For a full theater experience, your home audio is just as important as your home video setup. Speaker type and placement, room acoustics, surround sound… all of these things combine to give you a dynamic sound set to match your beautiful 1080p flat screen TV. But there are other things involved in pulling out the best possible sound from your media besides just the obvious speaker hardware. Keep your eyes peeled for Blu-Ray and DVD discs and players that are compatible with THX certification.

THX, or Tomlinson Holman’s Experiment, is a type of mastering process that the manufacturers of discs and players can use to get the true-to-the-director’s vision of quality, big budget audio you know and love. Your home theater will sound like the real movie theater if you are able to set up a system that plays THX certified movies. The high-fidelity THX sound, coupled with your 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound speaker layout, will make your next movie experience larger-than-life.

THX was developed during the production of George Lucas’ Return of the Jedi. Lucas and his sound team worked together to make sure that all movie venues, large and small, would accurately reproduce the booming audio track of this epic film. They began a rigorous certification process that involved ensuring that the audio and video of major theaters was up to the standards set by THX – they wanted audiences to see and hear every detail that went into a studio production.

From certifying theaters, THX moved to certifying home audio and video equipment, DVD players, Blu-Ray players, media discs and more. All of the THX certified components, whether they are part of an acoustically-treated mega-theater or your basement home theater, meet the high audio and video standards that THX is known for.

Currently, there are 335 DVD and Blu-Ray titles in the THX certified database. These include such favorites as Fight Club, Bambi, Jurassic Park, the Star Wars franchise, Alien and many more. For the full list, go to the official THX website and click to view the entire list of titles.

Aside from movies, you can experience a whole range of THX certified media in your home theater. Your next flat screen TV video game session can be enhanced by playing one of the handful of titles that are THX certified, which include three Medal of Honor titles, three Lord of the Rings titles, God of War II, several NBA and MLB titles, and many more that you can browse here. And with the wide range of AV receivers, speakers, cables, integrated systems and more that are THX certified, your next CD listening experience could verge on the epic.

THX certification is by no means necessary for you to enjoy your movies, games and music, but it will definitely heighten the experience. The certification means that your purchase meets ultra-high standards of quality, and you will no doubt notice the different the first time you pop in a THX certified disc.

Lauren writes for the HD Envy blog. The TV picture frames from HD Envy highlight the quality picture and sound that your THX certified home theater will produce. A TV picture frame will create a unique and stylish atmosphere that will be the envy of all your neighbors. With designs ranging from the modern frame to the traditional frame, HD Envy’s TV picture frame offerings are sure to please even the most discerning design connoisseur.

Most of us would love to have a dedicated home theater room. A place to call our own when we want to hunker down for the night with a bowl of popcorn, a nice plush leather seat and this week’s latest blockbuster. However, for some of us that’s just not possible – we have to use our home theater space for other purposes when we’re not in movie-mode.

If you’ve found that your house is short on space, or you just want to convert your home theater/family room into a more versatile area, read on. Being economical with your space doesn’t mean that you have to give up any of that great audio or video you’d expect from a dedicated home theater, nor does it mean that you have to give up the stylish elements like a custom frame from HD Envy. It just means you’re going to have to get a little creative.

The most common alter-ego of a home theater is a games room. This usage is pretty consistent with the ethos of a home theater. It requires some additional equipment and media, but most of the hardware, like your flat screen TV and your surround sound system, are left intact – but you can get a flat screen TV for the gamer if you want to upgrade. For a games room, you will need a gaming console, some games, and any of those little extras like special controllers needed to play the game. That’s the basics. From there, you can add a great lounge chair for leaning back and enjoying a few hours of immersing yourself in an interactive world, and you can set up your audio and video to perform better based on the requirements of the game.

So what about something not as simple? Some people use their home theater as a business presentation location. Especially for small business owners, this room is great because it has the multi-media aspect, but it also has the professionalism that one would expect from such a meeting. For this purpose, you might need a large conference table and some additional seating. You can buy stackable chairs and a folding table, if this is just going to be an occasional event. You can also set up your computer, such as your Mac Mini, to connect to your home theater devices and play your Power Point presentations with the click of a mouse.

Other, less common conversions of home theaters include adding a stage for children’s plays, adding some tables and chairs to throw a CD release party, or screening a photo slideshow. The sky’s the limit if you want to convert your home theater for other uses, especially those that use audio/video.

Everyone wants to hear true-to-life sound when they’re enjoying the latest blockbuster, but how can you tell what sound format will give you ear-splitting, jaw-dropping, mind-blowing audio? Along with the advent of HD video came a whole host of HD audio to match. Blu-Ray discs and players offer special audio formats like surround sound and THX-certified sound. If you find yourself scratching your head when trying to decipher the difference between sound formats, read on.

There are some basic differences between all of the sound formats available for home theaters. Some require, for the best sound, multiple speakers. Others require at least five or seven, which make them surround sound. The two main audio companies that produce the majority of the sound formats for today’s movie DVDs and Blu-Ray discs are Dolby Laboratories and Digital Theater Systems. They are very similar, with two main differences: DTS audio is usually compressed at a lower rate than Dolby, meaning that it will sound clearer once it is uncompressed, but Dolby is more popular and more widely used across the board for both DVDs and Blu-Rays. And within each of these labels is a whole array of different sound formats designed for different experiences.

Dolby Surround audio format uses four speakers – the two front speakers and two rear ones to give a surround sound feeling. You’ll be amazed at what those two rear speakers can do if you have a properly configured home audio setup. Dolby Surround Pro Logic uses five speakers. It builds on the four speakers in the Dolby Surround setup, and adds a single center channel for a more robust sound. This center channel will also improve the quality of dialog, and of the more subtle nuances in your movie sound. DTS makes a 5.1 channel surround sound format as well, and it is the basic standard when considering non-HD sources.

A step above these sound formats is the Dolby Digital Pro Logic II, which is a 5.1 surround sound format. It basically includes three front speakers (one center, one left and one right), and adds two rear surrounds. Moving up from the 5.1 surround sound, Dolby has created Dolby Digital EX and DTS has a format known as DTS-ES, which are both 6.1 channel surround sound formats. Not being very popular, these format adds a center rear speaker to the two rear left and right surround speakers.

Moving up is the 7.1 surround sound. This is the standard high definition sound format, and it includes the Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. If your Blu-Ray offers these formats, you can be assured that you’ll get the best, lossless, most true-to-life sound possible. These formats add an additional two rear channels to the 5.1 surround sound basic setup. But that’s not why these audio formats are the best – they are encoded exactly like the master audio that the studio created, meaning that you will not lose a single whisper of a blade of grass when the sound is transferred from production to your disc.

Be sure to keep in mind that not all DVD or Blu-Ray players can decode all audio formats. Because of different compression rates, you may need an external decoder to play the top-of-the-line audio formats. Your home theater speaker layout will also determine the level of audio quality you achieve.

Beyond the basics, like a flat panel TV, Blu-Ray player and one or two speakers, many people get skittish when talking about home theater equipment. There appears to be an overwhelming amount of devices out there designed for very specific purposes, and only a consumer electronics guru could understand them all. Right?

Not quite. One thing that people often get tripped up over is the difference between integrated amplifiers and AV receivers. Whether you’re someone who knows what these are but doesn’t know which one is best, or you have no idea what these audiophile-sounding words even mean, read on to get your bearings in the sea of home electronics. It’s not even that overwhelming, we promise.

These two audio devices are similar in many ways. They are both good choices to act as a controller for your speakers/sound system. Two of the most obvious differences between them are their features and their audio quality. Generally speaking, an AV receiver will have more features, while an integrated amplifier will have the better sound quality. But take this statement with a grain of salt: different brands offer different components and features, and as you get into the higher price points, it is often difficult to tell the difference between an integrated amp and a receiver.

An integrated amp is great for multi-source audio. Its most basic components include a switching selector for your different inputs, a preamp to control volume and equalize sound, and a power amp. All three of these devices can be purchased separately, but an integrated amp combines them into one chassis. This allows you to control the sound of many different sources with a single device, and cut down on the clutter in your home theater in the process.

At its most basic, a receiver will take all of the features described above and add a radio tuner. Most receivers today have even more features than this, as the modern home theater demands. They will often include video switching in addition to the audio switching of the integrated amp, and some have a subwoofer crossover with output. And the very latest AV receivers go a step further, including modern connections like HDMI and converters for both audio and video sources, digital equalizing capabilities and more.

Now, you might think that the complex feature set of an AV receiver makes it the better choice, but not necessarily so. The sound quality that you get from integrated amps is usually better, but this depends on a number of factors. Take a look at each component, and do some research. Will they perform better than similar components in a receiver? You need to also assess your other audio devices, like your speakers. Can they handle the high quality sound that your integrated amp will produce? Often, low-grade speakers will act the same regardless of the quality of the receiver or amp they are connected to.

Other things to pay attention to when choosing between an integrated amp and a receiver are the acoustics of your room, and what you’re mainly going to use your audio setup for. If you want it for Blu-Ray sound, you might stick to a receiver that can also handle video. If you’re a music connoisseur, an integrated amp might pull out the subtle instrumentals better.

Ultimately, an integrated amp and an AV receiver are both good choices for a central audio controller for your home. To choose between them, you just need to look at the details of the device and keep your needs in mind.

It isn’t enough to just have the latest and greatest home theater equipment. You must take good care of it in order to pull out the best performance, and have an overall functionally and aesthetically appealing room. In addition to maintenance and AV tweaking, you’ll need to keep your gear clean if you want the top-performance possible.

You’ve got to understand proper AV equipment care in order to preserve the life of your devices. You can’t just go in there with a rag and some cleaner and swipe away the grime – you could end up irreparably damaging the surface, the finish, or even the inner mechanisms of your device. So, if you’re proud of how well all of your equipment shows off your flat screen TV frame, you’ll want to keep it clean to keep it looking and performing at its best.

There are some basic cleaning rules for all, or at least most, AV equipment. Be absolutely sure that the device is in “off” (not just standby) mode before tackling the dust. If you can, unplug it to be doubly sure. Furniture polish or wax is meant for furniture – not for your gear. Keep it for the mahogany coffee table and the traditional wood flat screen TV frame, and never use it on electronics. When you do pick a cleaner, don’t spray it straight onto the device. Spray it onto a cloth to protect your delicate home theater components. And finally, after reading this article, go check out the user’s manual for your equipment. If you don’t have a hardcopy, many manuals can be found online. There is usually a section on care and cleaning, and it’s best to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines when it comes to the delicate operation that is cleaning your home theater.

So now on to the specifics. We’ll begin with tips on cleaning your plasma or LCD HDTV, as this is usually the central unit of a home theater. Before you begin, keep in mind that you can keep your flat screen TV frame mounted, or you can remove it with a few easy snaps. An LCD TV screen will be damaged by common household chemicals like Windex, so purchase a cleaner specifically designed to be gentle on screens. The cloth that you use should be soft and either dry or nearly dry – most LCD screens get damaged by moisture and too much rubbing, so treat this delicately. If you must use a cleaner for that stubborn dirt, try a small amount of water first.

Your TV might not be the dustiest thing in your home theater. In fact, the nature of Blu-Ray players, DVD players and gaming consoles make them highly susceptible to dust and dirt collection. The fans that are used for ventilation often make dust settle on the back, around the cables, and when you’re doing your general sweep of the room with a duster, you will often miss those areas around the buttons and underneath the devices.

In order to do a thorough job of cleaning these devices, you should pair your regular cleaning with something a bit more rigorous. Try using that same soft, dry cloth that you used for your TV. You’ll want to start with the device that is on top of the stack and move downward, because dust will likely fall from the top down. On the chassis, keep the dusting motion designed to dust away from the vent holes to preserve the delicate inner workings. When you move to the front panel, you might want to use a soft paintbrush, as this will get you precision without being so rough as to knock around your settings. For the inside of your device, keep an optical lens cleaner disc handy. These are versatile little discs that spin and use small brushes or holes to pull away the dust and dirt.

Cleaning your home theater properly will not only make it look great and highlight your modern flat screen TV frame, but it will also prolong the life of your components. The tips above are all great to follow, but just to reiterate an important point – because not all devices are created equal, check out the cleaning section of the manufacturer’s manual before diving in to your home theater dusting day.

So you’ve set up your flat screen TV to be a wireless entertainment portal. You can access YouTube, check your stock values and even use social networks to chat with your friends, all from your stylish HDTV featuring a TV picture frame. Now you’d no doubt like to use wireless technology to make other areas of your home theater more efficient, right?

Your home network can do much more than just allow your “connected” flat screen TV to connect to Internet widgets. There are so many gadgets out there, from AV receivers to gaming consoles to Blu-Ray players, that utilize network technology as well. Some of these allow you to connect devices without the need for cables, while others allow you to access online information without being hardwired to the Internet. Ready to upgrade your home theater to a truly networked experience?

Next to your flat screen TV, the two most important elements in your home theater are your video and audio inputs – your center and rear speakers, surround sound setup, subwoofer, Blu-Ray player, DVD player, radio receiver, multimedia center and so many others. These are the content-producers, the things that allow you to enjoy high-def videos and high-res audio. And they can all, in one way or another, benefit from that home network that you set up.

Let’s start with video. Blu-Ray players are quickly becoming the favorite for videophiles and movie fans, because of their 1080p output and their internal decoding of the latest audio formats, among other things. Many Blu-Ray players have a Profile 2.0 feature, which in effect is their ability to connect to the Internet and bring you extra content. A Profile 2.0 Blu-Ray player offers access to BD-Live, which has features that are unlocked based on which BD-Live compatible discs display. Some can access behind-the-scenes exclusives, others can access fact sheets on the actors and other members of your film, while still others will give you access to contests and surveys. Newer Blu-Ray players have expanded wireless capabilities, such as photo streaming from your PC or access to movies from your Netflix account.

The audio side of wireless technology is a huge marketplace, and it’s easy to get lost in the offerings. Ranging from wireless satellite speakers that compliment your sound system to whole-house wireless audio integration, your choices for wireless audio are nearly limitless. In particular, a multi-room audio system might offer you the ability to connect to the music stored on your home PC and stream it to several rooms of your house. To take it up a notch, some of these systems are now offering the ability to connect to online music services, such as Pandora Radio or Sirius Satellite Radio.

Other items in your home theater can benefit from your home network as well. Some gaming consoles can connect to the internet, most notably Xbox 360. The Xbox Live feature supports user profiles, multiplayer online gaming and much more. iPods and iPhones can connect to your local network, and many audio systems and all-in-one systems have docks to connect the wireless capabilities of these portable devices to your home audio system.

Enjoy the new connectivity and the new freedom from miles of cable that your home wireless network opens up to you. And remember: A flat screen TV frame from HD Envy is the perfect complement to a crisp and clean wireless system.

So now you understand how speakers work, and the difference between stereo and home theater speakers. You’re committed to achieving the best possible movie sound, and you know you need a good center speaker with limited off-axis vertical response and two rear speakers to provide the reflecting sound. This is the start of your surround sound system. Next, you should get to know the other speakers you’ll need, and how to set them up to achieve the most accurate sound reproduction for your next home theater experience.

Possibly the most important element that a good home theater speaker system will achieve is total sound immersion. This is basically that experience of being in the film. You don’t want to have to crane your neck every time a loud, low thud occurs to see where it’s coming from. The speakers in front, behind, above and to your sides should blend seamlessly with your visual experience.

How do you get this smooth audio reproduction in your own home theater? First, be prepared for a bit of tweaking. The acoustics of every room vary, so your setup might need several trial and error attempts before it hits perfection. But when it does, you’ll realize what all the fuss is about.

Dialog is a driving audio force in many movies. You want your center speaker to be close enough to your flat panel display so that the dialog feels cemented to the actors in front of you. In a 5.1 surround sound recording, more likely than not the dialog is hard mixed, attached, to the center speaker. This is the driver of most dialog, and as such you need to experiment until it is positioned so that you can hear the dialog coming straight at you.

A 5.1 surround sound system is the standard for most DVDs and HDTV broadcasts. The ideal spot to sit is directly in front of your center speaker at 0 degrees – your ears level with the speaker’s drivers. You should place the front left and right speakers about 22 to 30 degrees on either side of the center speaker, as seen from this spot on your couch. Your left and right side speakers should be mounted two or more feet above ear level, if possible, and be angled between 90 and 110 degrees toward you. These are rough guidelines, and you should try listening to all types of audio (Dolby, DTS, SACD, etc.) that you will be listening to, in order to get the most out of your setup.

7.1 surround sound is truly a surround sound setup, as it uses the rear speakers that are so important in establishing your location. The two rear speakers should be placed about 135 to 150 degrees towards the center of the room (which should be directly in line with the center speaker’s drivers). The other aspects of the speaker setup are similar to 5.1. Keep in mind that your rear speakers should never be directly behind you, or a 180 degree angle, because our brains will sometimes process this sound to be coming from in front of us.

So now that you have the basics of the two most popular types of home theater setup, try it out! Listen for all the details in your favorite movie, and adjust your speakers based on what you hear. You are going to be the one listening to and enjoying all of the great movie sounds, so be sure that you are enjoying your audio experience to its fullest the next time you pop in your favorite disc.

Lauren is a contributing writer for the HD Envy blog. If you’ve ever wondered how to frame a flat screen TV, HD Envy has your solution. In order to frame a flat screen TV, you just have to visit HD Envy’s website to get started. Just contact HD Envy and ask them how they can let you custom frame a flat screen TV using any color or style of your choosing. And the next time your neighbors come for a visit, they’ll be asking how to frame a flat screen TV too.

With a crystal clear 1080p Full HD image projecting from your flat panel TV, you want a sound quality to match, right? It would be terrible if you were enjoying Iron Man’s dramatic flight into the atmosphere above Santa Monica while only hearing the faint muffled sound of his jets (or at least you assume it is his jets because of the image – it could be a lawn motor or a scooter as far as your ears know). Theater-quality sound is half of the experience. Without it, you are left with a dull impression of the movie, and you are rarely pulled in to the extent that you forget where you are and actually live the experiences on screen. Movie audio is so important, in fact, that there is an entire branch of audio equipment dedicated to providing the most accurate reproduction of sounds for a home theater setup.

First, a little background knowledge on what makes a speaker sound best. The position of the listener is a key feature of great sound. Your head should be directly in front of, and at the same height as, the speaker’s driver. This is known as the “on-axis” position. If you move to the left, right, up or down from this position, you will be “off-axis” and the sound will not be as clear.

When comparing stereo speakers with home theater speakers, you will often find that stereo speakers have a better off-axis sound than home theater speakers. This is because audio from a CD or other music source sound great when it is combined with left and right channels, and reflects off the walls and ceilings. With a stereo setup, the best sounding position will be in the center of the setup, but of-axis seating will sound great too.

Home theater speakers are a bit different. The vertical off-axis response, that is, the range of sound that occurs above and below the center position, of a center speaker in a home theater setup will be very limited. This is to prevent reverberation of sound off the ceiling and the floor. This is done to allow the rear speakers, which are often absent from, or include a more limited range than, a stereo speaker setup, to do their job. In a good home theater speaker system, you should include two rear speakers that act as “false reflections”. Sound from an actor’s voice in a large, cavernous room will take longer to bounce off the back wall and hit your ears if you were really standing beside that actor while the film was being created. Directors want to give you the feeling that you are really immersed in their world by tweaking the reflecting sounds so that they are slightly delayed as they bounce back to your ear – this can only be done with rear speakers, not with the reflections from a front speaker.

Home theater speaker systems are designed to provide an accurate reproduction of audio from a movie. The center speaker and rear speakers are the most important elements in this configuration, as they drive the bulk of the sound. The next installment of our series on home theater sound will examine how to set up your speakers to get the most out of on- and off-axis listening, and to get the most faithful reproduction of movie sound possible.

Lauren is a contributing writer for the HD Envy blog. HD Envy specializes in providing LCD and Plasma TV wall frame solutions for your home theater. If you are looking for a unique and creative way to display your TV, the LCD or Plasma TV wall frame products at HD Envy could be for you. You can get a custom made Plasma TV wall frame for your family room, designed to match any color or style that you prefer. HD Envy’s engineering experts have created an easily mountable Plasma TV wall frame solution so you can frame your flat panel TV with ease.

So you have a High Definition Television now. Maybe its full 1080p or maybe not. Maybe you don’t even know what that means. You do however notice that your picture looks clearer and crisper than ever before. That’s great. Now what about the sound? Did your new television come with built in speakers? About 85 percent of televisions do, so the chances are that it did. Are you planing on using the speakers? The answer in most cases is simple: you don’t know what you are missing if you are not using some type of Home Theater Audio Solution.

The superiority of High Definition television over standard television is evident the moment you walk in to a friends house who still has a tube set. Once you’ve become accustomed to High Definition television, you can’t go back. It is the same with audio solutions. If you are using the built in speakers that came with your television you are doing yourself a disservice. So what do you do? The best solution would be to go and talk to your local Audio Visual installer and see what they would recommend. Let them know what your budget is and what your AV goals are. If you only want to spend a hundred dollars or less, they may be able to point you in the direction of a decent budget Home Theater in a Box.

“A Home Theater-In-A-Box is a system that contains most (or all) of the components needed for a basic Home Theater, including all speakers, a surround sound receiver, and, most-times, a DVD/CD player, and in a few cases, a DVD Player and VCR combination, or even a DVD recorder. If you are getting into home theater for the very first time and don’t know what get and how to set everything, a Home Theater-In-A-Box may be a great way to get started.”

If you really want to get your home theater audio system right, ask a certified AV installer to help you determine the best equipment,placement, and connection for your needs. They will be able to leverage years of experience and intimate knowledge of audio video integration. A certified installer will be able to set up your system for the best possible sound reproduction in your room and make the audio much easier to hear and enjoy.

All HD Envy LCD TV frame products are capable of handling the use of internal or external sound sources. We use an acoustically transparent matting system to pass audio through. Our frames do not interfere with the audio solution you choose. Robert Silva (n.d.) What Is Meant by “Home Theater-In-A-Box”?

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