVD and Blu-ray Player

If your current television is several years old, your DVDs will probably look significantly better on most new TVs. Look for progressive scan and component video input, just make sure that whichever DVD player you use–traditional or as part of an HTiB–offers progressive scan component video output. DVD is not true high definition however, so if you plan to rent or purchase movies on disc, Blu-ray is the way to go. A Blu-ray deck will not only play Blu-ray high-definition movies but will make your current DVD library look better than ever.

And now for the reality check.

“How much can you spend?”

As is often the case in life, what you get is largely determined by what you can afford to pay. In the world of displays, more money nets you a larger screen size and the latest technology, all the way up to 1080p, the highest available resolution on consumer monitors. One point not to be compromised on is HDMI ("High-Definition Multimedia Interface") input, the gold standard for connectivity which assures the transfer of full-quality HD video and multichannel audio from the latest source components. For Blu-ray, I can heartily recommend the reasonably priced Sony PlayStation 3, a high-end gaming console built around a Blu-ray disc player, one which has consistently offered new and improved features via frequent online firmware upgrades. (The PS3 has high-speed Internet access built-in.) But with the HD format war finally over, look for more traditional CE-type Blu-ray players to drop in price while embracing the newest advancements in high-end video processing. 

You will likely want to watch TV shows in your home theater, and while free over-the-air broadcasts are available with the right antenna in the right location (www.antennaweb.org explains it all), cable and satellite offer the widest range of content. High-definition cable or satellite service often comes at a premium above standard rates, but is well worth the expense. Your service provider likely offers their own DVR as well, although you might be required to purchase your own hardware. HD recordings require more storage space than standard-def, so spring for a high-capacity hard disk drive, 250 gigabytes or more.

As little as $500 USD can procure a respectable HTiB, designed around standard-definition DVD. If you insist upon buying a new standalone DVD player, don’t spend more than $100 USD: That price will bring you outstanding features and performance at this point in the product’s life cycle, and you won’t feel badly when you inevitably upgrade to Blu-ray.

Performance is the key factor when purchasing loudspeakers, as you will simply want the best sound that you can afford, as defined by the "performance envelope" of frequency and dynamic range. A speaker’s ability to reproduce lower bass (even in addition to a dedicated subwoofer) and higher trebles is critical, along with the range across which it can enjoyably reproduce soft to loud audio. Proper demos can be difficult to find at retail, so will you be able to audition the speakers at home and return them if necessary? Build quality is not just a matter of old-world craftsmanship, rather it greatly affects the quality of the sound, today and in the future. Durably construicted wooden cabinets can reduce unwanted resonance (step right up and knock on them with your fist), while some designers are big believers in alternative materials such as rigid extruded aluminum, which also brings up the issue of esthetics. How different, or just plain cool, do you want your speakers to look?

Of course your speakers need to be a good match for your amplifier/receiver, and not too piggish in their power demands, noting their nominal impedance rating. Speakers with 8-ohm impedance are extremely common, and lower ratings will mean the speaker is drawing more electrical power. More discerning listeners lean toward separates, that is a dedicated decoder/preamplifier box which then passes the prepared signal to an outboard amplifier, versus a single, integrated audio/video receiver. The performance of receivers–which can function as control centers and switchers for all of your home theater gear, with HDMI ins/out–now approach the level of separates, while their value and versatility can’t be beat. Recent receivers also support the most sophisticated audio formats available on Blu-ray, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

Home entertainment is one of life’s great rewards, so do your research, don’t skimp, and be sure find a comfortable chair, because your audio/video system will bring you years of enjoyment.