September 7th, 2009
By: Lauren
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.
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Tags: audio/video, Home Theater, Speakers
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August 29th, 2009
By: Lauren
This may seem like a silly question to some, but there are many people out there who hear the words “home theater” thrown around without really understanding what they mean. While there is no one definition of what really makes a home theater (is it a mini-movie theater in your basement? or just a TV and a sound system?), there are some basic components that most home theaters have, as well as a few extras that many home theaters should have.
In order to determine what your ideal home theater would be, ask yourself a few questions. What kind of entertainment do you like? Movies? CDs? TV? How many people are going to use your home theater? Just the family? Friends and neighbors? What features would you most like to see? Great video? Mind-blowing sound? How much are you willing to spend? Are you a DIY-type, or would you get a professional installation service? By going through a mental checklist of what you’ll use your home theater for, who will be most active in using it, and how you want to approach creating it, you will be able to choose components and design the layout with confidence.
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Tags: Home Theater
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August 25th, 2009
By: Lauren
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.
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Tags: audio technology, audio/video, Home Theater
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