Buying Guide to Home Theater Systems

A home theater system is not something you can just go to the store and buy. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration, a lot of options to weigh, because if you buy the wrong one for your situation, it simply will not work.

First of all a home theater system ties all your entertainment components together. Plasma screen TV, DVR, cable and or satellite , CD and M3P player Into one virtual home theater.

What to look for:whenn putting together your own home theater system
Home theater receiver
DTS or Dolby Digital
Universal remote
Speakers, especially center channel
Theater-in-a-box system

Before you go t o buy, here are some steps to take
First decide where your home theater is going to be If you have a spare room that you can dedicate to it all the better, but you can easily set one up in your living room or even your bedroom, Here are some things you need to consider once you decide where your theater will be.

Make a detailed list of what you already have. Tv DVR, VCR,DVD, M3P and speakers You will need about 5-6 speakers. Six speakers make up the ideal home theater: left and right front-channel speakers, left and right surround speakers, a subwoofer, and a center-channel speaker. The center-channel speaker is probably the most important, since most movie dialogue comes from it. 

If you're watching the bottom line, forgo the subwoofer.Decide what sized receiver you need to buy. Receives are measured in watts per channel For a small room such as a bed room or den, a 40 watt receiver is sufficient, For a living room go a bit bigger, For a real dedicated home theater room go for the 80 watt
Very important If you have any questions about the comparability ask before you buy. Deal with someone who knows what they are talking about.

Buy a receiver with at minimum Digital Theater System (DTS) or Dolby Digital. (Dolby Digital and DTS are competing, incompatible formats for home theater sound. Check your DVDs - they're more likely to have Dolby Digital sound.) Avoid receivers with Dolby Surround or Dolby ProLogic unless they also have Dolby Digital. Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES are the next step up; THX is the top of the line.