Setting Up A Home Theater

Snapshot:  

• An HDTV without a sound system gives you just half of the "home theater" experience.  Add sound!

• Your HDTV can control video inputs, but an AV receiver may be a more versatile choice for managing inputs.

• Start simple!  Use your existing stereo to enhance HDTV sound.

• An easy sound upgrade is a compact "home theater in a box" - everything you need in one package.

• An AV receiver can be the heart of a more powerful and sophisticated system.   

Got an HDTV?  You're half way to complete enjoyment!  If you've invested in an HDTV with a screen size of about 40 inches or more, and you haven't connected it  to an upgraded sound system, you are missing half of the HDTV experience!  This page discusses ways to add simple sound enhancement to your TV viewing and create a basic "home theater."  (Serious home theater fans can find lots of information on this topic - but not here!)

HDTVs are terrific display devices, but their thin designs (or locations, such as digital TV projectors) don't make them good sources of quality, full range sound.  And FRONT PROJECTION HDTVs require a separate sound system.  HDTV owners should plan on upgrading the sound system eventually to get full enjoyment from their HDTV investment.  Audio solutions are available from simple, budget-friendly packages all the way to exotic packages costing more than the TV itself. 

The digital TV standard includes 5.1 SURROUND SOUND as an available format for producing TV shows, and many HDTV prime time and sports shows are already using it.  Meanwhile, regular and HD DVDs and some video game consoles have SURROUND SOUND outputs.  SURROUND SOUND, with 5 loudspeakers and a source of low frequency sound (usually a separate subwoofer) will startle and delight HD viewers with its realism, depth, and dynamic range.  And SURROUND SOUND arrives free in the HDTV signal. 

Before you buy an HDTV, think about this: where will you control all your video inputs?  An HDTV with lots of connections can switch between different inputs.  But if you are also using a AV (Audio-Video) receiver to power a sound system, you will also be controlling volume on the receiver. Plus, if you have several audio-only devices, you will frequently be controlling them with receiver. 

Consider this alternative: buy a less expensive HDTV and give up some extra connections.  Instead of using the TV to manage different inputs such as DVDs or video games, purchase an AV receiver that can switch video inputs also.  Then you are controlling the video sources and the sound with the same device.  Plus, instead of wiring all the devices to the connections in the back of the  HDTV (an area that is often hard to reach, especially if the TV is mounted on the wall) to the back the AV receiver (much easier to reach).   

Here are steps you can take to upgrade your TV sound experience. 

Use your current sound system.  Do you have a simple stereo system?  Use it!  Connect the left and right audio channels of your HDTV to a receiver that has left and right speakers located on both sides of the TV.  That will open up the stereo effect, and, depending on the power of your system, provide a dramatic enhancement.  (This works for any TV, as ANALOG TV includes stereo sound as well, and many ANALOG TVs have stereo outputs.)

If you have a SURROUND SOUND system, use the highest quality connection available on both the HDTV and the sound system. That can be HDMI, digital audio (orange wired cable or TOSLINK optical cable), or even the left and right (white and red) plugs. If you have a CABLE TV or SATELLITE TV signal source plugged into the sound system, use the highest quality connection available from their SET TOP to the amplifier.  

Buy a simple "home theater in a box."   Audio manufacturers have created a new solution for those who want a surround system they can "plug and play" called "home theater in a box."  It's a package of audio components that includes 5 surround speakers, one "subwoofer" (usually with its own amplifier built it), and an amplifier, sometimes with a DVD player built in.  The speakers can be small, even tiny, and are easy to place around the TV (though most still need a wire from the amplifier).  The pieces all come in one set, and is easy to set up and connect to the TV.  These "boxed" home theater kits start at prices under $500.  

Buy a home theater audio package.  For HDTV owners who want a more versatile and powerful sound system, and perhaps want to control video inputs on an AV receiver, audio manufacturers and retailers offer a variety of larger packages that can include a set of 5 loudspeakers, a subwoofer, and an AV receiver, sold together.  These are available in packages as low as $600.

Create your own home theater package.  If you're willing to do more research, you can pick the components for your audio system yourself.  The centerpiece of a home audio system is a modern SURROUND SOUND AV receiver.  Different models can support many audio inputs, including FM radio, XM or Sirius satellite, and even a turntable, as well as multiple video inputs, including DVDs and video games, and a TV signal source like CABLE TV or SATELLITE TV.  Helpful features include menus that appear on the TV screen and built-in calibration systems that let you "balance" the sound from all the speakers automatically.  A new trend is the addition of computer network connections, including USB and Ethernet, so that music and media can be accessed from computers and MP3 players.

You should make sure the AV receiver has all the connections needed to support the video and audio sources, especially several HDMI connections.  And you should consider AV receivers with enough power in each channel to drive the speakers you will match them with; 70 watts per channel is a good starting point (the subwoofer output is usually not amplified, since the subwoofer will probably have its own amplifier built it; that should be at least 100 watts of power). 

When you've settled on a receiver, you can choose a "package" of loudspeakers from one manufacturer, or, if you're truly discriminating, you can choose the speakers separately, including center speaker; front speakers; surround speakers, and subwoofer.   

Finally: you've got HDTV and a great surround sound system.  Anything missing?    Make sure it's all easy to control.  Ideally, you  want to use a single remote control to manage all your electronic devices: TV, receiver, cable SET TOP, DVD, CD, etc.  Your HDTV or your AV receiver may have a "universal" remote control that can be programmed to operate all of these, and that may be all you need.  But: a universal remote will only operate one device and one function at a time.  So if you want to watch a DVD, you may have to turn on the DVD player, then the TV, then the AV receiver.

Another solution is to get an independent, programmable remote, also called an "advanced universal remote."  These remotes can have color screens with "touch" entry, and they are easy to program; some can be set up via a computer connection.  They can be programmed to conveniently send multiple commands at once (such as turn on the DVD player, TV and AV receiver, all at the same time). 

Of course, advanced remote pricing is based on the number features they offer, such as: number of different devices you can control at the same time; types of inputs (such as a touch screen); and whether they use "RF" or radio frequency to send signals, so they can operate devices inside cabinets or in other rooms.  Advanced universal remotes start around $70, and sophisticated models can cost several hundred dollars. 

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CAPITALIZED WORDS are defined in the Digital TV Glossary.