Home Theater Systems
Recognized Top Brands for Home Theater Systems
If you are going to spend money on combining all of the various components of an entire home cinema system, it’s advisable that you stick with brands that are well reputed. You want every singular component to perform optimally so that your system performs optimally overall and so that you could get the most “BANG!” for your buck.
Respected brand names for televisions include:
- JVC
- Sony
- RCA
- Panasonic
- Toshiba
These brands are trusted for overall quality in manufacturing and product.
The trusted names in surround sound formatting include:
- Dolby Laboratories (Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic)
- Digital Theater Systems
DTS is known for having clearer and sharper sound because it uses less compression in its encoding, but it is less compatible with DVDs and television broadcasts because it is less commonly used.
Home Theater System Features to Consider
With home theater as among the most complex, technologically advanced, and rewarding of home electronics, the list of impressive features paired with this technology is quite exhaustive. But here are some features to look out for as you select your perfect system.
- Connectors – If you have additional entertainment electronics, such as Ninetendo Wii, Playstation or TiVo, that you would like to hook up to your cinema system, you should pay very close attention to the available connectors of the components that you purchase.
- Accessory docks – If you’re planning on connecting your iPod to your powerful new system, make sure that it comes with an accessory dock.
- Component based vs. integrated system – The choice between these two depends on your priorities in choosing your system. In deciding which you want you must decide what your priorities are in terms of price, performance, size, ease of use, and aesthetics. Component based systems often offer more enhanced performance and quality and a higher level of flexibility, including easy upgrading. Integrated home theater systems tend to be sleeker in appearance and easier to use and set up due to the built in integration but are generally inferior in performance. Component systems can be much more expensive and may require more space while looking less well put together, but the payoff comes by way of performance and the freedom to upgrade rather than being locked into a set system.
The Luxury Home Theater System
The THX home theater system offers the absolute highest level of performance. This system is designed by Lucasfilm, the entertainment company founded by George Lucas and that has produced beloved visual effects dazzlers, including all of the Star Wars movies. There are two types of THX systems, the THX Select, meant for 2,000 cubic feet spaces and the THX ultra, meant for spaces that are over 3,000 cubic feet.
