HOW TO BECOME THE ULTIMATE HOME THEATER ENTHUSIAST

When you're assembling a $10,000 or $20,000 home theater system, it's tough to think of all these expensive components as "gadgets," yet gadgets they are just very expensive ones. To my mind, there's nothing more gadgety than home theater components, with all their fancy inputs and outputs, knobs and pushbuttons, and lights and displays. And then there's the most fun gadget of all, the remote control unit. Hey, a home theater system is a gadget lover's dream!

It All Starts with the (Big) Screen

Putting together the ultimate home theater system starts with the big thing right in the middle of your front wall the video display. Let's face it, there's nothing more important than a big television screen to impress your friends and family. (Don't bother trying to impress your spouse; a giant TV will only become a point of conflict, so you might as well prepare yourself for it.) The better and bigger your video display, the more realistic your home theater experience.

Today's state-of-the-art video displays are much, much different from the simple television sets of yesteryear. Not only are they bigger and shaped differently (widescreen vs. squarish), they're also capable of reproducing high resolution programming broadcast in the new HDTV format. If you're purchasing a new home theater system, plan on allocating at least a quarter of your budget to the video display.

Also unlike the past, today you can choose from four different types of displays and various technologies behind each display type. Which technology and type of display you choose depends on your budget, the demands of your room, and your personal preferences. Here's what you have to choose from:

• Direct view Direct view displays are the traditional type of television sets you've always had in your living room. A direct view television utilizes a picture tube also called a cathode ray tube, or CRT as its video display. Direct view sets typically have the brightest picture of any display type, and generally cost less than similar-sized projection or flat panel sets. Their main limitation is size; with a maximum screen size of 40'' (and most being smaller than this) if your viewing distance is 10 feet or more, a direct view set may be inadequate for your needs. In addition, direct view sets are bigger (front to back) and heavier than other displays, so factor that into your decision.

• Rear projection Rear projection televisions (RPTVs) are ideal for viewers who have a bigger room and need a bigger screen than what you can get in a direct view set but don't want to totally break the bank. Today's lowest-priced RPTV models use older CRT technology, where the picture is produced by three small, internal picture tubes; they're somewhat big, and bulky, however. Newer RPTVs use various microdisplay technologies, such as digital light projection (DLP) and liquid crystal display (LCD) to create a picture from a much smaller internal light engine. The result is a brighter picture than a CRT-based RPTV, but in a smaller, lighter cabinet. The only downside is price; microdisplay sets typically cost up to twice as much as similar-sized CRT-based units.

• Front projection Front projection televisions (FPTVs) are used in most larger and professional home theater installations. The advantage of an FPTV is that you can project a really large picture up to 20 feet diagonal in some super installations. An FPTV system works similar to an RPTV system, except the internal light engine (CRT, LCD, or DLP) sits in front of the screen, typically behind the audience, and projects the picture across the room directly onto the screen. This type of system is inherently less bright than any other type of display, and also has a somewhat narrow viewing angle. This means that the room has to be dark and narrow for a FPTV system to work although the room can be very large, of course. While some FPTV systems cost as much as a car, decent FP units are comparable in price to a good RPTV.

• Flat panel The newest type of display is very thin and very expensive. These displays are thin and light enough to hang on a wall. While flat panel displays are attractive from an interior design standpoint, they're typically more expensive than similar RPTV displays. Note that there are actually two types of flat panel displays available today. Plasma displays are typically larger (42'' 60''), while LCD displays are typically smaller (13'' 45''), although they're starting to meet in the middle ground. While plasma is extremely popular, it's not a good choice if you're worried about screen burn-in; static images (such as network logos or letterbox bars) leave a ghost image if displayed for too long. LCD displays have no burn-in problems, but aren't quite as good at displaying deep blacks. Either type of display is attractive from a design standpoint, although somewhat expensive.

  

With all these different display technologies crowding your brain, how do you choose the right display for your own home theater system? As you can tell, it's definitely not a one-size-fits-all world. In general, each of the display technologies is best for specific uses.

For example, direct view is good for smaller rooms, when you want the brightest possible picture and a wide viewing angle, or if you're on a tight budget. On the other hand, rear projection is good if you have a larger room but want to make as few compromises as possible in terms of room lighting or viewing angle. Rear projection is also a good choice if you prefer to watch movies in their original aspect ratio without worrying about screen burn-in.

Then there's front projection, which is the best choice if you want the largest, most theater-like picture possible and don't mind restricting both viewing angle and room lighting and if price isn't an object. Finally, a flat panel display is good if you have little or no floor space for a television set or projector or if you just want to show off the neat technology. Plasma flat panels are especially popular when you want a larger picture, but present somewhat of a burn-in problem.

Whichever display technology you choose, you should also consider the number and types of video inputs on the back, the usability of the remote control, and any additional features offered, such as picture-in-picture and onscreen program guides. You should definitely go with a set that's ready for HDTV broadcasts, and that offers a 16:9 aspect ratio screen.

The Brains and the Power: The A/V Receiver

To many know-nothing consumers, the phrase "home theater system" really means "widescreen television." While a big TV (with HDTV capability) is certainly the visual centerpiece of a home theater, true techies know that the full theater experience depends as much on sound as it does on picture which is why the audio components in your system are every bit as important as the video display.

Home theater sound all starts with the audio/video receiver, to which you connect all your audio and video components and then switch between inputs with a single remote control. Connect your DVD player, digital video recorder, cable/satellite box, and Media Center PC to the inputs of your A/V receiver, then connect the output of the A/V receiver to your video display. Whatever you select on the receiver's remote appears on the television screen.

The A/V receiver also serves as the main processor/amplifier for your system's audio. Surround sound sources (either broadcast or DVD) are fed into the receiver, which decodes the surround sound signal using the appropriate technology. Most soundtracks today are encoded with Dolby Digital surround sound, which feeds the audio to six separate speakers three in the front of the room, two in the back, and a final subwoofer for the deep bass signals. Pop in a DVD or tune to an HDTV broadcast with a Dolby Digital soundtrack, and your A/V receiver will create room-filling sound.

A/V receivers are available at a variety of price points, and if you can't tell the difference between a $200 and a $6,000 receiver, you need an ear exam. It's all about the sound and, of course, the control. While all A/V receivers perform similar functions, the higher-priced models simply provide better quality sound and more flexibility in terms of control and component switching. Consider the following variables:

• Power In general, you're better off getting as much power as you can afford, within limits. Don't sweat 10 20 watt per channel differences between models, as the difference won't likely be noticeable. (A 200 watt/channel receiver will sound a bunch better than a 100 watt/channel model, however.) You should look beyond simple power ratings and compare total harmonic distortion and signal-to-noise ratio both of which typically have more effect on the actual sound than do power ratings.

• Inputs and outputs This is key. Make sure there are enough and the right kinds of input and output jacks to connect all your different components. Higher-end receivers will provide a variety of composite (single-connector) video, S-Video, component (three-connector) video, and either DVI or HDMI digital video connectors; naturally, you should get a slew of optical and coaxial digital audio connections, as well. Also look for at least one front-panel audio/video connection, for camcorder and videogame use.

• Control You operate an A/V receiver with its remote control unit and there are big differences in remote controls. Look for a unit that feels right to you and is easy for others to figure out and use. Also look for a universal or learning remote that can be programmed to control all the components in your home theater system. If you get a good remote with your receiver, you won't have to buy a third-party remote later on.

• Surround processing Almost all A/V receivers today decode all the current surround sound formats Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, and Neo:6 (DTS's Pro Logic equivalent). If you want a system with both surround and back speakers, make sure that the receiver includes a Dolby Digital EX/DTS ES 6.1/7.1 decoder and the requisite number of amplifiers.

• Sound quality Before you buy, listen. Does this model sound noticeably different or better than comparable models? Is the sound loud enough, clean enough, and smooth enough? Make sure you bring your own source material when comparing units and compare different types of sources, both movies and music.

And here's a little tip. When you can't tell one spec from another, go with the heavier unit. Yeah, it's simplistic, but it works; nine times out of ten, the heavier unit is better constructed and will probably sound better, too.

Speakers, Speakers, Everywhere

You can have the best surround-sound processor in the world and run through the cleanest and most powerful amplifier, but your system will sound horrible if you use the wrong or poor-quality speakers. Choosing the right speakers is essential to creating the best possible home theater experience; if you have any spare money in your home theater budget, there's no better place to spend the bucks than in upgrading your system's speakers!

While all speakers contain some type and combination of woofer and tweeter, there are several different types of speaker enclosure. Which type of enclosure you choose depends on your room, the space you have, and your personal tastes.

The three primary types of home theater speakers are

• Floor-standing speakers These are speakers that are big enough to stand on the floor (either on their own, or with the help of speaker stands). Floor-standing speakers typically are larger than other types of speakers, reproduce a wider range of frequencies (including deep bass), and are quite efficient, producing more volume per watt. They're the best type of speakers for pure music reproduction. The downside of floor-standing speakers, of course, is that they take up valuable floor space, which may or may not be important to you.

• Bookshelf speakers If you're working with limited space (including space within an audio/video cabinet), bookshelf speakers can be a more attractive alternative to floor-standing models. With bookshelf speakers, you get smaller speakers that take up less space (and can be mounted on stands or on shelves), good performance, and (in most instances) a smaller price tag. Some bookshelf speakers don't have a lot of oomph on the low end, and benefit from being paired with a powered subwoofer.

• Satellite speakers Thanks to advances in speaker design, several manufacturers produce individual speakers that are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Think of these as mini-bookshelf speakers, if you like; they're small enough to be mounted or placed just about anywhere in the room. Despite the small size, some of these satellite speakers deliver surprisingly good performance. Any noticeable lack of bass inherent in the design is made up for by use of a separate subwoofer.

If you're using bookshelf or satellite speakers (or even some floor-standing speakers), you'll want to include a separate subwoofer in your system. The subwoofer is a powered speaker (it contains its own power amplifier) that reproduces the very lowest bass frequencies. In a Dolby Digital or DTS soundtrack, the subwoofer is the .1 of the 5.1-channel system and is fed a separate low frequency effects (LFE) audio channel.

Oh, about that 5.1 business. The 5 represents the five main audio channels: front left, front center, front left, surround left, and surround right. The .1 is the subwoofer. If you want a 6.1- or 7.1-channel system, the extra speakers go behind you, with the standard surround speakers to either side of the room.

Whichever type of speaker system you go with, make sure you listen to it before you buy using a variety of different programming, both audio and video. Make sure that your speakers sound as good with music as they do with movies, which not all speakers do. (Music is harder to reproduce than even the loudest action film soundtrack.)

Also, for those speakers near your television definitely your center speaker, and perhaps your front left and right speakers make sure you're looking at models that are shielded. This shielding is actually for the benefit of your television, which can be effected by the impulses from the speaker magnets. If you put an unshielded speaker too close to a CRT, the tube's colors can be distorted.

Everybody Needs a Good DVD Player

The DVD player is an essential component of any home theater system. Whether you choose a basic sub-$100 player or an uber-expensive $3,500 one (yes, they exist and one is my Leo's Pick in this category!), you want a progressive scan player that can handle both DVD movies and CD audio discs, as well as all the important subcategories, such as DVD-R and CD-R discs.

The more money you have to spend, the better the performance and the more features you get. For example, that $3,500 player is as solid as the rock of Gibraltar, and also plays DVD-Audio and SACD discs. You can also splurge and go for a DVD megachanger, so you can store your entire movie collection in a single machine, no disc-swapping necessary.

Record What You Want, When You Want

And then there's the issue of recording. There are many different ways to record television programs. If you're in an old-school mood, you can search eBay for a deal on a old-tech video cassette recorder. If you're more of a new-school guy, consider a DVD recorder, so you can make your own DVD discs. And if you're really new-school, so new school you're ultra cool, then you definitely want to go with a hard disk recorder the ultimate in digital video recording.

A hard disk recorder sometimes called a digital video recorder (DVR) or personal video recorder (PVR) is simply a little computer with its own hard disk. The video signal comes into the DVR and is recorded, digitally, onto the hard disk. When you play back the recording, you're reading the stored file off the hard disk. It's actually nothing too fancy, if you're used to computers; in the world of consumer electronics, however, this is really gee-whiz stuff.

What makes DVRs so appealing is the accompanying electronic program guide (EPG) and control over live TV. After all, a DVR doesn't do much more than what a VCR does (except with much better picture quality, of course), so why is everyone all of a sudden raving about being able to record their favorite television programs? Trust me on this one it's all about the EPG, which makes it way easier to schedule a recording than it was in the VCR era.

With a VCR you had to look up the start time of the show, program the VCR's timer, insert a tape, and hope for the best. This was a bit of a stretch for the average non-techie consumer, who couldn't even figure out how to make the VCR's digital clock stop flashing 12:00. It was too much bother, so they didn't use the VCR to record at all. (And remember, the R in VCR stood for recorder!) Instead, the VCR became a rather bulky and expensive movie playback machine.

Well, now the DVD player has become the default movie playback machine, and the recording function is finally being filled by the hard disk recorder and the electronic program guide. With an EPG all you have to do is scroll through the upcoming listings, highlight a selection, and press a button on the remote control. Voila, the recording is scheduled, no tricky programming required. Even better, some EPGs let you search for programs by various criteria, or even schedule a whole season's worth of recordings at a single go.

The most notable EPG is TiVo, which costs you $12.95 a month to use, and is only available with specific TiVo-compatible units. Other DVRs offer other EPGs, such as the one offered by TV Guide, most of which are free. I still prefer the versatility and functionality of TiVo, but I also understand that zero dollars a month is a lot more attractive to most folks than $12.95 per month especially when the basic hard disk recording functions are the same, regardless of which EPG is used.

Anyway, DVRs are all the rage, and can be found in a lot of different devices. You have the traditional freestanding DVR, as offered by TiVo and others; the combination DVR/DVD recorder, as offered by Panasonic and Sony; the combination DVR/cable box, offered by most cable companies today; the combination DVR/satellite receiver, offered by both DIRECTV and Dish Network; the DVR functionality of a Media Center PC; and the latest approach, the DVR built into a television set, as currently offered on a few Mitsubishi HDTV models.

Whichever route you take, make sure you like the EPG and that you have a big enough hard disk for all the programs you want to record. Don't settle for the basic 40GB models, which will only hold about 12 hours of programming in high-resolution mode (or about 40 hours in lower-resolution mode); I recommend at least an 80GB model, larger if you're a pack rat or record a lot of HDTV programming.

Put a PC in Your Living Room

Today's state-of-the-art home theater systems incorporate a lot of functions that seemingly require separate devices. If you want to record and play back television programming, you need a hard disk recorder; if you want to play prerecorded movies, you need a DVD player; if you want to house and listen to a large CD collection, you need one or more CD megachangers. Wouldn't it be great if you could replace all these different gadgets with one single device?`

Well, you can, if you don't mind putting a PC in your living room. A properly equipped PC can do everything all these separate components can. It has a CD/DVD drive to play back and burn audio CDs and DVD movies; a TV tuner to play back television programming; and a hard disk to record and store audio and video files. One device, multiple functions. Kind of cool.

While you could place a normal desktop PC in your home theater system, this isn't an ideal solution, for a number of reasons. First, a desktop PC simply doesn't look like your other audio and video components; the tall desktop design won't fit in a typical audio/video rack. And most desktop PCs are fairly noisy, thanks to those internal cooling fans, and you don't want all that annoying background noise when you're listening to your favorite music or movies.

What you need is a personal computer customized for living room use. This home theater PC sometimes called a Media Center PC should come in a case that mimics the form factor of traditional audio/video components, and it should be as quiet as possible, via the use of some sort of silent cooling system. Of course, the Media Center PC should also have the storage and computing capacity to do everything you need it to do which means a built-in television tuner to receive TV broadcasts, a big hard disk to store all that programming, and a built-in CD/DVD drive to play back your CDs and DVDS. And it would be nice if all this were integrated with a remote control and onscreen interface that let you see and operate your system from across a large living room.

Fortunately, you don't have to look too far to find a device that fits these parameters. Today there are several manufacturers making affordable Media Center PCs for home use, at a variety of price levels. The best models are about 17'' wide and a few inches tall, just like all your other audio/video components. Look for models with some sort of silent cooling system, one or more TV tuners (dual tuners let you record two programs at once, or watch one while you're recording another), and a really big hard disk. Personally, I think 200GB is the minimum if you're using the unit as a DVR; even more hard disk space is necessary if you plan on using the PC to store your entire CD collection in digital format.

Share Your Music with a Digital Media Server

A viable alternative to Media Center PC is a so-called digital media server. This is a device that lets you play digital audio files on your home audio system. You rip your favorite CDs to hard disk, and the media server accesses the hard disk to play individual songs and playlists. It's a great space-saver (you don't need to keep all your physical CDs in view anymore) as well as a way to get instant access to every song in your collection including all the MP3 and WMA files you've downloaded from the Internet. (And if a digital media server sounds a lot like a Media Center PC without the video stuff, you're absolutely right.)

If you have most of your digital music stored on your desktop PC, consider a digital media hub instead. This is a device that doesn't have a built-in hard disk or CD drive; instead, it connects to your home network, accesses the digital audio files stored on your computer's hard disk, and then streams the music through your home audio system. This type of hub is typically a small and relatively low-cost device that connects directly to your home audio system; it plugs in to your home network via either wired or wireless connection.

When you're shopping for a digital media server or hub, take these points into consideration:

• If you get a self-contained digital media server, how big is its hard drive? (More hard disk space means you can store more CDs.)

• If you get a remote digital media hub, does it connect via Ethernet (wired) or WiFi (wireless)? And if it's WiFi, is it the slower 802.11b or the faster 802.11g, which you'll need to display videos and photos? (Or, heaven forbid, does it require a hard-wired Ethernet connection?)

• Can you connect multiple units to provide music to other rooms in your house?

• Does the unit have a built-in display or does it use your TV to display song information?

• Does it play audio only, or can it also stream videos or display digital photos and artwork?

• Can you control playback from the unit (or a remote control unit), or do you have to set everything up from your PC?

One final question. Do you really want a digital media server or hub, or would you be better off with a more full-feature (but also more complicated and more expensive) Media Center PC? Decisions, decisions…

Lots of Gadgets, One Remote

With all these different gadgets in your home theater systems, you're bound to end up with a coffee table full of remotes. There's the one for the TV, one for the A/V receiver, one for the DVD player, one for the digital video recorder, one for the Media Center PC, one for the cable box or satellite dish, and on and on and on. How do you deal with all those remotes?

Well, the easiest way to deal with remote control clutter is to do a little consolidation. The key is to combine all your operating functions into a single universal remote control unit. Most universal remotes have codes for the most popular audio/video components preprogrammed; other codes can be "learned" from the old remote. Once you have it programmed, the new remote can control four or more components, just by pressing the right buttons.

The best universal remotes feature some sort of LCD touch screen display. Typically, this display varies depending on which component you're trying to operate. Press the button for TV, and the touch screen changes to display the television controls. Press the button for DVD, and the screen displays the DVD's controls. And so on.

Even better are those remotes that let you program their functionality via your PC. It's really quite easy (and very cool) to design your own custom remote control layout on your PC, using the remote's supplied software, and then download that layout to your remote via a USB or serial connection. Some remotes, like Philips' Pronto line, even let you add your own custom graphics; go online to find all sorts of custom screens and logos to use.

Of course, ultra-programmability is useless if you can't figure out how to use the darned thing. So, don't be seduced by too many whiz-bang features; make sure that the remote is simple enough for everyone in your household to use, without consulting an instruction manual every time they want to change channels.