Home Theater really started to come into its own in the mid 90's. As it caught on and became more
prominent, phrases like "Dolby Pro Logic" and "Surround Sound" started to make their way into the language. The whole idea of having that
movie theater experience in your own home was exciting. And the emergence of DVDs took the experience to a whole new level with greatly
enhanced picture and sound quality. Now, with High Definition and Digital Audio technology growing and becoming available every day,
reproducing a true theater-quality image and audio track is more possible than ever.
The term "Home Theater" can refer to a wide range of systems from the very simple to the very complex. You may have seen a variety of systems
offered at your local store that are called a "Home Theater In A Box". These systems usually consist of some combination of a receiver /
amplifier, a DVD player, a set of speakers (usually between 5 and 7 in number), and a subwoofer (a box type speaker that's strictly for
reproducing bass sounds - like the rumble of an earthquake). They are designed to hook up very easily, frequently offering color coded
wires & illustrated instructions so the customer can set up and connect it to their TV as easily as possible. These systems are often limited
in their abilities (such as the number of other components that can be connected to them, the capabilities of the system to output high quality
sound, the integration possibilities with existing equipment in terms of control, etc.), but the serve their purpose as entry level systems.
The flip side of the "Home Theater In A Box" is a system made up of all separate components. The system can be built to literally do anything
you need your system to do. You can get an A/V receiver that will accept all the video and audio inputs you want to run into it. You can get
units that have set-up features that calibrate the speakers to your specific room and set-up. You can get a universal remote control that will
turn on the TV, DVD player, and A/V Receiver, put the TV and Receiver on the right input, and start playing the DVD all with the push of one
button. Just one button. You can even have that same remote control dim the lights in your room and close the blinds on the windows. And
beyond those types of options, you can obviously customize the parts of the system to meet your needs in terms of sound and video quality,
system capabilities, speaker size & appearance, and ability to integrate into other pieces of equipment in your home.
With so many options, you can have a system that does whatever you want to do. As simple or intricate as you need it to be. Think about what
your ideal home theater room would be like and let us put together the pieces to make it happen for you.
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